Growing Pains

[Trextan Voidstalker]

Twelve hours after Raid at Mentina
[member="Choli Vyn"]


Trextan departed the mess hall and headed for the cabin he'd been assigned. The compact stealth frigate had narrow corridors and he has to keep minding his head and ducking through the doors in the bulkheads. As soon as he reached the room he was going to grab a change of clothes and head down to the shower block. Apparently part of the stealth system has a body of water to dump excess heat into. The end result was a supply of hot water for real showers. He hadn't washed since the battle, instead heading for a room and crashing. By morning he had been more interested in food and had found his way to the mess still wearing battle marked robes. Now he needed to address the situation.

The U-Wing they had reached Mentina Station in was down below and inoperable. Choli was apparently heading down below to help the mechanics. That didn't surprise him. He knew because before Choli had arrived for breakfast the crew had been all too happy to tell him where she was likely to be in exchange for attempting to pry into their relationship.

They were an interesting bunch. He’d met almost the whole squadron at breakfast and had managed to say about three words without being interrupted despite their questions. The questions had stopped when Choli arrived.

Had a face to Janes’ voice now. Seemed young for his position. Swung back and forth between serious, using long words and talking quickly and being rather crude with short, blue words. Omar was worse, he’d asked some very pointed questions. Had barely kept them in check when they’d picked him up with the Scarred in the U-Wing. Tela had looked him up and down as if appraising a dress on a store rack. At least the twilek girl and fondorian seemed a bit more...regular.

Trextan had instantly become jealous at the amount of time they got to spend with Choli whilst he was several star systems away. He knew that was a selfish thought, but that didn't prevent him from feeling it. She joked and laughed with them and suddenly her behaviour on Polis Massa was easier to understand.

She had seemed even more hesistant than he had been on each occasion started to express some physical intimacy on Tatooine. Yet she’d joined in with their conversations that had nose dived into exceptionally crude with almost metronomic regularity. At one point she had caught herself and given him an abashed look out of the corner of her eye before falling silent. They were this little family. Rogues and Wraiths and Ghosts.

The Subversion had been diverted. They needed to cross the border to extract some assets and deploy some subspace buoys. It was going to be interesting to see how he fit into this particular dynamic. The ship was small, they liked to gossip. Those crude jokes could probably turn in their direction without much instigation.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

[SIZE=9pt]Choli was sitting alone with her lunch. Rather than eat with the others she’d done some mechanical work to keep out of the worst of the probing questions during the rush. Unfortunately Lucy hadn’t been much better. She’d caught sight of Trextan coming down from the shuttle, carrying a wounded man over one shoulder with his armour scorched with blast marks. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]There was a noise across from here. Remarkably how silently Omar could move at times.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]Hey…[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]” he said. There was a suggestive waggle of eyebrows.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Now, what did he want?[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] The bulk of the time for the past day had been to try and be out of the line of fire from the Zeltron. However, with the Subversion being a small ship, close quarter was a difficult thing to control. Even hiding down by deck C and D with Lucy only managed to mitigate a small portion of the ribbing. The only difference being that Choli could stand Lucy’s light-hearted quips. Omar…Well, he had a tendency to bring it to a whole new level.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Hey yourself,” the Lieutenant Commander said, eyeing the lower ranked Zeltron with an arch of a brow and a suspicious narrow of swiftly darkening golden eyes. Omar took a moment to pause, perhaps due to the fact that being this close actually gave him the perfect proximity to notice how the younger Rogue’s eyes would change color. One second they were a honeyed hazel, the next, brightening to a burnished gold that reflected the annoyance the empath was already reading. Taken by it for a moment, it took him a second to register the true reason why he’d come over.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Cozying up to a higher ranking female who was younger than him required a finesse and skill that perhaps only Captain Janes would be able to pull off. However, being a Zeltron also provided the unique talent of being able to smooth over any complications with his charm. Or how others would call it, the keen act of shamelessly using his pheromones to get him out of hot water. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]While Zeltrons had a distinct teleempathic ability to sway, Choli had never been one to be manipulated by such means. So if Omar decided to use his racial wiles, all he would end up with would be one rather pissed of Lieutenant Commander. The flat stare communicated that directly.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“So, enjoying your meal?” It was oatmeal. Standard. No frills. Nothing to jump for joy about but Choli enjoyed it. Giving the Zeltron a few blinks, the young woman replied,”Well that depends on the company.” Stabbing her spoon into her bowl, she scooped out a mouthful of the Elroodian oats, chewing pointedly while giving Omar a look that said, [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]like yours.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Ouch! Felt it right here. Shot to the heart. “ his hands immediately came up to cover his chest, a mock wounded expression overtaking him. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Got me right here.” Now how to Segway this? Leaning forward, Omar shone his scoundrel grin. “No need to be so aggressive. Not when I came over to give you a few parting gifts before the mission.” Oh did his blue eyes ever did shine.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Gifts[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]? Both brows rose up rather suspiciously. A spoon lightly waved in place by Choli’s ear, her elbow resting on the table as she peered at the Zeltron.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Nothing ever was just a simple gift from Omar. That much she understood from the few times the Rogue had gotten to know him and from his banter. If the Captain and Tela were bad, Omar was worse. Choli could whip up a quip to fend the attention off of her, but even then, Omar seemed to linger and get some pervasive joy out of riling anyone up. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Great. I’ll contact the scullery to sanitize them for me.” She added, looking down at her oatmeal to take another bite. Point Choli, making fun of the commonly known fact that Omar was pretty much the walking cot of the ship. Well, him and Janes from the stories I’ve already heard…[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Nope, no need to. This comes straight from me to you.” Not to be discouraged, his smile grew wider. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“So, that’s your Jedi right?”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Oh, here we go again…[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“He’s not [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]my[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] Jedi, Omar.” Annoyance went crossing her face again, but there was no hiding from the Zeltron the faint blush that rose to her face as well as the emotive tell. You could lie to yourself but not to him. Omar could tell there was something there. His expression was smug.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Pity, does that mean he’s available?” The immediate glare came up to level at the Zeltron.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“I mean, “ he went leaning back, settling on the bench with a casual, amused flair, “He’s already a looker with the armor but let me tell you that is [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]nothing[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] compared to what the Jedi has under. Well [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]armed[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] I say.” The way he said it made Choli clash in the sudden onset of emotions that filled her. Not only did she mentally cringe, but she immediately knew what he meant by that. Her face immediately flamed, a combination of mortification and growing anger. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“I figure you both might be a little lost on how to get things started, soI just wanted to say that I am here for any services you might desire to help things along,” enter the scoundrel, player wink. For Omar, that might have been some well-intentioned advice. Zeltrons sex was a casual but fun affair. They began their sexual education early and it was done in a manner that alleviates any sense of shame, embarrassment or awkwardness. The empaths were well versed in the subject of pleasure, and perhaps, for Omar, it was his way of looking out. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Just not [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]quite[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] how Choli took it. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Oh, you have got to be kidding me. Just what did THAT mean?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“So, while he’s a little on the young side I imagine that with a little training -”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Oh just [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]shut[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] up.” Choli managed to choke out, not at all amused. Omar’s eyes went wide. Choli’s olive face had flooded over in crimson color, her eyes a bright fiery gold as she shot to her feet.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Just drop it okay?” She had half the desire to toss her oatmeal to his smirking face, but the puzzled alarmed expression stopped her at that.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Hey, just saying, I know every nook and cranny on this ship and --”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Just…” her hand came up, palm out, “[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]Stop[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt].” Face flaming, she turned to take her half-empty bowl. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“I don’t need pro tips or a how to do manual. Just leave him and me alone.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]The small bit of commotion caught a few quizzing stares from a few officers in the mess, but with it being Omar, a shake of their heads and low murmurs of, ‘He’s at it again,’ was the end of it. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Some, ‘gift!’[/SIZE]

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

She was under her X-wing again. A small trick that Trextan had learned was that she tended to stay later than usual down in the maintenance bay. So far he wasn’t certain if this was her usual behaviour or if she wanted to stay out of the line of fire in the mess bay as much as he did. Trextan had worked out that he could go to the mess and fetch food and then bring it down here. That seemed to result in good boyfriend points and some time alone.

“Hey,” he called out softly. The first time he’d been too loud, surprised her and she still had the lump on the side of her head to show for it. That red head had given him a curious look as they’d crossed paths and the way down the stairs. He hoped she wasn’t going to join in the gossip factory that was the stealth frigate.

He looked a bit more pensive than he usually did at this hour. He parked himself on a pair of crates and placed her cardboard takeaway box and plastic cutlery down beside him. When had food become such a thing between them? Ever since that stolen packet of crisps. Choli started to wipe down her hands with a rag that didn't look much cleaner than they were.

“Your crew…” he started and already he could see her expression changing. “They are really obsessed with...stuff?”

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

[SIZE=9pt]Trextan didn’t need to see the color in her eyes shift to gold in her annoyance at that. No the frustrated wipe of her greasy hands upon a rag and the grimace that drew across her olive face told enough about that. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Not much of a question. Pretty much a given.” Choli replied with a sigh, ambling over towards were Trextan sat. He was a little higher up with his height, but still relatively eye level. The Rogue gave a small flick of her hand and the thick braid of her hair swung back to her back. She’d changed over to olive brown coveralls, with the zipper down to mid-waist and the sleeves rolled around her hips. There were a few more grease stains across the simple olive green shirt she wore, the sleeves coming just to mid bicep. Well worn and having seen better days, it was a testimony to where the bulk of her time was spent while on ship. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“There isn’t much else for them to do.” She tossed the soiled rag off to the side, hopping on up on top of the crate to find her own perch. There was a brief expression of gratitude at the sight of the takeaway box, a mild softening of her expression and a brief smile before it faded back to annoyance. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Everyone knows everyone and everyone gets bored. “ she began to explain, taking the small brown box in her hand and setting it down on her lap. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Some work out at the gym. Other’s work out at the bar.” Her head began to give small gestures of emphasis, bobbing along her explanation. “The rest work on each other.” As crude as it could be. It still was so strange to her. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Or all three at the same time.” Her nose gave a crinkle at THAT particular instance she heard about at the gym involving honey, several bottles of Corellian Whiskey, and pumping iron at the gym. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Lucy said that’s how they blow off steam. Sex, booze, and working out.” A pause, as she sarcastically added with a wry twist of her mouth, “And [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]gossip[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt].”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“They are all a lot of gossiping mynocks waiting for the next titillating piece of information to shove their suckers onto.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Getting that clash of a revelation still confused, annoyed, and embarrassed Choli. Lucy had long since given her advice to simply blend in and the attention would fade from her. It had worked for a time; well, as heat drew to her face and she caught the sight of Trextan pensively watching her from the corner of her eye, until the group managed to zoom in on the one insistent Jedi who kept asking how a particular pilot was recovering.[/SIZE]

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

“Ah,” he replied. There was a brief shake of his head in bemusement. He wore a simple Jedi tunic, white over dark grey today. They weren’t a particularly touchy and possessive couple, but he still gave her an affectionate nudge of the elbow and a smile before turning to his food. With his thumb he prised open the little clips at the edge of the cardboard box and opened it up. Simple noodles and mystery meat but it smelled nice. Trextan took up his little plastic fork.

“I suppose this thing can be stuck deep in enemy space for months on end,” he reasoned. The slightly paranoid part of his mind wondered how long it would have been before Choli succumbed to the boredom and joined in with some of their salacious pastimes. He tried to dispel the notion quickly. Easy for the mind to play tricks but he knew Choli much better than he had when he’d first been calling after he during her recovery. Since then he’d learned she’d been right here the whole time. He’d even seen the med bay where she had been recovering.

“And I assume now, we’re the best gossip. Great. That damned Zeltron,” there was a final shake of his head before he stuffed some food in. “Like…” this time he was gesticulating with his fork. “That will happen when we decide we want to and it's none of their business.”

The crew of the Subversion were proving to be a culture shock for Trextan as well. So here they were, hiding from view and rallying against the onslaught of words from the rest of them. Omar might have caught Trextan off-kilter, but he had really pushed Choli beyond her comfort zone. Neither of them knew that the Zeltron had been a little more reserved through the afternoon and had been planning how best to apologise. If Asmus heard of what had happened there would be trouble. Though his mind would shortly be elsewhere when they made the next pickup. Choli would find herself in a very different position with Lucy.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

The best gossip.

That’s putting it lightly, Choli thought to herself, well into eating her own noodles and mystery meat -- although it had a bit of a Nuna taste to it. She chewed her food rather savagely, as if trying to go through her thoughts and annoyances about Omar and everything else in between. Of course, her jaw would slow when Trextan added the bit of how that would happen when they both wanted to.

Mild blessings for the dim, orange glow of the over head lights, Choli gave a small cough and kept on eating, face flaming again. Bringing up Omar and that brought back the rather uncomfortable suggestions the Zeltron had spoken about earlier at the Mess. Maybe the Wraith thought it all in good fun. Or maybe he really did mean to give his own Zeltrony advice, but Choli was already a rather private person to begin with and hearing how Omar spoke of Trex and well, everything else, just rubbed Choli the wrong way. It also made her all the more hyper aware of the situation between Trextan and she. She’d caught how he’d curiously stare at her when he managed to stumble upon a particularly rowdy banter between Wraith and Rogue Squadron. Things were already obnoxious as it is within Rogue, but it went to a completely different element when having to one up another squadron. As expected, Choli had to toss in her own sharp retorts, working in tandem to her counterparts to verbally lacerate with bawdy quips. Being caught in the act by Trextan and a small group of the Scarred beside him had been enough to mentally admonish the teenager and settle down a bit.

What did he think of me then?

There were several dozen questions that Choli wanted to ask and at the same time didn’t. Which only served to aggravate her further because it had been months since she’d seen him last and she expected that it would be months more before she’d see him again. Not that they didnt communicate through holo or comm messages, but that was scarce if the Rogue had to go on radio silence. The same could be said for Trextan, what with his Jedi Training advancing and taking up more of his time. Shore leaves were hard enough to come by and near impossible to line up. That they were both here on the Subversion was more by chance than by actual planning.

Where Trextan might worry about Choli potentially sinking into the lewd pursuits Tela, Omar, Ben, and others did, the Rogue did her best to avoid it. It was one of the reasons why she’d taken up the bulk of her time here on the maintenance deck, making more friends with the techs and mechs like Lucy who were far more happy to tone down the quips for some assistance in finishing up a daily or weekly maintenance inspection for more free time.

Speaking of that, there were also other curious questions that came with Trextan being a Jedi and their Code. Omar and Wilson along with Tela had been quick to describe them as monks. No better than eunuchs who willingly pushed back all the pleasures of the galaxy just to swing a glowing stick and act as if it were rammed up their rear.

The image didn’t quite take for Choli, seeing how Master Voidstalker, Jan, Chloe, and all the other force masters and fringe force tradition shamens had their own take. It was easy to make fun of what one didn’t know or comprehend just as it was easy to hate it. She learned that lesson early on back on Tatooine with her Clan.

Not to mention, the short, brief spurts of time Trextan and she managed to be alone had thoroughly proven that Trextan was no eunuch. As embarrassingly as Omar loved to point it out, it was hard to ignore that Trextan didnt mind being with her at all. Plus, Pizza Pink Twi’lek had been the first clue.

“Yeah well… I told him to stop bothering you.” Another stab at her noodles. A twist and she shoved the mass into her mouth. Chewing quickly, the Rogue attempted to push away sense of embarrassment and the small voice that nagged at the back of her mind.

“ From what I gather, I get that he comes from a place where it's normal to do what he does… but… “ her nose gave another crinkle in distaste.

“It bothers me.” Looking down at her noodles, she gave a shrug. Part of her wondered if she should mention what happened earlier. Another quickly squashed it. Best to just leave it behind and hope that Omar took her seriously.

Ultimately, Choli didn’t know where things would lead and while it wasn’t what she expected back when she was fourteen and grooming her bantha, she figured whatever happened would happen. She knew two things; that she enjoyed being around Trextan and that it was nice to be able to really connect with someone.

And, okay three things. I really like kissing him.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

“Oh you did?” he asked rhetorically. Trextan tried to keep how much pleasure this brought him from his face. He tried to stuff some food into his mouth but his lips seemed to be firmly entrenched in the shape of a smile. Secretly he quite enjoyed this little joint siege mentality that they were building together. Alone between meditation and with the Squadron out on a scouting mission he had made himself anxious by imagining Choli giving them an unflattering report of his abilities to be physically intimate. The brash fighter pilots had gathered around Choli and been laughing in his direction over their shoulders.

If had thought that couldn't come true before he was certain now. That brought him relief. Even if it was only relief from some building insecurities rather than from anything real. The crew here saw him as a Jedi. A fighter, an unflappable religious warrior. One of a handful from across the Galaxy who could do impossible things. Choli saw the other side to him. A teenage boy with a difficult past who had just as many insecurities as the next one. She didn’t play on those. They still took their time in slowly becoming more open and honest with each other. Every conversation and meeting was another link in a growing bond between them. Over time they shared them and he felt stronger for it. In some ways he felt more self aware and on edge around her. In others he actually felt more secure. Especially right now, hidden away from the other fighter pilots.

“I’m glad you did,” Trextan said once he’d finished his mouthful. He stuck his fork into his food and placed his right arm around her back. Just a brief touch, a gentle tug in his direction before he pulled his hand back. “I guess at some point you need to draw a line. I might have snapped at him a little earlier too. I haven’t...embarrassed you in front of them at all have I?” he asked. She joined in a little with the banter and had tried to remain fairly approachable. Yet he was perhaps even more out of his depths here than he had been on Tatooine. He was aware that he didn’t make friends easily either. He didn’t want the whole crew involved in their relationship though. He wasn’t a particularly open person and as he had said to Choli those decisions were for them to make alone. Even if it was painfully difficult to talk about even between themselves at times. He was in no rush to move on, it was nice just to spend some time together again. Even if when they did catch a moment to themselves it was easy to get lost and swept up in the moment. It did occur to him that he did have his own cabin for some more privacy, but he wasn’t sure how much trouble Choli could get in if caught there.

Before Choli could answer the door to the maintenance bay slid open. Lucy had suggested keeping it locked in future, but the message hadn’t been passed on just yet. Omar’s pink face peeped around the corner. He looked quite sheepish.

His gaze immediately fell on Trextan and his eyes widened. “Oh...sorry…” he vanished from sight. Trextan kept his eyes on the door, a suspicious express on his face. There was some sharp whispered from the other side. Omar wasn't alone. Trextan stretched out his senses. Another person was there and there was a touch of anger floating between them.

“...but Trextan is there…”

“Doesnt matter!”

“I was going to…”

“You can apologise to them both.”

“...but Janes…”

“Now.”

Omar appeared again. Someone else’s hand also came into sight, giving the zeltron a rather firm push into the bay.

“I would like…” he announced, “...to apologise for my inappropriate behaviour today.”

“Ahem.”

“I would like to say that I will... stop this now. And would consider it very kind if no formal complaints were raised on the matter.” The Zeltron looked from one to the other and then back at the floor.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

The response was more prevalent in the shading of Choli’s eyes. From the hazel flecks of alarm, to the darkening gold of annoyance. Why was he here?

In a mirror of the expression of wariness that matched Trextan, Choli half turned her torso towards the entrance. It soon became clear on why the Zeltron was here, if albeit under mild protest.

From behind the ruddy near humanoid, the Rogue caught sight of dark hair and angry green eyes. It was Captain Janes. Connecting the nav points was easy; he likely heard what occurred in the mess. Choli’s eyes went wide a bit and embarrassment flooded her expression. Great, confirmation that the little conversation had already made the rounds to reach her former Squadron leader.

Of all the blasted luck.

“Great. Thanks.” It might seem a little curt, but Choli honestly didn’t want to continue going over this. A brief glance over to Trextan made an attempt to determine what he was thinking, but Choli was also feeling rather foolish that it had come to this point.

While she normally wasn’t ashamed of where she was and who she was with, but having Trextan have to put up with all this made her feel somewhat at fault, even if it wasn’t so. If Asmus had a clear line of sight of her, he’d be able to see she wasn’t too happy about the situation. Omar being an empath would know well enough how she felt about it.

Omar wasn’t a bad guy. Just a man of his nature. He didnt’ like having to be around negative emotions as the next Zeltron, he most certainly didnt want to end up on the wrong side of a court martial either.

“I mean it.” He added empathically, “I’ll stop.” A pause then a mild grimace. “Well try my best, you know how easy it is to..”

“Omar” there was curt tone from Janes rarely ever heard.

“I’ll stop.” Omar quickly added. Even if he had to bite his tongue.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

“Thank you,” Trextan replied. He tried to give Omar what he felt was a very mature nod of understanding. It would have been easier if Omar had just come to apologise to him directly. Then he wouldn't have had the Captain lingering and Choli beside him.

“Alright then,” Omar said. He took a step back, leaving the starfighter’s bay. It was an odd setup on the ship. There were bays that could sink below the deck of different sizes. Mostly for starfighters but one for a small freighter and a couple for larger shuttles. It made each maintenance bay it's own little private cave. Probably why Choli retreated here.

Omar looked off to one side. He pulled a quizzical expression. Trextan heard a quiet: “that will do.” And Omar was off, tail between his legs.

“Oh hi Asmus...and Omar…” came a feminine voice before a shock of red hair passes the door before it slid closed.

“Well that was awkward,” Trextan sighed. That was an understatement. Yet he had the sense to realise this wasn't something to send him back into his own shell. They'd been subjected to it together. He turned to Choli and gave an arch of both eyebrows. The question was what to do now. This event was almost certainly to spread around the squadron at least.

“Sorry,” he said with a shrug. “probably wouldn't have gotten out of hand if I hadn't been on the ship. Don't know what he said to you but can't be good if it got that bad.” He managed a half hearted smile. “Guess at least you didn't get his sparkling wit in the showers.”

[member="Choli Vyn"]

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

Choli wasn’t sure just what to say, although hearing the tone shift from Lucy at her singsong over the Captain made her head shake. If there was anyone the fiery redhead could not stop talking about, it was Captain Asmus Janes. Honestly, with as much as the mechanic had a thing for the Captain, Choli thought that she’d have long since gone after him to make her intentions clear. There had been plenty of jealous rants about this or that current fling Janes had, and how she was working on trying to get him to notice her without simply showing up in his bunk naked -- although Lucy was strongly starting to consider that.

As for Omar, Choli gave a grimace. She already figured that whatever Omar had said to Trex had to deal with the communal showers.

“No. Different deck thankfully.” With such little space, a large portion of the communal showers were co-ed and even less were private. Definitely not for anyone of a rank the Rogue knew of. Not that it mattered, she had a tendency to do her washing off hours so she didn’t have to bump into anyone else.

As for the subject… The girl’s olive face gave a twisted grimace. Well there was no avoiding it if now it was getting around to the rest of the crew.

“If Captain Janes came here himself to get Omar to apologize, then it is likely the rest of the crew already knows Omar was offering his services to help me along.” Whatever that meant, as her face became red again. She attempted to hide the embarrassment by finishing up her food. As if on second thought, in light of just how Trextan may take that and how he’d apologized for the trouble he’d cause, the Rogue immediately added, “No, it’s not your fault.”

Turning to him, she let her fork lean again her takeaway box, looking up at the Jedi sitting beside her.

“Like I said… they are bored. They do this all the time with whomever ends up staying at the ship for missions. The next one will bring in new faces and new gossip I bet. They’ll forget us soon enough. ”

Well maybe. Lucy will still want to poke Choli for details about her Jedi -- and if there was any truth to the matter about what he was packing.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

Trextan glowered when she mentioned what Omar had said to her. It made sense he supposed, likely followed on from the incident in the shower and what he'd been saying there. Her words tempered his expression a little and he took a deep breath to calm himself.

“Well there is banter and then there's crossing the line,” Trextan said. It was likely for the best their CO had dragged Omar down here. If Choli had told him what had been said he might have done something rash. “What a prick,” Trextan said. It was silly, but he felt a little better for saying it.

“I don't mind a little but, well, like I said. Felt a little like being pressured into...anyway…”

He took a breath in and a slow breath in, letting some of the tension bleed out with it. It wasn't worth getting worked up about, he told himself. He wasn't used to his personal life being under scrutiny and discussion like this but it was mostly harmless unless people took it too far.

“What have you got to do this evening?” He asked. “I know you don't get all that much time to yourself on shifts but would be nice to steal a bit of it for myself.” This time his expression managed to lighten as he returned to his meal.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

Yeah, Choli could understand the whole feeling pressured into bit. While she liked and enjoying being with Trextan, everything that came with being physical was still pretty new to her. Although the kissing had certainly improved from lack of skill with enthusiastic gusto. Not that there hadn't been a few bumping noses or clinking teeth in the way.

As it was becoming custom, Choli finished her meal first before Trextan, the girl setting her rubbish in the take away box.

“It’s okay. He is annoying.” Whatever prick meant likely had the same connotation as being an ass. The girl snapped the takeaway box shut. At the mention her evening timetable, Choli swung her attention back at the Jedi, this time, getting a better look at him.

Compared to her grimey, grease stained coveralls, he was practically pristine in his black and white robes. They appeared to be fairly comfortable, nothing too crazy like the gold threaded Justicar Robes or with the scent of Bantha fodder lingering like the ones he used back during their trip on Tatooine.

His hair was still a bit shaggy, beginning to slightly curl at the nape of his neck and still getting in his eyes. He looked good. Filling out a little from the last time she saw him. A little more tanner but the same brown eyes. He had no padawan braid, and it made her wonder about it. Did he not get one? Funny how some things come up in the weirdest of times.

“Umm,” The Rogue gave a glance at her chronowatch, a little flustered at perhaps being caught staring. She was on a twelve on and twelve off shift. Instead of heading for the mess she ended up staying here. By all practicality, she still had about nine hours left to rest, get some sleep, and do whatever she wanted to do.

“Yeah, I do,” she added, looking back up at Trex with a softening expression, “Got about nine hours to catch up on some sleep, but I can manage on a bit less before next shift.”

Setting her takeaway box to the side, the brunette managed to lean a bit closer, admitting,” Although there really isn’t much to do around her. We have a rec room with games and such but…” with everything, having everyone stare at them murmuring the ‘Jedi’ and ‘That pilot’ and more commentary about the state of their affairs was not her idea of fun.

“This is about as quiet of a place as you get.” A small gesture swept over the stealth U-Wing she’d used to collect him earlier. Of course, she didnt’ know that he had his own room or that the Jedi had been partitioned their own observation room for meditation. Ever since she’d picked him and the Scarred up, it had been an endless mass of questions she just had been keen on avoiding.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

“Let's not go there tonight,” Trextan replied with a chuckle. It was a tiny bit forced. He wouldn't mind going there another evening to the odd comment. Part of him actually wanted to get to know the people Choli spent her time with. Not tonight though.

“I don't mind helping down here if you want,” Trextan said. “You have to promise not to get so angry you actually throw the tools at me though. I will learn what they all are one day,” he said. This time the smile wasn't forced. Those damned tools all looked the same yet could have very different purposes. Trextan noticed that the robes he had on probably weren't the best idea for mechanical work, but he figured they'd likely have some overalls around.

“Or you know… the starboard observation room is for Jedi at the moment. Master Yvette just meditates in her room though so we could go there. Or I have my own room,” it was all said quite casually but after saying the last part he realised what he'd suggested. Especially after the conversation they'd just had. Didn't matter that they'd got a little worked up in a very small tent before. This was different. Should I back off from that quickly or just leave it? He wondered. In the end he just had some warmth visibly spread up his neck to his cheeks.

He had missed her. That thought struck him as he watched her watch him. After being the only two people for a thousand miles in any direction it had been strange to be apart again. Now they were back together by happy accident but crammed into a frigate like fish in a tin with some very interesting characters.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

[SIZE=9pt]“Sure about that? What’s the difference between a hydrospanner and a servospanner?’ Her nose gave a crinkle, eyes sparkling in mischief for a few seconds. It was easier to banter with him back and forth. All the more when the Jedi found himself smiling more. It made him look good. Not just in the sense Lucy seemed to enjoy teasing her, but, as if he was doing well. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Spending time alone with him was something Choli also wanted to do. However, after the whole hoopala with Omar and feeling the pressure to go beyond what both were comfortable with, Choli wasn’t sure she wanted to feed any more fuel to the fire. Biting her lip, the young Rogue’s expression vacillated between indecision and uncertainty. Much like Trextan, she also wanted to spend some time alone with him, but privacy was a rare thing on the Subversion. Not a commodity one could find crammed together in a tin can. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Not to mention, it appeared that Trextan also managed to catch just what he might be suggesting from the rush of red that went flooding his face. Part of her wondered, again, what part of his Jedi Code and creed formed his opinion on the specifics of their relationship. Something to talk about I guess…[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“With how things are going, Im pretty sure we might be under scrutiny for the next few days.” Common sense prevailed, her own cheeks flushed. Not that she didn’t want to be alone with him, just that.. well, it was hard to explain. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]A nudge of her elbow, and she offered a half smile, “How about you help me finish up this daily inspection? Then maybe we can figure out what to do.” A glance over his robes and she gave a cluck of her tongue, the sound she had a tendency to make when she was in deep thought. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Although...might not be wearing the right clothes for the job. Hmm.” With a small push of her hand, Choli leapt off the crate. “I think I got a spare set of coveralls you can use so your pretty robes don’t get covered in grease stains.” Choli added, humor coloring her eyes a jade green. She’d perked up a bit more since the discussion revolving Omar, the prospect of spending time with Trextan exciting.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Besides…” she added, walking backwards towards a series of tall lockers. The Rogue may not want to be obvious with the crew that she wanted to spend time with the Jedi, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t take advantage of what bits of privacy they did have. There was a reason why she would often hole herself up down her in the maintenance bay. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“We don’t get many visitors here.” A far broader grin came to her then along with a sparkle in her eyes.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“And I can always close the cabin door of this U-Wing.” A thumb jerked over towards the stealth craft, her suggestion at momentary privacy as clear as any plotting teenager wanting to get a few quiet minutes with the person that had her feeling all giddy. [/SIZE]

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

He appreciated that she answered honestly about the scrutiny. The same thought had come to him almost as soon as he'd said it, but he didn't want to draw even more attention by suddenly backtracking. The Jedi had part of the deck above most of the crew. If Choli didn't have any business heading up to the bridge it would have caught Omar's eyes if they had headed in the direction of his room together. Not that the Zeltron would be making any comments soon.

“The ship is kind of split around that massive full length hangar,” Trextan observed. “And engineering was back and above it, so I guess you'd have to be on a mission to come down here if you weren't flight crew.”

It seemed that most of the work had been done ready there. Starfighters were fuelled and loaded. It was quiet down here. Taking her suggestion he took out the overalls and stepped into them. It wasn't just Choli that enjoyed the change in behaviour and the way their relationship was developing.

Whilst he had come from an introverted place, Choli had been in a dark place when they had first met. She was seeing a change in his behaviour that reflected how he had been long before she had met him. Before his world had been flipped. By contrast he was seeing two sides of Choli in her element. At the same time she was becoming more comfortable with a physical side to their relationship rather than just crude words.

“Always dressing me up and teaching me new things,” Trextan muttered in amusement as he shrugs the overalls on and did up the zip. They were a little tight from crotch to shoulder but there was plenty of breadth in them. Made him think that he needed to increase the physical training.

“Anyway,” he said, his tone sounding more relaxed all of a sudden. “I wasn't expecting to see you for four weeks. So this already feels like stealing some time together. A nice surprise.” His eyes turned to one of the tool boxes.

“Hydrospanner tightens and servo loosens right?” He joked.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

“I know,” her voice sang from the open cabin of the u-wing. It had taken the Rogue a second to draw her attention away from Trextan when he went about removing his outer robes. Such a curious garb. A question about the comfort of it all came to her mind, but far more importantly…

“At this rate, you'll need to call me Master Vyn.” Pearly white teeth against a backdrop of olive skin and impish green eyes shone at the Jedi’s direction. She was teasing him, watching his expression change at her mild taunt.

“Don't worry, I won't work you too hard.“ a small grunt and choli went wiggling under the compartment she'd been working on previously. A tool box rested to the side, halves open and tools neatly arranged in place, the areas shadowed in an outline in to make it easy to determine by shape where they belonged.

Her half laugh followed, “maybe…since you don't know the difference between a hydrospanner or a sonic servo.” Already in place, she patted the ground next to her. Yup, he was going to get dirty. If anything, Choli was pretty serious about taking responsibility in these inspections. The idea of slacking off and using some coy mannerisms or excuse to flirt wasn't anywhere on her radar.

Choli wasn't really a flirty type of girl. Tela, Lucy, and Allyson had that in spades. Didn't mean that having Trextan close didn't register. It did. He could prove to be distracting.

“Here, this is a hydrospanner.” Reaching over, her fingers went curling for the metal tool. Extending it out to them, she let him play with that for a bit while she plucked her sonic servodriver from her front pocket, a gift from Chloe.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

[member="Choli Vyn"]

“I do actually recognise what this one is at least,” he replied. Hydrospanners were common enough that he'd seen them used more than a few times. Then it dawned on him that there was a chance she was going to ask him to use one. He probably couldn't do much damage if directed and it would probably provide some amusement.

It was somewhere between intimate and disconcerting being under the ship together. On one it increased the sense that they were under here stealing time they hadn't be owed. On the other he wasn't sure about lying on his back with an entire shuttle of weight a few inches over him.

“I think Master Yvette has a pair of teaching sabers with her. So I can always claim some payback another way.” It was almost sad that one of the few things he had to teach in return was how to kill. “Actually I'll just make you take Coruscant public transport during rush hour.”

“So what does the servospanner do...and look like?” He asked. This hydrospanners had an angled head so it could be used in a tight space like this, but it wasn't all that hard to use.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

[SIZE=9pt]Curiosity spread across Choli’s features, eyes widening a bit. Of course, that changed when she remembered his mention of public transportation.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Well, that would be a first. All I did at the Battle of Coruscant was fly. Never got to actually go down to the planet.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]As for what the tool was used for...[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Well,” Choli began, offering a crooked smile, arms coming up towards the open section where she’d removed the matte black panel earlier. There were a series of neatly bundled wires, components, hydraulic lines and breakers here. This particular inspection dealt with ensuring that the drive sheer plugs and the wiring were still in place. Regular use could loosen bolts, resulting in vibration. Enough vibration was enough to give slack to the sections that secured critical components against the bulkhead of this particular panel. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“It was more of a trick question,” Choli admitted, glancing at Trextan from the corner of her eye. The smile grew to a full grin. Turning her head half towards her him, she held up her sonic servodriver.”This is actually called a sonic serverdriver.” it had the appearance of a large stylus if a little bit thicker with a series of buttons for different settings. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“It can be used with various machinery and other electronics by using a harmonic resonance of particle disturbance.” With her thumb, she gave a small press to a black button. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“See, with this setting, I can do some short-range scanning.” a small swipe directed the tip over towards the direction of Trextan’s arm, allowing a brief scan of his cybernetic arm. It gave a short beep, allowing to register what information it could and displaying it in a tiny holographic screen alongside the length.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“It also does some short-range systems analysis and energy flow measurement, computer interaction and the opening of locks and doors.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Her nose gave a small twitch in humor, brows wiggling as she added, “Plus, in emergencies, it can also function as an impromptu transmitter.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Chloe gave it to me. Can’t find many of these out there. But it is pretty handy when I do inspections.” She let him compare the two, handing it over to the Jedi. Again, her attention turned towards the open panel, focusing on the hydraulic line. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]It was nice having him next to her. To talk to him. Not like they didn’t talk via holocall, but it wasn’t the same. Here she could feel him laying down beside her. Every now and then when she turned to face him, she could see the deep bronze of his eyes. Hear the slight reverberation of his voice as it echoed under the craft that they were in. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Training sabers? You mean like to spar?” she asked, lifting her torso up a bit and towards Trextan so her hand could go reaching in just a little bit further. She had to check a particular bolt behind the power control box. Jannick was never really keen on training sabers. The bulk of his life was done living as a smuggler and a drinker. He was far more comfortable with a blaster, much to Chloe’s discontent. He did have a passing understanding of sabers from his training, but even his Master, Kira Liadain, wasn’t known for her saberwork. Chloe was more keen on unarmed combat, teaching Choli how to use her body for close quarter fighting, enhancing her movements with the Force. Very, very rarely, did Chloe ever use her lightsaber. [/SIZE]

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

“Like sparring yes,” he replied. He wasn't certain what she thought of the notion. It hadn't been said as an entirely serious proposal, but he left it there to see what her reaction was. If she was actually keen they would need some space. Perhaps on the starboard observation deck. Trextan didn’t mind being the one learning, but it would be an interesting turn to try and teach Choli something. It would probably turn out she was also a better swordsman than him despite all the hours he put into it.

About half of what she was saying about the servodriver went into his mind. Trextan realised he was listening to the sound of her voice more than the words she had said. The problems with the rest of the ship were forgotten. The last few weeks had seemed quite lonely anyway. Whilst he could meditate for long periods as he had started to come out of his shell he found that he enjoyed company. Some Jedi seemed content to go without conversation or much in the way of engagement with other people for weeks at a time. It hadn’t been the same as the weeks worrying about her after Mustafar, but their relationship had grown since then. He had missed her more acutely.

“Right. So that one does all of those things…” he gave the hydrospanner a shake, “...this turns things.” There was just enough of a twitch of his lips to show that he was trying to be funny. It didn’t come naturally to him. No one had joked much during his years in the Sith academy. His father had always shown a serious disposition. The Scarred were a little like the naval crew of the Subversion. The jokes were curt, crude and frequent. They were perhaps even worse than anyone on the ship beyond perhaps the worst of the pilots - Zeltron heritage excepted.

As Special Forces soldiers they were afforded more freedom than most in the GADF. They were a law unto their own and that extended from behaviour to haircuts and equipment. Most of them had custom gear rather than regulation, whilst other units were counting the credits to scrape together for upgrades. Perhaps under other circumstances they wouldn’t have afforded the young jedi even a modicum of respect. After Kaeshana he had earned a lifetime of it. He preferred to have them around when dealing with the military. Their respect tended to be mimicked by other soldiers.

Right now he wanted no interruptions and no other crew members around. It did feel like cheating to be in their work lives whilst also stealing some time with each other, but he didn’t even feel slightly bad about it.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

“Now you want to wrestle with glow sticks?” The jovial quip was laden with amusement, jade flecks glowing in Choli’s eyes.

“Folk see us doing that and the next thing you know they’ll be commenting that you’re trying to run me through with more than one saber.” A roll of her eyes at the imagined double entendres. Although, to be honest, she never had a proper spar. Jan taught her the basics with how to hold the lightsaber in her hand but that didn’t amount to anything beyond what a padawan might know.

Thinking about that again brought her attention to his hair and the lack of a Padawan’s braid. Maybe i’ll ask him about that.

“Did some time with a training droid though. The blasted thing always zapped me. I ended up just uhh… venting my frustrations on the droid.” As in, disabling it using the Force instead of using Jan’s saber to block the bolts.

“And it does more than just that,” she exclaimed, motioning the hydrospanner. “Any good mechanic has one. Not something to look down on. Makes a great bottle opener.” She teased, her grin broadening again. Glancing back up to the panel, she scooted up a bit, hands already covered in grease from the oiled joints of the driveshaft.

“So, why don’t you have the braid,” an oiled finger made a gesture to her hair, as if to indicate his own.

“Don’t all Padawans have those?” She knew that much. Honestly, she wasn’t sure just where Trextan sat in terms of the Jedi Order beyond his brief explanation that he recently came from the Sith Academy, was training under the Justicars, and that his father was Master Voidstalker.