Growing Pains

[Trextan Voidstalker]

“Ah what are you doing!?” he protested as she rubbed her cheek against his. His chuckle was a counterpoint to her own, a few octaves removed. As she pulled back he tutted and rolled his eyes but didn’t even bring up a sleeve to wipe away to streaks down his cheek.

Trextan preferred to stay clean, but right now he didn’t care. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t crawled through the mud on his belly and spent night in the open as part of his work with the GADF. Having her cheek to cheek send his pulse racing and his belly flipping over itself. Choli had come from a very different culture but physical intimacy like this was still a new and exciting thing for him. Especially with their time apart he was a long way from finding even just a simple brush of her hand against his as routine. This all felt like stealing something they hadn’t been owed and he loved it.

He took the hand that was against his face and kissed the back of her fingers. Almost immediately he pulled a face at the taste of grease and engine grime. Yet he kissed her then again anyway.

“If we both did regular GADF work it wouldn’t be so hard to keep tabs,” he murmured. With her on an SIS ship and most of his work being with a Special Operations group with the Justicars it wasn’t something to be discussed openly over any of the lines they had to each other.

Despite everything they had been through, the time they had spent together, he was still nervous at the prospect of kissing her. She was just inches away and it still took a moment to rally his courage and draw her close enough to kiss. He had to take some of her weight on his left hand as he closed the last few inches. Her lips didn’t have the same acrid taste of oil as her hands. Just a hint of the metallic scents from working close to the machinery and innards of the shuttle. More of the food they had just shared. It was just a gentle brush of the lips at first, an affectionate rub of his nose against hers. She would have felt him tense up as they made contact and then slowly relax under her weight after.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

“Occupational hazard,” it was a rather breathy reply that embarrassingly would crack at the end, making Choli feel even more self conscious and hyper aware of Trextan, their position, and the quickening hammer of her heartbeat. Whether she had said it in response to his mock outcry on what she was doing or the state of the sensitivity of both of their responsibilities was up in the air. For now, it was a rare discovery and opportunity for the teenager to become a little more acquainted with what normal teenagers often become anxious over; the first awkward stirrings and explorations of another in increasing intimate ways.

There might not be anything grand about the press of lips against the surface of oil slicked hands, but Trextan had done it anyways. Why did he do that? The touch had evoked a slight tingle of her fingers, followed by shuddered amusement at the contort of his face at tasting the acrid residue that had coated calloused fingers grey.

He didn’t have to do that. Choli wouldn't have. Yet he did it again, all the while staring up at her close enough for her to catch the faint shadow of patchwork hairs that had been shaved along his jawline. His adam’s apple gave a bob, and even she could pick up the vacillating indecision that would bathe his face. However, he didn’t disappoint and soon it wasn’t just Trextan tensing up as the distance between them came to a close. It could be felt in the slight arch of a stiffening spine, building anticipation as much as nervous giddiness. Her sharp intake of breath through her nose was a little embarrassing, but at least this time she had the forethought to close her lids until they were barely slits, wanting to watch him a little bit longer after the gingerly brush of his lips and the soft rub of his nose against hers.

Anxiety made her want to crack a joke. Something along the lines of, ‘Well at least we didn’t bump noses.’ Or maybe, ‘Right, we tilt our heads to the right’. Neither ended up being spoken aloud, for where Trextan had rallied his own courage to kiss her, Choli, fueled by curiosity as well as an open eagerness to kiss him again, leaned in to kiss him instead, bringing the contact anew.

Although, yeah, it also accidentally had them bumping noses again. To which she immediately drew back to murmur, “Sorry.” Heat flooding her face again in embarrassment.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

“Doesn't matter,” he murmured back. “More practise…” he added quietly. They had been apart for some time and they had barely started their tentative exploration together before. He still wasn't sure about using his prosthetic hand affectionately. It didn't feel quite right. In hindsight he would have preferred her around the other way such that his left hand was free. Things to learn and remember for next time. Still, he let his right hand slip down to squeeze her right shoulder. She would feel him smile just against her lips.

He bumped noses against her just to make a point before giving her a few inches of breathing space. They shared the same air. He let his eyes flutter open, catching the colours of her eyes.

The grease stains didn't diminish her appearance. He wanted very much to run his left hand through her thick hair. Even with it braided just stroking it would have sufficed. Later, when it was free and clean.

Nervous excitement became a charged need. A rush of warmth glossed up from his chest. A tilt of his head to the right and closing his eyes was the signal. Trextan almost roughly kissed her this time, a little too eager. A tiny bit too sloppy if anything as he start to part his lips wider. His right hand came to rest over her lap, hand taking a familiar position on her hip. He realised he was holding his breath and starting to make himself feel lightheaded. More lightheaded.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

“Mmph,” whatever Choli might have said it was soon swallowed up by Trextan when he locked his lips against hers, the motion enough to rock her back a bit, mouth parting half in surprise and a half in an attempt to keep up.

It was a wet, almost bruising kiss that fed on overeager excitement and awakening discovery. Again, a roll and press of Trextan's tongue took advantage of her surprise - or believing it to be permission - and Choli felt him enter her mouth and try to move against hers.

At least she was breathing through her nose, small blessings. The slight rock back brought Trextan’s hand from her hip to just at the small of her back, keeping her close for her to sink back into him. Widening eyes fell shut, and the teenager did her best to kiss him back. Part of her was getting anxious over what she should do if she should keep her hands by his chest, and the more important question, should I also move my tongue out?

The edges of her lips were now moist, but as the seconds went ticking past, the more the Rogue found herself easing off on worrying about what to do, her mind turning fuzzy at Trextan’s close proximity and the way his fingers seemed to tighten around her.

It wasn’t long before Choli was also kissing him with as much intensity. There was a clinking of teeth once or twice, and Choli’s leg began to get that telltale pins and needles sensation from pinching a bit too close to the armrest. However, as the Jedi had murmured earlier, practice and time managed to cull back a bit of that strained edge, allowing the pair to settle in an unrefined rhythm.

Just kissing him made her feel as if her blood was rushing through her veins. The girl went through the change that each deepening kiss would provide; from the slight acrid tang of just a bit of oil to the savory richness of the meal they shared. It all blended together until her mouth couldn’t tell the difference where she and he began in every kiss. Warmth spreading from her chest to every appendage. There was a low hum at the edge of her hearing. Had she been more cognizant, Choli would have been embarrassed to realize that it had originated from her. Small little indiscernible noises of pleasure. Where the Justicar had a terrible time being able to discern the Rogue’s mental thoughts and emotions without the visual color clues of her eyes, in this awakening embrace, Choli made it clear by the audible sounds that kissing Trextan evoked from her.

A problem for certain down the path if they ever wanted to find other discrete areas to take advantage of. Not one that either likely cared about now, showing as much attention to it like any typical teenager. When a guy was kissing a girl, and she was kissing him back, very little else mattered other than maintaining the status quo and perhaps attempting to push the envelope a little bit.

Although Choli would have no complaints if Trextan had decided then and there to tug her braid free to run his fingers through her hair, oil residue or not, just to feel the tight grip of it fist in his hands.

That had felt good when he’d done it last. Really good.

Funny that.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

Trextan didn’t raise either hand to tug at that braid. Not yet at least. When he would sit for a time and think about Choli it was sometimes hard to picture them being together. The longer they were apart the more his mind could play tricks on him. He could convince himself that she didn’t really appreciate his affections. It was an easy trick. But it had no power here.

When Choli was here, and she encompassed all that he could see, touch and smell there was no denying how she felt. There was no room to think, let alone indulging his mind in insecurities. They had spoken of a dance. There were steps to this one too. Two people moving as one did not come easily. Choli had asked pointed questions of whether he had ever developed a Force bond strong enough to fight as one with someone else. They were still learning that together. It Choli had done the same with another pilot he too probably would have felt a twinge of jealousy.

He heard the soft moans, felt them through his lips and chest. They spurned him on. At first his hands had been gently placed against her, then they had taken a more firm grip. Now the fingers of his left hand fanned out and slid further up her back, the right stroked slowly up and down her waist. He didn’t match the noises she made, but he pushed forwards out of the seat pressing himself into her.

They probably should have shut the door. He probably should have left this encounter as a brief hug and gentle kiss just to reaffirm that bond through touch. But he was lost now in the moment. Trextan felt warmth spread through his body, more than the light exertion should have made.

There was a sort of rhythm to it, he realised. Just like a dance and it only took one of them to misstep to set them wrong. At the same time it took one person to make a change of pace and the other had to try and follow. Trextan was near giddy when she started to kiss him back enthusiastically. He tested tilting his head further, altered the strokes of his tongue to kiss her deeper before realising he’d gone too far and returned to where they had been before. All the while time whittled away and only the occasional break for more air seemed to slow them down.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

There was another indiscernible noise, only this one came with a drawback of the Rogue’s head to get a bit of space between them, a soft shake of her head from side to side as if to say, no don't do that. That hadn't felt right. Trextan seemed to learn from his mistake and apologized with another kiss, this time thankfully not trying to deepen it by uncomfortably widening her mouth with his own. What they had earlier was nice, a return to that had the young pilot sinking against Trextan once more.

Her leg was definitely feeling the pins and needles effect now. The way that her torso twisted towards him in her sitting position made the small of her back burn a bit. However, feeling the rustle of fabric from her shirt against the slow, wandering strokes of his hand up and down her waist overshadowed that.

It was slowly becoming a little more clear why everyone seemed to take the time to find places to indulge in kissing. Well, likely the intent was more than just that but the way one could get lost and waste away the hours in an activity that made one's skin feel on fire was rather addicting. Exciting. Choli could lose herself in just this one activity, giving her a rush akin to the fastest dive or the most adrenaline pumping flight she ever had.

Of course, one's perspective is colored by experience, and neither the Jedi or she had much to go by, making their lack of skill painted pink by overeager enthusiasm. Even when Trextan rose from the chair a bit against her didn't quite register as it allowed her leg to slide up and free from the pinched hold against the uncomfortable co-pilot seat.

Choli gave a small grimace against Trextan's lips, the prickly sensation of blood circulating back through her leg prompting a sharp intake of breath and a shift of her weight on top of him. Which, in their heavy breathing interlude might have been mistaken for Choli mimicking the lift and press of the Jedi earlier. Or maybe it just felt right. Either way, swallowing down the prickly sensation that ran down her leg to kiss Trextan some more became more important.

Choli would soon come to regret that.

After Omar had told everyone that the Trextan, the one who had been consistently trying to find the status of Lieutenant Commander Vyn after Mustafar, was on the Subversion with them, it had been Lucy who had provided some sage advice after getting her own two credits worth of jabs.

“Hey, look I get if you want to scratch the itch and find a dark corner and suck his face off. I'd do the same if Asmus let me.” Choli had rolled her eyes at that first night, not sure if it was due to the embarrassing sucking face comment or the fact that Lucy was going on about Captain Janes again. The mechanic clearly had it bad for the Wraith Squadron Leader. To the point, she practically made herself his personal mechanic to try and get as much time with possible with him.

Coy flirtation a bit of banter and some rather heavy ogling ensued whenever he was around. Choli honestly didn't know why the Captain didn't take Lucy up on the offer as he did others, although there had been a period of a time where he'd seen a little bit more regularly one of the bridge officers much to Lucy's discontent. It was no secret Asmus Janes enjoyed having a good time and expressed plenty of equal opportunities regardless of sex or species. Although perhaps in Lucy's case, it was more direct fraternization. Then again, there had been some sodden nights where Choli guessed that didn't matter with other Squadron officers.

“But if you do it here like I know you love to run and hide in,” she gestured to the sunken mech bay that could provide a little alcove of privacy,” just remember to lock the access hatch to Cresh Deck.” They were technically on Esk Deck when the starfighters sank down to the private mech bays. This allowed the hanger to remain clear throughout the flight.

“The last thing you need is one of the boys catching you and giving them more reasons to keep on taking jabs about you and your Jedi.”

“He isn't my Jedi!” Choli again had automatically defended herself. Well, he wasn't. He wasn't her bloodmate, and she didn't own him. Granted that hadn't stopped her face from flaming at the inability to deny that she did have feelings for the Jedi.

“Yeah, right. So I guess you won't mind if Tela ends up sinking her claws in him --”

A balled up rag had been forcefully tossed at Lucy's face, prompting her to dodge with a bark of laughter.

“Yeah, thought so.” Lucy's smug voice had sung after.

It had been excellent advice. Advice Choli hadn't taken seriously. Or more aptly, forgotten in the rush of finding herself in Trextan's embrace and discovering that all the physical touching and kissing became as addicting as the richest spice. Cue heavier breathing and another muffled sigh, the hum reverberating in her throat to spread across her chest and spark every nerve. It hiked up her temperature a degree and brought a heightened sensitivity that even feeling the press of his fingers at her back made her head foggy. Just a little more. The muscles along her spine made it curve as she adjusted herself again, leaning forward to press her body to his, sinking Trextan back against the seat and --

WHAM!!!

The sudden jolt of a bare hand slamming down hard against the open crew door was a cold bucket of ice water upon the pair. The sharp reprimand from a familiar feminine voice the final insult to injury.

“Hey Vyn, loving the free peep show. But man, tell me next time so I can sell tickets and make a killing.”

It was Lucy. Mortification quickly spread across Choli's face, immediately attempting to bolt from a Trextan's embrace only to instantly regret it. Her leg had fallen asleep, and as soon as she tried to slip away, there went her balance. Resulting in a comedic chain of events that would end with her sprawling to the floor if she didn't catch herself.

“LOCK. THE. DOOR. Nitwit!” The woman with the shock of red hair cried out, followed by the laughter she could no longer contain.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

Trextan didn’t even notice that the speed they separated their lips at made an audible sound. He snatched his hands away from Choli but hadn’t been planning on trying to remove himself from her further. It wasn’t as if they could deny she had been sat on his lap. Obviously he didn’t recognise the voice, but the tone didn’t seem to suggest they were about to be reprimanded by a senior officer.

Choli had other ideas. She leapt up and then her leg turned oddly. He didn’t even realise that he reacted on a warning from the Force. All of his training was to actually remove his mind from the process when using the Force. In a fight his hand followed a path that was guided partly by muscle memory from training and partly by the Force. If she had just been about to stumble to his knees nothing would have happened. Instead he was almost a blur as he shot up from the chair. His left hand came swinging around to catch the back of her head a fraction of a second before it hit the corner of the console.

A second later and he might have tried to make a joke about catching her again. That notion was dispelled by the sound of someone stepping up into the U-Wing.

“Oops!” came a call, hidden in a giggle. “Didn’t mean to...well, did mean to make you jump. Didn’t mean to make you catch your head. You alright Choli?” The mechanic was already at the foot of the stairs up to the cockpit. Now Trextan felt the full force of embarrassment all wrapped up in a surge of adrenaline that had no output.

“I’m sorry we were…” he started before being interrupted.

“Oh please, I’ve seen worse than that in the mess hall. It’s not like she was…” Lucy trailed off. She remembered that she was dealing with Choli here. Choli and a Jedi. Not the Rogues. “Anyway, you alright?”

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

[SIZE=9pt]He’d moved so fast. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]It was what went through Choli’s mind that instant, wide-eyed and staring up at Trextan with confusion, alarm, shock, and growing embarrassment. The Rogue spent the bulk of her time in space and the skies, flying from one point to the next and using her skills and reflexes to stay in one piece. At Polis Massa she’d spun high g’s and sharp turns, flying faster than what Trextan had surely never been used to. Had he’d been as surprised then at her speed as she was of his now?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]Yeah[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt],” Choli managed to mumble out, feeling the flex of Trextan’s left hand as he helped her to her feet again. A grimace and a shake of her leg followed, trying to get her blood circulating again. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Stupid leg,” she managed to huff more out of embarrassment than real anger. Both red of face, the Jedi assisted the Rogue to her feet, the girl already turning to face the rather amused and smug mechanic. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Got yourself a quick one there.” Lucy added, unable to help herself at the double entendre. Choli rolled her eyes, managing to sit back down on the pilot’s seat while she bent forward to massage her thigh. She couldnt quite look at Trextan’s direction right now. Not that it did any good. Even under the dim light Choli had the appearance of one who had been thoroughly kissed; lips were slightly swollen, her face flushed, and as Lucy was keen to give a pointed look at, discernible smeared hand prints along her coveralls from Trextan’s embrace. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“What are you even doing down here?” Choli cried out, annoyance in her voice. Lucy preened, bringing up a knee to rest against the step so her forearm could perch on top of it. Nope, she was going to milk this for what it was worth to make a point. Maybe that way Choli wouldn’t forget the wise counsel given to her. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Oh, you know, taking a little walk. Decided to catch some fresh air.” A glance to the Jedi and Lucy gave him a quick wink. “Taking in the sights.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“I thought I heard you following Captain Janes.” Another stomp of her foot on the deck resonated within the cabin. The prickly feeling was starting to wane, thankfully. However, all that was now left was dealing with Lucy. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“He had a briefing to go to,” there was mild disappointment in the pout twisting across the mechanic’s face, only for it to brighten as she studied the pair.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“But look what I would have missed? Keeping that [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]door open[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] sure got me the best seats on the ship.” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Oh for the love of…[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Okay, [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]okay[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt], you made your point.” Choli cried, annoyance painting gold flecks across her eyes. It was then that Choli realized how ridiculous this might all be, having an argument in front of him. A small gesture towards the mechanic began the introductions. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“This is Lucy Cheville, Chief Mechanical Technician for the Subversion.” By all essence, that made her in charge of the rest of the mechanics on the deck. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Lucy… this is.. “ ah, how to introduce him? The great question so many teenagers stumbled over when introducing their current crush to their friends. For Choli there wasn’t boyfriend or girlfriends or whatever titles in between. It was a fairly simple and short list of relationships she reverted to, neither of which Trextan really fit. Mind racing, the Rogue settled on his official title -- one she barely discovered. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Jedi Knight Trextan Voidstalker. He works with the Special Forces group we picked up a day ago.” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Oh like, Lucy didn’t know THAT already. Amused at reading both of their expressions and how they reacted to one another, the mechanic gave a broad grin. Whatever she’d say next would surely result with another dirty rag tossed at her face. [/SIZE]

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

Trextan had not been entirely certain what to do with himself whilst the two were having their little discussion. Whilst it seemed at first that Lucy was going to leave them alone after making them jump for her own amusement she had come in when she had thought Choli hurt. Now she found she wasn’t it was obviously not worth going until she had taken part in a little sport with the pair.

When Choli made introductions he had to become part of the conversation. Embarrassment was still quite obvious on his face as he turned and gave Lucy a nod, but there was also a hint of a smile. In a way this was the first time they had done ‘introductions’ since they’d visited Kellan. They would be doing a lot more of it if they went to the wedding on Coruscant of course. Now that would come with a lot of questions. Jacen probably wasn’t invited; he hadn't even met his sister-in-law. The two would be in a sea of strangers and there was little worse than facing personal questions from drunk members of the extended family.

“Pleasure to meet you Lucy,” he said.

She gave a lopsided little smile. Her gaze stayed on him for an awkward second or two without a word being spoken. Lucy tilted her head from side to side as if she couldn't make up her mind about something. Choli might recall the earlier conversation that had taken place regarding the Jedi. Words had been put in Choli’s mouth and now Lucy was holding her to them and carrying out her own assessment. Even given her current infatuation the Jedi definitely wasn’t an Asmus in her opinion. Looked a bit awkward in the situation, but perhaps that was Jedi innocence. She supposed that was kind of sweet in a way and decided the pair probably had been given enough. There was talk of Omar being marched off for an apology. She wished the squadron commander would manhandle her sometime. Focus Lucy.

“As I was saying, this is a door,” she pointed to the U-Wing’s sliding doors. “And over there is a door,” she waved in the direction of the door to the maintenance bay. “There are many saying about discretion, you can choose your favourite.” She was done with trying to embarrass them further, but not with the light hearted teasing and lessons. “Nice to meet you Trextan. You be good to our Choli!” she added as she turned in a swish of red hair.

She stepped down onto the bay floor and turned back to them to add: “Make sure you…” lips twisted up as she managed to hold back. “...tidy up this food out here.” She had been going to go with ‘wipe up’ and something more crude. She had a soft spot for Choli. Didn’t have a stick wedged up her rear like Ro’venna and when she was alone she was far more interesting to talk to than some of the other pilots.

“Could have been worse,” Trextan muttered. “Know her well?” There was no denying the embarrassment on his face.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

“Yeah… could have been way worse.” No sense in denying that. With a heavy sigh, Choli brought her feet up to perch them upon the foot rests, legs slightly spreading to allow her to rest her forearms along the tops of her thighs. Her hand came up, moving to push aside the thick strands of loose hair that slipped from the braid at her back.

“Umm, yeah. Sort of. “ she began to explain, managing to brave looking back up at Trextan again. At least they were both under relative shadows so that the bright red hue of both their faces wouldn’t be so evident.

“When I first got here I wanted to find a quiet place to keep busy. The observation room or the Pilot Lounge didn't quite fit the mark.” The former being knowing as one of the places that some enjoyed ‘quality time’ by scheduling assigned time slots. Not something she really wanted to get into, but that was that.

“Figured that if I came down here to the mech bay that someone might want an extra pair of hands to help out. Lucy took me in and I end up working the lot of the spacecraft she gives the okay to.” Also likely it was do to the fact that Lucy had at first noticed just how much attention Captain Janes had given the young wounded Rogue at Mustafar. To say that her intentions had been anything of innocent would be a lie, because Lucy had believed that Janes potentially might be interested in the younger woman for all the attention he had given her during her recovery. It wasn’t until later that the mechanic discovered that the Rogue had been under Janes previous command and he pretty much was looking after the teenager who had not only been his youngest member, but his Executive Officer for a while.

Awkward seconds would tick by. “Sorry about that.” Unsure of what exactly to say other than apologize.

“Guess I owe you for catching me out of thin air again.” An attempt at a joke, the corner of her mouth arching up a bit hesitantly. This was all new to her. It was strange and it made her feel off balanced. Normally Choli was in charge of just what she wanted to do, how to do it, and seemed to have things generally figured out. Not so much with Trextan around.

“You moved so fast.” Choli added, a bit of wonder in her voice at that. He had. On Skor, she hadn’t been privy to the actions that had the Jedi using the Force to steady her falling U-Wing from the sky, but just seeing how quick he managed to move from the chair and catch her before she cracked her head was rather extraordinary.

“Seems like you’ve been busy with your training.”

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

It was as good an ice breaker as any. Complements weren’t always easy to come by. He knew the philosophy: that a Jedi didn’t need any thanks or praise to excel. Trextan liked it though, particularly from Choli.

“It’s alright,” he said with a shrug. “On both counts,” he added. The smile was returning again. His lips felt almost bruised from the minutes that they had whiled away. He realised that he didn’t actually know how much time they had spent in the cockpit just enjoying being together. It was a funny thing. He’d been kissed a few times before, the last time with anyone other than Choli was being rather rudely pushed against a cavern wall and kissed rather aggressively back in the Sith academy. He realised now that you really could just get lost in someone else and lose any real sense of time. Perhaps his attempt to deepen the kiss had been similar to the experience with the sith, not all that pleasant. He wouldn't try that one again.

“I get the feeling she held back on pushing it further. Either means she’s not as bad as your worst pilots or word about Omar’s punishment got out. Hope it’s the first.”

It was rather obvious that his greasy hands had been on her in several places. He almost chuckled at that, lightly biting his lower lip as he looked down at the deck. His right knee idly rocked from side to side. Pins and needles weren’t as bad as they had been for Choli, but her weight had been on him for a time.

“I think...hmmm... how to put this. It’s not like before, on Skor, where I got caught out by that moment of clarity. But I’m getting better at listening to the Force. So for example…” he was grinning now. “As nice as it is, if you’d just gone falling on your bum I wouldn’t have moved that quick. Because you were going to hit your head I do.” He canted his head to one side, looking thoughtful. “Like when you fly, you must not even realise why you’re moving sometimes but the Force tells you when you really need to?”

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

“She's alright,” Choli meant it. She admired and enjoyed spending time with Lucy; even if she did have her own curious quirks. Although more than once the redhead managed to rile up the Rogue enough to need to duck at what Choli might throw at her.

With the embarrassment of the entire situation waning away, Choli was able to pick up on a little bit of the humor. Okay, it was a little bit funny. At least with having been caught by Lucy that is. Next time, Choli would be a bit more cognizant of their surroundings.

With a deep breath, Choli managed a small, “Heh,” in response to Trextan indicating that his burst of speed had been due to forewarning that she could have been seriously hurt. What would have been more mortifying? Falling on her ass onto the deck or waking up in the Medbay hours later with a concussion?

A mental groan meant that the young Rogue could only have imagined the sort of gossip that would have ensued then.

Thankfully, Trextan brought up her flying and the Force. Scrunching her face, the young woman thought about it. A finger came up to scratch her cheek.

“Yeah, I guess you can compare it to that. I just end up banking or moving into a better position.” A pause and she added, “But it wasn’t always like that.”

A small cant of her head added a bit sheepishly, “I didn’t come out of any academy or from any piloting school. Just the learning Chloe showed me.” Which to be fair, was on a freighter. A completely different experience than an X-Wing.

“But by then the Alliance was accepting as many pilots as they could to fight the One Sith before the Battle of Coruscant. So I guess I got off easy.” Lieutenant Commander Russo and Lieutenant Commander Matson had both been very helpful in guiding Choli through what they knew.

“Although some say I’ve crashed more than others, so maybe not so great after all.” A grimace darkened her face. By all accounts, Choli was likely one of the few pilots to survive being shot down so many times. Some might call her lucky. Others incompetent. Her brush with death had come one too many times, and in the end, one of those times resulted in what she considered to be far worse. Losing a month of her life still bothered her. Nagged and festered at the edge of her mind.

As if realizing her train of thoughts, Choli’s head rose and she gave an apologetic half smile. “Sorry, bet you want to get out of those coveralls.”

Coming to her feet to test her weight, the young woman took a deep breath through her nose, right hand coming up to brush back the loose strands of hair from her face.

“Let me clean up around here and I’ll change over. We can figure out what to do then after that.”

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

[member="Choli Vyn"]

“I'm sure they're lucky to have you,” he said. The remark wasn't accompanied by an abashed tilt of the head or covered up by a sudden change of topic. Trextan said it honestly and plainly. He looked to her as he said it and held her gaze until he could feel that she would become uncomfortable under the complement and further scrutiny.

The look on her face brought to mind how close she had come to death several times. They said that pilots were some of the most expensive members of the armed forces to train, yet in a significant naval encounter could be lost in their hundreds. A compact shield generator and a few centimetres of durasteel wasn't much protection against the most terrifying weapons constructed by the First Order to pacify the Galaxy. He put that thought aside before it could grow. If he nurtured it he would start to think about how horrific it would be to get that news.

“It was,” and now he grinned a little, “getting a bit warm in all these layers.” At the time it had been an awareness that had been pushed to the periphery. He was still cooling down now.

“I don't mind helping to tidy up though. I know all of two of the thirty tools I've seen around the place so I can definitely be sent to fetch and tidy those up.”

Trextan stepped down from the hold. His hand brushed against the robust door frame. There were so many people crammed into this little boat. The bay was small. Cabinets for tools built into the walls around them were compact.

“How much would you love to just take this ship and go somewhere remote with me again now?”

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

[SIZE=9pt]“I guess it's a good thing that the toolbox is shadowed with all the outlines of where each tool goes.” Came Choli's snort, a bit of the lighthearted banter coming back despite the mild return of heat to the Rogues grimy cheeks at the Jedi’s earlier compliment. It was nice hearing it but it didn't stop Choli's own conflicting thoughts on the matter. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Just make sure each tool matches up to the same outline.” She added, following the Jedi out of the U-Wing. At his query she followed up with a, “trick question.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Bending down to start gathering the loose scattering of tools and dirty rags, she added,” For one, we are flying dark now.” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]In fact they were on their way into First Order territory for an upcoming extraction. Wraith was taking the mission and it interested Choli to see just how they went about it. While she couldn't join in the briefing room, it was an interesting sight to see how Wraith didn't have the same restrictions as standard military Squadrons. Rogue was still under heavy oversight while Wraith and Ghost had a level of anonymity and independence. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“So unless you want to get shot down, not the best idea,” there was a lopsided grin at that,”and it would depend on the planet.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Now she was just joking with him. It was a nice idea. Being somewhere away from the prying eyes and the gossip mynnocks would be great; but not realistic. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Besides, odds are I'll have to do so anyways to drop your team off on your next deployment.” A brief reminder that all this had been by chance. They hadn't planned it. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]But[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt],” a pause, the girl tidying up around the U-Wing,” I [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]do[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] know some interesting places to visit. Had to visit a few out in the Wild Regions to meet up with the contacts Chloe had sent me on a wild Bantha chase.” At that time it had just been R4 and the pilot, both on their own. Chloe's method of teaching was mostly through experience. If Choli could manage to find the fringe Force masters to prove herself in being able to train under them for a spell, all the better. Likely far different than what Trextan had to go through in the Jedi Academy. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]However, speaking of droids..[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“How's VeeThree?” The tiny scout droid Trextan had bartered for from the Jawa paddlers. Well more that Choli bartered while Trextan paid. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“How did he handle plugging into the holonet?” This time, the humor in her expression could not be missed. Eight hundred years of no updates only to be blasted with information from the holonet must have been overwhelming. [/SIZE]

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

[member="Choli Vyn"]

The reminder was also that this time together was temporary. In some ways that was always the case. His shoulders sagged just a little when she mentioned dropping him off again. Back to waiting for those precious minutes where Choli was allowed to be on a holocall.

It would be better when she was on a regular carrier or on a base. He'd been on a couple of the big Mon Cal carriers. Whilst space was tight, it wasn't like the Subversion. Bright, airy corridors, excellent high bandwidth comms and office space. And if she was on an Alliance base it would be almost like a regular job. But not every base had a Jedi site. The military took your life and deployed where they needed it when they needed it. Personal circumstances were a luxury that couldn't be considered during war. The Jedi Order was perhaps less stringent. At times they were permitted to decide where they wanted to go. But despite the more relaxed ideals of these Jedi if he decided where he needed to be was wherever Choli was then questions were certain to be raised about whether his attachments were influencing his judgement. They had given him some rope, he had to avoid hanging himself with it.

Trextan had a...something...in hand when she switched up to suggest she knew some remote places. If she couldn't make the wedding then perhaps it would be another venture into the wilderness. That brought a smile to his lips. He furrowed his brow as he looked at the toolbox. He noticed that Choli was watching in amusement.

“This isn't a tool it's a spare part isn't it?” He asked. He followed her gaze to a cabinet recessed into the wall. He meandered over there and started making a lot of noise pulling out metal drawers full of noisy bits and bobs. He found a drawer of parts that roughly matched what he had. Each had a different coloured band across the middle. Maybe a rating of some kind for...whatever it was.

“He was not quite sure how to take it all. Went quiet for a while and the techs weren't sure if he needed a wipe. Kept doing his job though, even with the newer drones were teasing him for being big, old and slow. He seemed to snap out of it after a bit. Started making jokes about the new “Galactic Emperors” who ruled three or four planets.”

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

[SIZE=9pt]“That much change would shock anyone. Getting used to Mos Eisley was trouble enough as it is when Ayy Tee Cee’s scouts brought me in. I imagine he was as overwhelmed as I was.” It has been too much all at the same time. All her life she'd lived out in the Wastes. Her world had been the Clan and the scattered Jawa traders they're come across from time to time. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“I bet he has some stories to tell,” although the young woman appeared to mull over in contemplation as she gathered the last of the tools. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“What about his security protocols? His loyalty commands? It is an old Imperial scout drone.” It wasn't to say that something bad could happen, but there was still that risk. If Trextan didn't go for a wipe, then just were they going to do for security? There were still ingrained command protocols and overrides that could prove dangerous unless he had Vee Three reprogrammed. And even that came with personality glitches and risks. [/SIZE]

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

Trextan looked at her with a little shame on his face. “Well...I gave him to our mech attachment and they brought him back and he was good to go so…” he gave a little shrug. He did consider asking about it when he got back to the barracks though. He didn't really want the droid turning sides when it saw a stormtrooper. People who knew more than him had said it was fine though.

“He's not really the most useful in boarding actions so he's gone off with another squad for now. Could have had a break. Didn't want one. Plenty of stories though. Wasn't around for the Clone Wars, but was there when they put down the last of the resistance when the Empire started.

“We took out this base in almost complete darkness. The entire squad had ocular replacements, Vee can see fine it a range of conditions and I had the Force. Over in no time.”

Trextan headed for the little washer for his hands. Thinking about it, he would need a clean cloth for his face now.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

“Seems like you've been busy,” Choli also. Between insertion jobs near First Order territory, extractions, border disputes, the Sith attacking the Silver Jedi and the Dominion, there hadn't really been any free time to allow oneself to think let alone relax.

“Guess you're slated more for Spec Ops.” They were supposed to pick up a few of them soon. Not any liaise with the New Jedi Order, but folks said they were some of the most highly trained agents.

“Didn't think the Jedi would do such things. Although Jan only told me stories of when the Jedi Order was with the former Republic.” That had all come crashing down in a corrupted mess. Jan and she had been by Levantine territory when that all went down. To this day, Choli didn't fully comprehend what happened to cause such a collapse of an entire government.

A small clink and the Rogue secured the tools in one of the lockers. Throwing away their leftover boxes into the trash compactor would be next.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

“These were slavers,” Trextan explained. “The Justicars do...well I suppose a lot of things. But it's all supposed to help regular people. Protect those who can't do it themselves. Even if there had been enough Jedi to raid that base, having the Force doesn't help me cuff and deal with thirty prisoners at a time!”

He unzipped his coveralls and dragged them off his shoulders. He had to work them off over his boots. Now came the question of where to go now. After everything else heading back to his room seemed a very bad idea indeed.

“Do you want to just chill out down here for a while longer? Or go show me how well you can spar with a saber. Don't know what shift you're on actually, when do you need to sleep?” She had seen a few of his abilities and this included being able to meditate to compress the amount of sleep he needed to a few hours a night. Though he had been warned that if used regularly it could lead to serious health problems and hence it was only something he did when necessary. Or if he stayed up and didn't realise how many hours had passed.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

Tools were stowed. The remains of their meal now in the trash compactor. The mech bay was as tidy as it could be. Turning towards Trextan, Choli caught sight of him heading over to the sonic hand station. Following after him, the Rogue contemplated what options they had.

“Well, you might not be completely covered in oil and grease stains but I am. Hydraulic fluid isn't the most pleasant of aromas after a while,” a finger indicated a dark purple stain on her left thigh. He likely hadn't noticed it while they were lost in the kissing, but even Choli would prefer cleaning up.

“I can go to the crew sonic bay not far from here, they have them for the mechs to clean up.” It also wouldn't be crowded at this time. A quick couple of seconds under the beam, a fresh set of coveralls and a new shirt and she should be good. While it was the subversion and there were generally lax rules, everyone was still expected to wear their issued uniforms or flight suits. The only exception being Spec Ops or Wraith when they were deploying undercover.

“I'm on second shift. So I'll need to report for duty in about ten hours.” Some of which she'll need to use to get some rest.

“I don't know if this would be the best place to spar,” she admitted. There were many flammable items and she had inherited Chloe’s anxieties with waving anything that hot in close quarters.

Trextan would come to realize that much like a Jedi Temple there really wasn't much to do on a small ship like this. Ergo the high amounts of salacious sexual escapades of its crew.