How did we end up here?

[Simone]

Simone sighed and dropped her gaze. The great black gates in her mind that helped her survive slammed shut.

"No." she said, looking back up at him. "No I won't." she repeated after a moment. She took two steps back, still holding his gaze, though her expression had gone remarkably cold. "I have a lot of work to do, Khal." She turned and walked away, heading for the mainframe and holding her head high.

And trying very, very hard to keep her composure.

[member="Khaleel Malvern"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Simone"]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Khal looked on as she walked away, he kept looking until her form had already disappeared behind the durasteel, then the Underlord sighed softly to himself. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Everything fiber inside of him had been telling him to just kiss her, but he couldn’t. It was one thing when it was passion, the heat of the moment, but he wouldn’t ever force himself onto her or even look like doing that.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]She didn’t deserve that.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“Celebrate, Kally. It’s a bright day.” he would mumble to himself, before turning around and walking back to the hanger to organize some work.[/SIZE]

 

[Simone]

Simone had to give herself some credit. She didn't stop, she didn't look back and she kept her composure, right up until the blast doors of the mainframe slid shut. She leaned against them, sliding down till her rump hit the floor and brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them. What the hell had just happened? What the hell had she walked away from? She tipped her head back against the door and hit it repeatedly. "You. Are. Such. An. Idiot." she uttered with each impact.

There was nothing for it, there was no going back and changing what had happened and she was almost certainly not going to admit she'd made a mistake. She'd do what she always did. She'd roll with it, maintain a cold demeanor when he was paying attention, until she couldn't bear it anymore. For a woman who used to seek the truth, she was incredibly good at lying and hiding her feelings. Shaking her head she got to her feet, fingers running through her hair and padded towards the chair. She pulled the shattered datapad from her pocket and deposited on a console as she passed, settling herself before the mass of screens before her.

This was something she couldn't feth up. Reprogramming an entire defense system? Piece of cake. Dealing with emotions? Utter disaster.

[member="Khaleel Malvern"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Simone"]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Every step taken was an additional weight lifted off his shoulders, until finally he would enter the hangar bays where [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]his[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] men and women were already busying themselves with the unpacking of the variety of tools and equipment that they would need for the restoration of an entire city. They had brought mechs with them, vehicles, mining equipment and other gear that would be needed.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]They would have to retool most if not all of the subsystems, restore infrastructure wherever possible and start sending probes into the various other asteroids that were around the asteroid-belt. Did they have anything of worth?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Things that could somehow make this even more profitable.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]To Khal’s credit? [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]As he busied himself around, shouting orders and reorganizing an incoming mess into a tight and regimed order? [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]No feelings where there.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Ain’t no love in the Galaxy, Kally. ‘Bout time you learned that.[/SIZE]

 

[Simone]

With each line of code written, Simone forgot what she was so worried about, hours passed where she remained absorbed. A screen to her right started began to flash and she tore her eyes away from the programme watching the diagnostic reports flowing through the screen, A heavy sigh blew out of her nose and she diverted her attention, prioritising jobs. Things that were urgent included full functioning life support, gravity modulators, lighting, the defense system and sensors. Everything else was second priority, like new droids, updated camera's and locations and a general fresh coat of paint.

Without thinking she flicked open the comm. "Khal," she began pausing for a heartbeat when she realised who she was talking to. "Gravity is fluctuating in Sector C, can you get a team down there? I also need someone to look at the ship's external sensors."

Total cool, professionalism.

[member="Khaleel Malvern"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Simone"]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“Mhm?” the Underlord was elbow deep in grease, courtesy of the engineering room that was giving some of his own folk some trouble. But Khal had always been quite handy with things, hands-on approach ain’t always bad so he decided to give it a try himself, besides with the telekinesis it was much easier to get to the smaller parts.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“Aight, Si. I will pass it down the chain.” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]In the grand scheme Khal was a person of no bullcrap, did he feel hurt that she had declined his advances? [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Most definitely.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]But he wasn’t going to get that in the way of the work, he still cared about her, still cared about what they had and what they shared, that was more important to him than a raw heart. Besides, she wasn’t into him, that ain’t her fault.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Can’t blame a girl who ain’t interested.[/SIZE]

 

[Simone]

There was something painful when someone could utilise the same skill as you, responding with the same cool tone. There was no malice in it, but it stung nonetheless. Maybe it was because she wanted him to be more...well...needy for her? Or maybe it was because she just didn't like being beat at her own game, and simply didn't want to admit to him that she cared a great deal, and she wished he had kissed her again.

"Thanks, Khal." She paused. There were moments in life that you couldn't miss, chances that you had to take. Whatever she and Khal did or didn't have, it had manifested from their time together and Simone had never built that kind of relationship, working or otherwise with anyone. She'd shut them out, or down and worked independently. The work Khal gave her was steady, reliable and above all it kept her on her toes. That reason, and that reason alone had allowed this to build. She'd taken a chance signing that napkin in the shady bar on Nar-Shadda, and it paid off.

"Khal," she said again. "Can you come up here, I need you to look at this diagnostic report?"

She'd taken a chance hauling his ass off Nar-Shadda, in landing on this station...all of it paid off. You couldn't really compare such a thing to business, but it was all Simone had to go on, all she really knew. So why not take a chance?

[member="Khaleel Malvern"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Simone"]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“Sure thing.” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]The Underlord would simply reply. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]He didn’t really think any of it, for a man who had a million something schemes going on at the same time, Khal was pretty basic when it came to social interactivity. Which came down to one simple thing, when she had denied him?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]It was over in his mind, she didn’t want him, there ain’t no use in being a little shutta about it. Time would heal all wounds as it always did.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]No point in trying to pressure her into something she clearly wasn’t interested in.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Took him a few minutes to get from engineering to where she was, he still wasn’t entirely at home here, gotta move a while around before Khal would know the odds and ends of the city, before he could walk the walk just as well as he had on Nar Shaddaa.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]No knock, just one step outside and then two steps inside.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“Wanted to see me?”[/SIZE]

 

[Simone]

She had it all planned out in her head, that he'd walk in and she'd have this apology and an explanation about why she'd run off, yet as she swung the chair round the whole thing got swept out the window. She felt her heart in her throat, choking her and stopping her from speaking. She just sat there for a moment totally lost, that panicky look beginning to appear in her eyes again. She closed them, and took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

Opening them she got to her feet and closed the gap between them. "I'm taking a chance with you Khal," she said, her confidence coming with each word and inching closer. "Because I trust you, more than anyone. But I swear, if you let me down, I'll do something...incredibly drastic and threatening that I can't think of right now." She couldn't understand it. Place any man in front of her and she could flirt and lead him along without any problems. words came easily and her mind was always about three steps ahead. Drop an inkling of emotion in there and she was falling apart.

She inched closer again, her nose was almost touching his and she was absorbed by his sapphire eyes before sliding her own closed and kissing him gently.

[member="Khaleel Malvern"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Simone"]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Khal wasn’t exactly sure what was happening.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]When you heard those words without the context of her thoughts? Then it didn’t make a lot of sense, but then she got up and inched closer and closer, the Underlord’s gut feeling had never ever missed the mark in a thousand years.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Which is why he had been so surprised that she had declined his [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]attentions[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] the first time around.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]All of that melted away as sweet soft lips pressed onto his, it was primal, it was natural, there wasn’t anything to think about and Khal simply went with the moment.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her in closer.[/SIZE]

 

[Simone]

Simones arms looped about his neck as he drew her closer, locked in his embrace and utterly lost in the moment. She drew her lips away slowly, resting her forehead against his, hands cupping his face, her thumbs stroking stubble on his cheeks. Suddenly her childish fears of being hurt seemed exactly that - childish and irrelevant. The only man she'd even known to make it past her icy walls, and she was content to let him stay.

She opened her eyes, taking his face in, in the gentle glow of the screens around them and smiled. Primal instinct yearned for more, perhaps even glinted in her eyes for a moment, but she knew she wasn't there just yet. She slipped out of his embrace, tugging him by his hand to the diagnostics running through the screens. "If we had the funds, right now, I'd say we gut the systems we've got and replace them. That being said, we can make do with what we've got. The life support system should keep us going without poisoning us for at least another year, two, if we shut down these four sectors, run it at half power but that's a lot of space we won't be able to use without a space suit."

It was easy to slip back into business, though there was something different, almost electric in the air between them. "Modulators aren't a major issue, I can build them from scrap and have 'em last a lifetime. Defenses though? That's a whole other problem. In the weeks you were gone I had to shut down nearly half the droids due to corroded motherboards and feth knows what else. They really are better off as scrap and I've a few ideas for a new designs not just for inside, but to patrol the outside of the city too, it you'll permit it that is. Turrets..well, I blew three trying to test them in Sector F and didn't dare with the rest. Damage was to high. Shields are seriously limited. We'd be better off with a planetary grade shield, than anything else."

She turned her back on the screens, perching on the edge of the desk she shove her hands into her pockets. "Long and short of it? We can survive here, for the moment, on the grounds no one attacks us. the minute weapons starting swinging our way, well...all we've got to throw back is whatever you brought with you."

[member="Khaleel Malvern"]