I'm Begging You

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

A little bit expensive. Jamie had spent more money in a single night than Kurt would in a month. He didn't judge her for it of course, they had just been brought up in very different ways. He scrounged and saved, spent as little as he could, and Jamie...well she wasn't wasteful, she just had more expensive tastes. He shook his head slightly, pulling her just a bit closer as he let his fingers travel up and down the small of her back.

"Maybe I'll have to take you to Zeltros sometime." It was a planet renowned for it's pleasures.

One could find almost anything there. Casinos, waterparks, zoos, bars, anything that one could dream of to have fun. The last time Kurt had gone there it had been with his squadmates. The event was a complete blank to him, and for the time they'd been together his squad had refused to fill him in on any of the details of what had happened. The blank spot didn't really bother Kurt, mostly because he knew he hadn't killed anyone or something extreme like that.

He gently poked her side. "See just how silly you can get."

The thought of seeing Jamie drunk and a bit wild amused him endlessly.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"I don't think you are quite ready for that."

Truthfully Jamie wasn't certain she was either. She had been pretty drunk on Borelais, but that was also with Aela, someone who hadn't drank before herself. Jamie knew well that Kurt was much more familiar with drinking, being the military type it was sort of a stereotype that they all drank quite often. That, combined with a number of other potential variables, might make a trip like that a bit more than Kurt had bargained for.

"You can barely handle me now." She pointed out, her finger pressing firmly against his chest.

Not to mention every time they went away somewhere some kind of disaster seemed to follow. Perhaps for now it would be best to just avoid doing anything terribly spontaneous and just coast through the motions. Things were still far from being rosy and perfect. This was just a step in the long road ahead, one that she was treading very carefully.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"I think I can manage it." He said, glancing down at the finger prodding his chest.

Kurt wasn't suggesting going to Zeltros now, or any time soon in fact. He could really only stay here for another day or so. Kaile and him were supposed to start work for the Survey corpse soon, the engineers were just tacking in the required sensors to The Messa and that had given them a little bit of extra time. It was why he had chosen today. In truth he'd half expected Jamie to send him away, but he'd planned to stay the night just in case something happened.

He known that she was busy, and he figured there'd been a chance she would have to put off seeing him for a day or so.

"We'll wait on that though." He told her as he grazed his fingers over her back. "I know you politicians can't just run off and get drunk whenever you want."

He teased her with a smile, knowing that they weren't quite ready to take spontaneous trips once again.

Better to wait.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

A drawn out sigh passed through her lips. "I can't go anywhere for some time regardless. I have to deal with...Things here."

Namely ensuring Vrak did not escape. Jamie wanted to oversee his incarceration personally. That meant being the one to review protocols, vet guards, interrogate the Sith, restrict visitors, and oversee any potential legal proceedings that may follow in the coming weeks. The fact that she had other magistrates and nobles actively working against her, feeling that her treatment of the Sith and the use of this prison fell under some kind of cruel and unusual punishment.

Sometimes drastic measures had to be taken to ensure the safety of millions.

That included questionable, isolated incarceration.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Like the Sith?" He asked her quietly. She didn't have to give him many details, nor would he ask for them. Dealing with all that was far above his paygrade. He was just a simple Farmboy, politics and dealing with magistrates was just...beyond him. All of it seemed a bit too complex for him to ever understand, even if Jamie spent the rest of the afternoon explaining it to him he'd still likely just sit there with a confused expression and nod.

That was alright though.

She didn't mind his simplicity, and he didn't feel self-conscious about it. Most of the time anyway. He would let Jamie handle the politics and arguing, he'd be happy just to stand by her side and make sure that she was as safe as she could be. That was enough for him.

"It's alright." He told her with a smile. "I can come see you."

Things would be less erratic for a while, he would know when he had vacation days and when he would have time. With Kaile's pregnancy it would be a bit difficult of course given that he had to help but, but he would make it work. Just like he always had. "Sneak you a drink when no ones looking."

He joked with a smile.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

She cracked a small smile, though the thought of it slowly faded away.

"Like him, yes." She turned over, laying on her back, eyes staring up at the ceiling of her bedroom. For a few breaths she was silent, simply thinking on what had all happened with that, and how she ended up where she was now. "He said he's going to kill my family when he gets free." The tone of her voice gave away any hint as to whether or not she was scared of that happening. "He's unlike anything I've ever seen before. Killing indiscriminately is as simple as breathing to him." That, and if he hadn't wanted to kill her before this, he certainly wanted to now, of that she was certain.

"If he gets free somehow, everything is in danger."

Herself, her family, possibly even Mariya and Kurt if Vrak really went on a crusade.

She couldn't have that. Not after she lived through what he had done to her personally.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

His hand slid to her stomach as she turned onto her back, lips thinning slightly as she spoke about what the Sith had said.

Her words were a great example as to why he'd always been incredibly uncomfortable with what she wanted to do. The idea of anyone threatening Jamie like that, of even hinting at things like that...it made him nervous. He frowned for a moment, head shaking as his thumb slowly began to stroke across her skin. A part of him wasn't quite sure what to say next. Sith, like politics, were a little out of his league. He'd seen a few from the cockpit of a starfighter, but that was about it.

"Well." Kurt began quietly. "He's in Prison now."

That was something at the very least. He had no idea where he was being held, though he overheard a little bit when Jamie had been yelling about it at the Palace. An isolated facility somewhere here on Naboo. That was good at least.

"I'm sure the others will see reason and keep him there." Moving a Sith, any Sith, seemed like a difficult prospect at best. He slowly pushed himself up slightly, so that he could look Jamie in the eye and hold himself over her.

"They can't release him without your word." Kurt went on. "Right?"

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The woman shrugged. "Technically they could. I'm not Queen or anything. But they can't just free him. They want him moved to a more ethical prison. They don't feel where he is right now is humane. They are planning to petition the king for his transfer, though I am hoping it is denied." Still, that hardly made her sleep much better. She knew that one single misstep, one minor incident and Vrak could end up free again. That was precisely why she had gone to such lengths to ensure he did not have that opportunity.

Jamie rested her right hand over her face, eyes closing for a few moments.

"If he gets free I will either have to go after him or ensure my family are protected at all times. I can't be everywhere, all the time."

That was part of the problem. She didn't know where Vrak called home. He never told her. Wouldn't tell her. For all his ego he kept that one secret. On the other hand, he knew where she lived, knew who her parents were. The only pieces of her life puzzle missing were her connection to Mariya, and Kurt. She was at least grateful for that.

"They still don't quite know all of the details about him still. I've kept most of it to myself, save for what I've given on public record."

It was better they not know the whole truth.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

His lips thinned. "What about the Alliance? Your Master?"

Kurt knew one thing about the Alliance, okay well he knew more than one but this was a fact most everyone knew. The New Jedi Order didn't like darksiders, they had absolutely zero tolerance when it came to Sith or anyone else using the darkside. They were stringently against them, and he'd heard more than one joke about so called "magma cells" that Sith were kept in. Kurt didn't quite understand it of course, Sith couldn't have been that dangerous, but if Jamie thought it was serious....

"Couldn't she help?" Maybe it was a point of pride, but if Jamie thought that her family was in danger perhaps she'd just need to take the hit.

He frowned for a moment, of course not even considering the danger that he might be in.

"As for your family, your parents..." He trailed off. "They have more than enough wealth to disappear for a while. Even here on Naboo it'd be easy enough to hide from someone."

Kurt knew a thing or two about hiding. "Oh. What about Mariya?"

He hadn't wanted to bring this up, but if Jamie thought that her family was in danger...would Mariya be? Concern drifted through him, the idea of Jamie losing anyone else unsettling him.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"I've considered both Aela and the Alliance." She shook her head. "The crown wants him held here, on Naboo, for setting off an explosive in the city square, killing several and injuring more. He's labeled a terrorist, like Suravi. Sith or not, he won't be given to the Jedi. His abduction and..." She hesitated on the word torture, "Such, of me, is also considered a Naboo matter, as I'm not actually a Jedi or Alliance personnel."

That meant he was subject to the laws of the planet.

He was her problem through and through.

"My family would never go into hiding. It's just not something they would do. It's not in them. My father would scoff at the mention of such things."

He had more pride in him than anyone could imagine. And if Kurt thought Jamie was stubborn? He had yet to see an issue her father was firm on.

"Vrak doesn't know about Mariya. At least not yet. Nor does he know about you. It would take a lot of incredibly digging to figure out any connection I have to you, or her. He already threatened my parents. I'm sure he will go for them first, given the chance."

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Me?" He gave her a look of confusion, then the realization came.

"Oh." Kurt hadn't really thought about how this would effect him, he hadn't really cared. A frown settled on his lips as he went back through everything that connected them. He didn't particularly care if a Sith came after him, he could handle himself well enough, but he did care if Kaile was harmed in the process of someone coming after him. After a moment he realized Jamie was right, there was no real public connection between him and her. "Don't worry about me."

He told her.

"Maybe it would be a good idea to send Mariya somewhere anyway...boarding school or something." That way she was safe no matter what.

His head shook. "But..."

Kurt frowned.

"What about you?" He believed Jamie was stronger than this Sith, had to but she was still in danger. "Won't you be in danger too?"

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Honestly Kurt was the least of her concerns in all of this. Even if the Sith somehow connected the dots between her and Kurt, finding him would be next to impossible anyway. The job he was doing was hardly a desk job, he was with the Alliance, and his ship, when not in use, was docked at Alliance SIS locations. It would take more effort than conceivably worth taking to harass Kurt in any way by means of getting at Jamie.

That much she was certain of. If anything, it would her parents and possibly Mariya.

"I can't just take her and send her away. I'm not her mother, after all. That would be considered kidnapping. And I can't imagine her mother would be happy to hear that her half sister wants to tear her away from the only home she has ever known because of my fear of what could happen."

Jamie had no idea how to handle that situation. Regardless, she would have to wait until her parents returned from their time away, where presumably her father would spill the beans about his affair to her mother.

"I left him on Prakith, where I first met him. He tried to kill me then. He traveled to Naboo to find me after that, found a way into the palace and took me someplace outside the city limits." She took in a heavy breath before pushing the blanket covering the two down to the edge of the bed. Her hand grabbed hold of the fabric on her dress and pulled the clothing up above her legs, directing his attention to the mark left behind from the knife wound. "He said he wanted to show me his people's history. He did. In a way."

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

A scowl set on his lips as he saw the scar, his hand placing over it as if that would somehow make it disappear.

He shook slightly, anger rising through him. His eyes grew a bit darker. The idea that this Sith had taken Jamie...tortured her, that didn't sit well with Kurt at all. His fingers gently latched around her leg, not moving but clearly just trying to come to grips with what Jamie was telling him.

"And..." He knew that Jamie was fundamentally a good person. She wanted to do what was right, even when someone had threatened to kill her, her family, everyone she loved. Even with that knowledge though, Kurt couldn't help but press the issue. "You can't kill him?"

Hell, he'd do it if she asked.

Killing wasn't exactly Kurt's favorite activity, but he'd done it in the past. When he was flying, that run in with the Pirates, those troopers at the Bunker. He didn't like doing it, but a Sith that threatened the life of his girlfriend and everything she loved?

Yeah he would be okay with that.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"I nearly did, on Prakith."

That was why she knew she couldn't do it now. "After he murdered two escorts of mine, I nearly cut him in half with his own lightsaber. I stopped myself, realizing what it would mean if I did kill him. It's a much darker road to go down than you think." Maybe Kurt didn't quite understand. Quite frankly she wouldn't have understood if she hadn't ever learned and studied the Force. It wasn't something she could blame him for, but she wanted him to know her reason. "I don't want to be like him, I can't bring myself to that level."

She wouldn't be like him. No matter what. That single instance was the awakening she needed to carry that resolve.

"That is why he's in that prison now. It's as close to death as one can come without the act itself."

That was also why the others were petitioning to have him extradited from within it.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt stopped just short of saying 'I'll do it'. It was clear that this was important to Jamie. She was making a mark, a point. The Sith would kill, she would not. It would have been easy to kill him, perhaps a little too easy. The Courier could understand that point of view, he even respected it, but a piece of him, a rather large piece, still felt like it was a mistake. The man was a Sith, he had threatened Jamie, the things she cared about. Leaving him alive was dangerous.

More dangerous that he would like. "Okay."

He said to her with a smile. It wasn't his place to second guess her decision. Kurt was only a simple farmboy, he wasn't a Jedi Knight, he wasn't a politician, he didn't know these things. Kurt knew right from wrong, he knew what his parents had taught him and that was it. Maybe that was enough for most things, but big decisions like this? Well perhaps it was best to leave those to Jamie.

"I trust you." He told her as he leaned down and pressed a kiss on her lips. "Whatever happens. I'll be there."

That was what it came down to. "I might not be a Jedi, but I know a thing or two about blasters."

He offered her a small smile.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The blonde covered her legs back once more, hiding away the blemish over her knee.

"Thank you. I'm fearful that if blasters are needed it may be too late though. That, and--" She knew Kurt was being supportive, but she also didn't want him to get any ideas either. "He's trained, at least crudely, similarly to I. It would take an overwhelming amount of blaster fire to stop him." There was an appreciative smile there as she returned his kiss. "But I thank you all the same." The last thing she wanted was for Kurt to find himself in a shoot-out with Vrak and wind up getting hit by his own shots. Better to warn him ahead of time if he wasn't already familiar.

"Something interesting though is that he's one of those ancient Pureblood Sith. The real deal, not the ones you see today, the red-skinned Sith. Facial tendrils and everything."

She found it interesting when she first met him, tried to get some bit of information out of him, but he wasn't overly interested in talking.

"I wish I could have found out where he came from. There are more of them. I'm sure of it."

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Pureblood?" Kurt repeated, a frown settling on his face.

The Courier didn't know a lot about Sith, nor did he know a lot about the different species of the galaxy, but his parents did. When he'd been young both his mother and father had told him stories of the Sith Empire they had served under, of the teachings they'd received and of the secret histories that had been hidden from all but a few. He vaguely recalled some of the stories, though he was sure more than a few of them were...embellished for his sake.

"I thought they were all dead." His fingers gently grazed over her stomach. "My parents told me they all got wiped out thousands of years ago."

He remembered that bedtime story rather well, the first great Jedi and Sith war.

Sometimes it paid to have parents who were essentially academics. "They must be in Sith Space."

Kurt suggested to Jamie, mostly because it was the only logical place to him. The Galaxy was huge, there was an unending amount of star systems that were so vast an innumerable that you could hide anywhere, but if there was one truth, it was the ego of Sith. That was such common knowledge that even Kurt knew.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"That was what I had thought as well. When I first saw him I was caught off guard. He nearly killed me right then because of how stunned I was to see him."

She hadn't the faintest idea of how to respond, but he quickly made it clear that he was not interested in speaking, instead went immediately to trying to choke her to death. The whole thing was coincidence, and now here she was, with Vrak incarcerated on Naboo, beneath the depths of the ocean in a maximum security prison. All because he couldn't just do well enough to leave her alone after she left him back on Prakith, despite what he'd already done.

It was bewildering still, to think about.

"I tried to get an answer from him, but he just lied to me. There are no Sith on Korriban still."

Where else they could be hiding she hadn't the faintest idea.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Well." He may have been an idiot, but Kurt knew space. "There's more to 'Sith Space' than just Korriban."

The Courier pointed out to her.

Kurt had spent half his time in the navy just going over maps, not to mention his work as a Courier meant he studied dozens of systems and sectors of space. He knew his way around the galaxy about as well as anyone else. He'd even made a few deliveries to that area when the Silver Jedi had still controlled it, before that nasty business on Coruscant. He frowned for a moment, thinking of a few of the places that he knew there. "Ziost, Dromund Kaas, Thule, Athiss."

He shrugged.

"There's like two dozen systems all grouped together." His parents had worked on Dromund Kaas and Thule. "I'm sure my dad has a map or two if you'd like to look at it."

There were a few things that they'd taken when they first fled the Sith Empire.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

A gentle smile broke her relatively solemn looking face, placing a small kiss on his cheek before falling her head back onto the pillow

"I haven't the time to spend searching planet after planet for signs of Sith. If he were to get free, perhaps, but I have too much to do to worry about other potential Sith lingering elsewhere."

The galaxy was too big of a place. Even narrowing the list down to planets, that was still an incredibly massive area to search, assuming they were not so populated that the entire surface was covered in Sith. If that were the case, they would have likely been discovered already. Sith tended not to keep their presence hidden for too long these days. Vrak had already proven this, being as untrained as he was, coming all the way to Naboo simply to enact revenge on her for perceived affronts.

"But speaking of your dad, I think you still owe me a Tatooine trip sometime in the future."

All this dreary Sith talk,,,She wanted to shift gears so Kurt didn't have another heart attack.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]