Miss Me?

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

He smiled at her, slowly pulling himself up from the bed and stepping to her so that he could wrap his arms around her slender form. Kurt pulled her close, planting a kiss on her lips for half a second before quickly drawing himself back. "It's a real shame we don't know anyone whose a really good pilot."

The Courier began.

"Someone who drives ships and speeders for a living." He began to lay it on think. "Someone who won the galaxies toughest and most dangerous race not once, not twice, but three times in a row when he was only in his teens. Someone like that would really come in handy at a time like this."

He shook his head slowly, as if mourning the loss of such a person.

Of course, this was him just being sarcastic, but the reality was they weren't sure if him being there would change anything. Sure he was a great pilot, but that didn't meant that Jamie's father would trust him enough to take out any of the speeders of bikes. Though, perhaps it would help that the man knew Kurt had never so much as had a single crash while in the podracing circuits. He'd only ever had the one pod, so crashing had never really been a viable option.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"A shame indeed." Jamie gave Kurt a smirk, playing along as if she truly didn't know anyone.

"Imagine if we found someone that talented? That guy could really go places in this galaxy. He'd impress all the girls, and their fathers would probably want him to marry their daughters. Quite the catch he'd be!"

She shrugged, kissing his cheek before quickly slapping his ass and stepping away before he had an opportunity to return the assault.

"Guess we'll just have to do without I suppose."

Just beside the door was her pair of vibrant floral open-toe wedges that gave her a bit more height, allowing Jamie to stand at relatively eye level with Kurt. Stepping one foot at a time into the shoes she carefully tightened each strap just off to the side of the ankle, latching the band into the third hole on each side so that it was comfortable but also secure enough that she wouldn't simply fall out of them while walking. From her pocket she pulled free a pair of nearly identical in design sunglasses, sliding the frame between golden locks of hair to rest atop her head for the time being.

"Ready to go?"

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt gave her a flat look. "Sure."

He still didn't like the idea of taking a taxi.

To him it was just a waste of money. He supposed that for Jamie it didn't really matter all that much, especially now that she was home, but for Kurt spending money was still kind of a big deal. Why anyone would take a taxi when there were perfectly good vehicles around...well he had no idea. It was another one of those small culture clashes that he'd encountered so many of since they'd arrived on Naboo. He frowned for a moment, then shook his head.

His arm almost immediately slipped around Jamie's lower back as they left the room.

"What about our ship?" Now was probably the best time to bring it up. "Will we get it back?"

The vessel was worth something after all, even if they hadn't paid money for it Kurt was loathe to just give it up. There was also the fact that he was still rather curious about that room, why it was there and why anyone would bother hiding it the way they had.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The flat stare was returned in full. Kurt really didn't want to take a taxi apparently.

"Fiiiiine. I will ask my dad if you can take one of the speeders. Just stop giving me that look!"

Jamie began to walk towards the staircase that led downstairs where she presumed her father was, either still in the same room they had last seen, or perhaps asleep on the couch watching some HoloVid.

She didn't understand why Kurt simply didn't want to let someone else drive. It wasn't like they had anything to worry about here. With a few taps of the datapad the pickup request was cancelled, and she slid the small device back into the pocket on the right side.

"The ship? Of course we'll get it back. Don't be silly. They wouldn't just claim ownership of it." Would they? No. That would be absurd.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Back home." He realized that a lot of what he said today had been all about Tatooine. He would really have to take her there one day, show her around, let her talk to his parents and see exactly what his homeworld was like. She would understand a lot of his mindset better after that, or at least he thought she would. "Well..."

Kurt trailed off for a second as he tried to find the right words. "When someone takes your ship, you don't get it back."

That was really the end of the story.

"Though I guess that relates back to our whole talk about Law and Order, huh?" He offered her a cheeky grin. It was one of their older discussions, almost ancient. Kurt had always substantiated that his homeworld didn't need police or oversight while Jamie had of course argued the opposite. Everything on Naboo was done after a set of laws laid down by a constitution, on Tatooine? The only law the strength, and perhaps a bit of cleverness mixed in.

It was simple the way of things.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Tatooine is weird." She said plainly.

Jamie couldn't comprehend how a world like that functioned. "People there just....just do whatever they want. It's like a HoloVid of The Wild Space. Folks with blasters making the laws as they see fit, leaving chaos in their wake." Seriously! Why can anyone just walk up, see something that doesn't belong to them, and....And just take it!? That was insanity. It didn't feel safe. Not at all. A criminal's paradise, really.

"The ship will be fine. We can talk to the Captain when we get back to Theed if you really want to check on it."

Of course, she still wanted to talk to her father about that crest she'd found on the tapestries in the hidden room of the ship. That was important. For one reason or another, in her gut she felt like there was a story behind that symbol being there. Whether or not it was coincidence or not had yet to be seen, but the galaxy had a funny way of bringing people together.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"It's not like that." It was in part, but he wasn't about to say that. Some areas of Tatooine really were all about survival of the fittest, though they were predominantly the areas controlled by the Tusken Raiders. Most places on Tatooine that claimed to be civilized actually did hold to a sort of rule of law. Those rules weren't really enforced by any one entity, but were instead held together by a combination of Arceneau Trade, The Hutts, and everyone banding together.

"You can't just go rubbing a bank for instance." Kurt pointed out. "Everyone who uses that bank would immediately turn on you and gun you down."

His hand came up to rub the back of his neck. "Not everything is completely lawless. ATC enforces some things like fair trade rules and The Hutts make sure that no one actually gets too out of hand. Really there is a certain set of rules that everyone follows, and of course everyone enforces their own small rules. Like if you steel from a shopkeeper...well that shopkeeper is liable to pummel you into next week, but he won't kill you.'

That would be bad for business.

He smiled slightly as she mentioned checking on the ship.

"I just like that ship is all." His hand squeezes her side. "It's a good memory."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

This planet is so confusing. How does anyone live there?

"I don't think I am ever going to really understand, Kurt. It's like everyone just knows these unwritten laws. I just don't see how a world can function like that. It's just strange."

Perhaps when Kurt took her to his home she might be able to better understand, but for now it was all foreign to her. It didn't seem like the type of place she would survive alone, that much she was certain of. So it was a good thing he'd be there to guide her.

Stopping at the bottom of the staircase she turned quickly around, nearly making Kurt walk straight into her. "I like the ship too, because it's a good memory. Don't worry, it will be fine." Hearing the sound of an engine firing, Jamie quickly took his hand again led him towards the large garage that housed the speeders and bikes. "I think my father is leaving, if we're quick we can ask him to borrow one."

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt shrugged.

"It's worked out pretty well so far." Tatooine, unlike Naboo, had never been invaded, blockaded, blown up, or experienced any other sort of major strife. Sure there was the occasional occupation from a major galactic government, but usually that was only in Mos Espa. The truth was nobody really cared about Tatooine, and the strange laws that permeated his homeworld had always stayed in place because they simply...worked. There was no need to change the system.

"Awesome." Kurt said with a grin, pushing her forward. "Let's get the fastest one."

He smiled wide, a bit of childishness entering his voice. "Would be fun."

Kurt had never ridden a speeder bike among the streets of Theed, or any other major city for a while, but in his head he was already imagining racing between the buildings. At his heart he would always be a pod-racer, and he couldn't help but think of a circuit among the streets of Theed.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"If you say so." There wasn't any point in arguing over something she knew very little about. Given that she had never been to Tatooine, or any planet like it, there was no frame of reference to draw from.

Suddenly however, at the mention of the speeder bikes Kurt suddenly became a lot more vested in the subject of getting on their way. He was practically pushing her through each room one after another to get to the garage where her father was prepping his own to leave for wherever it was he was going. "Okay! Okay! Calm down! We're not going to tear through the streets of Theed you know! There are laws! We'll be arrested for reckless operating and my dad will really kill us then!"

This wasn't Tatooine where you could just speed all over the planet willy nilly as you pleased! There were posted limits on speed, and breaking them often came with harsh penalties.

Upon reaching the garage Jamie spotted her father. He was making a number of small adjustments to whatever it was the speeder needed, hands a bit mucky with grease buried in the engine compartment.

"Well," She said, turning to Kurt. "You wanted to borrow one, so you ask."

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Reckless?" He echoed. "That's a bit of an insult. I'm an expert. I could fly a Tie Fighter through The Works on Coruscant and no one would get a scratch."

That wasn't even exaggeration. TIE fighters were incredibly nimble craft, and Kurt was one of the best pilots in the galaxy, he probably could pull it off, though it helped that The Works generally didn't have anyone running around in them anyway. He smiled slightly at the thought, not sure if Jamie knew that fact or not.

"Alright alright." He said as Jamie urged him on.

The Courier waited for a moment, taking a deep breath and drawing himself up. He wasn't exactly scared of Jamie's father...but...well, it helped to take a moment before you asked a man for something, especially if it was something as precious as a speeder bike. Having built his own pod-racer back on Tatooine Kurt well knew what vehicles like that could mean to a person. He smiled slightly and then finally took a step forward, pulling away from Jamie and approaching her father.

"Sir." He said approaching the man in the most respectful manner. "Would you mind terribly if Jamie and I borrowed one of your speeder bikes?"

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Torlen looked up from the engine compartment, hearing Kurt's voice. The man stood about eye level with Kurt, goggles obscuring his eyes. He leaned into the pilot's chair and cut the power to the engine, before resting his chin atop his hands which were crossed over the front of the vehicle. He stood quietly for a moment, before lifting the goggles away from his face and dropping them onto the seat. There was a smirk on his face, one that Jamie knew all too well.

Here it comes.

"You're asking me to lend you one of these?" His gaze passed Kurt to his daughter for a moment, for which Jamie only gave a weak smile. "Son, either you have a death wish, or you've never seen this girl pilot something."

Immediately her face reddened, a mixture of embarrassment and anger boiling from her feet to her head in a matter of half a second.

"She can't maneuver anything with an engine worth a damn, nearly killed me once. Almost sped straight into a building at almost 295km/h. I value my bikes, Kurt, and my daughter. I don't want to see either lost."

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Well Sir." Kurt began, again keeping it respectful. He used the exact same tone that he used when talking to the Hutts. It was an odd comparison to think of at that moment, but it was true. His usual mock for authority was gone from his voice, his lips were curved into a respectful smile, and his eyes were set straight ahead. This was a rare thing for him, even during his own court martial he'd worn a more amused grin, half chuckling every time his antics were mentioned.

"That's why I am asking." The Courier put it plainly. "I think we both know that objectively I'm probably the best pilot in this sector. I'm certified to fly half a dozen different craft and I've won more racing competitions then we can count using both our hands."

That was actually quite true.

Though he was most famed for winning the Boonta Eve three times running Kurt had competed in more then just that particular race. He'd participated in local circuits and had even joined a swoop race or two while working as a courier. Though that was less known, it certainly wouldn't be difficult to believe Kurt on that account. "I have far too much love for your daughter, and a good speeder bike, to ever crash while piloting."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The man wasn't an idiot. He knew why it was Kurt who was asking. The thing was, he also knew his daughter. He knew why she made Kurt ask. He also knew what would inevitably go through her head once they got out of visual distance from the estate. It was like he was one step ahead of her at all times, and this was hardly an exception. The older gentleman couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head towards Kurt.

"Oh, I know well and good why you're the one in this equation asking. Jamie's clever. But I've known her for eighteen years, whereas you've known her, how long now?" He shook away the smile, returning to his more serious expression. "The moment you two get within three blocks and out of view, she's going to tell you to pull over and let her pilot." His eyes again shifted to Jamie, who had such an obvious grin on her face that anyone in the galaxy could tell that her father had just called her out on her plan.

"See that? That's the face of guilt, Kurt. You'll come to learn it well if you stick around." The man turned to the other bike, pointing with his thumb and a shake of the head. "You can take that one under one condition. She is not to drive. Not for a minute, not for thirty seconds. Not at all. If you take this out, you give your word that she will not be in that pilot seat."

"Oh come ON!" She shouted, hands up in the air.

"Kurt Meyer

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"That shouldn't be a problem." Kurt said as he looked back towards his girlfriend. He remembered well when he'd allowed her to take control of The Messa. In one go she had nearly burnt out the engines and caused a critical reactor overload that nearly killed both of them. Kurt didn't really need a reminder of Jamie's piloting ability, and in truth she'd been more then happy to let him do the flying ever since they'd been together. Perhaps he just had that effect on her. "I don't let her fly my ship either."

He smiled at Jamie.

Her father eventually nodded to him, telling him the access codes to one of the bikes and pointing him towards the garage. Kurt turned away from the man wearing a wide grin, he took two swift steps towards Jamie and then quickly took her hand, before she could object he dragged her away, not wanting to jeopardize this chance.

No taxi's for them. "Come on, honey."

Kurt said quickly as he puled her towards the garage.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Oh, the look of displeasure on her face as Kurt's words came out was one of hell's fury.

"Once! I almost crashed the speeder ONCE! It wasn't my fault! My hand SLIPPED on the throttle!" She explained to Kurt as he dragged her towards the other bike that was offered. "It's not the same as a ship! I can do it!"

She really wanted to pilot the bike. There were less controls than a starship. It was less intimidating. And there was no threat of becoming space dust if something went wrong with the hyper velocity gamma engine thingy!

The blonde's face remained as red as a tomato throughout the entire time Kurt prepped the bike, activated the engines, and began pulling away from the estate. It was only then that Jamie tapped him on the shoulder and spoke to him, her anger having subsided ever so slightly. At least, for the moment. "You're going to let me pilot though, right?! You just said that so we could take one?" There's no way he wouldn't let her! After all, the bike was more hers than it was his!

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt only shook his head. It was really the only response he could give, that and well... "What did you say Honey?!"

The wind buzzed by his ear as his fingers tightened on the controls, the accelerating being pushed to max. Theed was just on the Horizon, the manor being on the outskirts of the city. They were shooting across what appeared to be an odd sort of cobblestone stone path, probably laid down hundreds of years ago. There were other speeders zipping across the road, though Kurt weaved about them as though they were just cones set up as obstacles.

"The wind is loud!" He called out to her, pushing the bike to go faster. "Can't hear you!"

That was all a lie...but...well he'd only just met her father and he didn't want to lie to the man so soon, especially after he'd spent a good two hours defiling his daughter in his own home.

That was just bad manners.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Oh, really? That excuse?

Jamie was hardly an idiot. She might have been clumsy. She was definitely an air head of sorts. But she wasn't dumb. If Kurt thought he was going to get away with trying to pretend like he couldn't hear her he had another thing coming. Besides, he was doing the exact same thing she wanted to do! Push the bike full throttle and zip past everyone! It wasn't like it was that hard!

"I know you hear me Kurt Meyer!" Her finger dug into the side of his ribs. "You're choosing to ignore me so you can pretend like you didn't hear me without getting into trouble!"

Again she jabbed her index finger into his side. "Can you hear me now!?"

Her other hand moved around to Kurt's right side, "How about NOW?!"

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

He jerked his hand to the right, the involuntary motion sending them half off the road as the bike steered hard. Almost immediately the pilot corrected himself, pulling the controls to the left so they'd get back on the road and wouldn't crash into anything. At the speed they were going what Jamie was doing could get them killed quite easily...at least, if anyone else was piloting. With Kurt in charge of the controls however there wasn't really a worry, at least not from him. "Stop!"

The Courier shouted.

"It's not my fault it's windy!" It was, nevertheless the speeder quickly began to slow as they got closer to Theed. "Now..."

They slowly came to a stop, an intersection in the road bringing a rather curious expression to Kurt's face. He had never been outside of Theed before, and quite honestly he wasn't exactly sure where they were going just yet so he needed some directions. "What were you saying, Gorgeous?"

He tried to sneak his way back into her good graces.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The moment they violently steered off course she stopped prodding Kurt's sides. Though whether that was because he shouted it or because she immediately clung to him like a petrified animal was irrelevant.

"Fine!"

It wasn't the wind. He could hear her. She knew. He just didn't want to let her pilot in the area where she could go full tilt like her father had mentioned, and like she had in space aboard Kurt's ship. Again, she wasn't dumb.

Ditzy, yes. Stupid, no.

When Kurt finally stopped just outside of Theed and pretended to ask her what she was saying her eyes simply narrowed, practically closing, her nose flaring slightly while her lips thinned.

"You know what."

[member="Kurt Meyer"]