Not This Again

[Xenia Nastassia]

Chommell Sector;
Naboo;
Xenia's Home.

It worked, but it was not without risk. His strength did not instantly fade as she had hoped, though that only made sense. She could feel his superior strength tossing her forward, and she was helpless to defend. Heeled shoes hardly supported Xenia as she stumbled backward and crashed into the side of the counter, slipping and banging against it's top. She yelped with a cry of pain as her hurt arm was crushed again under her weight. As she looked up, she realized she had done so when it was too late to see anything of use, the next strike had already come, knocking her to the floor and sending her sprawling forward uselessly. The gun came flat against her head, she felt it there behind her, and she froze. This was the moment of truth, her eyes closed tight. His words were hollow, without any emotion, as if he was being driven by a twisted autopilot. Xenia's bottom lip quivered, and she heard the noise of his faltering step from behind. The poison was taking its toll. Now was her time to act, so she did so quickly, spinning around and kicking at the back of his knees.

The gun was the first target, grabbing it from Kail's placid fingers, and gripping it in her good arm. A frown, and low moan still purred from her mouth as she vented the pain in her arm. In the same motion, she knocked Kail backwards, pushing him onto the kitchen flooring; the poison wasn't lethal, and it wasn't made for knock outs either, so whatever Kail was experiencing was temporary. Like a pouncing feline, she tossed herself over Kail, pinning him against the floor from a straddled lock, white dress hiking up already revealed legs in stretching over the larger body. When he came back into consciousness, he would find her hovering over him, his own pistol locked against his stomach just above the naval. There was no hostility in her eyes, only a powerfully nervous sadness. A water color of various anxieties and expectations.

"Please calm down, Kail-- think!! I mean you no harm, I am-- I'm, I'm protecting you, if-- if anything!"

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

He felt the sharp kick to the knee as he fell, and he also felt a body mount his and a sharp prod in his naval but his eyes stayed closed. Kail wanted to sleep…just for a little…

Xenia’s voice brought him back, a little bleary eyed and weak, but not unaware of the poison that rendered him in this position. He automatically tried to rise, but he couldn’t with her atop him.

Resting his head on the cool floor, a smile broke out and a deep chuckle came from his throat. Reaching to rub his eyes with his hands, Kail laughed gently and drew in a sharp breath before meeting Xenia’s sorrowful gaze.

”You’re…protecting ME? From what? I don’t need protecting, love.”

The mercenary didn’t fight her this time and just lay there, hands linked on his chest. A sighed contently and didn’t speak for a few seconds.

”This is rather comfortable, don’t you think?”

He slowly let his hands drop by his side, and gently brushed his fingers over the back of her legs, just above her heels, tickling her skin under his dry fingers.

”Can you point that thing somewhere else? I…I think I’m done trying to outsmart you. I don’t know how much longer my body can cope with this torture.


@Xenia Nastassia

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Chommell Sector;
Naboo;
Xenia's Home.

"Kail," she started, with a baffled look and large eyes.
"I literally have a gun to you, right now. You're not invincible, frack."

She too had begun breathing in more even cycles, the hot blood in her body cooling. A small line of blood fell from a rather small cut just above her eye brow. When she spoke, she dug the barrel of the gun deeper into place against him, and shot him a defiant glare. One thing was for sure, the fire in his eyes had been extinguished, and she was having hard time determining if it was all the drug's effect, or if something in him had really given up. As if she had finally come far enough in her games to convince him that she was worth her words. Though his body language seemed to change entirely, actually laughing at his defeat and submitting fully to her. The Naboo noble didn't know how to react, really, so she just sat there, gradually loosening the muscles in her legs so that they stretched further apart, becoming more stable atop the marble-rock-flooring. Though, as if giving in to a change of heart, she pulled the gun back and tossed it to the side, grabbing his weakened arms and dragging them above his head, pushing her weight against them so as to glue them in place. Although it would be rare, she was currently stronger than the man.

Bending down over his body, her lips neared his ear and her eyes narrowed. "Does this mean you give up, Kail?" This was cruel, but it was a different kind of cruelty. An almost friendly cruel, and a basis upon which to found something more than the relationship of killers. "Does this mean I pass your stupid test, Kail? Have I beaten you enough?" The corners of her mouth lit up in small edges, a double bladed grin revealing white teeth which he wouldn't be able to see. Her whispering held a musky auroma, a specific tone playing like molasses over the exposed pair.

"I wanna hear you say it."

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

He smirked and shrugged under gun-point. He wasn’t invincible, far from it, but a man with nothing to live for could afford to stare death in the face and push until breaking point.

Kail could feel he sitting atop him now rather than digging her knees into his side, and he didn’t fight her as she took his arms and held them behind his head. Yes, he could have tried to fight her off – but what would be the point? He was tired and deflated, but if this would help him calm the rage then it wasn’t a bad thing.

And Xenia certainly wasn’t someone he’d openly want to fight off. Yes, he wanted for a second to take her life, but he was glad he didn’t. She could yet prove useful to the mercenary.

As she lowered her head down by his left jaw, Kail felt a wave of awkwardness ride up him. Not anger, but embarrassment. The very thing that had made him weaker in the first place and she was closer to it than anyone had been, and he was wary of his wounds; the skin graft where no stubble grew, the pink scars, the metal plate under his skin.

He closed his eyes and breathed in her rich scent as brown hair brushed across his cheek and she spoke to him.

Don’t let her in…don’t…she’ll only hurt you…

Kail squirmed slightly underneath her, turning his head slightly towards her.

Let her in…do it…you can have her…

He didn’t want to be here – but he did. He was standing before the line that separated him from self-destruction and salvation. What was she doing? He couldn’t trust her…he couldn’t trust himself.

A purr came from her lips into his ear and it made the hairs on his back tingle. Kail let out a small gasp.

“I never give up…until I get what I want.”

Above his head, his right hand curled over and gripped Xenia’s left wrist forcefully, but gently.


@Xenia Nastassia

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Chommell Sector;
Naboo;
Xenia's Home.

Her smile continued, out of sight, yet existent. She thought that now, finally, she had defeated the beast within the man. Though, there was no doubt that her senses were still very aware, waiting, just waiting for him to make a foolish move and attack her. Of course, even in his drugged state, there was a chance that he'd be able to stand up to her, after all she didn't know how effective the drug was. Even so, she hardly feared for her life at this point, and instead relished in the sweet scent of yet another, repeated victory on her part. She could hear his breath, matching the same beat as her own, though coming in at perfect intervals for a short time before the slight difference in their timing split their paths once more. Allowing a slow exhale, Xenia pressed her body close, reining backwards so as to slide further down and press harder against his trapped hands. Though, in response, he began to grasp at her, and she allowed it. It went against logic, and she knew that it could have been the mistake he was waiting for-- no, they were done fighting.

"Is that so... tell me then, Kail... what do you want?"

Her head pulled back slowly as he clenched her wrist, and she hovered only inches away, raising eyebrows giving a warning glare. Don't test me, is what the look said, and it was as clear as words. "Because I wanna hear you say that you give up," she said, under the pretense of a smile. "I think I deserve it, loser boy," her tone was one of teasing, a light and breathless whisper, "and I think it'd sound reeeaally good coming from you."

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Eyes closed, Kail was lost in her intoxicating trap and he wanted to throw her off and leave…but he couldn’t. For the first time in…a long time…he felt…wanted? No – that wasn’t it! He was prey to a bounty hunter.

You disgust her…

“No…not me…” came as a whisper.

Xenia brought her head up and she was inches from him, and for the first time he looked at her beauty; deep green hairs and her bouncy brown hair hanging down, framing her face perfectly.

…give up and be pathetic…

He swallowed and moved slowly underneath her weight, wanting to touch her…to hold her…to own her…

…you’re a loser, and even she knows it too…

Kail pulled his wrist away forcefully and quickly reached up to hold the back of her head. He pulled her down to meet his lips in a slow, deep kiss.

Laying on the stone floor, he was broken, having killed and now nearly being killed in return. Two fingers brushed his cheek beneath the iron brace and he was inches from her face, but he could see the hate and disappointment reflected in her eyes, looking at the man who had promised so much but now was nothing but unstable, dangerous and weak.

He kissed Xenia deeply, teasing past her lips with his tongue to find hers, glancing and brushing inside her mouth, and releasing the animalistic urge he had; turned on by death literally staring him in the face, and it never looking more ravishing.

“Matsu,” he spoke, breaking between the kiss, “I’m yours…”

Kail opened his eyes and went cold at his words.



@Xenia Nastassia

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Chommell Sector;
Naboo;
Xenia's Home.

She could feel him restraining his every movement. Small movements which were halted and cancelled seemed to come in abundance, the man's conflicting emotions pushing him over the edge. Though, she knew exactly where she stood by the look upon his face. A desperate, almost pained look, begging Xenia to continue without being obvious about it. A subtle permission to continue which she more than easily picked up on. Though, in the end, it was him to pull her closer. She saw his arm move, and she waited for it to wrap around the back of her head, like a bear's claw, drawing her in. Only for a second did she give opposition, her own mind turning on top of itself when she asked if she wanted this. She did, she knew she did, but she needed to convince herself. Kail didn't allow the defiance, and pushed harder, breaking her concentration and successfully bringing her into a kiss. And then, for that moment, there was a mad dash. Xenia's hands acted as the force of so much repressed energy all at once, climbing and clinging to anything they could, yanking the man's shirt up and over. Repressing the frenzy in her blood, she scraped her fingernails across his belly, and up under the fabrics of his clothing-- before he spoke of Matsu.

Xenia's eyes opened and she pulled back quickly, explorative hands stopping completely, and an inquisitive glance befalling the man. With minor contortion, she nodded, "ooohh, yeah, thaaaat just happened." Her eyes danced in steps to the side, avoiding Kail's own stare for a moment. She couldn't hide the pain it had inflicted to her just previously overwhelming confidence, though she could express it. Removing her hand from under the man's shirt, and grabbing the gun once more, she placed it against his belly and pushed it into his flesh, pointed upward as if she intended to blast up into his rib cage. Though, instead of pulling the trigger, she continued to push the gun upward, and in doing so continued to peel back his shirt; though her eyes had now come back to challenge Kail. "You're unbelievable... and I'm stupid, Kail. Me!"

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Head dropping to the floor again, Kail moaned softly at breaking the passion that came from nowhere. He glanced down his body and felt the sting of her nail marks across his stomach, but more so the hard barrel of his own blaster in his ribs.

”Hell. You’re not stupid, Xenia. I’m sorry…it’s…damn.”

He brought up his hand and moved the barrel away with his hand.

”Do you mind…?

Looking away to the side units, almost walling them in, still sprawled on the floor, Kail didn’t say anything and just drummed his fingers on his chest. He hadn’t let his guard down like that for a long time, especially so carelessly and emotionally.

Bringing himself to look at her, he felt exposed and placed his hand on her lower thigh, rubbing it gently with his thumb in a cupped hand, the dress peeling back over her leg.

”Forget that name. Just a bad memory. Not like this, however,” he said, trying to feign a smile.

Pushing himself up with his other arm, still slightly heavy from the stun, Kail was near enough sat up holding onto the mysterious girl from Naboo on his lap.

”Now, where were we? Oh yes...”

Kail leaned in once more, brushing his lips with hers and kissing slowly, the noise of their lips meeting the only sound in the quiet kitchen. He glanced over and noticed the blaster away from them on the floor next to Xenia.

His hand squeezed her thigh and slowly rose upwards towards her hip.


@Xenia Nastassia

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Chommell Sector;
Naboo;
Xenia's Home.

She could almost feel his shame, a total embarrassment which would haunt him if she stopped now. But she couldn't just wave it and continue on with the male. She did have self respect, and standards, and, quite frankly she had not meant to loosen her guard to this degree by any means. This had been the last thing she had expected from a visit with Kail Ragnar, her previous bounty target. When he moved to bring the gun away from his body she didn't fight it, and once again dropped it for whichever of them would need it next; need it to try and force intimidation on the other, despite both understanding that death was not in the list of options between the two. Not anymore, possibly never had been. After all, they were still alive despite their showy stand off earlier, something which could have easily turned into a blood bath. Though, she didn't look happy. Not by a long shot. Instead, the facade of humor was beginning to wear off and it was clear that perhaps the uttering of such a name stung her deeper than she had expected. So that when he leaned forward to kiss Xenia once more, the girl shuddered for a moment, and then gave way. But only for a moment, retracting her lips from his own and shaking her head.

"No, no... frack, Kail..."
She sounded dismissive and meek.
"Who's... Matsu?-- Do I even want to know...? What, just one of the other girls?"

Her emotions spun round in her head and she nibbled at her bottom lip when she pushed him back down to the ground, her right arm pressed against the man's collar bone. When she looked into his eyes this time, some of the fire had been turned to smoke. Smoke which now threatened to suffocate the rest of the flame. One eyebrow was raised a bit above the other, and her look was more than likely more pinning than her weight over his own. She shook her head again, and began to lift as if to dismount the man's torso, now unable to keep her eyes in his for very long.

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Kail pushed his tongue on the inside of his cheek, against the metal plate, tasting the horrid reality of the scar that would never heal on his jaw and his heart. Xenia pushed him back, and he didn’t fight it, he just rolled his eyes and dropped his hands to the side, as she began to rise and get up and allowed the feeling to come back to his legs now he could stretch.

The mercenary glanced at her, watching her face avoid him as she stood up, white dress falling back down and her long legs standing at the bottom of where he lay. She looked upset, and…disgusted? No, surely not that.

God, not again.

Kail pushed himself up on his feet, stretching his back to crack a few stiff bones. Shaking his head, he rubbed the back of his neck and stood awkwardly for a moment, not having been put in such an emotive position before.

Why should he care? He didn’t know this woman regardless. He may not know her, but he wasn’t a heartless son of a…

He sighed.

Slowly he began to walk the long way around the kitchen units, where a large basin sat and assorted jars, glass bowls and a large punnet of fruit were spread out to his right. On his left, the smashed plate was there along with a few other disturbed implements from their struggle.

”Matsu Xiangu is a Sith Knight…was…is, I don’t know. I found her a year or so ago on Skye, left for dead while I was exploring a mountain monastery. I saved her life and took her to the nearest town and left it at that.”

He was now opposite her, across the unit. It was time to let it out and remember.

”She found me again on Rodia months later, sporting this…cybernetic arm. I guess we hit it off; I wanted to BE somebody she wanted to repay my saving her life. We went hunting across planets for various artefacts and relics, and based at her quarters on Annaj. I was the only one who wasn’t afraid of her…she knew it, and she respected me for it. I felt empowered around her, fuelled by her power and having her by me made me feel like…someone…different? ”

Kail moved forward, a few more slow steps, coming around the far edge of the unit towards her.

”I flew from Coruscant to Midvinter to Nar Shaddaa…anywhere work took me, but me and Matsu just had this bond, and then she called me for help in seeking a Sith relic known as the Ravager on Korriban. ” Kail paused and glazed over, looking out the far window behind Xenia. ”She found it, and I helped her. But she awoke some Sith magic inside the tomb and was attacked. Two great, huge….stone warriors…just…came for us. We fought, but she was weak and she was pinned on the dais where the relic was. I managed to get her out the way and took the brunt of this huge fist that smashed down. Broke my jaw, bone, tore my muscle, smashed teeth, damaged my optical nerve and my skull. ”

Kail brought up a finger and itched his eye as he walked forward, nearer to her with each step.

”She used her Force rage to stop them and affixed an iron brace from one of the statues to my face, effectively holding my jaw in place. I passed out once we got to her ship and awoke with this… ” he traced the scars with his finger, ”…and the brace on me to hold the surgery tight for six weeks. I was a broken man, and couldn’t function. It was heavy, cold, alien. I just resided in Annaj and lost confidence as a mercenary and felt like she would never look at me the same way again, and ultimately I snapped. I murdered one of her guards in a rage – my red mist – born from the attack, and she nearly killed me as a result. She branded me weak, pathetic and disgusting. A shadow of the man whom she let in her life weeks before now acting like a child in not accepting himself.”

Thankfully, not one tear escaped this time, his face was now close to hers. He reached down, took her delicate hand and placed it on his scars. He closed his eyes to ensure he said the right words.

”She cast me away and I returned, alone, to Tatooine. I've tried to pick myself up since, but it's hard. And you came along; I'd only been back in the city a few days as I never left Tatooine. I never wanted to. Hence why I was angry when you came into my life and whisked me away. I’m in pain daily – physically and emotionally. I’m trying to be a better man than I was. Kail Ragnar was nothing but disappointing and weak, and until I can let the past go…let HER go…I will never be free of the pain he brought to me for that. And you show up and offer me a flicker of what it would be like to be free of that pain. You just came to me at the right time I guess, now I think about it Xenia. I never wanted to hurt you, or kill you.”

Kail opened his eyes and looked at the girl.

”I wanted to thank you, for reminding me that I just may have something to live for once more.”



@Xenia Nastassia

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Chommell Sector;
Naboo;
Xenia's Home.

She could hardly believe what she was hearing. A complex story, and series of unreal events. Talk of sith, educated talk of the sith. From her point of view, that part of the galaxy was but a mystery to her. It would be a stretch to say she'd even met someone force sensitive without thinking long and hard about it. At least as far Jedi and the like were considered. Her eyes just locked on him with one hundred blades of skepticism all aimed at his vulnerable spots, and her body kept rigid. Only her eyes moved as she watched him closely, the rest of her as still as a statue. She honestly didn't know what to believe from the man, what was true, and what was false; how could she have, she hardly knew him, and there was obviously so much he was already hiding from her. He had lived another life entirely once, and this is what he had become, if everything he was saying had been accurate. She didn't flinch or hesitate when he began to near her once more, the story of this sith and himself drawing a conclusion. Now, more than ever, she focused on the destroyed jaw of the man, healed by some kind of last measure act. It wasn't until he began speaking of her, and exactly her role in his current life that her breathing broke its even pace a bit. What was he saying? Just-- just a minute before he was trying to erase her from life itself. Now he was--

"You-- you were literally just trying to kill me, Kail--" she began.
"And that was like... the first thing you said to me back on Tatto--" but she didn't finish.

"-- Look, whatever."

She held her hands out, palm outward as if to push the conversation aside, an expression of her cluttered head. When she moved, it was not out of fear, and she didn't hesitate to come near the mercenary. Though, she halted before passing him, only feet away, opened the refrigeration unit pulling out a pitcher of crystal clear water. The glasses were already on the counter, turned on their heads so as to dry properly after having been washed. She moved as if she had done this a million times, and in complete silence. When she finally faced him, it was with a full glass of fresh, cold water, and she shoved it at him. "Drink, this'll help with that, uh, that dart toxin." Forcefully if need be, she handed the cup over, and reached for another bottle. The liquid was not clear at all, instead a dark brown. And when she slung it back, from the bottle, she made a shivering face. One swig, apparently, hadn't been enough. So she took a second, and a third, each time the face became a bit less shocked, and when she decided this was enough, she pushed it, too, at Kail opposite her. She hadn't looked at the label before swinging it back, and didn't drink the stuff often enough to know what it was called, though she did know that it cost a fortune-- each bottle. She would have nothing less in her cabinets, she had made that very clear to her shopping maids; how she loved giving them hellish and specific orders.

"Yeah, and this when you're done... hurry up."

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Xenia moved away, and Kail kept his gaze forward as she did. He didn’t really expect anything less from her, but he’d said it all now and she could make up her own mind where she stood in things. As she passed to busy herself behind him, Kail leant forward on the unit, hands laced before him, looking out towards the Naboo countryside through the windows. Dusk was starting to creep in. He had lost any sense of time since arriving.

”I wasn’t going to kill you, just scare you. There’s nothing better than blasting someone’s brain out to close a chapter of your life, but you’re not worth closing. Besides, I wanted to know what made you tick.”

He licked his lips as he heard glasses being moved and liquid being poured, and thankfully a glass of water came over to him from Xenia, now opposite him.

”Thank you,” he said softly, taking the glass in his hand and drinking it.

The water felt good on his dry throat; helping wash away some of the toxins and helping him feel a little refreshed. It went down in one, and he sniffed it a little too late to see if there was any OTHER toxin present. It seemed fine, and tasted like…water.

More chinks of glass and liquid came, and Kail knew it was the sound of a bottle, and her pattern was obvious it was alcohol without looking. He looked at the bottle before him with an open invite but he returned his gaze to the girl, shaking his head softly.

”No, thank you. I’ve lost myself too much in drink and it never ends pretty.”

Kail smiled softly and rested on his elbows as silence broke between them.

”We’re done here I think,” he said, slapping his hands on the surface, ”so thank you for not killing me, but I think it’s time to part on good terms.”

The mercenary stood upright and held out his hand over the unit and the glasses and the bottle for her either take or ignore.


@Xenia Nastassia

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Chommell Sector;
Naboo;
Xenia's Home.

His words sounded final, as if he were doing her some service in leaving. She couldn't force herself to do or say anything, there was no excuse that she could make now that wouldn't sound ridiculous. Nothing she could suggest or use as blackmail even. Nothing. A small pit began to dig itself in her stomach, and she set the alcohol back down on the counter. Blast, she hated the taste of the alcohol she had just downed, and now it stained the inside of her mouth with thick aromas. Watching him turn was strange, invoking some kind of reflex in her to snatch at his arm and keep him there, but she kept such urges to herself and instead stood there, chewing on the inside of her bottom lip. Her throat, though not at all, felt dry and she wasn't sure she could have said anything had she something at all to say. At least, this was the case until Kail reached the end of the kitchen, about to slip out and disappear for what may have been forever. Her arm finally raised, grabbing the counter and pulling her forward a step.

"Wait-- Kail--! Please don't g--"

She couldn't finish. Not before an ear splitting noise ripped through the air. Xenia's eyes raised for a second, and it came again. This time closer. The kitchen wall behind her swelled with a massive explosion, bursting and spitting debris forward. Torrents of flame came in through gushers of orange heat, and the force tossed the small girl forward. Another massive noise rocked the house, sounding as if it had come from another room over. "Kail-- DUCK--!!!" Though, even as she spoke another combustion occurred, and this time it was close enough again sent flame and smoke into the kitchen space, having torn through the living space only right next to her. In the short moments between blasts, powerful engines were whirring outside. Starships, it seemed, flying over head like vultures. Another blast, and another. Her screams were silent against the noise, and she crawled forth, barely avoiding chunks of the caving in ceiling. She had no idea who this was, what was happening, or why it was happening now-- and she needed to. Her movement was slower, one arm hardly working as she scrambled to her feet and fell over again at the shock wave of yet another booming, clashing against the counter space and pushing forward. Her heels, suddenly, didn't seem like the best option for the day.

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

He wasn’t sure what he heard first – the low hum of booming engines outside or Xenia call him to stay. Kail turned and it all happened so quickly, and rather than red mist coming down, something else did – the mercenary in him found a way out.

A large explosion ripped through the rear of the kitchen, sending glass, plaster and most of the wall in all directions. Kail and Xenia were thrown back into the units around them as debris shot through along with licks of flames and smoke. Xenia screamed. Fighting to compose himself amidst a pile of broken furniture, Kail winced as another explosion came, this time aimed at outside the house, but still bringing down a section of the outer wall with it.

”Xenia stay down!”

Kail heard the roar of the engines through the gaping hole in the house. He swung the KX-60 rifle around his chest and held it tight with both hands as he crouched low, moving along the broken units towards the opening, covered with flame, smoke and debris.

Slowly peering around the corner of the end unit, he could see outside at least 3 one man Starfighters circling around the front of her home. Smoke billowed in the distance, which he only could assume was the ship he had arrived in.

Squinting through the flames, Kail bit his lip as he recognised the ships. He turned to Xenia, still laying flat, but very much alive, against the units. Her dress was now streaked with dirt and her cut had re-opened on her brow.

”Three Vaksai fighters! Looks like our Rodian friends found the ship you left me! I suggest we get out of here and fast!”

Turning and skimming the dirt strewn floor, he moved around the unit to Xenia and looped an arm around her waist, using his weight to pull her up. She was clearly unstable on her feet and looked frightened – and with good reason. Her home was under attack and she had no-one to help her. No-one except Kail. Without hesitating, he pulled her through the kitchen entrance and over the remains of her protocol droid.

Holding her hand tight with his left hand, Kail had his rifle out with the other, ready for sign of intrusion. Another blast rocked the house from upstairs, and a large chandelier fell down the staircase before them, with assorted damages becoming evident. Kail turned to Xenia with a determined and focused look on his smoke streaked face.

”Do you have a ship? We need to get out of here; they’re going to flush us out if we don’t hurry.”

He suddenly stopped in the large corridor leading down through the house and fired a volley of blaster shots at a Rodian gunman stalking up to them from one of the far rooms. His body shook with the shots and he stumbled backwards and lifeless.


@Xenia Nastassia

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Chommell Sector;
Naboo;
Wreckage.

Her eyes couldn't hold back any longer, and began to precipitate tears at the sight of the destroyed droid. Everything around her was falling apart, quite literally engulfed in flames and dangerous speeds. She reached towards Kink as they were forced to rush out of the room. It seemed like such an unceremonious goodbye for the woman-- too much so. Yanking her hand away from Kail's, she lurched back into the kitchen and practically fell to the 3PO unit's side, hands desperately searching for some hidden lever, or faulty frame work. Anything to pull it apart, she needed what was inside. Another blast, and the swollen wall was the one just in front of her, the upper regions launching forth in their own faltering destruction. It knocked Xenia hard against the middle unit, and blurred her vision. A strict pain began to pump from the top of her head, but she paid it no attention, and grabbed back at the droid, yanking a small compartment at the back of its head open and removing what looked like a small chip. The connecting wires stood no chance against the might of the woman, yanking them apart before she tossed herself back into a galloping run.

"W-Wait-- whatdoyoumean!? Kail-- you didn't bring that thin--"
Another blast cut her off, even though it was more distant than some of the others.
"You flew that here?!"

Despite the flushed anger in her voice, the predominant tone was, yes, desperation. A binding fear. When she could reach again, she latched her fingers into the man's rougher hands, stringing them together so as not to fall back out. They ran, and everything began to crush and crumble. Her mind scraped at the walls, a rhino at full speed slamming against her temples and stamping at her once she'd fallen. Her droid, her home-- and how was she to explain any of this? Any of it? The careless Rodians had gone and blasted everything in their sight, hoping one of the randomly placed shots would hit their target. Somehow, she was able to keep up even in the raised shoes, just managing to avoid the projectiles which had once been her possessions.

"What!?-- Yes, yeah-- I do," but she couldn't seem to think fast enough.
"Uhh, yes, it's, it's-- left!"

The shaky instructions would lead them through quite a few passage ways, the house seeming endlessly larger than she had remembered. Of course. What's more she was sure that, at one point, one of the fighters saw the pair hurrying down one of the hallways which had already had the ceiling blasted off. The remaining trek had been even more terrifying, the new blasters coming in with aimed precision. Finally, after far too long, Xenia skidded to a stop and yanked on Kail's arms, "stop, stop, this is it!" She threw another picture to the floor this time, revealing yet another dial. More buttons with numbers, and she moved like lightning over them. Beep-bee-bee-bee-bee-beep. And the flooring opened. One of the large stone pieces which made up a square tile of white color slid inward and under. Lights, one by one, ignited to reveal a stairway, and she tossed herself down with reckless speed. All the while, a starship's blaster bolts tore away at the building around them, draining them of their terrain's armor quickly. Before she had even gotten to the bottom, she yelled precise instructions, and as she spoke as if through voice activation the rest of the lights activated. A hangar bay, small, yet beautifully made. Two ships lingered therein, her Geisha and the Nubian cruiser; it seemed almost too big for the smaller hangar upon second glance.

"Ginivex Fanblade. I'm driving."

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Kail moved deftly with Xenia in his grip; he would do anything tp protect her. He felt responsible for the Rodian attack and he would NOT let her suffer at his own stupid blind quest for vengeance. Not now.

”C’mon, quick!”

He banked left at her order and moved as quickly as he could, keeping his rifle ready for any lurking intruders. Without warning, as if reminded by another volley of blasts from up above the partially destroyed ceiling, Xenia stopped and showed another ace up her sleeve – a hidden passage.

A quick nod in approval and Kail wasted no time following her down the stairwell revealed by the sliding panel. He tossed the KX-60 over his back and reached for the – NO!

His fingers met nothing; the SSX blaster was still in the kitchen.

Kail’s heart pounded, and as Xenia made her way down the stairwell expertly with speed, he turned back and ran as fast as he could, ducking over wild debris in a move that needed him to retrace his steps back through the corridors to spine of the house and then branch off to the kitchen.

There was still noise from above the house from the ships, and Kail was quick enough to run into the kitchen, over the protocol droid and straight into two Rodians armed with blasters wading through the flaming hole.

His eyes went wide and he didn’t stop moving, ducking down behind the units and pulled back his KX-60, twisting his body to find blind shots around the corner in the hope of hitting or scaring the attackers. He heard a scream as one lost his life to the shots.

A quick peek to his left saw the body of the Rodian fall, and where Xenia had fallen was the SSX. Pushing up with his feet, he lurched and grabbed the pistol between shards of wood and glass as the thug behind him fired.

Sparks and flame licked the wall where the shots hit, and Kail didn’t stop moving as he grabbed the gun and almost fell out the kitchen, running back to the hidden stairwell. He checked off the direction in his head – left, left, right, left.

Kail gripped his sidearm and descended down two rungs at a time, and into a small hangar bay with two ships; a large Nubian and a smaller Fanblade. Xenia looked pretty angry, waiting for him with hands on her hips.

”Sorry! We take the Fanblade, c’mon. I’ll drive.”

He didn’t wait for a response and guided her, hands around her waist, towards to loading ramp at the rear of the impressive little craft and pushed her up, smiling to himself as she tottered on heels and her white dress looked a state.

”Hold on Xenia, I got this.”

Almost leaping towards the cockpit in the small craft, he vaulted around the chair and sank into the pilots seat, the hangar doors in view from the front.



@Xenia Nastassia

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Chommell Sector;
Naboo;
Falling Hangar Bay.

The rumbles began to shake the steps as she descended, nearly knocking her forward and taking advantage of her already shaken balance. Though, she didn't hear any footsteps behind her. When she looked it was essentially to late, and she only saw the end of the already made choice playing out in the man's head. She was too far away to stop him by force when he turned, but her voice acted as another medium. Dry, and at first interrupted by a shaking which made her hold the stairs in order to become stabilized. When she looked back up, she saw the edge of his image vanish back onto the flooring.

"What!?-- Kail-- WHAT KAIL, NO! COME BA--!!"

Her voice cracked as she began to inhale smoke. At a glance, she could see that electronics were cracking and breaking around her, blasted into oblivion from above. All of the lights around her flickered, before shutting off completely. "Kail!!" She yelled in a tangent of fear and unease. Red lights, the back up lighting system she herself had installed clicked on, shading everything in a lucid crimson. Not at all unlike that of blood, though she hadn't seen it like that when she selected the color. When Kail hurried back down, she repeated herself, knowing that he would most likely require reminding of her house rules-- but he instantly disagreed with her, and pushed her forward. His confidence disarmed her for just long enough for him to think he got his way. Whipping up and around the cockpit, he skillfully launched into the seat, though he was followed quickly after by Xenia. A slinking body, somehow about to make the climb in heels, and with some grace too--

"No! No! I drive--" her head fell sideways.
"Fine!"

Stepping forward, she threw herself in and smashed the closing mechanism for the cockpit, sliding around them both in a translucent sphere. She didn't look back at him as she planted herself on his lap, wiggling back so that she pressed against him, tugging his hands from the controls and taking control. It took another yank to remove the sling from around her shoulder. Her left arm fell out, and with a small moan of pain she took the controls with a shaking grasp. She was sure it looked weak in comparison to the readied male behind her. "Buckle us in, and shut up." But she had no time to think care, really. "This is gunna get bumpy, hold on." Deflecting any attempt he'd make to regain control, and using her injury to her advantage in the form of natural sympathy, she swarmed over the controls and yanked at the yoke with only her right hand. The ship lurched forward in a single line of movement. There was a long, relatively narrow passage way and she aimed them for it head on, shooting through it and blasting out into the Naboo air. It was instant chaos, all three ships whizzing around in the air like enraged insects just above her. At once, she pulled hard in one direction, flipping them in a defensive maneuver. Her own blasters fired once, tearing the opposing ship into bits. The Fanblade's speed was simply superior and pulled away before the others could recover from the surprise.

And they were off...
With the Rodian's
When she spoke it was with stale grin...

"You went back... for your damn gun, Kail? Is that right? Your gun!?"

But she could only help to let out a laugh, only then realizing she hadn't taken a breath in far too long. The ships buzzed loudly as they attempted to follow, but quickly fall behind, Xenia more than easily able to defend against the incoming blaster attacks. It was clear that she had mastered the art of flying the Fanblade, curving in back and forth so as to avoid attacks and use the thin shape as its own special defense. It only took a few moments for her to line up coordinates for their next destination. "Setting coordinates for Bespin-- poodoo." She punched another button and then looked back at Kail as if considering how she'd solve some problem or other. Various dashboards illuminated themselves with holographic technology, and her fingers moved over them. All that Kail could see, at least, if he was looking, was a series of various coding options, leading her to the holo-net. Had he been savvy enough, he would have seen that she had actually created a connection to wondering holo-net channels where there had been none previously. After that, the coding she input was hardly english at all, various symbols and letters clamoring together. Input. "Yeah... Bespin."

And they punched into hyperspace...

The stars around them streaked into blurs, and she fell back slightly as the ship kicked out of the nearly black space. There was a silence, at least from her, and it only lasted a minute. Her own lips parted and she let a small, repressed laugh.

"Seriously... your gun...? Seriously...?"

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Kail let out a small breath and smiled in faux pain as Xenia effortlessly slinked over him and sat on his lap. He tried not to note her dangerous thighs on show with the dress riding up, her legs over his, but he soon snapped to reality. At her request, he pulled across the restraint over her stomach and clipped it in to the buckle by his side.

”Well this is certainly cosy,” he chuckled.

Watching her start the small ship with great expertise, Kail nodded in approval as she brought the ship steadily up and opened the hangar door open. Light flooded in from outside as the metallic mouth opened to let them shoot up through what looked like a hidden exit in the rear of the grasslands to her home.

Kail leaned his head over slightly to see out of the viewport and placed his hand on Xenia’s thigh without thinking as the ship launched forward and zoomed up and out, breaking into the clear sky and immediately rocked with the attacks from the Rodian ships.

”Left. LEFT!” Kail shouted, but she was on it.

The Rodian ship disintegrated in a flowing plume of twisted metal and flame, plummeting to the once peaceful land below. Kail swallowed and blinked slowly as Xenia dived hard and pulled up again, out manoeuvring the remaining two and sending them straight up through the atmosphere into the space above Naboo.

He ignored the comment about his SSX as he kept an eye on the readouts beside him in the curved control panel, now and then her slender fingers working buttons and coordinates. Kail tried to keep up but he was lost in how fast she worked. But he did catch the planet – Bespin.

And then the stars streaked into blurs and they shot into hyperspace – the dizzying tunnel of white and blues that carried them across the galaxy at untold speeds. Clear of danger, clear of Naboo. Kail let out a small sigh and felt something he hadn’t felt in a long time – excitement. Danger. The thrill of being a mercenary again.

Fighting side by side with another; staring death in the face and shooting it down. He felt alive.

He grinned behind Xenia as she brought up his gun again.

”You can’t put a price on a trust sidearm, you should know that. I couldn’t just leave it there – could I.”

Looking up at the back of Xenia, her head was slightly cocked to one side as she spoke to him, and he hesitantly brought his fingers up and brushed away a curl of hair from the bare nape of her neck, a little sooty from the previous attack.

”You did brilliant, but I don’t think that’s the first time you’ve led the attack from a starship, am I right?”

He stroked her neck gently.



@Xenia Nastassia

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Chommell Sector;
Hyperspace;
Bespin Enroute.

Hyperspace...

She literally made no response to his words, listening to them and smiling in a way that he would be unable to see. Her fingers began to loosen on the controls ahead of her, and her body relaxed. His voice became a melodic noise which soothed her. She could actually feel the vibrations of his lower tones pulse through her body as he babbled. Her eyes were held forward until he had all but finished. She offered silence as a response, turning just a bit and revealing the grin plastered from cheek to cheek. And then, as if something within her burst, shredding her will power, she burst into movement and spun round. Her movements were made more difficult by the limited amount of space, but her intent was clear. She would have her way, as had always been the case. Grabbing his head, running her fingers through his hair and wedging herself against him she pulled his head back and lingered only inches away. At first, it was one kill to the lips, but it was followed with a series of smaller pecks which trailed down to his neck, hands like snakes in the short brown atop Kail's cranium. She hadn't understood a single thing he said, her mind had long since changed course....

"... What?"

[Exit]

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Xenia wasn’t responding, and Kail simply smiled and drummed his fingers on her neck gently, but it seemed to hit the spot as she hit the buckle to release the belt and drew her leg back across his lap, turning to face him, making him lose more breath as she pushed down into his stomach.

He didn’t have time to say anything before she was on him – hands pulling him back to meet her lips for a kiss, and then her fingers drawing through his hair. He let out a small breath and leant back on the chair, letting her explore his neck with her mouth, feeling him swallow gently.

Kail’s heart began to race – the past few days had been a whirlwind of emotion and feeling, and it felt like things were about to culminate here and now.

He drew his hands up her slender legs, stroking her thighs and moving under her dress, taking in her curves and enjoying the feeling of soft skin under his hands.

She came back up with a sly grin on her face.

”Never mind.”

He pulled her down for another kiss, deeper and more passionate, hands caressing her; losing himself in the presence of the girl who had reignited the spark inside him once more.

She may just have saved him.

To be continued...​

@Xenia Nastassia