Riptide

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Click.

Click.

Sitting on her bed crossed legged, Kaile quietly went scanning over the information she'd brought up in the search. She had her wrist comm beside her in the event Kurt needed anything, but if he had the sunglasses she made him, they'd also be able to allow her to track him just in case.

There was just so much information about pregnancy. The nausea was apparently just one of the many symptoms. This was -well, starting to get even more overwhelming. With a groan she gave a heavy sigh, a hog puff of air blowing away the loose strands of her hair away from her face. Bobo was currently curled up on her lap taking a little nap. Offhandedly the Lorrdian gave him a little scratch along the side of his head.

Brown eyes went darting over to the datachip connected to her mobile data terminal. Unable to help herself she went reaching over to activate the Holoarray. Soft old school jams began to play after the trace of the Rimma Trade route ending at Denon.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

The door stayed shut for what seemed like an impossibly long amount of time. So long in fact that Kurt started to think that maybe he’d been given the wrong address. Eventually however there sound of footsteps began to echo behind the durasteel. He waited a moment more, and then suddenly a slot sprang open at eye level.

“What do you want?”

Confusion reigned over Kurt’s face. Sure people were generally protective of their packages and deliveries, but this...this was a little much. He frowned for a moment and then cleared his throat so that he could speak. “I’m here to pick up a package, Order number 223112?”

The man behind the steel door seemed to scrunch his face for a moment, then the slot slammed shut and Kurt was left alone again. For a moment he wondered if he should simply leave, clearly things weren’t...well here and he didn’t want to end up getting shot before he could even get paid. Eventually however the door was pulled open, a large man holding a box standing in its place.

“Uhh.” Before Kurt could say anything the package was shoved into his hand and the door was slammed shut.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

It would cost money to be able to really narrow down just how far along Kaile really was. Money that Kurt and she didn't have. Everything was going towards the Messa and to their daily necessities. How were they even going to handle a baby?

That was the most pertinent of questions. A question the Lorrdian wasn't too sure of right now. With "Come and get your Love," playing in the background, Kaile thought back to Asmus. Then to Kurt.

A grimace went twisting over her lips at a small pang that came from her chest. Her hand came up to gently rub it, feeling her heart seem to jump start there.

What would Kurt say? Do? Then the whole... who was the father thing? One didn't just have a baby on their lonesome. With things so close...

It could very well have been Kurt or Asmus. Kurt was one thing... Asmus... That thought made her throat bob.

I miss him. That she could finally admit to herself.

She missed him alot.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

To say that he was uncomfortable was really putting it mildly. The durasteel door had been shut again, and Kurt had been left standing within the center of the alley holding a package that was oddly heavy for its size. He looked down at the brown packaging, frowning slightly and feeling how heavy the damn thing was.

Half of him wanted to just set it on the ground and leave, but...well twenty thousand credits was impossible to walk away from. Most bounty hunters didn’t even make that much on a single job.

Kurt shook his head, and then very slowly turned away from the durasteel door. He still half expected someone to come out and shoot him in the back, but he managed to walk away slowly, rather than breaking out into a sprint that saw him fleeing entirely. Slowly he wandered out of the alleyway and headed back towards where he knew The Messa was still sitting, with Kaile inside of course.

He frowned as he moved, inspecting the package.

It didn’t seem any different than any one of a dozen or so packages that he’d delivered over the last few years, heavy, but that was about it. The box, or what he assumed was a box, had been covered in a thick waxy brown paper that would protected it from the rain. There was a name scrawled across the top of the paper, but Kurt couldn’t read the flowery handwriting.

It seemed like an ordinary box, but for some reason...for some reason it put him ill at ease.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Shutting off the mobile data terminal, the Lorrdian sat and gave a heavy sigh. Both hands came up to rub her face, paying close attention to her eyes.

Okay, there was only so much she could do right now. Deal with what she could in small chunks. Like more aptly, the food and basic necessities they'll need for the trip and fuel for the Messa.

At the very least she felt a little bit better. The stims were working at helping her get over the flu. The queasiness came and went, but nothing as bad as it had been the day before. The tea was helping in soothing her tummy.

Getting up to her feet, Kaile set Bobo down upon his perch, giving him a lingering caress that the tiny lizard enjoyed.

Taking her comm, she quickly tapped out a message to Kurt.

[ Hey, how's it going? ]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

[Uhhh] Kurt said quietly into the comm, half holding the package under his arm while not really wanting to. [It’s going]

That was one way of putting it. Kurt was still somewhat creeped out by what had just happened, mostly because the entire debacle had made him feel like he was slated to get shot and left for dead in the back of some dumpster. That was absurd of course, he was now safely away from the durasteel door, but the feeling still remained. [I have the package, but...well it was a little bit creepy. I’ll be back soon.]

His walk was half a jog by now.

The box was still clutched under his arm, clouds beginning to form above him as he ran back towards the Spaceport. He felt droplets of water land on his coat, small pangs of rain beginning to fall. He scowled slightly and moved faster, not wanting to be caught in a rainstorm before he could actually get back home onto The Messa.

By the time he made it back to the Hangar, the rain had turned into a total downpour.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

[ Be careful ] Kaile tapped back, her face awash in concern. Creepy? How was it creepy? A part of her wanted to turn on the location beacon so that she could see exactly where Kurt was at. Just in case. Biting her lower lip, the Lorrdian sent another quick message.

[ If you need me to come pick you up at a closer location I can. ]

By now, she was already moving to slip out of her cabin and towards the lounge. She may not feel at the top of her game, but she could at least do this much.

Crossing the round lounge area, Kaileanna made it up towards the ladder well. Never hurt to be prepared at least. From here, they could go grab their supplies and top off the fuel tank.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

No] Kurt replied as he finally managed to get beneath one of the outcrops that hung off the terminal, pouring rain coming down as though the entire sky was falling. [I’m at the starport now]

He peered out from beneath the outcropping to watch the rain for a moment, clutching the package tightly.

The storm had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, coming down as soon as he’d gotten the package. He wasn’t usually one to subscribe to bad omens and other hocus pocus, but certain coincidences did make the hair stand up on the back of his neck. A flash of lightning the resounding smack of thunder rang out a few seconds later. He frowned for a moment and lingered a second more before finally turning around and heading into the starport.

Kurt made his way through the starport without much rush. He was safe from the rain now and he didn’t think anyone was going to stab him here. A frown pulled at his lips still though, something in his stomach unsettling him. Eventually however he managed to find the right terminal, seeing the glint of red paint that represented The Messa.

He began to rush a little more. There was something about going home that always made one excited.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]


[ Alright. I'll get the Messa ready. ] If he was already at the starport, then Kaile could just go through preflight and be ready for when Kurt came.

Sitting down in the co-pilot seat, the Lorrdian went through flipping of toggles and turning on the engines. They roared only to wane into a soft hum. From here, she selected the toggle that would drop the loading ramp down for Kurt to come in. Her hair was a half mess, and she had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Nothing too shabby, but alright.

From her position, she was able to pick up on the nearby holocameras she had installed around the Messa as added protection, so as to get a 360 view on who was approaching. Soon, Kurt's dark head and familiar figure came running in.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

The box was still giving off some weird vibes that he didn't really like, but as he climbed aboard The Messa he quickly forgot about it. There was something about being at home that always put him at ease, making him feel calm and somehow more...well comfortable.

He yawned as he passed through the cargo hold. "Back!"

There was still a lot to do today. The storm was coming down pretty hard but Kurt was sure that taking off wouldn't be a problem. The Messa was the best ship in the galaxy after all. Perfect engines, perfect maneuverability, perfect...everything. He had built this ship to last, and a little rainstorm wasn't going to stop him from flying, especially since the sooner he got that package to it's destination the sooner he got another fifteen thousand credits.

"Got the five thousand in my account." He called up to Kaile. "We'll hit the trade station in the next system, fuel up, then get going."

They'd need food too.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"Hey!" Kaile managed to give Kurt a half smile. Five thousand, that was plenty. Enough for what they needed for fuel and food and -- a sudden thought came to her then. Would she need to change her diet? Do I have to eat anything in particular? Her face blanched a shade lighter, a reaction that the pilot likely took as the Lorrdian still getting over her flu.

"Yeah..." a bite of her lip and a nervous slide of a stray tendril of hair behind the shell of her ear. "Did you want anything in particular from the station?" she was the one who would write down their shopping list and made sure that the galley was stocked. That wouldn't seem to be out of place for the two.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

“Fuel.” He said.

That was the foremost thing on his mind. They would be headed into the core, and while The Messa could run on very little fuel it wasn’t really a chance that he wanted to take. They might need to use the afterburner or do something else crazy, he wanted the tank full for their little tripe. It would cost a lot, but...well it paid to be prepared.

It would be expensive though. The Messa had quite a large fuel tank because of it’s status as a burn freighter, it would also slow them down initially, but that didn’t really worry Kurt all that much. He just wanted to make sure that they were prepared for all scenarios that they could think of, especially the dangerous ones.

Of course, Kaile was talking about food, but that was where Kurt’s head was at.

“Oh.” He suddenly said as he realized what she had meant. “Maybe some nerf jerky?”

That wasn’t exactly what most people would describe as ‘food’ but Kurt was a young man in his prime, if he really wanted to he could function off of eating nothing but garbage and half a glass of blue milk. Really he didn’t think about food all that often until he got hungry and even then he usually ate whatever was put in front of him.

He was simple like that.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

The reply made Kaile chuckle a bit. That was good; she needed a laugh. Even if it was a small one. With the corner of her lips twitching, Kaile gave a small nod. One last check and she handed off the Messa over to Kurt to fly.

"I figured you would say that so I already had that on the list," she told him, bringing up her knees to her chest. Her arms came up to adjust the blanket around herself.

"But nerf jerky ain't gonna fill you up." nor was it a rather healthy meal back to back. Although they had a few times in the past where they had to stretch their provisions to last a little bit longer than they'd usually provide.

"Could make a few dishes. " while the bulk of the advance was going to fuel, Kaile would be able to at least scrunch up a few hot meals they could enjoy.

"Although nerf steak would be rather expensive.... could make Corellian fajitas one night?"

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"You know it doesn't matter to me." Kurt said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Food is food."

He wasn't exactly the best at selecting what kind of food he wanted to eat. For him it was all good, he'd never met a piece of food that he didn't like, even when by all rights it was half rancid and rotten.

'Pilots Stomach' his mother had called it.

"Just get what you think we need." They could decide on the particulars once they were actually underway. General grocery buying was well above and beyond Kurt's head, if only because cooking had never really interested him and the basics had always seemed as good as the complex. It wasn't like he was simple minded or anything, he just didn't care about those types of things. Why complain about food when there were other things to do?

"We should have enough money to get along fine." The five thousand credits form the pick-up helped. "Most of it will go for fuel but we'll have enough for whatever."

Groceries weren't that expensive.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

At the most, Kaile would likely spend a hundred and fifty credits to restock their pantry and anything else they required. Working it out on her datapad, if she selected enough non-perishables and stocked a bit more of their tea, they would be okay. Some caf would do them well. Along with those fruit bars and packages of nuts and pretzels, Kurt was fond of.

"Alright, I'll take care of it when we stop next." Kaile replied, finishing her shopping list.

"We're gonna need a new powercoil," she added, brown eyes glancing up at the pilot.

"Almost done rigging that internal shielding around the hyperdrive and the reactor, so with that and a few other parts, we'll be in business." It was a way to prevent what had occurred to Kurt during his hunt for his best friend.

The last thing they needed was for either to go critical and for them to be blown to bits.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

He nodded a few times. “We can take care of that on the station as well, just buy some cheaper parts and we’ll make do.”

Cheap parts weren't always great, but they had no real choice right now.

“We can fit something better after I get paid again.” He nodded to himself as though confirming the theory in his own head. In the end, The Messa would never be quite as safe as any other ship, the way she was built and modified simply made that impossible, they could make it stable, but that was about it. “It’ll hold until then.”

Perhaps another trip home was due, somewhere they could work on the ship without having to worry about being tossed out of the hangar bay for someone with more money. Most places were good about it, but it was a lasting concern for Kurt whenever they landed anywhere, mostly because of his own paranoia.

Perhaps home would be more calm.

“Come on.” He waved to Kaile so that he could take the pilots seat, knowing that the faster they got going the better it would be for the delivery. Generally the faster someone got their package, the more likely they were to tip. “Let’s get going, we can make a list as we go.”

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"Alright." she replied, moving up and out of the seat to allow Kurt to take over. A few feet of shuffling and the Lorrdian sat down in the copilot seat again. She drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping the blanket tighter around herself.

As the pilot adjusted himself in the VT throne, Kaile took the time to watch him. A Lorrdian was a natural observer, able to pick up even the faintest nuances or gestures from the human form. It was how her ancestors had managed to create a kinetic language where they had once been prohibited to speak aloud.

Kaile enjoyed watching people. Seeing them move and go about their day. There was a certain ruggedness when Kurt moved. It was so familiar to her now. Intimately so. Affection bloomed in her chest. Kaile cared for him. She knew that well. She worried over him and his eating habits. Was concerned about how he felt and what he wanted to do with his life. He was her best friend.

How am I ever going to tell him that I'm pregnant?

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Kurt took to the controls like Fish took to water.

Flying The Messa was about as home as he could possibly feel. He often wondered if it was similar to Jedi meditation. It wa sa thought that had occurred to him on more than one occasion, more often now that he knew both Jamie and Kaile were force users. The pilot knew that he himself wasn’t, but the concept was still very much the same.

Or so he thought anyway.

He flipped a few remaining switches, Kaile already having powered on the engines. He made himself comfortable in the seat, and then pulled the safety strap over his chest. A few of the pilots had always made fun of him for that back in The Navy, but safety first.

He reached over and grasped the controls, motioning for Kaile to strap herself in.

When she had done so, Kurt pushed them up into the air and out towards space.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"Where you want to stop to get everythin?" the Lorrdian inquired. Things were expensive on Elrood, but they were more so out at backwater planets. Depending on where they had to make the delivery, the choice of planet or trade station to restock on provisions would increase or decrease the amount of credits they'll spend.

"And what planet we goin' for the delivery?" another question as the strawberry blonde shuffled in her seat. She may be buckled up, but Kaile still made sure that the blanket was tucked neatly around her toes and arms. A small sniff and she rubbed a blanket covered hand under her nose. Still a little paler than normal, but a bit better than before.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

He hesitated a moment, forgetting the name of the planet.

Shifting in his seat slightly Kurt tried to think, scratching his forehead and pursing his lips for a moment as he desperately tried to remember the name of the planet. It was something in the Core, he knew that much, but there were so many planets...he frowned and then slowly began to shake his head.

“We’ll head to one of the ATC Stations nearby.” He said quietly.

Kurt would dig up the file once they were there and find the planets name.

“They’re good with fuel.” That was true enough. Most trade stations would try to rip you off, either give you worse quality fuel or try to overcharge you for what you bought, Arceneau Trade didn’t though, and that reputation is what had earned them so much business over the years. Things like that were important.