Riptide

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"That sounds good enough." and I could check on other things while we are there, Kaile thought to herself. "Fuel and food... maybe get some frozen burritos." the last was said with a faint smile. Bringing the tops of her knees close to her chest, the Lorrdian then perched her chin on top. A slide of her head as she turned to look at him and her cheek settled over the curve. Fingers came up to brush the strands of hair away from her eyes so as to tuck it behind the shell of her ear.

"How is Jamie?" she asked, curious. That was another subject that made her stomach twist further in knots as well. All the more so with the news that had pretty much knocked her over with a feather earlier this morning.

If it was Kurt... how would he take the news? How would Jamie?

Kaile couldn't help but nibble on her lower lip in growing worry.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

“Good” Kurt chirped happily as The Messa pushed into the atmosphere. For a moment there was a slight bump as they hit a slipstream of air, but they managed to pass over it without much difficulty, slipping into space without any other incidents.

“She’s going to leave Cartao for a while.” He said as he quickly began to program in some hyperspace coordinates. “Explore a few more...forcey traditions.”

That was a plus for him.

Cartao wasn’t exactly the friendliest of places for him to visit, or rather the compound that Jamie had stayed inside of wasn’t. If Jamie was traveling more he hoped that it meant they could meet up in other places, rather than him having to go somewhere like that. He shifted slightly in his seat and he pulled the Hyperspace lever.

“Hopefully I’ll take her to Tatooine sometime.” It was only fair.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"Gettin' that serious?" Kaile asked quietly, tilting her head to the side as she studied the pilot. Watching him talk about Jamie was enough of an answer. Kurt had changed some, that was easy to see. This was likely going to go into the sort of conversation that drew lines.

That 'talk.'

It made Kaile a little bit uneasy. She wasn't sure what it would all mean. For Kurt. For her. For Jamie. But enough time spent watching Kurt talk to this girl through text was enough to see the transformation in that.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

He shrugged. “She took me home.”

Was that a serious step in the relationship? He supposed that it was with how they functioned. This wasn’t like dating someone back on Tatooine, though he would hardly ever call anything he did back home dating.

Kurt had taken plenty of girls home with him to the farm, but most of the time they had either sneaked past his parents or the meeting had been only a few seconds. Part of him had never really thought of those flings as relationships, though looking back with...new light, he realized that those girls had probably thought otherwise.

He frowned for a moment as that realization hit him, but he quickly shook the guilt and refocused on something else.

“Let’s just get this job done first.” Kurt said as he touched one of the controls. “I think we should probably look up how the Core is doing, can’t be that great with all that’s happened lately.”

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Kurt was going through a unique set of internal revelation. Kaile was able to pick up on it by how his expression changed, his brows pinching for a moment before smoothing over. A brief wrinkle of guilt. What could that be?

When he brushed the subject towards the job and the status of the Core Worlds, the Lorrdian knew he didn't want to discuss it any further. Kaile could respect that.

"Ain't doing so well." she'd been going through the holo net and reading her updates. "Save the area around Coruscant of course. " her cheeks puffed out as she blew hot air from her mouth.

"One Sith territories seem to have gone belly up -- but now that makes it a mite bit more dangerous because everything is unpredictable. If it ain't the One Sith then I'm sure someone else will step up to try and wrangle their own little hill."

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"Every planet is going to fight for itself." He frowned for a second.

Kurt couldn't even imagine the chaos.

"When we were in the Republic, there was always a lot of talk about planets wanting to be independent." It was rare for Kurt to talk about his days in the military, especially when it came to specifics. He had told Kaile a few bits and pieces of course, but he'd never quite divulged anything in detail. It was one of the smaller things that stuck with him, something that applied even to Jamie. The military had not been the greatest experience of his life, or rather, it had not ended well. "A lot of my squad were from a dozen different worlds, and most of them thought that not being in The Republic was better than being in it."

At least when the Sith were around. "People from planets have a lot of pride."

He had a lot of pride for Tatooine, even though it wasn't necessarily the greatest place to live.

"Now people are going to try and...throw that pride around." Kurt didn't exactly have the best means of expressing himself at all times, he wasn't a politician or anyone else really good with words, but most of the time he got his point across. "These worlds were repressed for so long...things are bound to be a bit chaotic."

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Kaile could understand what Kurt meant. She gave a small nod, feeling the brush of her hair along her cheeks as she did so. There was a lot of planetary pride, more so if the inhabitants were able to finally find a measure of independence again. Particularly from the One Sith.

"They say the Corellians rebelled against the One Sith at Corellia," Kaile told Kurt, referencing the holo call she managed to decrypt from a few weeks earlier. It had been a mass cry out for every Corellian to join in and liberate their sector.

"Word has it that they've dealt a blow and are moving to make themselves independent again."

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

That wasn’t too surprising. Corellians had an independent streak a mile wide. He’d flown with a couple of Corellians in his squadron back during his days in The republic Navy. They had all been good guys, and all of them had loved their homeworld fiercely.

No surprise there then. “Who else?”

There were a lot of planets under the yolk of the One Sith. Planets that had been conquered, broken, and beaten for the last decade or so. It was odd to think that so many of them would now be vying for their own freedom. There would be a great amount of turmoil within the Core, at least for the next couple of months.

Not to mention the pirates.

Pirates would be crawling everywhere, looking for freighters, relief vessels, anything they could get their hands on.

“We may need to skirt traditional hyperspace routes.” Kurt said as the thought came to him. “I don’t fancy running into any pirates.”

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]


Who else? Kaile bit her lower lip, thinking about the reports she'd read.

"There was some mention about Anaxes." Kaile began, ticking off the areas. The Core Worlds were the first to really rally themselves for independence. Coming in the wake of the One Sith losing Coruscant, that wasn't at all too hard to believe. Even Empress Teta had been said to have eased into the Galactic Alliance. A new queen had been crowned as well.

"Some say that they heard some word that even Chiss space has their inhabitants looking to gain independence," a grimace followed. However, it wasn't how one would expect it to be; like with the Ascendancy.

"But it doesn't seem to be the Ascendancy who is gonna be the power there. From the way, I hear it, might be some sort of military coup."

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

“Shame.” Kurt said quietly. “I like the Chiss.”

That was an odd thing for him to say, mostly because Chiss seemed like the exactly the type of people Kurt wouldn’t enjoy being around. The smurfs were always serious, rarely joking, and logical to a fault.

Yet for Kurt there was something amusing about that all its own. “Doesn’t matter, we’ll be staying in the core anyway.”

He was pretty sure of that. The Planet had a name he...couldn’t quite remember, but he knew that it was in the core. Part of him wished that he had a better memory for these sorts of things, but at this point in his life that couldn’t really be helped. He was a pilot, not a cartographer, and when he needed a map he just pulled one out.

Kurt didn’t need it in his head.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"You do?" That Kurt knew about the Chiss surprised her a bit. Then again, he had been a three-time Boonta Classic winner. He could have met any number of Chiss or members of the Ascendancy then.

"I didn't know you knew much about them," Kaile said, her tone inferring for him to continue.

"Not many do," she added, what with how much they had a tendency to stay to themselves. Isolationist to a degree. The One Sith had conquered their territory, along with a few reputable companies that built their products there.

"Some consider them to be pretty uptight," she added, shifting in her seat. Some considered them to be rather no nonsense. Lacking emotions or being simply too logical for their comfort. Others say they simply were pragmatic and prioritized.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

“There were a few of them that worked with us in the Navy, fighting to make Csilla free again and all that junk.” Kurt remembered them pretty well. Kaile’s description of them wasn’t inaccurate, in general Chiss were pretty uptight and regarded most people by simply looking down on them as uncultured, but...well they were fun in their own way.

“They had their own sense of humor.” He admitted with a smile. “Jokes bounce off of them like rubber. It was funny.”

Kurt couldn’t help but smile at the memory.

“I got one to tell a joke once.” Chiss weren’t completely dead inside, and Kurt had simply enjoyed learning about another culture. Many would have thought to be an ignorant farm boy from Tatooine, but he did actually know quite a bit about...things.

Just not computers, or slicing, or farming, or...well it wasn’t important.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

It wasn't just uptight; Chiss had a tendency to keep to themselves. However, listening to Kurt and reading his body language suggested that perhaps not all of them were. Truth be told, hearing more about his past and his time in the Republic was nice. He rarely ever did what with how painful it was for him. But he was getting better. That made her happy. It was encouraging to see him open up more.

"A joke? Really??" she made a sound as if she couldn't believe that, a small snort of mock disbelief. Pearly white teeth shone as her smile broadened.

"And just what was the joke?"

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"I don't remember." It had been a long time ago. "Something about a Bantha and a Sith."

He cocked his head as he considered. "It was a pretty dirty."

That had really been the most surprising part of the whole ordeal. It really shouldn't have been, Chiss were reproduced sexually just like regular humans, so of course they would have sex jokes, but the entire thing had been so unexpected from the Chiss that it had struck the entire team as extra funny. He would have to do some thinking, or maybe some Hoogling to see if he could actually find the joke online.

Otherwise it would bother him.

"Something about even a Bantha not being able to inseminate a Sith..." He scratched his head.

Kurt really couldn't remember.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"Wait, what?" Kaile would exclaim, shock along with disbelief in her eyes. " A dirty joke?"

Now that was too much. Maybe it was a little bit prejudiced, but the thought of a Chiss actually telling a joke, much the less a dirty joke at that was crazy.

The more he elaborated on it, the more amused Kaile became. A loud snort erupted from her nose, followed by a flick of her hand to push her hair away from her face. For now, their little banter and talk had been able to keep the nervousness and anxiety down for the Lorrdian. She'll have to tell Kurt eventually that she was pregnant, but Kurt had a way of simply helping her forget the stress of everything. Well -- not everything -- she mused, thinking back on Asmus. Pearly white teeth bit on her lower lip.

"I'll have to take your word on it." she finally added. Taking a deep breath, she filled her lungs with air.

"Okay, I'll let you concentrate on flying." that way he could do what he did best.

"I'll take another nap. Just hollar once we get to the station."

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"Okay, feel better." Kurt said with a smile as Kaile stood up and headed towards the ladder.

There wasn't really all that much flying left to do, not until they left hyperspace anyway. It would take them an hour or two to reach the trade station, even with The Messa's hyperdrive. He wondered if in the future they would be able to make something faster than a hyperdrive, wormholes maybe. There was an old spacer story about portals that could transport one across the entire galaxy in the blink of an eye, and as he entered the coordiantes of the trade station he couldn't help but wonder if something like that could ever actually exist

It would have made things easier.

He could see Jamie more, traveling would have been simpler, though...well flying wouldn't have been the same.

As soon as he pushed the hyperspace levers forward Kurt leaned back in his chair, relaxing as Kaile wandered back towards her bunks. His eyes flickered from console to console, button to button. His lips thinned slightly, and he began to think of the future.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

The Messa shot out of hyperspace into realspace with a flash of light. They had to take several of the smaller hyperlane routes and back channels to avoid the bulk of the remnant One Sith forces. The only problem was that it took a little bit longer. Good thing that the Messa was a fast ship. They may be taking the less risky route, but they needn't sacrifice time too much.

There weren't any major inspection stations here so Kurt wouldn't need to worry about it so much. Still didn't mean that one had to relax and not keep an eye out for potential dangers.

Kaile was curled asleep in her bunk, blankets curled up to her chin in her little cocoon of warmth. It hadn't taken long for her to fall asleep. Recuperating from the virus, finding out she was pregnant, and also the stress of the last few weeks had taken its toll. With the drugs she was finally able to rest.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

They found the trade station rather quickly, though they had to loop around a bit the place was well known enough that it remained mostly untouched throughout the chaos which had been raining down in the core worlds as of late.

[Kaile] Kurt said over the inter-comm [We're at the Station]

He wouldn't have woken her up, but...well he wasn't exactly sure what kind of groceries they needed and he didn't want to mess up by buying something useless, or worse, poisonous. Arceneau Trade Company tended to serve all sorts of beings, and usually had warning labels, but Kurt wasn't the most astute and knowing his luck he would pick some sort of berry from some planet that Hutts really enjoyed but was deadly to humans. He'd rather not run that risk.

[Landing in fifteen, we've been cleared for one of the lower hangars] The upper hangards were nicer, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

Briefly Kurt wondered what it would take to get a VIP pass to these stations, a small scheme forming in his head about playing up his role in having once met Danger Arceneau after one of the Boonta Eve Classic's. He filed the scam away for a later day, deciding that it was best not done with Kaile around.

Lest he receive a lecture.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]


[ Alright, gettin' up. ] Kaile's sleepy reply came crackling through the overhead comm. A yawn promptly followed just before she let go of the transmit button.

She sat in the middle of her bed, hair half a bird's nest and giving another yawn. A half scratch of her left cheek and a few blinks brought cleared her vision. Bobo was sitting sunning himself in his terrarium. Those beady black eyes flashed out at her.

"Hey there Big guy," she cooed, slowly pushing herself to her feet. Arms went up, stretching high over her head. Toes curling, Kaile rocked back to her heels. A light tap of her belly and she gave a glance down.

"Hey, kiddo." her belly was still relatively flat. However,the reality of what the coming months would bring would be altogether different.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

There was a bit of radio chatter as Kurt guided The Messa towards the station. Most of it was just idle talk, directions to fueling stations, sending a freighter here or a transport there, but a few tidbits were actual chit chat between some of the people hanging around the station.

It wasn’t too uncommon.

Out here there was no real rule of law, so there was nothing to enforce strict protocols when people were transmitting something. Kurt listened to the chatter as they dipped into the lower hangar bay, number three nine three. There was some talk of the Sith falling, a bit of conversation about the Mandalorians, and even some talk about some new factions out near the Tingel Arm.

Kurt shook his head. “Bunch of gossips.”

That was true.

There was only one group of people that gossiped more than housewifes; pilots. Kurt set them down in the hangar and immediately jumped down the ladder.