Private Schism

[Xan Deesa]

Florrum/Scummy Hideout​

Late Afternoon/Cloudy​

Florrum was a pathetic planet. Pirates and smugglers had made it their home for a very long time. Unless you were of the same calibre as them, you wouldn't last very long on the planet... and all possessions would likely also disappear overnight. Luckily for her, this was the perfect crowd for Konor... and herself, to a degree. She just had to play it out that she was his slicer buddy on the other side of the galaxy if they had questions.

She had managed to organize a room for them to camp out in for a few days, while the Imperials got over themselves and he fixed up his gear. In all fairness, it also gave Xan an opportunity to process what she saw and track her target. Though, getting into Imperial networks was going to be a headache. "We can lay low here for a while. Though I'd suggest you keep your pistol handy just in case." she spoke to Konor as her hologram projected her sitting on his bed. She was using a nearby projector that was likely older than the two of them combined, but it got the job done to communicate with him outside of his mask.

"That encounter was too close for comfort. I'll try to keep tabs on him so you can avoid him." she admitted as she laid back onto the bed. After a few moments she sat upright and looked at his gear. "Your jetpack's not an issue. I can give you schematics and talk you through fixing it. Issue is just getting the parts for it." The small talk left a lot to be desired. Though she was simply stalling to avoid a series of questions she had for him... and likely ones he had for her. Regardless, she knew it was going to have to surface. They might still be working together, but they still had it out for each other. With a sigh she came to the conclusion that this was likely going to be necessary.

"Alright. Hit me with it. I know you got questions and stuff you wanna say. One for you, one for me. How's that sound?" she asked him as her hologram switched to her standing upside-down from the ceiling.

Konor

 

[Konor]

Well this was annoying, jetpack was busted, he got his ass handed to him by two loser Imperials, and now he was alone with Xan. Konor desperately wanted to get to a cantina and just drink until he forgot all his problems, the tacticul suit was sprawled across his bed with Xan's projection just sitting in front of it. Emerging from the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist he moved over to the drawer in his room.

"I wouldn't worry about it." Konor dismissed Xan, he'd been to Florrum a few times before, people knew him... at least not to mess with him. A few bar fights displayed he wasn't one to fight, at least sober. Dressing himself in the clothes he wore to escape Serenno, Konor wore a black t-shirt with black pants. Konor sighed at the status of his jetpack, recovering the parts to repair it seemed like too much effort, especially since he wasn't getting paid for it. Pulling out a pack of smokes he'd left in his pocket, Konor took one out and quickly lit it before smoking it "You know what parts we'll need? I don't feel like paying for any." he asked exhaling a small cloud of smoke.

"What?" Konor asked, confused, turning to face the bed only to see flickering on the ceiling. He glanced up and shook his head, wondering if that was all Xan or simply a fault of the old projector in the room. He didn't really have all that much to ask her, he didn't care truth be told but... if she was gonna follow him around like a Kath pup, it'd be best to know if she was gonna drag him into any unneeded crap. Taking another puff of his cigarette, he deliberated for a few moments, did he really want to get into this? You only live once he thought "Alright. Who are you? Who are you really? I've never actually seen you in person, only your weird avatars. Who're you hiding from? That guy on Serenno?" he asked bluntly, he didn't care about anything else.

Xan Deesa

 

[Xan Deesa]

Xan let out a wolf whistle as he got dressed. "I'd tap that." she quipped with a smirk as she watched him. He asked about the jetpack and what they would need, earning a shrug from her. "Literally everything. It's totalled. So that means new thrusters, fuel cell, regulators, gyro-stabilizers, wireless set, the works. If we're super lucky, they'll have some old Mando or Imp stuff for sale here. Those are usually all over the black market." she explained to him.

Then the questions started. Xan's hologram returned to the bed as he asked one question after the other. "Oh boy, you're asking for a full broadside." she quipped as she laid back. "You wanna see the real me? Okay." In an instant her hologram disappeared and the entire room was filled with lines upon lines of code. Scripts, commands, prompts, values, all changing and evolving. Never standing still. "Congratulations, you've just seen me naked." he voice spoke up before her hologram reappeared. "Unfortunately you're gonna be waiting for a while to see me in person... unless you know how to make a human replica droid right here. Between you and me, I wouldn't mind that at all." she quipped with a wink. "You better sit down. I got a pretty long story." she admitted as she gestured to a seat.

"I used to be a person. I was made in a lab by people I don't know to be their own tool for warfare. Infiltration, sabotage, information gathering, spying, whatever covert ops needed to be done. If I were still in business, I would have had you wrapped around my pinkie with how thirsty you are." she teased. "The dude you fought on Serenno? He's from the same project. Where us "sisters" are the spies, our "brothers" are the war machines. Subdermal armour, advanced genetics and cybernetics, they're meant to be one man armies. They only get deployed in the field if one of us went rogue or messed up on a mission. Yours truly is his target right now. Luckily he doesn't know where I am... or what happened to me, for that matter. So yeah, you could say that you met my brother." Her voice was calm with a light humour shining through.

"After I went rogue, I joined a group on Denon to fight against the corpos and slavers ruling over the planet. We went after a top dog and I blew up his space station... though they managed to capture me. They did something to me... strapped me to a chair and... took my being from my body." her voice darkened as she looked away. "That talk I had on Denon? That's what it's about. I'm not human anymore. I'm not even alive or dead anymore... I'm just code that got injected into the Holonet. If I don't figure something out, I'm gonna be in for a very long torture session." She stood up and paced around, running her hands through her hair with a sigh.

She looked at him for a moment. "That's why I know pretty much everything about you. One glimpse at your face and I could track everything on record about you. Fortunately for you, your former owners kept everything about you on record so I managed to clear it all." A smile spread as her hologram disappeared and reappeared, straddling him with her arms draped over his shoulders. "Though that doesn't mean I forget what I delete." she teased as she reappeared on the bed. "I must give you credit, though. You're a lot better looking than my ex... though he looks a lot more intimidating. It's hard to take your pretty face serious." she joked as her hologram glitched out an stabilized with a scantily clad outfit.

"You also gotta hide your search history better. One of these days I'm gonna be pranking you every moment you wake up." she glitched out and reappeared as her normal self.

Konor

 

[Konor]

Konor rolled his eyes at Xan's cat call, the least female attention he'd want was from her, in fact he'd bet a hundred credits that she was ugly behind whatever terminal she hid behind. The news about what remained of his suit's jetpack was disheartening, he'd really have to replace everything? It was waaaaay too much effort, but he'd need the suit at its fully capacity so Konor'd have to suck it up regardless.

He placed a hand in his pocket and continued smoking while he looked through the window, her comment at seeing the 'real her' caught his attention. The half-Sephi was ready to win his imaginary credits, turning his head to face her, his face expressed confusion as he saw the lines of code the projector displayed "Huh?" he said through the cigarette that his teeth gritted onto. Was this some kind of joke? Then she continued, revealing her entire story, it was a lot and there was a lot for him to piece together in his slow mind.

Sooo, she was an AI? But used to be human? Or, human enough, being made in a lab and all tends to strip you of those luxuries... he'd know. Aaaaaand those Imperials, the guy came from the same litter as Xan... when she was human. That was a lot to unpack, so much that Konor'd forgotten his cigarette was still in his mouth - regardless, he'd lost the desire to now and took it out of his mouth and flicked it out of the open window. "'S a pretty hardcore origin story." Konor confessed, albeit nonchalantly. Also, that wrapped around the finger comment didn't go unnoticed - he glared at her with a raised eyebrow "Keep tellin' yourself that. Ain't nobody ever gonna hold me down, no matter how hot you think you were."

Explains why she knew so much about him he'd thought to himself, the glow of her projection disappeared in front of him for a second which briefly caught his attention. The familiar glow of Xan's avatar then flashed behind him, he saw a pair of virtual arms wrap around his body although he felt nothing "Don't be weird." Konor said, he still didn't really like her but he couldn't get rid of her, her being all buddy buddy with him rubbed him the wrong way. "Seems like me and your ex have something to share a drink over." he said snarkily, implying that they'd bond over their not so good experiences with the human turned AI.

"Can't be bothered." he waved her comment about his holonet history away, who cared enough to see it. Letting out a long groan, Konor stretched his arms outward and a sigh escaped him "Do you really need to ask me a question? Anything you wanna know you can find anyway, right?" he asked, hoping that he wouldn't have to talk about his past. A human turned AI... wow, looks like he was really stuck with her - even if he ditched the suit and went off the grid.

Xan Deesa

 

[Xan Deesa]

His reaction was pretty much what she expected. No care or sympathy, snarky comments, confidence bordering on arrogance, all textbook rogue stuff. She didn’t fault him for it. He wasn’t one to warm up quickly unless it was via a woman undressing, and she didn’t exactly put forward her best first impression. But he couldn’t get rid of her and she wasn’t going to abandon him now. She had her ace in the game with him. Someone who had far more value than he let on.

”Being weird comes with the territory. That’s like asking you to stop being a douche.” she quipped with a snicker as she stared at him. ”As for you... I know everything that is stored on or utilising the Holonet. Unless you got cybernetics linked to your brain that can send or receive, I ain’t getting in there.” Her head tilted slightly to the side as she pondered for a moment. ”But I’ll be honest, I can figure out the rest of the story given what I found on ya. Bad birth, bad upbringing, bad acquaintances, bad life... I don’t fault you for being who you are today, despite your faults. No, I got a better set of questions for you.”

She rose and walked over to him, leaning over him as her hands hovered on the armrests of his chair. ”How would you like to get a better suit, a new jetpack, a fat paycheque, and a personal sidekick all for one semi-risky mission?” She offered with a maniacal grin as she glitched onto his lap and stretched her legs out along an armrest, her golden holographic eyes locked onto him.

Konor

 

[Konor]

Konor paused for a second at the 'douch' comment, glaring at Xan's projection, this lasted a few moments before he shrugged and agreed "Touche." She then went on to reveal that she was basically a cyber god, or had the potential to be. He wanted to ask why she continued to follow him around when she could be literally anywhere, do anything, but decided against asking her as he expected some sappy sentimental kark.

"Hologram or not, respect the personal space." Konor huffed, leaning back and placing a single hand between the corporeal and non-corporeal pair. He listened to her offer but quickly shot up from his chair, stepping right through Xan's hologram as she was starting to get a little too cozy, expressing his annoyance Konor made a loud 'tsk' sound before looking back at her holographic frame with a glare. Konor didn't have a problem with women being 'touchy-feelie' with him, but there was just something about Xan, hologram or not that just irked him. It was definitely the grudge he was holding after what she did on Denon, going behind his back, looking into his past and then using it against him out of a tantrum.

Konor let out an exasperated sigh, running his hands through his brown hair, relaxing himself to the best he could Konor turned to face Xan. "Okay, so, where's all this coming from? What've you found?" he asked with an eyebrow raised, she'd definitely found something. However, Konor cared more about the paycheque than the suit upgrade and 'new sidekick'. Regardless he was down for whatever, whatever it took to avoid this awkwardness, being alone with Xan had quickly rose the ranks on his list of 'Least Favourite Things to Do'. Following whatever Xan had to say, Konor made his way over to the bed and grabbed his suit, dragging it along into the bathroom.

Emerging a few minutes later, Konor was suited up and ready to go.

Xan Deesa

 

[Xan Deesa]

As he got up and walked away from her, her hologram adjusted to place her on the couch. What she wouldn't give to feel the couch underneath her. What she wouldn't give to just feel him shoving her off, to just feel anything. But she kept quiet as she watched him think over her offer.

"A solution to my problem." She stated as she shifted in the seat. "I want a body again. Something that's at least on par with what I had, but for that I'll need cybernetics and some heavy tomkriffery from someone who knows how to put a Human Replica Droid together. So here's my plan. I'm willing to help you with any score, any payment, whatever the kriff you want. In return, you help me get the parts to a friend of mine who can put a body together." She rose and materialized in front of the bathroom door before he could disappear. "Any score, any price, any help with whatever the hell you want. Just... help me out. Please." Her demeanour was much different. The snarky attitude and arrogant streak was gone, replaced with a desperate and pleading look as she gazed up at him.

She stepped aside and stared at the door as he suited up. This trend of begging and pleading for people to help her was getting old. She was sick of acting like she was beneath everyone in order to get help. But frankly, she couldn't get a hold of the people she would have asked first. The most bothersome one was Cas. No messages, no responses, no answering calls... not even a trace of him on any camera of system. She hadn't given the matter full attention... and neither did she want to. She had a nasty suspicion that she would not like what she found if she got into the SJC's network.

But she knew herself. She was getting curious and she had the means to find out. Luckily she also had tremendous self-restraint. She would stay curious until her work was done and that was the end of it.

Once he emerged, she was on the bed with a battered look gazing back at him. "Tell you what. You help me with a new body... and I'll leave you alone. 'Hit the block button' as it were." she spoke up, determined to try anything in her arsenal to acquire his help.

Konor

 

[Konor]

As Konor gathered his things, he listened to what she had to say before continuing on his way to the bathroom. He halted when Xan appeared in front of the bathroom door, her demeanour was different, the cocky and happy go-lucky front had evaporated - what he saw now was a new person. The real her maybe? Or just her at her lowest point. His grey eyes diverted, looking to his side as air escaped his nose in a huff. Emotional vulnerability made the man squirm which forced him to raise his hands in surrender "Alright, alright, I'll help you out." Konor relented before opening the bathroom door and slipping inside.

Returning from the bathroom, Konor rolled his mask up and began making adjustments to the fitting of his costume. He locked virtual eyes with Xan, she was still looking pretty worse for wear, she seemed really desperate, so desperate that she offered to finally leave him alone if he helped her get a body. Konor couldn't hide the smirk that quirked on the corner of his lip, the outlaw tightened the cuff on his glove and nodded "Well, why didn't ya lead with that pateesa." now being unable to hold back his kriff-eating grin.

Deciding to make things easier for her, Konor rolled down his mask and allowed the AI to access his HUD. "Alright, where am I off to? Don't tell me we're going back to Denon." he asked as he exited the room and making his way to the nearest docking bay where the "Whisper" starfighter Xan had... acquired for him was currently staying.

Xan Deesa

 

[Xan Deesa]

Xan held her posture until he was gone, before she released a heavy sigh of relief. She was getting closer. Every day, with every person she contacts, she was getting closer to being whole again. If she could cry, she would. The nightmare was nearing its end. Soon she could feel again. Soon she could cry and laugh and appreciate everything she glanced over when she had the chance. Soon her mind would be hers again, free of the constant stream of data, information and incomprehensible number of live input. She just had to hold out a little longer.

When he emerged from the bathroom and that smug grin curled onto his lips, her relief paved way to annoyance. "Didn't wanna get your hopes up, peedunkee." She quipped. His HUD immediately went live with information and Xan's comms icon in the corner. The projector in the room shut down and she reappeared in front of him through his visor. "Nah, not Denon. First order of business, let's go check if we can find an old jetpack at the market. After that... uh... lemme just fact check real quick." She disappeared for a moment as she left him to go look through the market.

A while later she chimed in again with a ludicrous amount of feedback. "Sorry, sorry! Actually takes concentration to keep my voice in check." She quickly apologized. "Okay, first things first. Old jetpack, on your left. Here's some creds." Immediately some credits got deposited into the account she made for him, more than enough for the jetpack and some extras. "Okay, here's your choice. Either we go hit Locke and Key on Naboo... or we can go to Zeltros. And before you say it, yes you can get your end wet after the job is done without me bothering you the whole time. There's some good stuff on that planet, you can hit a cargo freighter containing a ton of cybernetics without much issue." she explained.

She had a feeling she knew which option he would rather choose...

Konor

 

[Konor]

Konor shrugged and went along with her suggestion, making his way to the Florrum markets. The outlaw made his surprise noticeable when he visibly flinched backward at Xan's sudden reappearance "Can you not do that." he requested in annoyance before heading to the dealer Xan proposed. Approaching a Weequay arms dealer he had a familiarity with, Konor greeted the Weequay with a two fingered salute "G'day, Gonlak. Got any--" the dealer cut Konor off by stabbing a knife into the surface of his vendor. Raising his hands in innocence, the pitch of Konor's voice elevated "Hey man, I thought we were buds."

The Weequay glared at Konor, bearing his teeth and snarling "We were. Until you kriffed my sister!" he exclaimed. The masked outlaw inhaled through his teeth before rubbing the back of his neck "I did, didn't I. If it makes you feel any better, it was only so I can steal--" he shook his head, refusing to elaborate further "It doesn't matter, listen, all I need is a jetpack. I'll make it worth your whiiiiiiile." Konor harmonised before leaning on the vendor's table and inching closer to Gonlak. Konor whispered "I'm on my way to get a new suit, I know you've dug my digs for a while now... if ya want, I can give these to you when I'm done with them." the Weequay's eyes gravitated to the ground as he entered deep thought, deliberating whether he could trust the outlaw or not. He sighed "You promise?" "Scout's honor." Konor responded, placing his index and middle finger over his heart.

Begrudgingly, the Weequay rummaged through his things and pulled out a jetpack that was... to be desired... regardless, it was better than nothing. "Thanks, bud. I'll transfer you the credits right about... now." hinting at Xan to work her AI magic "Stay frosty, Gonlak." Konor departed with a wave, jetpack in hand.

Xan spoke up once the purchase was made and Konor began making his way to the docking bay, which wasn't too far off from the market. She laid out his options which were either Naboo or Zeltros, reacting almost a millisecond after she'd finished talking Konor simply said "Zeltros." in a half excited tone. He smirked and snorted beneath his mask at Xan's follow up comment "Heh, thanks for your cooperation."

Arriving at the docking bay, the half-Sephi climbed aboard the starfighter that was so graciously gifted to him some weeks prior. Following some pre-flight checks, they were ready to go and Konor was ready to return to a life of freedom. The starfighter ascended through the roofless docking bay and flew toward the stars before jumping the ship into hyperspace.

Xan Deesa

 

[Xan Deesa]

Xan was quiet as she watched Konor almost get stabbed by an 'old friend' in his attempt to get the jetpack. She appeared behind the vendor, leaning against a wall as she watched the situation with a smirk. Her eyes danced between the two as she waited to see how it was going to pan out. Luckily his buddy agreed and Xan transferred the credits on queue with Konor's words.

"Why do I get the feeling your 'scout's honour' is as faithful as your relationship status." She quipped as her hologram disappeared again. "Don't go flying off just yet, go back to your room. Let's fix this jetpack up quickly." She suggested. "It'll be super easy for ya, no problem." She reassured him with a grin on her avatar as she waited to see what he would do. If he listened to her, she would make a holographic layout of the parts and instructions on which parts had to go where. She would explain every step to him and what to look out for until his jetpack was in flying order again.

When they were finally off to Zeltros, Xan was quiet for a long while. It was safe to say that she was unnervingly silent until he hit hyperspace. "What I wouldn't give to feel that again. That shudder of the jump, inertia of tight turns in atmosphere..." She muttered, using his mask to see what he was looking at. "I'm sorry, by the way. With what happened on Denon... it was a low blow." She quietly apologized. She fully expected him to ignore her words and laugh her off, but it was something she wanted to get off her proverbial chest and she didn't care about what he thought. "According to readings, we'll be more than a day early for the shipment. So once we're there you can head off." She spoke with a more serious note. Though there was a hint of regret in her voice.

She didn't want to admit it, but he was the most consistent conversation she could have at present.

Konor

 

[Konor]

The hard-headed outlaw scoffed at Xan's suggestion "Forget that, I'll just do it on the way." he disregarded as he climbed the ladder into the starfighter. As they flew through the blue streak that was hyperspace, Konor realised how dumb his decision was and struggled to unzip his suit in the tightly confined space of the starfighter's cockpit. After a few moments of grunting and fidgeting, the half-Sephi managed to get his suit off. "Damn." Konor panted "Maybe you had a point." he admitted before flipping over his suit and placing it over the cockpit's dashboard, taking the jetpack in his other hand.

The masked outlaw, now only dressed in his briefs, dug through one of the cockpit's compartments and pulled out some tools that'd usually be used for ship repair. Keeping his mask on, he followed the instructions on his HUD and got to work on integrating the jetpack into the tactical suit. It was... confusing to start with but he slowly got the hang of it - Xan's silence was a big help toward his concentration. Konor nearly dropped his hydrospanner when he suddenly heard Xan's voice in his ear "Man-- you gotta stop doin' that!" he protested, reaching down to grab the hydrospanner that was dropped.

Returning to work, he listened to what the human AI had to say - to his surprise... she'd apologised for what she'd done back on Denon. She was right, it was completely out of order but... as a man who refused to wear his heart on his sleeve Konor simply shrugged "Yeah, it's fine. Water over the bridge or... whatever the sayin' is." he lied, as he continued working on the jetpack, refusing to acknowledge the AI through his mask. He hadn't forgotten about it, and hadn't forgiven her for it neither but - he didn't want to talk about it either. Talking was for chumps.

"Cool!" Konor exclaimed at the knowledge of their fast track arrival "Oh, and look at that!" he held up the suit with the poorly integrated jetpack into its back "I did it. Sort of. Er... mechanics isn't my strong suit. This'll do though." Konor said nonchalantly before squeezing it back on through the tight space. After a few... excruciating minutes... his suit was back on and they still had some time to kill. He leaned back in his seat and folded his arms "So... seen any good holomovies lately?"

Xan Deesa

 

[Xan Deesa]

Watching him having to get undressed and absolutely mutilate himself in order to work on the jetpack was like watching a train wreck. A very funny sort of train. That'll teach him not to listen to her. Regardless, she helped him fix up his jetpack while keeping her laughter off the comms. Predictably he wasn't too phased by her apology as he continued to work on the jetpack. She did her part. If he wanted to hold a grudge, that was on him. "Under." She corrected. "Water under the bridge. That's the one. Also don't tighten that fuel line too much, the last thing you need is for it to strip." She suggested calmly.

She got another streak of amusing revenge as he got back into his suit before he relaxed in his cockpit. She snorted when he asked about movies she had seen. It was a stupid question, she didn't have much of a choice... but she almost felt normal again. For one small moment he had made her feel like a person again. He didn't need to know it, he would just shrug it off or use it as insults most likely. But it was a moment she would cherish. "I'm quite up to date on the latest releases, yeah." She answered with a gentle laugh still on her voice. "If you're in the mood, I can play whatever you want. Classics from literally centuries ago, brand new releases... stuff that haven't even been released." She suggested as her tone went from happy to mischievous. "Stupid mistake of movie companies is saving a movie or series and postponing its release for hype points. That means yours truly can make you the first person in the galaxy to see the latest stuff that's not even out yet." She continued, curious if he had any shows or movies he was waiting on.

After a while, she was getting curious. Did he misunderstand what she meant? He had an entire day before they had to get to work. Did he... want to spend time with her. That didn't sound right. But now she was second-guessing her choice on telling him again. Feeling guilty for keeping him hostage, she cleared her throat slightly to not give him another heart attack. "I think... you might have misunderstood me. You're... a day early for the shipment. You got an entire evening and the next morning to yourself. You... wanna stay in here? I can get a hotel room for you no problem." She offered him with a hint of strain in her voice.

Konor

 

[Konor]

Konor fidgeted in his seat slightly, he did not do well in cramped space - maybe owning a starfighter wasn't the best of ideas. Hooking his thumb and finger to his chin, he briefly pondered if he could sell the starfighter and buy a cheap freighter when this was all done - would be a nice portable home too.

His head jerked upward slightly once he realised Xan had been talking to him this whole time, something about being able to get him to see an pre-released holofilm or show. She definitely piqued his interest and a low chuckle escaped his mask "There's this holodrama I've been diggin', it's about a bunch of teens solving mysteries n' stuff. It's fell all the way off, but I can't help watching trash holos. The new season's been filmed but its s'posed to release in a month. Errr forgot what it was called though." Konor shrugged.

He raised an eyebrow when she spoke about him misunderstanding "You alright?" if he didn't know any better she almost sounded flustered. Why though? He knew they were meant to arrive a day early, he was just making small talk "I know what's happening. Was just tryin' to make conversation." Konor explained "Hate awkward silences."

As if on queue, the starfighter shot out of hyperspace and floated outside Zeltros. Konor clapped his hands and rubbed them together excitedly "Zeltron babes, here we come!" the outlaw exclaimed giddily, almost drooling at the prospect. Gripping the flight sticks, Konor drove the starfighter closer to the planet's surface before eventually docking at a landing bay close to where their objective was to be. The canopy flipped open and so too, the pilot flipped out of the cockpit and landed on his feet clumsily. Acrobatics were not his forte. "Whoops!" he exclaimed as he fought to catch his balance.

Immediately making his way toward the nearest cantina "I plan to party until my heart's content. Don't worry, I'll be fresh as a daisy tomorrow. No hangovers. Scout's honor." the outlaw said, reassuring his digital partner with a thumbs up. However, he courteously asked, hoping he wouldn't regret it "You're cool with that, yeah?" the half-Sephi prayed she'd say yes.

Xan Deesa

 

[Xan Deesa]

Xan snickered at his suggestion of a show. He didn't remember the name but he gave more than enough information for her to find the advertising poster and display it in the corner of his HUD. "You mean this one? Yeah I got the whole season right here. Just lemme know when you wanna binge and I'll organize it super quick... oh, that's nova. They haven't even compressed the files yet or anything, this quality is preem." Her tone turned to surprise towards the end, almost as if she was viewing it herself.

Her focus shifted back to Konor entirely when he asked if she was alright. No, she wasn't alright. She was far from alright. She was forced to watch everyone else enjoy their time on the planet, hold the ones they loved -or pretended to love- and bask in the euphoria of what it meant to be alive. All the while she had to sit and watch through the lenses of cameras or listen through the microphones of devices like a creep on the side lines. She sighed but said nothing else as he touched down and practically rushed to get out of the starfighter's cockpit.

"... Yeah, I'm cool. Enjoy the party... and try not to get pick up the newest trending disease." She quipped with a monotonous tone. "You need a background check or anything else while you're out, just lemme know." She offered as well before her icon disappeared from his HUD for the rest of the evening. And then it started.

Subjected to watch and listen from the shadows of the Holonet, reminded of everything she took for granted in her life as she watched through the HUD of her friend and the devices of Zeltros' populace. The only time she would make contact with Konor was if he asked her at all to do something for him. Other than that, she let him do his thing and enjoy himself. As much as she wanted to ruin the evening for him and force him to feel what she felt like, she kept her distance and instead started to binge the show he mentioned. It was hot garbage but it was enjoyable nonetheless. She only broke her silence when she sent him the address of a very nice penthouse suite in an expensive hotel if he wanted to take his plethora of new booty calls somewhere nice.

The next morning, she let him sleep until a reasonable time before she took over every device in the suite. Television, radio, suit, anything with a connection, started to play a very obnoxious song in order to wake him up. "Rise and shine, moof milkers! Big things are happening today." She shouted as her hologram danced through the house with the use of several holoprojectors.

Konor

 

[Konor]

The rest of the night was a continuous blur - loud electronic music, smokin' zeltrons, blinding bright lights, the smell of spice, and the tase of death sticks. What came next was the blaring of an annoying song attacking his ears, jolting him and two Zeltron girls from his sleep. Konor shot up with a small yelp before darting his head around the room in slight panic. Once his bearings had returned and he realised who was the culprit of his rude awakening, his shoulders slumped and a sigh escaped him.

Falling into his pillow, Konor ran his hand through his hair and groaned "I'm up, I'm up." - his eyes burned and felt dry, not getting the sleep he needed was probably a factor. "What time is it?" he asked as he sat up, glancing around for the two Zeltrons he'd gone home with, not to his surprise they were gone, scared off by Xan. Scratching inside his ear with his pinky, Konor looked toward Xan's projection and yawned "I didn't know you were... into that kinda music." he paused, taking a moment to get out of bed "Then again, I'm not shocked either." Konor shrugged.

"'Kay then." the half-Sephi muttered to himself as he searched the suite for his suit, as he did so Konor would go on to say "I'd ask how your night was, but..." the comment was not intended to be mean spirited, but the uneducated outlaw was known to lack a verbal filter. "Nice." he congratulated himself following discovering his suit sprawled in the bath tub. "You're not perving on me, yeah?" Konor double-checked before putting his suit on and emerging from the bathroom.

Following a series of stretches accompanied by some obnoxious grunting, Konor hopped in place, amped to get some new gear and finally part ways with his AI 'companion'. "Where do we-- I start?"

Xan Deesa

 

[Xan Deesa]

Xan didn't look impressed for one moment as he finally stirred awake. "Eleven, local time. More than enough time for some beauty sleep, I'd say. But given you only got here almost at dawn, I'm not exactly surprised." Her tone was cold as she glared at him. His comment on her taste of music earned a scoff as her hologram sat down on the bed. "I'm not, I just figured it would do a good job of waking you up." She answered casually as she watched him look for his suit.

His next remark made her very much tempted to hijack his jetpack's systems the next time he tried to use it, but she chalked it up to him not having all of his remaining brain cells together. He seemed to agree on that one, given his reaction to his own words. A laugh finally emerged from her as he made his way to the bathroom. "Of course I am, not like I got a choice on what I see or don't. By the way, I rest my case. Those Zeltrons sucked. You could do a lot better than them." She commented as he got dressed. Even that got on her nerves as he emerged from the bathroom.

"Hell no, you ain't going anywhere, choom. Get out of that suit and into the shower at least. The last thing I need is you chafing and your smell giving you away." Her hologram pointed to the bathroom as she stood in front of him. She couldn't exactly smell him, but she had enough experience to know the smell. Plus she wasn't so heartless to expect him to offer up his personal health outside of combat. Only once he was freshened up and actually got something solid into his stomach from the room service, did she lead the way to the spaceport.

The spaceport itself wasn't too far, though the armed security patrolling the area gave a good indication of the kind of goods that were imported and exported. "It's gonna be a big freighter, I'll let you know where it is." She spoke up as she used cameras to inspect the area. "Okay, marked it on your HUD and map of the area. I also see a route through a ventilation duct that will bypass a lot of the security. Once you're there, it's a straight shot through to the freighter." She instructed, his HUD immediately updating as she spoke.

Konor

 

[Konor]

Konor's head whipped around and his eyes rested on Xan's hologram, a wry smile crept on his lips "And who's better? You?" he teased. They were hot and down... for it, and that's all the half-Sephi needed. She seemed annoyed, for whatever reason, she reminded him of why he didn't get close to people anymore - feelings were messy, it was hard enough dealing with his own crap, worrying about someone else? Didn't sound good.

"What?" he responded in surprise, lifting his mask over his nose, Konor raised his arm and sniffed his armpit before recoiling away "Ugh, can't I just put on spray? I'll shower later." the outlaw argued, his inner manchild seeping through his demeanor as he searched for some body spray and deodorant, grabbing both cans under his armpits and around his body. Flicking his wrists and tossing both cans behind him, he inhaled deeply through his nostrils and gave the hologram in his HUD a thumbs up "See, fresh as a daisy. I always keep spares around in case I'm ever in a situation like this." he winked.

Planning to eat on the way, Konor's overly fragranced body darted out of his room and out of the hotel in record time. On his way to the spaceport, Konor purchased some caff and a bacon sandwich from a food stand, fighting hungry and hungover was a deadly combo - speaking from experience. "Aren't all freighters big?" he asked absent mindedly with a mouthful, taking a glance at his updated HUD with the freighter's location the outlaw heeded the living AI's words. Although, she knew him well enough to know that Konor hated stealth - but he wasn't completely stupid, the spacport was bound to be heavily guarded and as much as he loved a fight, it was one he wouldn't win.

Arriving outside the restricted area of the spaceport, Konor took one last sip of his caff and threw it into a nearby trash can "Oh man, that sure hits the spot." Konor said, burping shortly after and rolling his mask back down over his mouth. Making his way towars the back entrance, near to where the warehouse and freighter were located, he stopped to glance up at the walled off and private spaceport, gauging for the ventilation entrance, Konor'd neglected to notice the guard staring right at him. Behind his expressionless mask, Konor offered the guard a fake friendly wave. He glanced around their surroundings, looking for more guards - thankfully, only one seemed to be stationed at the entrance.

The guard continued to stare down the outlaw, adjusting his blaster rifle for any sudden movements. Parting his arms slightly, Konor's hand hovered over both his blasters and the two were now officially in an unspoken standoff. With the reflexes of a kaadu, Konor drew his blasters and shot two bolts at the guard before he could even aim his rifle at the outlaw. Unfortunately, the blaster fire was enough to be heard by anyone in the area and the half-Sephi was forced to act fast, rushing over to the guard's corpse and picking up his communicator.

"Sorry about that, didn't realise my blaster wasn't set to stun. Won't happen again. Over." disguising his voice and attempting to control the situation, he quickly looked for the ventilation entrance through his HUD. Scanning the area in a hurry, he finally found it located at the top corner of the warehouse. Activating his shoddily repaired jetpack, the masked outlaw flew up and hovered in front of the entrance, tearing the vent grid off its hinges Konor proceeded to crawl inside.

Xan Deesa