Private Some Nights

[Drifter]

“That and anything they can get their hands on. Crafty buggers can make a ship out of trash while having the most powerful tensor beams in the galaxy.” That was no exaggeration; Squibs had the ability to create the near impossible with scavenged patched work parts. One might think that they were a few seconds from being spaced with the amount of shaking it may give, but their defensive capabilities were rather legendary. Not to mention tensor technology that could rival disruptors.

And who didn’t get a crack of a smile at the thought of a mothership created out of scrap metal that would literally throw trash at an enemy ship?

Drifter gave a shrug, the blue holographic map disappearing once he shut it off. He picked up the cup of cooling caf and made to walk past Rhea -- if she would move out of the way that is.

“If they haggled wanting the gem, odds are they’ll honor the deal. Maybe. Depends.” he mused, that helm of his giving a slight cant to the right in inquisitive pensiveness.

“The former Squib King haggled his allegiance to the former Alliance instead of the First Order; so goes to show you that they rather trade and get a sense of a good bargain than outright credits.” a spare tidbit for her to chew on.

[ We will need to prep the drones.] Alex flew over, flaps fanning open to slightly close.

Drifter swung his gaze back towards the hovering companion droid, “Ah, you mean your love slaves?” the devilry in his voice painted a picture of a wicked grin.

 

[Rhea]

Rhea caught his arm, a sense of alarm widening her eyes. “You think they won’t give me back my ship?”

The simple sentence was ripe with apprehension, her fingers tight as she kept him to her.


It wasn’t a thing she had considered, though perhaps she should have. At the end of the day all she had left was her word, and after everything else life had taken from her, she just hadn’t fathomed that that concept would have to be questioned too.

Maybe that was naive of her, but he could see the fearful thoughts he had opened up to her. If that ship was kept from her, what then? What then, what then, what then, raced her mind, her fingers tightening.

“They wouldn’t.” There came the challenge— the unwillingness to see otherwise.

 

[Drifter]

Drifter paused, held tight by Rhea’s grip. He stared down silently down at her, that polarized visor mirroring the broad spectrum of emotions dancings across her face. Alarm and fear, apprehension, and denial. A cacophony of emotions that bleed and contaminate the surroundings. It was all there, painted on her face, carved upon the sharp panes of distress along the lines of her neck, the tick at her jaw, the flare of her nostrils at the hitched breath.

Ah, here it came again. The conscience that the solid good upbringing by his parents built upon him. The parts where his mother taught him compassion and empathy to the lessons of patience and comfort of his father. The bits that annoyed his uncle Cameron floating about in Drifter’s head; even if the late Sith Lord was every bit as much of a hypocrite when it came to showing affection to his late wife, Amore or Drifter and his siblings when they were younger.

Even Cameron couldn’t deny allowing a pack of kids using him as a living Kowakian-monkey lizard bar.

“It could happen. It could not.” he was being honest. “There are ways around it if it does. Getting the gem is a haggling point. Focus on that.”

His free hand came up, and without a thought, he attempted to flick her forehead with a snap of his finger; something he always did with his sister Nohei. It had been his way to snap his twin out of her furrow of thoughts, something bound to rise her ire.

Might happen with Rhea too.

 

[Rhea]

Rhea blinked hard, flinching slightly and staring up at him.

The confusion was almost comical, a mixture of shock and indignation. Noteworthy enough, she didn’t immediately sucker punch him.

She did instead release his arm and rub at her forehead, irritated by the stinging there.

“And you dislike my lack of manners.” Was that acknowledgment? Yup. She scoffed at him, pulling a metal tube from her pocket and clunking it in his cup.

A straw. To drink through the helmet.

He was left with the belated gesture as she chose to walk away, back into the living area she sensed he would return to. She sat stiff-backed in the edge of his couch, the unique oddities of the room ignored as new thoughts entered her mind.

“What time is it?” Blasted steel hulls masked the sun. “Are we nearly there? We’ll be needed proper cover to approach, you know.” Her voice rang out, pressing and tight.

 

[Drifter]

Rhea wouldn’t catch the distinct arch of a thick brow. Nor the way those eyes so like the setting Tatooine suns would peer at her figure at her departure. From behind him, Alexandria would inch forward.

“Women are weird, aren’t they?” he’d comment, barely loud enough for Rhea to catch.

[ Your sister would claim that you are the weird one.]

“That’s only because she programmed you to say that!” mock affront followed the quip. Lowering his gaze to the caf, he peered at it, musing.

“What are the odds she spit in this? Poisoned maybe?” he gave a ballpark set of conspiracy theories that would match those of Rhea.

[ Well if you die, then we will know. ]

“You really do care, Alex. I feel it right here.” he patted the songsteel plate over his chest.

Any observer could tell that this sort of banter was the norm between the droid and the hunter. There wasn’t a spare beat that didn’t result in some form or quip to try and outwit the other.

Ambling down the corridor, Drifter heard the series of rapid-fire questions from the former Alliance soldier. His response was a decisive snort chuckle.

“Oh my sweet, summer child.” he began, making his way back towards the modification table. There he sat the caf mug again, the edge of the metal straw gliding around the rim.

“I have my ways.” as vague as ever. “Little past mid-afternoon? Won’t be another fifteen minutes. Honestly, the most boring part will be waiting until sundown.” not for his sake, but for hers.

She likely couldn’t stealth for poodoo with the way she happened to dive straight into places without at least a handicap with the cover of darkness.

 

[Rhea]

She watched him for a moment, unable to stop herself for inserting— “prepped your thermals for masking?”

Wash behind your ears, brush your teeth?

It was not unlike a mother pestering their child. Rhea was horrible at sitting back and relinquishing control, a fact he would soon become familiar with.

“And your thruster circuits? Gonna need a quick exit and if they aren’t up to scruff…”

 

[Drifter]

At her pert response, Drifter gave a hearty chuckle. Oh, I am getting to her. That amused him. Swinging to lock his gaze with Rhea, he shook one finger as if to praise her.

“Huh, never met a jarhead who understood ships.” ironic coming from the guy who couldn’t pilot the one they were in.

“But if you really want to know --- Alex, give her the rundown.” a waggle of his fingers gesture for the droid to tell Rhea. In the meantime, he plopped down on a leather chair beside the modification table. Clearly, it was play with knick-knacks time.

[ That would be a security breach.]

Drifter lifted his head mid collecting a large black box that had been set to the side. A loud snort indicated that he didn’t particularly care.

[ She could be an infiltrator.]

“Oh wow, because I clearly wasn’t the one picking up a random stranger.” he shot back at Alex, “Instead she picked me up and wanted to bring me to get me allll alone, on my ship so she could have her wicked way with me… with that caf.” a nod to the cooling mug. It was a perfect prop.

 

[Rhea]

Rhea watched from her spot perched on his couch, her expression slowly raising at the insinuration that she would be out to get him. Huh. Definitely wasn’t the angle she saw things, but it was a bit humanizing to witness the situation be reversed for him. As if she was the big bad threat that was gonna fuck his shit up.

She’d never.

She nearly told Alex as such, but then she realized what doors that would open for Drifter. … Unwilling to face an ‘i told you so’ of any caliber, she snorted and crossed her arms, keeping this in.

“Would you like me to take the first sip?” She leveled at Alex, her brow raised.

Wait. What the hell was she doing talking to it. Her eyes narrowed in irritation.

 

[Drifter]

And that is ladies and gentlebeings, the way you get an ornery woman to acknowledge the existence of a droid is the same as any organic.

Good thing Rhea couldn’t catch the growing, Cheshire-cat grin behind Drifter’s visor. She’d likely not be too keen on that.

[ Should you take a sip of the caf, then the likelihood of any attempt at his life may decrease.]

It was hard to tell if Alex was being serious or not. Again, his sister created the droid’s personality matrix. She was just as likely at pulling Rhea’s leg as she was to be literal when it came to probabilities.

Drifter gave a snort, shoulders half shaking. By now, he’d brought that box in front of him and was deftly unsnapping the locking clips. He remained out of it.

This was all Alex’s and Rhea’s show.

 

[Rhea]

And if she splashed it down its hardware?

Oh how she yearned to quip, but right now she was being good. Instead she stood up, placing down her caf and giving the droid a frustrated huff.

Without realizing the trap she walked into, he strode forward and scooped it up. She held the droid’s single-eyed gaze, a brow raised in unspoken ‘tude as she slowly raised it to her lips … and took a long sip.

She smacked her lips at it, her other brow raising as she held it to her. A few seconds past, her health unchanged, She cocked out her hips.

“Shall we try it on you next?”

ALRIGHT SORRY SHE COULDN’T HELP HERSELF.

 

[Drifter]

Back on the chair, Drifter gave a half snort, flipping open the lid of the container to reveal three small metal spheres. They were a dark black hue, with lines running through them. The drones.

[ A twenty-four-hour observation is required along with a full quarantine.]

Oh yes, Alex could sass right back.

“Alex likes a little cream with her caf.” Drifter added, joking, “Certainly needs plenty of sugar with her disposition.”

The droid swung its singular ocular sensor over to Drifter, her repulsor flaps twitching as if in ire. Before she could comment, however, Drifter gave a wave of his hand.

“Alright, alright -- I have to at least get these set up. Alex, can you check to make sure everything is ready?”

[ I know what you are doing, Drifter.]

The hunter took a sphere in his hand, right shoulder giving a shrug.

“Trying to avoid another fight? Yeah, can you blame me? My tender ears can’t handle it.”

 

[Rhea]

Rhea grimaced, his comment reminder that once again, she was meaning to play nice. She held up her hands in a wordless signal of apology. Or at least surrender.

“Fine. Whatever.” She crossed her arms back over her chest. “Listen I don’t want to be here anymore than you want me to, but if your miscalculations get us caught, there won’t be anymore humans for you to harass. Sooner you show me your stuff, the sooner I can be out of your hair,” she told the sniveling droid.

“I know what I’m doing.” Heh. Mostly. She pressed her lips together, keeping that Caveat to herself. She raised her chin.

 

[Drifter]

[ I do not make miscalculations.] Alex’s tone was equally forthright.

[ I calculate odds -- modified by Drifter’s behavior.]

“Ouch. Nice to know you have Rhea in me, Alex,” Drifter called out, pressing a button on one of the drones. It gave a small trilling sound and a light flashed green as it activated, floating off his palm into the air.

As if fed up with the back and forth, Drifter simply responded to Rhea’s original inquiry, “The ship has stealth capabilities -- in all aspects.” he didn’t need to go down the rabbit hole of what that was, but it gave some indication.

“Unless we are spotted and shot at. A lucky hit could turn into fireworks.” another honest answer.

“So,” he gestured with one hand, “We stay low and keep ourselves inconspicuous under the cover of night -- or go in guns blazing.” his wry quip indicated that they were going with the former rather than the latter. He took the second drone and activated it as well.

“I imagine you have something other than what you are wearing for protection, Pitten?” his visor went panning towards her direction again. He pointed at her clothes, made more for trekking than an actual mission.

“I know I have your blaster, so I can give that back to you,” the second drone went flying up by his head. Moving his arm, he unlocked the mag clip and set her blaster on the table for her to get.

“But tell me that you have something else besides this for protection?”

 

[Rhea]

She flushed, her chin dipping slightly to let her hair drop over her face. “I’ll be fine,” she told him, her voice crisp as she placed her hand over it. She lingered there for a moment, the metal cool under her hand, then slid it back and put it into her waist line.


She turned her back to him, sensing the impending banter and wanting nothing of it.

Wouldn’t change anything.

“Time now?”

 

[Drifter]

Drifter could have continued the conversation, but seeing how fast she decided to break it off, chose to leave it at that. If she felt she was ready and well with what she had on hand, fine by him. A shrug of his right shoulder was his silent response.

He turned his attention back to the case in front of him collecting the third drone. Around them, the ship gave a slight shudder. Alex darted back over to Drifter, her ocular dilating in response, [ Approaching a landing zone.]

“There you have it,” Drifter added, answering Rhea’s question with that bit of revelation.

“Landing in a few, but then waiting until nightfall… which will be…” he gestured for Alex to answer.

[ An hour.]

“An hour. Enough to try and get these guys to explore a bit. More information means a less likely chance of getting extra holes in our skins.” lifting his arm, his finger began to press a code into his datapad cuff. The drones gave a yellow and then a green flash before the color dulled away.

“Eat…. sleep… whatever you want to do for the next hour. Doesn’t matter. We can’t go until we get more info.”

 

[Rhea]

She turned, glancing at him and those droids from over her shoulder. “...Those got video feed?” She poised, the question hanging on the edge of her tongue.

Everything he had experience with her showed she was unwilling to hand over the rings, and even simple things like where they landed needed a throughout explanation before she relaxed and gave it up.

There was no way he could actually expect her to just sit back and sleep. No. This was her mission. Not his. She turned back to him fully, that bit of steel entering her gaze as she fixed her shirt and jacket back over her holster.

“Get it up. I’ve seen building plans before. Maybe something with spark.”

 

[Drifter]

Drifter lowered the lid to the case and shut it close. In the next minute, Kalee’s Shadow released its landing struts and went through its landing protocol.

“Yeah, holo feed up to a certain distance, lifeform scanners, atmospheric sensors, and topographic mapping tools.” they were originally designed by his sister to help Drifter when he went spelunking caverns and old ruins. More often than naught, he used drones to be able to scan 3D maps of the various tunnels and geographical conditions prior to going excavating. They were not designed for stealth as much as general recon, but their low profile should allow them to remain somewhat undercover.

“You are one bossy lady, you know that?” he told her, coding a specific command that sent the drones on their way, darting off towards the corridor and up towards an exit shaft.

 

[Rhea]

She raised a brow. “...Really?” was all he got, the two watching the droids slip away.

“That can’t actually get you anywhere with people.” Well it had gotten her to trust him. Inadvertently. It didn’t scare her off? She came back to the table, resting both her palms on the edge of it.

Her gaze skimmed the room for said screens, eager to be doing something. She didn’t do good at staying still. Hell, she wanted to head out now. She wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth anymore, her self control tedious but present as she demonstrated patience for his plan.

 

[Drifter]

“Yeah, bossy,” Drifter repeated, sliding the case back and then turning his attention to three holographic relays. After activating them, a three-D holographic topographic map of the nearby vicinity bloomed. They were surrounded by plateaus.

“And I’ve gotten around with plenty with people.” The hunter added, playing with the settings.

“You know, with such things as courtesy, thank yous, and please.” The way his helm darted at her direction was telling.

 

[Rhea]

She pressed her lips together, his pointed words well received. She was silent for a moment, caught between her knee jerk indignation and her humbling need for help. Which was a pretty way to say— being stubborn when you’re wrong got you no where.


She splayed her palms across the table, leaning into it.

“Thank you,” she uttered, her tone almost forced. A genuine attempt at sincerity was placed behind her words, the woman more struggling to say them at all.

Apologies and gratitude did not come easily.

“For helping me with this.” The words drifted off into a mumble, the girl looking down at the screen.

“But don’t be any ideas. This doesn’t mean you’re getting a cut.”

He was so getting a cut, no way would she let her debt hang.