Sunburns & Hyperdrive Troubles

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"Kaile!" Kurt called out.

"Foods done." Done to perfection, really. The bread was still steaming hot, the filling inside of the sandwiches would now get warmed and melted slightly, and everything was just...well perfect. There was no other way to describe what he had created here, and the more he thought about it the more that sandwich shop sounded like a good idea to him.

It was silly of course, and Kurt would never actually do something like that, mostly because he had neither the work ethic nor the funds to create something like that...well perhaps just the work ethic part soon. He smiled at that thought, the idea that he and Kaile would have some money. They would be able to treat themselves a bit, upgrade The Messa just a bit more and finally get everything back on track to the way that it was supposed to go.

His fingers drummed against the counter. "Hurry! I'm hungry!"

The Courier urged her on.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

A little bit more limber than usual, Kaile went rounding the corner into the galley. “I’m here! I’m here!” she would exclaim out with a bit of dramatic flare, waving her hands at her side. “You won’t starve anymore!” came her light-hearted quip.

Fresh clothes and with her hair in loose, chestnut waves down her back, Kaile appeared fresh-faced and nicely scrubbed. There was a pink tint to her cheeks where she’d had a bit too much sun. It would eventually tan, but it gave her this slightly pink glow.

“Oh!” came her gasp of surprise. There were sandwiches! “You made sandwiches!” she cried out in delight, her brown eyes widening at the delicious sight. “You, are amazing.” she told him, pausing to give him a brief peck on the lips as she swept past.

“Want some water?” it was either that or coconut water from the spare coconuts she collected last night. It was humble food, nothing fancy, but for Kaile it meant the ‘verse.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"I know I'm amazing." Kurt said as she briefly pressed her lips against his own, The Courier half spinning around to watch her turn and move past him. Water? Was that all they had? They really should have gone shopping before they came here. it would have been easy enough to stop by a trade station or anything of the sort to get some groceries, then they would at least have something cheap and flavorful to drink instead of just recycled water.

The Courier frowned slightly.

"Yeah." He said with a slump, though not really noticeable. "Water is good."

It was really the only option that he had, but he would have preferred something a bit more taste to it. Water had often been scarce on Tatooine, even with his parents living on a moisture farm. More often then not their choice of drink had been Blue Milk or something along those lines. Water was a luxury on Tatooine, especially when it came to bathing and drinking. That was why the Hot Tub, heck, why this planet was so unique to him.

It was also why he couldn't swim. "Come on, let's go eat."

Kurt picked up the plate and moved towards the dinner area.

 

[Kaile Vera]

"There is coconut juice." she added, catching is glum expression after she mentioned the water. Kaile would watch him walk off to sit down, moving back to nab him some coconut juice as well as for herself.

"We really need to stop by one of the trade stations soon," she would call out to him, watching him plop himself down with his food. He gave her an expectant stare, a little bit impatient. One curious and heart-warming trait of Kurt is that he wouldn't begin eating until she was there with him. It had happened a few times before she realized he would deliberately wait. Regardless of how hungry he was, unless she wasn't eating, he would glower impatiently until she came over to sit with him.

It was a trait she adored in him. A gesture would urge him to eat, "Go. Eat. I'll be there in a sec." There were two coconuts left over. If she recalled correctly, the hammer was around here -- ahh there it was. Instead of cracking them fully open, she opted for the punch three holes on the side and use it as a strainer.

There was a quick series of three loud thuds, then another subsequent three. In short order, Kaile came walking over, juggling the two coconuts and her plate. Good thing she spent some time as a waitress; she could balance like a pro.


[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

He couldn't really help himself.

As much as he usually liked to wait for Kaile, on this particular afternoon, Kurt found that particular task to be far too difficult. He was ravenous almost, as if the scent of the bread and the idea of a sandwich shop with two bikini clad babes had finally sent him over the edge into hunger. He felt himself falter slightly, picking up one of the perfectly rounded pieces of bread and beginning to eat as though he were a large Nexu chomping down on a meal that it had not had in weeks.

The Courier...well...it was a sight to see.

Kurt quickly began to eat his way through the second sandwich, obviously leaving the other two for Kaile who was likely just as hungry, if not more so than he. This time he ate more slowly however, simply eating his way slowly through the sandwich. "Eat!"

Kurt encouraged, pointing at the food.

There was no doubt that Kurt had never really been taught what most people would know as manners. Oh he wasn't a slob, and clearly he wasn't rude, but he certainly didn't know how to remain presentable during a meal. The young man liked to eat, and he didn't like showing any hesitation in that regard. Perhaps that was just his personality, or perhaps there was just an air...well, not caring at all that hung around the Courier.

 

[Kaile Vera]

"I a-amm!" Kaile would tell Kurt with amused impatience. She set down his coconut to drink beside him, then set her own down as well. With a rush of quick feet, she plopped herself down and nabbed a sandwich for herself. With an eagerness that would make anyone wonder the connotations of her enthusiasm, Kaile brought the sandwich to her mouth and simply went to town.

Much like Kurt, Kaile was thinking with her stomach. The fact that this was the first real mean in the entire day made her ravenous. She ate a bit too fast, and a bit of sauce caught on her upper lip. No matter, it would get licked off soon enough.

A groan of satisfaction would rumble through the small dining room. "This is s-ooo good." hunger made anything taste fantastic, but the fact that Kurt had baked fresh bread and made them sandwiches was already topping her charts.

For a few minutes, it was just the pilot and the agent stuffing their faces. No need to really discuss anything, not when both had worked up an appetite from doing so much that day. Once Kaile had her last bite, she was more apt to talk. Rubbing her belly with slow satisfaction, the Lorrdian would lean back on her chair with all smiles.

"So much better..."

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Kurt was already leaned back with his head against the sofa and his eyes closed. Today had left him tired. They hadn't really done much, some walking around, some exploring, it hadn't been anywhere near as physically exerting as other things that the two of them had done, but Kurt still felt very tired, worn out. Perhaps it was all of the information they had gained today, or perhaps it was the thought of what they could do in the future.

This bunker was more than a collection of old weapons, tanks, and vehicles, it was more than information.

It was opportunity.

It was something that He and Kaile could take, something they could turn into a source of income. He had long ago realized how much this place would mean for them. Even if they only sold a tenth of it, even if they only got a hundredth of what it was worth, they would still have enough money to utterly change their lives.

Luck had brought them here, or perhaps some sort of fate. He didn't particular care about the why or the how, but he knew that things would change now, for the better. There was a part of him that wanted to stop working, a part of him that wanted to leave Sif, a part of him that simply wanted to toss all of that away so he could finally be entirely free. There was temptation in that, a great amount that he felt simply calling to him. He would have to ask Kaile, ask Jamie.

Kurt would see how this changed things.

 

[Kaile Vera]

Setting her empty plate to the side, Kaile gave a small content sigh. With a relaxed and content expression on her face, the young woman went crawling forward along the couch. Plopping herself down, she snuggled up and used Kurt's lap as a pillow. A hand rose, and she gave a slight stretch. A soft half groan flew out of her mouth, legs stretching and toes pointing out.

"Mmm...belly happy?" she'd grin up at him with jovial toothy expression. Content with her stretch, she brought her hands back down, letting them rest over her abdomen. Her mind would wander over the events of the day.

"Where do we start?" Kaile would ask Kurt, glancing back up at him. "With all this?" her teeth would start to worry her lower lip. "Perhaps a thorough inventory?"

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Kurt shrugged. "No idea."

The place was so massively huge that starting anywhere seemed like a massive time sink. They were two people, they didn't have any drones or exploration equipment and everything that they looked through would have to be done by themselves. They were lucky they hadn't already hurt themselves, more lucky that nothing had come to life and tried to stab them yet. There was something odd to that, of course, that the Bunker wasn't as well defended with automated systems, perhaps this Empire of the Hand hadn't quite trusted droids.

Though that hardly explained the Darktroopers.

"Maybe we'll look through the data you got." Kurt said quietly. "There's got to be a manifest of what this place contains. If not, well then we'll use the map to find the main serve room and look through that. I think walking through the entire thing could take us weeks, and we don't really have that much time."

They needed to get food, and other things.

Plus, he didn't want to say it but a part of Kurt absolutely despised structures like these. Bunkers, buildings with no sunlight, they made him feel trapped and confined. The Courier didn't like being underground, something he hadn't really realized until today.

 

[Kaile Vera]

"Okay."

Reaching up she began to scratch at his jaw, her fingernails skimming across the bristles much like one would with a pet. It was an idle touch as much as one done to soothe and show affection.

"I can do that after the nap." She add, mouth parting in a yawn after behind her other palm. "Get the data running so it can go for the next few hours. Maybe set up a program to catalogue it all. Shouldn't be too hard."

A pause.

"I found some neat datapad thing while we were down on the basement so id like to go through it too."

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"Alright." Kurt said quietly. There was a lot to do, a lot that they could find here and a lot that they could make sure of. In fact, the more he thought about it the more daunting the task looked to be. He frowned slightly, wondering briefly if they could do all of this within the week, or if one of them would eventually have to wander away and go get food and other supplies. It wouldn't be the worst thing, though truthfully with how this place made his skin crawl it would likely have to be him to get everything.

He shook slightly.

The Courier didn't like the idea of leaving Kaile here either, especially with those Darktroopers. They were friendly now, at least, that was what Kaile had said, but their odd skull like features made him doubt that still. He frowned slightly, his eyes squeezing shut as he tried to get some sleep. Rest now, and they could figure everything else out later, including what to do with all of the data that they had retrieved. "We'll figure it out."

Kurt said simply.

"This place can't be that big." A shrug rolled over his shoulders. "Bunch of the floors are probably just living space."

 

[Kaile Vera]

The young woman would curl into the pilot, turning so that she lay on her side facing him. A faint smile lingered upon her lips as she took a deep breath.

"Maybe... 'here were a'few blocked off floors tho'." her speech was starting to thicken. Usually what would occur when the brunette got into her food coma. Combined with her level of exhaustion from using such an extensive amount of the Force in such a short time, she was clearly pooped.

"We'd 'ave to be careful there---" a yawn cut off the rest of her sentence. Blinking rapidly, she tiredly would rub her eyes with the ball of her fist. How on point she would be later on once they would discover what really lay between floors ten and fifteen.

"You wanna go to bed or sleep here?" she's ask after her yawn.


[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Kurt couldn't help but yawn

"Here is fine." The Courier said. "Not like the bed is any more comfortable."

Well, that wasn't really true, they both had very comfortable beds. Even before they had made money Kurt had insisted that the both of them throw out the mattresses that came with the VT-Varactyl and purchase new memory foam mattresses. This had put them further into debt, or rather, it had put Kurt further into debt, but he would be damned if he slept on a lumpy piece of springs that just stabbed him in the back all the time. The pilot did far too much sleeping for that to ever be allowed.

At least, that his his take on it. "Bed later."

They could take a short nap, look at the map and data that Kaile had downloaded, and then they could go to bed later. That was good enough, and it worked as a plan since it wasn't even really bed time yet. An hour or two of sleep would be enough, at least for hiim.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Kaile didn't get the second half of what he said, by the time he'd mentioned heading to bed later, the Lorrdian was already fast asleep. If there was one consistent thing about Kaile, getting her good and tired to the point of exhaustion helped her konk out. As she suffered from insomnia, being able to simply fall fast asleep meant that she would get a full night's rest.

One of the few blessings that could befall a cuddle bug like Kaile.

With her arms snuggling against the pilot so, she fell fast asleep. Sometimes, that's all one needed. Some time to recuperate and rest.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

As usual Kurt was the first one to wake up, a pattern that had evolved within him over the past few years. Generally he was always the first one awake, whether it was with Kaile or Jamie, it didn't matter. Perhaps it was his internal clock, his need to always be active and drive himself forward. In truth Kurt himself didn't even really notice it, and if someone had pointed it out to the young Courier he would have been surprised by the fact, especially since he considered himself somewhat of a lazy individual.

Not wanting to disturb Kaile Kurt managed to slip her head out from his lap and onto a pillow, expertly placing her head comfortably onto the soft plush before slipping off to her a room for a moment. He pulled the blanket from her bed, bunching it up before quickly returning to the couch and folding it over her. The Courier gently tucked her in, ensuring that the blanket was folded neatly to her sides and none of the cold could touch her. He smiled for a moment, lingering and shaking his head as Kaile let out a small snore.

With a turn of his heel the Pilot moved down the ramp of The Messa.

What he found there caught him by surprise.

In the time that he and Kaile had been sleeping the six Dark Troopers had almost entirely cleared the Hangar of Guano. The floor was no longer covered in a thick layer of brown and drab gray, but instead was polished to a bright shiny gun metal, almost as if brand new.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Kaile was always the last one to wake up. It would be more of a miracle if she wasn’t, and if the young woman was ever up before the dawn, it was likely due to a nasty bout of insomnia. It took about ten more minutes before Kaile managed to finally open her eyes.

Palms would rub at the sleepies there, brushing away the slight little dry bits that had collected throughout the night. Blinking rapidly to clear her vision, both hands went stretching high over her head.

“Ummmnnnnaaagghh!” came her loud yawn, mouth opened wide and her hair a mess. Bobo would peer at her with his black beady eyes, already wide away and enjoying his sun perch.

“Mornin’ Bobo,” the slurred greeting would come mumbling from under the sheets. Okay, I should get up. I should be productive.

However, it was still sooo waaaarmmm…

Just five more minutes.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

The droids were still in the corner of the hangar scrubbing away at the spaces that had collected more than the usual amount of guano. He watched them carefully for a time, his lips thinning as he saw their skull masks shift towards him for a moment. He paled, fingers unconsciously drifting for the blaster holstered on the small of his back. When they did nothing, only regarding him for a moment more before turning back towards the work that Kaile had ascribed.

"Creepy fuckers." Kurt said to himself.

There was really no other description for the darktroopers.

They were killing machines, things designed to slaughter their way through entire armies and leave nothing but corpses in their wake.

Having them around him made his skin crawl, and the thought that they had been out here the entire time while he had been sleeping was enough to give him the heebie jeebies. He frowned slightly, looking away from the droids and towards the shuttle that Kaile had landed.

 

[Kaile Vera]

Five more minutes turned into eight.

None the less, a bleary eyed Kaileann managed to wrangle herself out of the blankets of her bed. Bare legs went sliding off the bed, toes curling at the cold as they touched the floor. I should really get a nice rug here, she thought to herself. Another big yawn contorted her face, right hand balling into a fist as it went high over her head in a stretch.

"Ughhhhhhh....." came her groan of fatigue, torso moving into a slight slouch with her shoulders forward. An idle scratch of her cheek and she took a deep breath. Brown eyes went sweeping across her small room, noticing the chaotic 'piles' she'll have to clean soon enough. The ship was still a bit messy, more so now that they had their own little adventure.

And there is still more to be done!

Tugging at her ear, Kaile drew notice at the slight hum of the air recycler. Where was Kurt? Her brows drew together only to smooth in thoughtfulness. He was always the early riser. Probably already up.

"Be good Bobo," she'd sing out to him, pushing herself onto her feet with her hands upon the mattress. Time to dress up for a bit more exploring and getting into the rest of that electronic data.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Kurt was already on board the other shuttle, his tool bag tossed onto the table in the center of the room and his hand filled with a hydro-spanner. He played his fingers across the metal paneling on the ground, knocking the end of the spanner against the metal plating every once in a while to slowly search what he was looking for. Eventually he managed to find it, wedging the spanner between two plates and slowly peeling off the metal panel that kept him away from what he wanted.

Beneath the panel was a mess of wiring, circuitry, and a few metal boxes that Kurt could almost immediately identify. The Courier was no starship mechanic, or at least, not with any actual degree, but over the past few months he had become quite good at understanding how a starship ticked and what to do in order to get what he wanted out of it. It helped that this ship was old, and most of it's design was still relatively simple and easy to map in his head.

He frowned slightly.

"Now where are you." Kurt began to dig around the mess of wires, searching.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"Kurt?"

The questioning call from the young woman would echo in the Messa. Padding out of her room, Kaile tugged at the small hairband in her hair. Fingercombing it, she brought the wild mass of quickening strawberry blonde hair back in line. The dye was almost all out save a few dark low lights.

Spotting her boots and grabbing fresh socks, Kaile went and plopped herself on the acceleration couch. Everything had been cleaned up. Kurt must have done it. Slipping her feet into her boots after tugging on her socks, she began to tie them. Plan for the next few hours was to scan and review everything electronic. First she'd like to find out where one particular pilot went off to.

Coming to her feet, she gave another stretch. After a crack in her neck, Kaile took off into the direction of the ramp.

"Kurt--oh!"

Well th droids had been busy. Everything was now clean. Okay, note to see what else she could get the droids to do too.