Wake Up

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

"Don't be silly." Kira would quip back, her shorter legs a bit faster in stride but no where near the distance cutter as her husband's own. A small pant of dry air and a gust of wind blew her bangs away from her face. Bits of sand and grit struck her cheek with the lazy swirl of a small dust devil near by.

"Pfft," she blew out, trying to get it away from her mouth. Twin blue orbs went shifting to the broad shouldered and tall man beside her. "You wouldn't have had as much fun flying from place to place compared to randomly appearing anywhere." the man certainly enjoyed blinking when he could just to tease her. He had often done it with the kids when they were younger, often while playing hide and seek. They called it cheating. Devin in turn had replied that he was merely using all of his talents.

"Shouldn't be long." she assured him, brushing her hair away from her face. The sun was slowly rising. "At least it isn't the middle of the day."

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

"And theres no sandstorm." He mentioned quietly.

Desert worlds, wastelands, were always his least favorite. He didn't automatically hate them, and some could even be beautiful, but they just didn't hold the same qualities as say Naboo or Borleias, the odd sort of beauty that clung to those planets without quesiton or even the slightest hint of concern.

"Maybe we should have brought a bigger ship." He mused. "The Freya is big enough for the both of us."

More than big enough. "But we could have set things up if we'd brought something larger with a few droids."

Colonization, or science outposts.

He mused on the idea, not wanting to linger too long on the idea of teleportation lest Kira get any ideas.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

Kira gave Devin a sideways glance through the corner of her eyes. Mirth shone, and her mouth gave a twitch despite the extra bit of sand that clung there.

"I thought this was just a vacation." she would remind him, using the former false god's words as a point of tease. Her shoulders gave a slight shake of amusement, blonde head moving from side to side. At the end of the day, her husband had a good heart. Kira knew this. She also was aware that he did his best to indulge her.

"That sounds more long term colonization that just scouting about a few worlds." or having to deal with pirates. It would be another fifteen minutes before they would reach the shuttle. So far, nothing out of the ordinary in the walk.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

"It is." He told her.

Though the idea was more than a little amusing.

"Perhaps I just cant help myself." His arm slipped around her and he tugged her just a little bit closer, his eyes spotting the shuttle already sitting on the horizon. "I see something and I have to dream big."

He squeezed. "Push it to the limits and build what I can."

Suddenly Soliael swept Kira off her feet, lifting her into the and twirling her around.

"It's what makes me, me." He said setting her down. "I dream big."

 

[Kira Talith]

"Yeah, yeah -- gahhhh!" Kira gave a sudden cry as her husband took her into his arms, spinning them both round and round.

Her laughter came bubbling up, the scarf on her head falling back and her blonde hair flowing down over them both.

"Oh you... Devin! " she cried out, laughing and shoulders shaking as he spun her one more time and kept her aloft.

"Put me down!" he acquiesced with a broad grin, letting her slid down against his body. The tips of her shoes then touched the floor and she found her balance again.

"Among other things." Kira would add ruefully, adjusting her cloak and scarf again. Their shuttle would just be beyond the small plain, near the ravine.

"We are almost there."

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

"I see that honey." Soliael said as he stuck out his tongue at her.

The Former False god said as they wandered the rest of the way through the ravine. For a moment he wondered whether or not it had been worth it parking the shuttle all the way out here, but given that they'd encountered a Village full of dugs and that species reputation wasn't the greatest...perhaps it was prudent.

Then again it might have been speciest to think that. "Do you want me to fly?"

He asked her.

"I think I should give it a shot this time." He poked her side in jest. "I'm sure that silly curse is gone by now."

He poked her side again, clearly trying to bring back some of her cheer.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

[SIZE=9pt]Oh so he wants to fly then? Well now, Kira was all about calling Devin’s bluff. With an innocent expression, and then a gesture of her hand towards their shuttle, she would say, “Sure, why not.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Let’s see if he really wants to try.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“It is just a shuttle.” a quick two step took her a little ways ahead of the former False god. “How bad could a tiny, itty bity little curse be?” a wag of her finger followed, poking him on the bicep.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Maybe all this time it was just in your head. Psychosomatic and all. “ [/SIZE]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

"Yeah." He reinforced her words. "I'm sure thats it."

It wasn't of course.

Though they had never quite been able to figure it out, the curse was in fact very real. Soliael himself had thought about it for years, never really focusing on it but at least musing upon the idea in it of itself. There was something that his father had done, something that he'd placed upon the blood or perhaps someone that had done it in vengeance. Either way Soliael and his children were unable to fly starships, speeders, really anything mechanical.

It was odd. "One day I'll have to solve that mystery."

He mused quietly to his wife as they boarded the shuttle, Kira walking backwards up the ramp as she poked his chest next.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

“Hah, maybe,” Kira would aid, moving to take off her scarf and secure the ramp behind them.

“But at the very least you can start the shuttle.” a wink was tossed at his direction, the hum of the hydraulics slowly raising the ramp behind them. There was sand and some dirt that followed them in, nothing to worry about. Thankfully it appeared as if the shuttle had been left alone. So far, no pirates.

“You have the coordinates they gave you?” the Lorrdian Jedi called out to her husband, running a hand through her blonde hair. Fingers caught on some knots and she gave a slight wince. One of the troubles of being in an area so dry and windy.

They’d fly on over, but who knew what they would find.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]


”Yeah.” He told Kira as they wandered into the shuttle.

The village that had been attacked by pirates supposedly sat only a few hundred kilometers from where they were, wouldn’t even take twenty minutes to get there once the shuttle was on. The people of this world didn’t have that luxury of course, part of the reason why they were such easy pickings for the pirates.

”Shouldn’t take long.” He told her as the Shuttle rumbled into life. ”I don’t know what we’ll find though.”

His voice was tinged with concern.

From what the Dug had said Soliael guessed that it had been pretty bad, the village either completely burned out or half put to the fire. He remembered sights like that from the early days of the Crusade, villages burned by both brigands and his own soldiers.

He frowned for a moment and then waited for Kira to get them going.

 

[Kira Talith]

With the ramp closed and the start of the pre-flight checks initiated, the Lorrdian Jedi Master soon came bustling through the cockpit entrance to find her husband in the pilot’s chair. Pearly white teeth would shine with a broadening grin.

“So, want to try it out?” it wouldn’t be that bad of a trip. Right now besides a few dust swirls, it appeared as if the weather would do just fine.

“I could co-pilot and take over at any time if anything were to happen.” a hip came to rest against the chair, the woman running a quick hand through her blonde hair. Golden bangs gave a slight ruffle in the fingercombing, but it appeared as if the woman was a least of a brighter cheer.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

For a few moments Soliael actively considered it.

The curse was something that had been with him almost as far back as he could remember. The first time it had happened he’d only been seventeen and his mother had simply thought him an idiot. HIs grandmother had of course been slightly more suspicious, and it had been she that eventually located the point of contention.

Of course when it had eventually happened again and again Soliael had been able to confirm the truth of it, and ever since then he’d not chanced it, or at least when he had he’d been prepared to take the crash.

He glanced over at Kira then shook his head. ”Better not chance it now.”

Soliael told her.

”This is the only shuttle we brought.” He reminded her. ”If I end up crashing it and we have to transport more than just ourselves from the ship? That won’t go over well.”

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

Kira gave a short laugh, then motioned for Soliael to rise. She could take the pilot's seat then.

"Alright, but you can at least help me a bit. We'll break you in slowly." the Lorrdian Jedi Master would chuckle. When they switched seats, Kira took the chance to pinch at his butt. Had to take those moments when she could!

Settling down, her hands went over the controls. "Alright, buckle up buttercup." she told him, blowing hot air to push her bangs out of the way.

"You can at least take the controls from time to time."

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

"No, honey, I can't." He knew that Kira meant well, but risking it was risking it.

They had limited supplies here in the Maze, and if they lost the shuttle it meant that they were pretty much stuck with either landing The Freya whenever they needed to go down to a planet or him blinking them between surface and ship. Neither of those options were very attractive, and both of them would mean extra hassle.

"The last time I did that was..." He thought for a moment. "When I rescued you from that planet."

He let out a whistle. "Decades ago."

Soliael remembered that well. He'd been traveling with Ovmar at the time and as a joke he'd grabbed the controls for half a second. A heartbeat after that the two of them had gone crashing down to the surface of that planet, the one where he'd found KIra.

 

[Kira Talith]

"Alright." Kira took control of the piloting yoke. It was an offer, but if Devin wanted to leave it all up in the Lorrdian's Jedi Master's hands, then so be it. Wasn't like it was any trouble for her at all. The past twenty years had the blonde or piloting droids fly the Talith' shuttles.

One last check and Kira was satisfied with the power up.

"Here we go." the shuttle's engines gave a low purr, and with a steady pull of the yoke, it began to rise.

"Hopefully we won't get any surprises."

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

Soliael was weary when it came to playing with the force. There were simply certain things that had to be carefully touched upon, not just simply bandied about in whatever way that you could think of.

Perhaps when they returned he and Kira could conduct some experiments on what actually made the curse tick, but out here? With no doctor, healer, or replacement shuttle? There was just too much that Soliael was simply not willing to risk.

He shifted slightly as the vessel took off.

In no time at all they floated up into the air, the shuttle reaching into orbit a few moments later, the curve of the planet quickly appearing within the viewport.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]\

[SIZE=9pt]“Well, at least nothing to suggest there are any pirates out there.” Kira’s voice would float over to her husband, bringing him out of his reverie. A hot puff of air blew out her cheeks, sending the fringe of blonde hair flying up. The engines gave a low hum, and the blue beige hue of the curve of the planet went blooming in front of them.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“The Freya seems to be doing well.” nothing out of the ordinary at least. “I can send a few more probs out. Maybe advance to the next few worlds.” her mind was on what had to be done. What could potentially affect them. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]“What do you think?” those bright blue eyes spun to lock upon Soliael’s, a bit wide with a few crow’s feet at their corners. [/SIZE]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

"Good idea." They needed a clearer picture.

If the pirates were really ravaging the system then they needed to find out where they were going, what they were doing, and most importantly why.

Motivation of your enemy was just about the most important thing you could actually know in war. Were they just conqurers? rogues? Did they not care about anything but their own wealth and position? Or was this something more. Tough to tell.

"Village first." He reminded her. "Maybe someone will know something."

He glanced back at her with a smile.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

"Yeah..." a small crease of concern and worry puckered between Kira's brows. The only question was, just what were they going to expect once they arrived? From the bit of chatter that the pair had managed to clean from the Dug cantina owner and the other refugee family, odds were that it wasn't going to be a pleasant sight.

Taking a deep breath, the Lorrdian let cool air fill her lungs. Turning to her husband, she gave him a small smile.

"We'll find someone and help where we can. "

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

The ship bucked slightly as they cut back down through the atmosphere, the air blurring and becoming hazy as they threw themselves down towards the planet once more.

Soliael watched the viewport quietly, mostly letting his eyes roam the vast desert as he searched for something, anything that could be a clue for them. Eventually he saw a wisp of smoke upon the horizon, a small tendril of black that seemed to raise from the air itself. His lips thinned for a moment, then he pointed it out to Kira. "There, Honey."

He said quietly.

The pirates had visited this place only a few days ago, but enough time had passed that there shouldn't have been any fires still raging. To the former False god that meant someone was likely still there, setting a fire for heat and warmth or to clear space for some new construction.

Either way, they'd find something.

A moment later KIra directed the ship towards the smoke, bringing them down for a landing only a few hundred meters away.