Why?

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

He would have to make his way to the Hangar that The Messa was contained in. Misha had told him that it was Hangar thirty Seven, located at the very back of the ship. Normally that would have been quite a trip, but thanks to the new turbo-lift system installed in the ship Kurt would be able to get there within five minutes.

The limp in his leg thanked him for that.

Slowly the Courier made his way towards the turbo-lift, shifting slightly with each turn and using the wall to support himself. As he went on walking became harder and harder, his leg beginning to hurt and his ribs beginning to ache. His teeth ground into one another, his face turning into a grimace as he tried to push away the pain. He knew that he only had so much time before the guards noticed that he was gone. Misha had distracted them, but even she couldn't keep their attention forever, and the excuse of "he's sleeping" really only lasted as long as no one asked her to wake him up.

A frown pulled at his lips.

He hoped no one asked her that.

Eventually he managed to reach the turbo-lift, stepping inside and pressing one of the small buttons that would send him to Hangar 37, send him to The Messa and then to Kaile, to home.

 

[Kaile Vera]

Sullust
Sullust Base - Galactic Alliance
Security screening
[member="Kurt Meyer"]


It was a process. Took the better part of thirty minutes but Kaile managed to clear it with full colors. A sigh expelled from her mouth as she began to collect all the items taken from her satchel. They were all scattered on a small plastoid bin, anything metal set to the side along with a couple of credit chips and her laptop.

It was then, as she was going over on sliding and stuffing everything back in, that her fingers brushed over a small cap. The jagged edges of the bottle cap scratched her fingers, and she gave a small wince, wringing her wrist and bringing her finger up to her mouth. Gently she soothed it with a small suck, blinking down to see what was the offender.

Reaching down with her other hand, fingers caught the bottlecap, turning it over. It was a neo deco design, with the name of a micro brewery. It had a small tree and the image of a strawberry printed upon it. A shiver ran down her spine in remembrance.

Slowly, Kaile brought it up to her face for a closer look. Nibbling on her lower lip, she recognized it. It was the bottle cap from the strawberry banana ale Kurt had bought at Cloud Nine. A small twitch of her lips hit her then, recalling the the taste. It hadn’t been the best, nor the worst. But the experience of being there, having a picnic with Kurt…

Priceless.

The sting in her eyes returned, and her fingers went curling around the bottle cap. Little sharp points of pain dug into the shell of her palm.

“Citizen, please continue on into the Base.”

The sudden drone of the droid startled Kaile out of her reverie. “Okay. Sorry.” she said, quickly packing everything else into her bag.

The bottlecap she stuffed into her pocket for safekeeping.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

The turbo-lift eventually came to a halt, having traveled halfway down the length of the ship before finally arriving in front of Hangar Thirty Seven. Kurt wasn't too surprised when the doors fell open to reveal a gaggle of pilots, though his head did immediately dip down and his hand went to his hair, scrubbing through it as though the action was completely natural and entirely unquestionable. He shifted slightly, moving around the group and passing by them.

None of them even looked.

Pilots were generally rather self centered and conceited people, entirely full of themselves and almost entirely narcissistic. Kurt knew that because he was one of them, knew how they acted. The whole thing was a massive competition for them. Pilots constantly competed for the spot of who was the best at what and why. It was obnoxious in some forms, though in others it helped keep them alive. Competition meant no complacency, and no complacency meant that no one was going to get killed.

It was the same everywhere.

Even among the Sith.

Pilots had to keep themselves act that way, it was to maintain moral and keep themselves moving forward. Some might have called it silly or even stupid, but to Kurt and the others it had always made sense. There were unspoken rules about the games of course, but more often then not it was all in good fun. He shifted past the group, moving up the hall and into Hangar Thirty Seven. He smiled slightly as he saw his ship sitting there, The Messa parked straight in the middle of everything.

 

[Kaile Vera]

Sullust__________
Sullust Base - Galactic Alliance
[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Kaile could normally find ways for her to keep herself busy. Normally, it was the new Blackwing Zombies and Plants hologame on her data-pad, but right now, she didn’t feel so keen on playing it. After the security check, it was just another long trek into the base.

A turbo-lift here, another security check there. The scanning of her wrist along with bio-metric identification. All routine, all to be expected. It made her feel like a Killik in a hive. The Big Guy didn’t seem too pleased. Not pleased at all. Kaile couldn’t lie about what happened. Couldn’t hide it.

There were other people that depended on her, it wasn’t just her own life on the line. How could I have been so stupid?!

Other Alliance agents would pass her by, giving her odd looks as she would mutter to herself and gesture in soft finger flexes and flowery swirls. She often reverted to that natural state when she was in a bind. It made her appear a bit crazy, but Kaile wasn’t considering how she appeared at the present time.

This could potentially cost her more than she ever thought it would.

“It will be fine.” she whispered to herself, trying to cheer herself up -- but failing. That sense of dread grew in her chest, and her fingers began to play with each other, interlocking together.

It will be okay.

“Vera.” the sound of her last name drew her attention, and her head shot up.

“He’ll see you now.”

Her chest rose as she took a deep breath, hoping to steady herself. Slowly, she got up and proceeded to amble over to the Director’s office. It was almost like the walk of shame.

Only this time, it felt far worse.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

This time he would move with confidence.

Kurt drew himself up, stretching out his back and shifting so that he looked like an authority figure. The Jacket weighed heavy on his shoulders and his back hurt as he did it, but he managed it somehow. A deep breath filled his lungs, and suddenly Kurt began to walk forward. He tried to focus entirely on The Messa tried to see nothing but his ship, and Kaile on it. That was the goal that was what he wanted, needed, for his roommate to be back, for his best friend to be back.

That was what kept him going, what allowed him to walk without the help of Misha or the wall, what allowed him to get all the way across the hangar and over to The Messa. The ship on the outside looked fine, and as Kurt neared it and grasped onto the hydraulic struts of the ramp he could tell that his ship would fly. It was an innate feeling, like knowing that ones legs would work. He shifted slightly, moving around and up the ramp.

The Inside was a mess.

The floor was torn up near the hyperdrive, the kitchen was an utter ruin, the ceiling and walls seemed to be completely ripped apart. Everything was damaged and there was garbage all over the floor, bits of metal and plastic. Oddly enough, the only thing not damaged was the Hot Tub. The sight made him smile, though he slowly shook his head and made his way through the muck. A hand would fall onto the first rung of the ladder, a heavy sigh coming from his lips.

This was going to hurt.

 

[Kaile Vera]

Sullust__________
Sullust Base - Galactic Alliance
[member="Kurt Meyer"]


Most folk when they hear 'The Big Guy,' they normally picture a big brawny saptient. Probably a Trandoshan. Or maybe even a Besalisk. There were plenty of other large mass sentients out there. Yet what would be waiting for Kaile on the other side of the room would not even be a Weequay, whose fierce looks could potentially give the sort of imposing feel most Directors of Intelligence would be thought to have.

No, instead there was Retii, along with the scent of sweet-spice. A pair of orange eyes would peer at the Lorrdian Omega Pyre agent assigned to the Galactic Alliance.

"Miss. Vera." his nasally voice would call her attention, the twin pair of tusks moving as he called her to sit. The sudden burst of wings fluttering behind the blue-green pudgy trunk of the Toydarian Intelligence Director made him airborne. His snout would shift, his wings propelling him forward to the right side of the room where a series of data files and a large computer terminal lay.

"Hey...there, Sir," Her throat felt tight, and Kaile bustled forward to sit down on the chair. Normally, discussions with 'The Big Guy' were few and far in between. Yet when she did have, them, she didn't mind them at all. To be frank, a few times Kaile could have sworn she made him laugh.

"Ehh..." he cast her a probing look, the one that made the young agent feel as if she were about to be chided by her father. If well, she knew how that felt. Then again, disappointing the people one looks up to generally has the same broad spectrum miserable feeling.

"You have had..." the three fingered hand would gesture at Kaile, fingers curling in emphasis. "A most unusual update to give me." he peered at her over his snout, " Correct?"

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Getting up the ladder was hard, nearly impossible actually. It helped that the rungs were put close together, meaning he didn't actually have to reach all that far to climb. Eventually he managed to pick himself up completely, getting into the cockpit with an almost embarrassing slide onto the floor and push to his feet. It was sad really, considering how when he had first gotten the Messa he had quite literally jumped up the ladder and into the place.

The situation was an odd reflection of that moment, a strange and pale comparison that Kurt didn't really like to think on at all. His injuries were no ones fault but his own, the scars that would now mar his body were his own fault, and everything that had happened...perhaps even losing Kaile were because of things that he had done.

Kurt bit his lip as he sat himself down in the pilots chair.

His hands swept over the controls, fingers gently pressing at buttons and keys. It seemed that nothing in the cockpit had been damaged by the blast, likely because of the way Vanir had segregated the Cockpit form everything else. A few of the switches were turned to ways that Kurt didn't prefer, meaning that the Alliance had likely poked around within his ship. He frowned for a moment, setting everything back to where it was supposed to be before finding the ignition.

He waited a moment.

There had to be a right moment, a right time when he could leave the ship. In silence the Courier sat, simply watching as a pilot stepped into a fighter on the hangar deck.

 

[Kaile Vera]

Sullust__________

Sullust Base - Galactic Alliance
[member="Kurt Meyer"]


Kaile bit her lower lip, feeling Retii's eyes on her. Lids fell, falling onto her hands, where her fingers began to slowly play with the other. It was a nervous gesture. Another tick. A Lorrdian could never sit still. Truth be told, it had taken Kaileann many years before she was able to control her excessive gesturing. A Lorrdian could quite literally relay every emotion, intent, some might even say thought by a mere series of twitches and subtle motions of their bodies.

The truth would come out one way or another. That is why even Lorrdians in office had to wear heavy cloaks, just to ensure that their bodies wouldn't be read to an uncanny precision.

"You could say that, Sir." how to begin? After all, this wasn't a normal mission. Kaile had come to Sullust on her own, after asking for a transport from Tatooine to get to the Alliance capital.

The steady beat of Retii's wings would be a soft hum in the background, growing louder as the stout Toydarian drew near. In his hand he had a filmsi file, along with another few handfuls of datachips.


Retii gave a small grunt, along with a penetrating stare. The Toydarian had a soft spot for the young humanoid. While she was certainly not the sort of agent that dove headfirst into trouble, Kaile would deliver. She had a natural personality that would prompt anyone to trust her. He hesitated to say that Kaile took advantage of people, but more made use of her natural ability to connect.

Kaile could only slink further into her chair.

'Why don't you... Miss Vera," he had an interesting speech pattern, slow and steady, with a few pauses in between. 'Tell me... exactly what happened."

What happened? The question would prompt a lift of her lashes, her mind going back. Tatooine. Kurt. Telling him that she trained with the Rebellion... worked with the Pyre.

Her brows felt heavy, and they turned inward in growing gloom.

"I..." Kaile swallowed thickly, the nail of her thumb scraping against the nail of her forefinger. "...I didn't mean for it to happen..."

Retii's voice would drone, his creamy belly bare save for the Galactic Alliance jacket he wore.

"No one ever does... Miss Vera."

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

The pilot of the starfighter seemed to stretch before jumping into his seat, his hands grasping the control just as the cockpit closed around him. Kurt watched him carefully, eyes settling and waiting for the fighter to take off. They would have to open the hangar in order for the man go get out, activate the ray shields and allow the Fighter to actually fly. That of course meant that Kurt himself could get out, if he was fast enough anyway. Slowly he reached over to a switch on the console.

The engines whirred quietly, though not loud enough for anyone to hear.

That was a small gadget that he had installed himself, something that Kurt and his father had thought up back on Tatooine. It was an engine warmer, a device that would allow the engines to power up in an instant when it came time to jumpstart them. The device was simple enough really, it basically used manual hydraulics to spin the engines, allowing them to jump to life in an instant once they were actually activated.

Handy for making a quick get away.

The starfighter began to slowly hover off the ground, repulsor engines kicking in.

"Okay." Kurt said to himself, slowly tapping the side of the console. "Let's show them what you can do, babe."

The Messa thrummed slightly, only audible to Kurt within the cockpit. The starfighter slowly lifted into the air and swept over his own ship, cutting across the hangar before gingerly exiting through the ray shields. The moment the fighter was out Kurt gripped the controls of his ship, firmly twisting the handle and kicking The Messa into life. The engines blared, burning, the repulsor lift pressed, and within half a second Kurt found himself flying through space.

 

[Kaile Vera]

Sullust__________

Sullust Base - Galactic Alliance
[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"I-I," Kaile opened her mouth only to close it. Why was it so difficult to discuss this now? Swallowing hard, she attempted to gather her bearings. Okay, just.. try to be professional Kaile. Just --

"Miss. Vera." Retii's voices would catch Kaile's attention, drawing her from her thoughts and her attempts at finding a sense of balance. There was a curious expression within those orange eyes, and the beat of his wings drew him closer to her. His stout, compacted body fluttered until he was about a meter away from her, hovering at her seated level.

"Start from the beginning. Take your time." it was as gentle of an encouragement as the Toydarian would be able to give. He was, after all, in charge of an intelligence division. All of which was important and its security depended on agents such as Kaileann herself. Lives were always at stake. He knew this. Kaile knew this.

Start from the beginning? A deep breath lifted her chest, and Kaile's eyes again fell to her fingers. That knot twisted deep in her belly again, and she expelled a hot breath out, puffing her cheeks.

"... From... the beginning..." she began, feeling that sense of trepidation come up her spine. A single face bloomed in her mind. Mused brown hair, mischievous blue eyes, little boy smile.

"...I, it all started at my assigned post." she nibbled on her lower lip. She had to tell him, she knew she did. It was just so hard. "Yum Bunnies. " she added the sector and the mission objective of dormant intelligence gathering.

"That's where I met Kurt Meyer..."

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

The Messa cut out of the hangar in the blink of an eye, it's engines burning hot in a near instant. There was a brief press of air against his ribs, Kurt losing his breath as he was shot forward out of the hangar bay and into space. It happened so fast, so quickly, that he had nearly forgotten the ramp was still open. He slammed the button to close it, the ramp folding shut just in time for the ship to not be torn apart. He breathed a sigh of relief, though almost immediately he received pings and hails from the Carrier.

A tightness gripped at his chest.

"Attention pilot of The Messa."

They didn't even know his name, that was a good sign at least.

"You are in violation of Galactic Alliance laws, return to the carrier immediately or you will be fired upon."

For a moment Kurt considered his options. He could go back. He could turn The Messa around and demand that they take him to Kaile, but he realized that would both be fruitless and dangers, more likely than not they would throw him in the brig after this, and Kurt had no time for prison of any sort. He frowned slightly, shifting and reaching over towards the comms. No, there was no way he was going back, no way that he could go back.

Not if he wanted to get Kaile. "Negative."

That was all he offered them, the only answer that they would receive. The reaction as one would expect was a negative one, The Messa's system immediately beginning to blare as half a dozen targeting computers locked onto the ship. The Carriers turbo-lasers would begin to spool up, and Kurt tightened his grip on the controls.

 

[Kaile Vera]

Sullust__________

Sullust Base - Galactic Alliance
[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"... It wasn't supposed to last long at all." Kaile insisted, half way into her story. By then, the Toydarian Director had settled himself on his chair, his wings folded at his back, the jacket sliding back to reveal more of that pudgy cream y belly.

"You'll notice in my updates." She had to constantly send updates and status changes when it came to being in a new place. Traveling with Kurt definitely did have its perks. It allowed her to move from place to place without customs suspecting. "... that I stated I was waiting for a reassignment location."
None ever came.

"Yes... we were aware of the Sif courier." Retii told her, tusks moving over his lips as he added, "His credentials and his routes were of interest to us." Kaile gave a slight frown. Orange eyes would peer over to the Lorrdian.

"You were not reassigned because it served a purpose to remain with the courier. " her eyes widened at that. "But... that means." so.. she was using Kurt? All this time? Even if she didn't mean it, did she do all that he thought her to be responsible for? Placing him and his family in danger?

Her eyes would grow wider and her jaw fell.

"But.. but.. he didn't even know. That isn't fair --"

"Miss Vera. The location is irrelevant. Your mission objective stays the same; to embed yourself and await activation of orders. It is no different than the previous locations you have served before." he made a point in that, his snout moving with every word he spoke. It was true. Yum Bunnies. The Lucky Lady. All the other commercial locations, her co-workers, the patrons. Neither knew her true purpose.

He was right.

That bit of information. That awareness suddenly struck her. Something that she hadn't considered before. Being embedded meant that if found out, she could place anyone in danger around her. At any time. Any place.

The blood drained from her face.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

They didn't fire immediately, even after disobeying their orders the Alliance were still the good guys, they didn't want to just randomly blow up a starship, especially when they knew that starship belonged to Sif Shipping, a company that was owned by Vanir Technologies which had strong ties to the Galactic Alliance.

Kurt didn't blame them, but he would take advantage of them.

Even after the explosion had torn apart her insides The Messa was still the fastest ship in the galaxy. With it's reactor still functioning and it's engines fully operational Kurt easily managed to push the ship to an intense speed, carrying the vessel forward far faster than even the fighter had come. He grinned as he managed to fly away, then suddenly a beam of bright green flew past him. His eyes popped open, his eyebrows raising as he realized they they were firing at him with turbolasers.

"Kark." Kurt said. He'd thought they'd go with ion weapons, but with how fast The Messsa moved it was no surprise that they'd use the last resort to damage him a bit.

"Okay." He said to himself, biting his lip. "Let's show them what we can do."

Quickly Kurt began to buck and weave The Messa, turning the controls so that the ship began to move in odd loops and zigzag patters, dashing through errant beams of long ranged turbolasers.

 

[Kaile Vera]

Sullust__________

Sullust Base - Galactic Alliance

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"So... you let me stay with Kurt..." Kaile began, working through the knot in her throat. "Because that was now my new assignment?" That just completely blew her mind. If.. if all this time, when she was waiting for a reassignment, then she was actually putting Kurt in danger.. his family. That numbing feeling took over, and her skin felt like ice.

Another foundation just torn from under her feet.

"....No... no.. it.. isn't the same." the trembling that came over Kaile grew stronger, more visible. "It's been..." almost a year. Almost a year since she came to stay on the Messa. Since Kurt had willingly let her live there. Gave her a home.

Kalie shook her head. "No...living with him is different. You left me there for almost a year. He has every right to know if you were going to use him as a cover." because otherwise... otherwise...

He has every right to hate me.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

They picked up their pace, so Kurt picked up his.

The Messa could be pushed, it's engines held enough juice and power to dodge and weave through an asteroid belt if needed. The shields weren't powerful, but they didn't need to be. With Kurt at the helm nothing would hit this ship, nothing would be able to strike it. There was confidence in that thought, but confidence brought on by years of experience. He was born to do this, meant to do this, flying was his talent, his one and only gift from the gods.

No one could take that away from him.

No one could match him.

It was the only thing that gave him confidence right now, the only thing that kept him pushing. With Kaile gone so much seemed empty. The idea of coming home, the idea of going to bed, the idea of eating meant nothing, but flying? Flying would always mean something, flying would always be the one thing that he was good at, that no one could beat him in, and as a mass of Galactic Alliance starfighters began to chase him Kurt couldn't help but smile.

"Sorry boys" His hands tightened on the controls. "You're outmatched here."

The Messa ducked deep, diving into the ethos of space as Kurt weaved through ion bolts and laser fire, swinging hard to the left and cutting out and away from the Carrier.

 

[Kaile Vera]

Sullust__________
Sullust Base - Galactic Alliance
[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Retii gave a small sigh, his tusks working as his snout would move. He could tell that Kaile was getting agitated. Indeed, she was. This wasn’t her feeling glum about the situation, about having to leave Kurt, about being alone. This was a focus on the fact that the Galactic Alliance had left her with Kurt this long knowing full well that it would put him in danger. It was different than the other venues she had worked in.

“What about the company quarters you lived in before, Miss Vera?” The Director would redirect the Lorrdian espion to that specific detail. “Or the other missions with Omega Pyre.” one of the chips which he had collected was inserted into a holoarray. A press of a button, and her entire file came to life, displayed in several screens for her to see.

“You are an embedded agent. You are not so naive to believe that what you do will not place others at risk. They will as well as your other fellow agents and those of the civilians we aim to protect with the information you gather.”

His wings began to flap, bringing the Toydarian to flutter up and over his desk. They would beat a steady beat as he flew towards the holoscreens. Three fingers would uncurl to gesture in emphasis.

“Fondor. Belsavis. Nar Shaddaa. Coruscant. Dantooine. Zeltros.” he would indicate the various locations where she had conducted long term espion missions. He gave a little sigh, his portly belly swinging as he turned to look at the young strawberry blonde agent who was staring at him with a shocked expression. Her eyes had a wounded look about them, edged with a growing sense of awareness and guilt.

“You are an agent. We researched and investigated Kurt Meyer when you first reported in after the.. incident.” he gave her a knowing look. “After reviewing his files, it was determined that with his employment with Sif, the ties to the Galactic Alliance the company has, and his record with the Galactic Republic… the danger would be minimal for both he and you.” he would tuck his arms behind his back, fingers interlocking.

Minimal, he said?

Save the part where Kurt would never trust her again. Even if she were to go back.

I couldn't forgive myself.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

The Messa cut down into the Abyss, slicing below the Carrier and moving to it's other side. The fighters that had been chasing him struggled to keep up, their engines pushing them as fast as they could, yet still trailing behind as Kurt simply flicked the afterburners into life. The Messa rocketed forward, it's engines turning to a bright red flame instead the usual ion blue. There was a sense of mysticism as Kurt found himself pressed back into his chair, his lungs slowly emptying of breath, his vision turning black.

The inertial dampeners couldn't keep up.

Gravity within The Messa struggled.

Kurt felt himself slowly slipping away.

Then suddenly he reached up, his hand slowly budging from the controls, his fingers reaching towards the hyperspace switch. The backup drive was still working, it had been set for Sullust, all he needed to do...all he needed to get Kaile was to flip that switch. His eyes switched shut, his fingers reaching around the controls. All he had to do. All he needed to get her. He could do it. He could find Kaile, he could get her back.

No. He would get her back. Kurt pulled the switch and the Messa rocketed into hyperspace.