Win, Lose or Die

[Connor Harrison]

Turning to her, Fixx shook his head.

”You’re sounding far more respectable than I ever thought. Sounds like the appeal of living off the grid is something you’ve considered greatly?”

He pursed his lips and followed her arms down to her hands, fingers and then the short grass as he lost himself momentarily.

”I know what you mean however. The number of times I’ve returned from a world and looked in the mirror, the blood of another on my face or hands, and you think is THIS what your life boils down to? Fighting or piloting; sacrificing?”

With a small sigh he looked back down the bubbling water before them.

”It’s a life we only know how to live though. That’s what I tell myself – if no one else can get their hands dirty to fight for the Republic, then I’ll have to do it.”

Fixx rubbed his jaw and turned back to Kayleigh, evidently enjoying the nature of Tython.

”Sorry, I’m never normally so upbeat and happy to be around.”

[member="Kayleigh Tyven"]

 

[Mariya Pyne]

[member="Fixx Kearney"]

Kayleigh nodded in agreement. "I would love to be off the grid somewhere, living a simple life, toying with droids and other mechanics that catch my interest. But such is the way of things unfortunately. We all have our duty."

Standing, she wandered up the river a ways, away from the rapids to where it was more calm, ushering Fixx to follow her along. "So. There is one thing I need to talk to you about that has happened recently. I've been appointed to the Republic's head office. I am now the aide to the chief of staff, reporting directly to Vaudin Mir."

The girl leaned against a massive tree, its branches shading the area in a large circular shadow. "It's an honor, but quite a bit of work. But the reason I wanted to tell you was so that you know if there is ever anything you need, you can count on me." She leaned forward and kissed him once more, before stepping back and turning towards the river. She hesitated for only a moment, before nodding and continuing with what she had briefly debated on. Lifting her arms up she crossed them, pulling off her shirt before unbuttoning her pants. She could feel her face turning blush as she moved quickly in her undergarments toward the water and hopped into the river at waist depth before turning back towards Fixx. Typically she was anything but shy, but it was anything but typical for her to do something as brazen as this.

She smiled at him, still red faced. "Coming?"

 

[Connor Harrison]

Standing up, Fixx followed behind as she talked, looking at the ground beneath his feet and the water beside them.

”Vaudin Mir. The name rings a bell. And, congratulations. That’s a pretty big appointment, but I doubt they could have got anyone better suited than you.”

Stopping under a large tree, offering plenty of shade on the bank that reached out over the gentle water, a way down from the serene waterfall, Fixx received a tender kiss, resting his hand on her arm as she leant into him.

He watched her as she spoke and confidently undressed to the bare essentials and slipped into the water. Fixx smiled and folded his arms, leaning on the tree.

”I will bear that in mind. Thank you. I also extend that – if you need my help or want to me to carry out any intelligence operations, you come to me, ok?”

Watching her stand in the water, she looked even more radiant, and it was nice to see her relaxing and carefree after everything that had gone on. Looking around, as if wary of people watching, he smiled to himself; partly bemused at her and partly smitten. Shaking his head, he peeled up his top and dropped it down, feeling the kiss of the cool air on his skin and wary of the scar under his left ribcage. Next, his trousers were discarded along with his boots. Standing in just his navy boxers, he sank down to the bank and slipped into the water; surprisingly warmer than expected.

”Well I am defenceless now, but, wow this is rather nice.”

He scooped up the water in his hands and drained it over the back of his neck, rubbing gently to sooth the muscle. He looked over and gave her a soft smile, waist just above the water line. Then, he quickly waved his arm through the surface of the water, sending a nice wave over to Kayleigh.

[member="Kayleigh Tyven"]

 

[Mariya Pyne]

The wave of water rushed over towards her, prompting her eyes to seal shut as the water splashed against her. She took a few steps back, further into the water before noticing the sudden drop in depth. Taken by surprise by the drop Kayleigh let out a quick gasp, the water level rising quickly to just under her chin, submerging a portion of her dirty blonde hair with it. She let out a soft laugh before sinking herself entirely underwater to get it over with. As she came back up she moved back over to Fixx and placed her arms around his neck. "Defenseless indeed."

She ran her hands slowly down along his chest, and began kissing along the trail of her hands. Leaning in closely she kissed along the lobe of his ear and whispered quietly. "I want to ask you something. I've been asked to investigate the possibility of a network of spies within the Republic's Navy. We don't know how far up the chain this goes, but the accusations are pretty serious. I would like your help, if you don't mind, to weed out whoever is behind selling our secrets to our enemies. I don't have many people I would trust with this besides you. And I needed to be certain I could tell you this without any prying eyes."

[member="Fixx Kearney"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

He couldn’t help laugh when Kayleigh lost all balance and dignity, splashing back into the water and emerging from self-submersion with wet hair plastered to her body, but that smile still beaming.

As she came over to him, Fixx wrapped his arms around her lower back, leaning her over as they kissed once more and he gently circled in the water with her close to him.

And so she began to talk. It was a surprise to hear something so blunt coming to light, but not surprising to someone such as he who had seen people from both sides of the fight sell secrets and defect out of fear, desperation and greed.

Fixx moved to let Kayleigh face the waterfall so she couldn’t be seen from where they came, and he turned his head into her and kissed the side of her neck, breaking to speak through each kiss.

”So you get me here…get my clothes off…and then ask for help…away from prying eyes?”

He pulled away and slowly submerged his head underwater, coming back up, wiping away the water from his face and brushing back his hair.

”Who else knows about this, and do you have any names in the frame?”

[member="Kayleigh Tyven"]

 

[Mariya Pyne]

A coy smile crept across Kayleigh's cheeks as she quietly answered Fixx's question.

"Well surely if your shirt was off in front of other lovely ladies I wouldn't have your full attention now would I?"

Her mouth opened to echo out a soft gasp as he kissed her, trying to formulate the words to speak. "Thus far, only the informant who brought this information to me last week. I've been mulling over what to do with this ever since. But now that you are here, you are the only person I would trust to read into this from an outward perspective.There are a few captains, lieutenants, and a commander that have been named in the report. I can show it to you when we get back."

[member="Fixx Kearney"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Listening to her speak, he draped fingers down her bare back, across her bra and circling the base of her spine. All the while the information she relayed stuck with him. Root out a mole. Simple.

”Does anyone know you're talking to me about this?”

He ran his hands under her thighs and carried her gently around the water, circling gently so none of them were facing front or back enough to see if anyone was watching them from afar. With each turn, his eyes quickly scanned the paths and cliff faces surrounding them.

Moving back to the back, near the waterfall that helped drown out other noise with the water crashing down, he placed a hand either side of her, boxing her in. He moved to the right of her neck and kissed it, whispering gently.

”We will sort something out back in your office, don't worry. I'll make this a top priority.”

Fixx pulled back and leant in to kiss her softly, but passionately, hands gripping her and pushing his body up against hers, water swirling around them. Eyes opening slightly, he was ever aware of eyes that could be watching.

[member="Kayleigh Tyven"]

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Kayleigh shook her head slowly. "Nobody knows. The fewer the better."

To say she brought him to the falls strictly to be out of view of public and prying eyes for the purpose of divulging this information wouldn't be entirely true. She did very much enjoy his company. And it didn't hurt at all that he was a fantastic piece of eye candy. She smiled sheepishly as his arms boxed her in against the rocks of the falls.

"It looks like the tables have turned, Mr. Kearney. Now I am the defenseless one." Her lips parted and the tops of her teeth came down to meet the bottom lip in the center.

[member="Fixx Kearney"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Fixx looked her in the eyes; she was alive, and she had a fire there that was brightly burning. He placed his hands on her hips and traced his fingers along her ribs, up and along the line of her underwear, pulling her bra gently forward to entice her in for a kiss.

Letting his tongue meet hers in a moment of passion, he broke into a smile and grabbed her arms, spinning her around and pushing her back out into the water with a satisfying, messy splash.

”Defenceless and then some!”

He brushed away the water from his eyes and sighed, turning from her and lifting himself onto the bank of short grass letting his legs dangle into the water. He leant back and watched her.

”You're quite something Miss Tyven!”


[member="Kayleigh Tyven"]

 

[Mariya Pyne]

The blonde gasped as he ran his hands gently, passionately over her near bare body. She shrieked rather loudly as she was forced outwards and underneath the water while Fixx shouted towards her playfully. When coming back up to the surface she squinted her eyes at him and mad her way over towards the bank. "You will pay for that when you least expect it. I hope you know that." A devilish grin crept across her face as she said it.

"We should head back soon, before people begin to wonder what happened to us." She laughed as she climbed out of the water, ringing her hair out as she sat beside him. "Or worse, someone sees us out here in nothing but our underwear.

[member="Fixx Kearney"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Letting her ring the water from her matted hair, Fixx leant forward and pulled her arm out from under her, carrying her weight forward as he lay back and naturally let her fall across him.

”If anyone sees you in your underwear, you’ll certainly the new poster girl of the Republic that’s for sure.”

He brushed away the loose strands of wet hair hanging down over her face and draped his fingers up and down her back, enjoying feeling her skin across his with the warm Tython sun beating down on them; again, for a moment, the natural beauty of the clearing they were in washed everything bad about the galaxy away.

Fixx gave a satisfied sigh and gently patted her bottom.

”Come on then princess, let’s get you back to looking at least a little respectful and then we can discuss your matter more in private. Although, are you sure your office here is private?”

A frown of thought crossed his face.

”I’m going to have to push for you to keep security tight – if anyone knows you’ve been talking to me, which they shouldn’t, then you’re going to be a target.”

His hands tightened over her skin as that protective urge came over him.

[member="Kayleigh Tyven"]

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Kayleigh laughed loudly at Fixx's comment. "I don't know about that. The Republic is a big place, with plenty of far more beautiful ladies than I. Besides, I hear the pay isn't so great for those models."

She jumped a bit out of surprise when his hand caught her on the bottom and her eyes widened a bit, letting out a quiet "eep!" Her face turned a bit red before she was able to get her thoughts out. "Princess huh? Ok prince charming, let's get dried off and get out of here. My office should be fine, but you're welcome to do a thorough sweep to make sure." She poked him, teasing his protectiveness of her.

"Don't worry, I can handle myself."

[member="Fixx Kearney"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Grinning, Fixx rolled away from under her and helped her up, reaching down for his discarded clothing and looking a little puzzled.

”Didn’t really think about this, did we?”

With a shrug, he slipped on his polo shirt, slightly damp with the touch of his semi-dry skin thanks to the sun above but his trousers didn’t feel overly comfortable. It took a while for him to get changed and be at ease.

He glanced over at Kayleigh and grimaced.

”You jump into lakes without a towel and you think you can handle yourself?”

Brushing his hair to get rid of the damp, he held out his hand for hers and started the walk back letting the sun do its job. Nothing felt worse than damp skin on clothing, but it had been worth it.

”When we get back, I’ll do a casual sweep but say nothing about what you told me and simply write down what you need and I’ll take it away. If you want me, I will collect you from here and go somewhere secure.”

Brushing his thumb over the side of her hand as they followed the lake away from the waterfall with the large headquarters looking over the rocky cliffs in the distance, Fixx looked over to her.

”Are you on Tython long or are you moving out anytime soon, or are you just waiting for the call?”

[member="Kayleigh Tyven"]

 

[Mariya Pyne]

"What makes you think that I didn't think this through? Maybe I am a bit of an adventureous, risk taking, carefree gypsy girl who enjoys a mid-day swim in her underwear." Kayleigh burst out laughing. She really hadn't thought the idea through entirely, but she certainly couldn't admit that to him, now that he had questioned her ability to handle herself, despite forgetting a towel for the occasion.

The girl twisted her body to try and get a glimpse of her own butt as she stood up with her wet clothing on, looking like it was somehow suctioned to every square centimeter of skin, like some type of body suit. "I hate to ask this, but, can you...Can you see through the pants? We might need to wait here a bit longer if so. Maybe I'm not as carefree as I claimed."

Shaking her head so her hair would loosen up and have a chance to dry out she turned toward Fixx with her head still pointed toward the ground. "You know the drill. I'm on Tython until they summon me elsewhere. But I'll hand you what you need and what I already have on this when we get back. Why? Did you need something?"

[member="Fixx Kearney"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Fixx felt the drag in his hand as he tried to walk away, obviously she wasn't ready. He couldn't blame her. Turning to see her fussing about her posterior, he rolled his eyes softly and moved back over to her to answer her question. He took his time to examine all areas of her body.

"You can a little. But that's not a bad thing is it?"

He smirked and hung back for her to dry out a little, and he leant back against a clump of rocks that seemed to split the path up to the waterfall, and down to the clearing where they had just been.

"I understand. There's nothing urgent I need, I just wanted to know how long I have you for and where I can reach you if I need to see you. I mean, isn't that the rights of a boyfriend?

Fixx looked away, playfully thinking over his words.

"Is that the right word, boyfriend? Or is that far too much of a commitment?

[member="Kayleigh Tyven"]

 

[Mariya Pyne]

The redness of her cheeks illuminated her face as he observed her and commented on it. "Mhmmm. Tell you what, why don't we just call for a cab when we reach the mainway, and we can hitch a ride to my apartment. I can change, and then we can discuss the info that I've collected thus far regarding this particular problem."

Wandering back over to him she leaned up against his chest "The rights of a boyfriend huh? Does this mean we're exchanging keys and all that stuff now?" She laughed, pulling him back out towards the streets. "I suppose that is a suitable word, if I'm something you have that sorta interest in."

[member="Fixx Kearney"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Nodding gently, that sounded a more than perfect arrangement.

"Well if you don't mind? I'll give it a sweep but glad you've got your own place rather than a public office. Maybe I can use a towel and dry off myself properly."

Taking her hand again, he followed her out to the streets and made a mental note of where they were and anything he could see that was cause for concern. Nothing at present.

"Well maybe not keys, not just yet. I live out of a very small, very bland complex that serves my needs when I'm on planet. And anyway, it depends what your apartment is like for if I decide I want to move in or not."

A sly smirk was all he needed to give, along with a gentle nudge into her arm.


[member="Kayleigh Tyven"]

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Kayleigh nodded. "If it will make you feel better about my safety, feel free to sweep the room, dear."

As the pair approached the mainway she waited for a cab. This was far from the most heavily populated planet, in comparison to Coruscant, so unfortunately there wasn't an available cab every single moment. Surely one would be by soon though. "Well, my apartment is more or less similar to what I had on Coruscant. It's a two bedroom that I use the second as an office so I don't clutter my entire place with the drowning amounts of paperwork I have. You won't be getting a luxury apartment with me unfortunately. At least not yet. Most of my money reinvests in the company right now, so I get by with what I can."

[member="Fixx Kearney"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Fixx came up beside her to wait for a cab. Resting on a small barrier opposite the girl, he folded his arms and listened intently to her. She had such a soothing voice, and it was built on passion and a fire in everything spoken about, like she truly meant and believed in what she said.

”I’m sure an apartment is comfier than the insides of a ship? From what I remember that was very cramped to say the least. I have a small place on Kiribi. Close enough to the core, in the Colonies, but quiet enough to not draw any attention to itself. It’s quiet, more so than Tython, and populated with only a handful of cities. It’s more a passing place for traders and pilots on the hyperspace runs really. It serves a purpose, so in terms of luxury – anything is better than nothing.”

As he talked, a cab started to come into view, and thankfully they were first in line.

”I’ll let you know what I think and decide from there, Miss Tyven.”

He gave her a smile, speaking more professionally when other ears came closer. In reality, he wanted to loops his arms around her and hold her close; what was stopping him. Respect for her and her position; that’s what.

The cab landed gently and the doors opened automatically, which Fixx held and waited for Kayleigh to step inside. Casting a glance over her rear as she got in, the agent suppressed a content smile and followed her in.

[member="Kayleigh Tyven"]

 

[Mariya Pyne]

"Fair enough. The apartment is vastly larger than the ship quarters. I do have my own kitchen and all. So I suppose it is quite a bit of an upgrade. And anything is better than nothing."

As the cab approached she smirked as his tone returned to that of a more professional speaker. It was quite endearing she thought. Unaware of the man's passing gaze over her posterior as she climbed into the cab, she sat down and gave the driver the address to her complex, before strapping in. For some reason the cabbies here were more frightening than the ones on Coruscant, whether due to more lax regulations, or simply because they simply didn't have as much to worry about she wasn't sure, but she was just as concerned regardless.

As soon as Fixx sat down she made an attempt to warn him, but she only managed to get out "You should sit quickly before he-" and then the driver throttled up and away without a second thought.

[member="Fixx Kearney"]