[SWAW] Listlessness [S6 Kelb]

Adam

The firefight continued sporadically throughout the night. Sunrise the next day, a group led by Nil showed up at your location with a stretcher and some meds to move Jazz. He made it through the night OK with no complications. What did you talk about, if anything? By the time you've made it back to Processing Plant 96, and boarded the Ebon Hawk, you've noticed most of the militia surrounding the town has disappeared. The citizens here are all rumbling about Imperial involvement, and most of them do not like the idea of political involvement.

You can imagine that the dock-workers are more than happy to see you on your ship, and away... Squall is prepping the ship for takeoff as soon as you enter. She comes on the comm. "Kelb, we've been given a holding pattern by the Starburn II... Should I fly us over to them?"

Rich

Imperial involvement? Good, let the boys in white take the heat. We're just hired mercs. I make sure Jazz is put up safe, but answer Squall over the comms, "Yeah, let's get over there and check in. I need to evac Jazz to a real med bay, not the crummy one we have here." I call on the open channel, "Pem! Where's the closest med bay that does good work?" He'll notice I didn't ask about price.

I should have, but I don't care.

Adam

You feel the thrusters of the Ebon Hawk fire up just a few seconds after you issue the orders, and Pem comes up beside you. "Kestic's closest with good doctors. Coreward gets better and better as you get closer to Coruscant. If we're talking locally ... I'd guess the Starburn has a decent med-bay."

Rich

Great... juuust great. "Since we're here, let's see what Lieutenant Ores has to offer, when we ask." I'm rather annoyed he didn't offer this already. Pesky brat.

If he gives us the cold shoulder when I ask directly, then I'm heading to Kestic.

Adam

A few minutes later you're up in space, and in a holding pattern near the Starburn. Squall is up in the bridge, manning the helm, when a call comes over the comm allowing you to dock. When the airlock opens this time, you're greeted with the usual pomp and circumstance of the men in white, followed by Lieutenant Ores' self-proclaimed second-in-command — Cadet Arj Kene.

He stands there at ease as he crosses the threshold into the Hawk, looking particularly displeased with his presence here. "Captain," he says quietly, "the Lieutenant is a little busy at the moment, and he's sent me to deal with your case. I see you and your men have extracted without further complication?"

Rich

I'm also at ease, keeping a cool head. A flight to Kestic is not my preference. Too many troubles there. "We have a severely injured man. I'd like permission to bring him aboard to utilize your med bay." I almost say "please", but don't. This is the Empire. They don't react well to pleasantries.

Oh, Nill is with me.

Adam

Arj frowns, and stands there motionless for a moment as he considers the request, then he takes a few steps forward and in an annoying falsetto asks, "and why do you think that a lowly mercenary such as yourself would be entitled to medical assistance from an Imperial vessel? We are not an aid station, Captain."

Rich

I expected this. I am not surprised. This is why I hate the Empire.

"I understand, Cadet. I agree, this is not an aid station, it is a fully equipped Imperial military vessel." I say this as a fact, but hopefully it fills him with pride. "The reason for my request is to expedite the continuance of the mission I was hired to perform by your superior. You see, my second-in-command is gravely injured. My entire team, and therefore the success of the mission, will be improved the sooner I can get him back on the field. The nearest aid station is Kestic Station. I'd rather get my teammate aid now, here, so we can continue to work." There, that's perfectly logical.

Now here's the part where he insults my ability to either act effectively with reduced strength, or my poor planning for such eventualities. I'm eating crow. I want Nill to see this. It probably won't work, I knew this coming in. But Nill may not know this side of the Empire. And she needs to know how important this team is to me.

I'm hoping he'll ask for a bribe, it's my best shot.

Adam

Arj sets his jaw, and stares you down, sizing you up. Nil, Macks and the rest of the crew are now in the area near you. They aren't armed, probably Nil's guidance, to keep from spooking the boys in white. You know for a fact that no Imperial Officer is above bribery — but if you want to hit him with the "importance of the mission" angle alone, feel free to roll a manipulate.

Rich

[Kelborn]

Manipulating with the "importance of the mission" bit.
(Rolled: 2d6-1. Rolls: 5, 1. Total: 5)

(+1 XP)

Adam

Suddenly, from around the corner of the Starburn's halls you hear the stomping of boots, and some pleading. A shirtless Trek comes around the corner with red in his eyes. He looks considerably more shot up, and generally in disarray from the last time you saw him. What's more, his right arm is completely missing – replaced by a temporary bacta tank hugging his chest, and a medical droid frantically tampering with it as he walks. "Sir! Lieutenant! Sir I need you to remain perfectly still while I prepare the site for prosthesis!" the droid clammers.

Trek doesn't listen. Instead he, snarls at the sight of you, and turns to bark orders at his cadet. "Cadet Arj, return to the Starburn at once and have this ship disengaged from our airlock. Prepare for orbital bombardment of that foul settlement!"

Rich

Well, that went worse than I expected. I didn't know he lost an arm, that's rough. I give the cadet a nod of acknowledgement. "I will contact you once we're done with Kestic. If you leave orbit before then, please notify me where to rejoin you." I look to both of them, saying curtly, "Sirs." My expression is flat, military.

As I turn to go, I'm glancing at Nill. How is she taking this?

Adam

The Cadet seems noticeably frazzled by the Lieutenant's sudden appearance, missing an arm no less, and nods quickly, dismissing you. He orders the troopers out of your airlock and back into the Starburn. Within a few seconds, you hear the airlock clamps disengage, and thrusters firing.

Nill looks troubled. You caught her out-right staring at Lieutenant Ores, jaw agape. She clicks her jaw a few times attempting to make sense of all this, then sees you looking at her, and attempts to re-establish her cool. Too little too late?

What do you do?

Rich

We head back to stations, and I let Nill stew for a bit. Once we're in hyperspace, I'll call her to the "office", which is Jaina's room. I've cleaned the place up, a bit. It still looks like hers, though. I don't even know what "my" place would look like, really.

Once Nill arrives, she'll find me sitting at the desk. I stand to greet her, because the whole "superior officer sitting down already when you come in" felt creepy to me. "Hey Nill, grab a seat. Want something to drink?" I'm getting a decanter from the little storage area, pouring at least one glass, two if she accepts.

Adam

Nill comes in and hangs at the door with it open until you invite her in, and offer her drinks. She's skeptical of the whole setup, but savvy enough to know to accept the drink. She comes in, closing the door behind her and nods. "Sure... What's this all about Kelb?"

Rich

"Wanted to chat, that's all." I gesture to the chair, which is not sitting across from me at the desk, it's at a corner. I put her glass on the place in front of her seat and plop down in my seat and take a long drink.

The drink has a purpose. It's less to get me drunk, because really, one drink? That would not get me drunk. It is to show her this is a relaxed conversation. After that slug, I put the glass down and get to it. "I don't want to waste your time, Nill, so I won't beat around the bush. Jazz is hurt bad. He won't be back in the field for at least this set of jobs, might be a while." I pause to let that sink in. "I want to tell the team that you're my second-in-command, at least until he's back. Are you ready for that?"

Adam

You can tell off the bat this isn't the conversation Nill thought you'd be having. She narrows her eyes dubiously, and pauses a minute to wait and see if you're joking — but it doesn't appear so. She raises an eyebrow in interest, and takes a seat. "Yeah, I can do that. Why me? Why not Pem or something?"

Rich

I chuckle, "I considered Macks, to be honest. Thought about him long and hard. It was close." I take another drink, let her stew on that. She needs to know this wasn't a gimmie. "I chose you because of a few reasons. Number one, you want it. You want more of a role, and that means you're hungry. I like that. I need it. Two, you are real good at what you do, and you're driven to improve. I need someone who will push this team."

I let her ponder on that for a moment before I finish. They're both true, and both important. "Three, and most important, you aren't anything like me. You don't fight like me and you don't think like me, either. Your feedback and strategies will keep us from being predictable. You compliment my style without breaking up my flow, if that makes any sense. And lastly, Jazz likes you. He thinks you are ready, and I trust him implicitly."

I take another drink, it's starting to settle in. My words to her, and the alcohol to me. Good stuff. Alderani ale. "The one thing I want to know. Do you have a problem with me? It seems like you do, Nill. I'd appreciate your candor, here."

I am most certainly Reading her now.

Rich

[Kelborn]

Reading Nill:
(Rolled: 2d6+2. Rolls: 6, 3. Total: 11)

Adam

Nill listens attentively, sipping at her drink occasionally when appropriate, and when you ask her whether she's got a problem with you, you can tell she's considering her answer carefully. "In the interest of professionalism," she replies, "it's not so much a problem as a concern. You're pretty damn unstable Kelb... Most days I can't figure you out. The jobs you've been taking on the heels of Jaina are all over the place, and the whole crew is confused..."

She puts her drink down, "whatever happened between you and Jaina was none of my business — and whatever you want to do to deal, is your business — but I want to be really sure my voice is going to be heard when I tell you something is dangerous. I'm not out to get myself killed — I'm out to get myself paid."

Rich

"I know." The admission comes out quiet, much weaker than I'd anticipated. It felt painful and yet I needed to say it out loud. She's so right, got me pegged.

That's about all I manage for a few long moments. I collect myself enough to take another long drink, finishing the glass. Let the warmth of that drink suffuse me.

I needed to hear Nill say that. "Should we reneg on this job with Trek? I worry that I got us in too deep already."

What does she wish I'd do?

Adam

Nill takes in a long breath, and thinks on that a moment. "Well," she starts, "Trek isn't the kind of man who lets you back out of a contract once you've accepted it... I think we're going to have to deliver on this one. There's nothing that says we have to do it on his terms though... We could do it our way instead."

Rich

Our way? I like this. I like hearing this. I give her a questioning look, "While he's busy carpet bombing a junkyard, we do an end around and take down the target at the top of the food chain for him? How do we find him, though?"

What does she intend to do?

Adam

OOC: Nill intends to sell you on doing it her way, rather than that asshole Trek's way.

She leans forward, and suddenly gets very intense. "Trek's a kriffing pig when it comes to pride — all you need to do is insult him once, and he'll go out of his way to make you pay for it. Those seps down there just gave us a head start on this. Your boy Baltan has contacts back on Mandalore that haven't dried up yet. I say we bribe customs to let us in a back door, run a shakedown on one of his contacts, obtain a laundry list, and start capping." She brushes her hands together, and adds, "if we're fast, Trek won't be able to keep up, and the job will be done before he knows it. I run some numbers up a few of my old contacts, and we get paid through them instead. Trek gets slapped down for not doing his job, and we all walk away clean."

Rich

I nod a couple times. Finally, a ray of hope. I really like this. "Let's do it. This sounds more exciting than following that sicko around the Outer Rim, and I bet we can make things work. As for Mandalore, I'm an exile, so I can feed some names if you need it, but I'm only an impediment to conversations if I get involved."

"What do you need from me to make this work?"

How can I get Nill to respect and trust me?

Adam

Nill's respect is actually pretty straightforward to earn, even if the process of obtaining it may be quite involved... Square away your personal life, don't let it bleed into anything business, and perform. There's nothing she respects more than someone who can do her job, and the trust comes with the respect. It's important to distinguish that she doesn't want you to neglect your personal life — just own, and control it.

Nill shakes her head, "no — we need you. Baltan's contacts will recognize you planet-side, and they'll start chirping. If we can start up enough chatter, then they'll start getting nervous — and when people are nervous, they make mistakes. You're our in."

Rich

Go planetside? Uhm... what?!?

I'm sure she can see the flash of panic that sets it. I blame the alcohol. Loosened me up, I lost my control for a second. At least I didn't go "Guh."

"We're leaving Jazz on Kestic, then. No need for him to be around for the mess I'll stir up." I fidget for a second, looking away. Then back, I make myself look back at her. "You sure this will help?"

Adam

She ignores your panic, and waits for you to ride it out to the other side. She nods in agreement when you finally agree to do it. "I'm absolutely positive this will help — but Jazz isn't going to like staying behind... I take it you're going to talk to him then?"

Rich

"Yeah. I'll handle it." I answer quickly. I mean, of course I will, wouldn't dump this on her. Man, Jazz will not like it. Wonder if I should lie to him?

I'm done with our chat, unless she wants to drink more. Or... at all. Did she even touch her drink? That's a little offensive. Kinda. More for me.

I'm all business for the rest of the flight. No way I'm telling Jazz about this until we get him to a doc.

Adam

She did touch her drink, she was just sipping it until the business talk was over. Now that that's done and settles, she downs the drink in a single shot. She slides the glass over to you and stands up, largely unaffected by it, "I'll be around, if you need me."

Is there anyone you want to talk to before you hit Kestic?

Rich

I want to check in on Macks, see what he saw around those Imps, but I suspect nothing more than we did.

Also, need to get Pem coordinating with Nill on her plan to massage contacts, since he has different ones. I'm giving her credit and letting her tell him what to do. I'll even tell him she's the second-in-command. Not "right now", just, she's "second".

I'm leaving Squall to her work, and doing some of my inventory work, getting things back in order.

Once we hit the station, though? I want to get Jazz squared away, then take Squall out for a party, if she's up for it.

Adam

Macks didn't see anything other than how they treated the locals... The Imperials came in like they owned the joint, and laid down the law with an iron fist. You're getting reports from the cortex, between jumps, that Processing Plant 96 is nothing more than a smoldering crater now, and most of the junkfield has been lost. Macks didn't doubt the news for a second.

Pem was a little disappointed that he'll be answering to Nill rather than the other way around — but he took the news in stride. Squall continues to be withdrawn, and generally aloof — but she's doing her job. When you touch down, Macks, Pem and Nill all join you to bring Jazz to the doctor's. She's volunteered to get Jazz set up here while you deal with "more important matters". You find Squall in her room, high — she is on shore leave, technically, but she looks up at you with glassy eyes and slowly mutters, "Hey Kelb."

What do you do?

Rich

I close the door behind me, and walk up to her bed, where she's sitting. I lean down into her face with a wry smile, "I have to admit, Squally. I'm disappointed you didn't wait for me." My tone is strict, more school marm than military. She's too blitzed to react to subtlety.

Or resist me.

I take her face in my hands and kiss the scars on her forehead, using my tongue to trace the one that runs down to her right cheek, following it like a trail of crumbs to her mouth. She's so pliable when she's spiced. I nip at her lips playfully, and she responds listlessly. Well, maybe there's a bit of spirit in there, right above the haze.

Her pupils barely focus on me when I pull back. I start removing her clothing, first her top, which is a simple mesh-zip at the front. Before I arrived, she was slouching around here, on her own, so there's nothing underneath the top, which is what I expected. I ease the top past her shoulders, down off of her and delight when the cool air of the room causes her to give a hint of a reaction.

I toss her top over to the corner, and turn back to push her so she falls back onto the bed. It's funny, in a way, how she's my little pet. I shouldn't enjoy this. I shouldn't want this power over her. She trusts me. She probably likes me.

She's taking pleasure this, too. I just know it, despite the relaxed state, I can get a rise out of her. I reach down for the hem of her pants, and pull them straight off her. She's there, alright. She plants her feet and pushes her butt up to help me. Even moans a bit at the touch, the sensation of me pulling her tight pants over her legs and off. That's my girl.

My girl. You're mine, Squall Onondb. I don't need to earn anything from you. I'm tougher than you, you owe me. You're mine.

I look down at her trim body, covered with the tattoos of her species. Rattataki tats, head to toe. Scars, too. Head to toe. It's a wonder she has feeling left on all those lines of scars, from all the hurt she's suffered. I won't hurt her body. She knows this, she trusts me. Not into pain. Not a bit.

Okay, with Jaina I was into whatever she wanted. And sometimes, she got a tiny bit kinky. But this is different. Real different.

"You want this, Squall? You want to fool around?" I ask her in a husky voice as I start stripping down myself to join her. I know the answer, I want to hear it from her lips.

Does she have any more spice around here? Did she get off the ship, buy some and rush back, or was this leftovers from the meds? Curious.

Adam

Squall responds to your mock derision with muted confusion at first, then gradually melts into the palm of your hand as you begin exploring her body. Her body responds to your touch almost immediately, but it takes her brain an extra few seconds to process everything... Shivers, then moan. Look, then speak. Feel, then react. Everything you do to her is filtered through this thick molasses of spice, and pleasure. She truly is yours: she can't resist. She may have tried earlier, but not anymore.

There's a big bottle of the pills she had last time, open on her nightstand. It's about half-empty. She's not showing signs of an overdose, for the record. This is a pretty standard high. Based on the state of her room, you'd guess she hasn't left the ship in a while now... Possibly since your last stay on Kestic. When you ask if she wants to fool around, she looks up at you with a pitiful look — like you're denying her release — and moans, "yes, Kelb... Please."

Rich

"That's my girl," I say as I climb onto the bed beside her, sitting up on my knees, one hand tracing her body, her little curves, the place where her ribcage ends and her smooth stomach begins. So pretty.

"That's my good pet. Now, get to work while I catch up to you." I order her I throw a leg over her and sit down on her pretty little face, reach over to the pill bottle and pop out a couple, maybe three. I guess she washed it down with something, I'll drink after her, of course. I'll be drinking from her, soon enough.

Then I'll reach down to gently stroke and massage her scalp while looking into her gray eyes. I want to ride the spice pathways with her to ecstasy, calling her my pet. She's not Squally tonight, she's my pet.

Adam

== End Scene ==

Rich

I will take +1 Forward.

Squall takes +1 Forward, too. I'm nice to my pet.