Bedtime Stories

[Vittore Montegue]

Of course she was good to walk. This was Sadie K'Vesh: second most stubborn person in this corner of the galaxy, once you got past Vittore himself. Took chains, knife wounds, and days of torture and hardship to stop her being able to just walk it off; a tiny little explosion weren't gonna do shyke to knock her off her game. A small smile tugged at the corner of Vittore's mouth, a brief moment of appreciation taken before he set her back on her feet. Atta girl.

She was right though, of course. Their mark was gone, but that didn't mean the trail was. Vittore would've just upped and walked away, scowled and grumbled about the dead end that he'd walked into, and set off in search of another path. Sadie wasn't like that. A dead end wasn't a dead end if you took the time to check for hidden doors, sewer grates, vent shafts, and all that. What I want is a partner, his words echoed in his head. Not like dad, not like Cambrio; something different, better maybe. Guess that's what I need, too.

"Alright," he said with a nod to himself, allowing Sadie a brief moment to get herself together before he jerked his head off in the direction where they'd come, "Lets get the hell outta here."

A brief moment of hesitation, and his arm draped itself around her shoulder, not sudden or grabby or anything like that, just for show. An explosion had just gone off, and two offworlders sneaking their way from the blast sight trying their utmost not to be noticed was pretty damn conspicuous. A guy and a girl wandering the streets arm in arm though? Lesson one of going unnoticed in a crowd: public displays of affection make people uncomfortable, or embarrassed, or jealous or whatever. They saw the act, not the people, and they looked away. Okay, so maybe it was a bit of a stretch to imagine a cute girl like Sadie being hooked up with a lowlife like him, but hey - was a heck lot less awkward and weird than if it'd been his brother here.

[Nychus Antirr]

Nychus stared through the scope of his rifle, idly brushing the crosshairs across the back of Vittore Montegue's skull as he and his cohort wandered off into the streets, until he was satisfied that they were far enough out of sight to be safely pushed out of his mind. He didn't need to be staring down the barrel of a high powered rifle of course, his optic was more than capable of giving him that degree of zoom and resolution without a rifle being involved, but it was just more satisfying that way. Far easier to indulge in fantasies of exterminating annoyances when you were 90% of the way towards living it out in reality.

It was a deeply vexing situation: orders from on high flagged Vittore Montegue and Sadie K'Vesh as targets not to be terminated if at all possible; instructions from his employer's employers, from the sound of it. Not that Ambassador Wrath would admit to being in the employ of anyone of course, he'd insist that it was an amicable business arrangement where both sides were on equal footing, but Nychus was well aware that Sarlacc had been calling the shots for some time, acting through third parties to preserve anonymity or some such nonsense. Idly, the Nikto wondered what hold Sarlacc had over the Hutt: was it merely a matter of business, or was their some ulterior motivation, some leverage that their mysterious associates had somehow leveraged? It was the kind of thing that could keep a man up at night wondering, were he inclined to wonder about such things.

His vision swept back towards the tavern that had been obliterated, his ocular scanning the wreckage for indications of life and movement. Utterly still, utterly quiet. Not nearly the kind of elegant solution that he would have preferred: a high yield explosive was far more of a brutish Avar Adamas tactic; but what were you to do when you spotted two people you were under orders not to kill trying to slice the security systems of the building you were waiting for your target to exit? A sniper shot the moment he walked out the door would have been all the silencing that was required; but their hand had been forced, and so they'd needed to make a mess.

He sighed and reached for the comlink on his headset - another unnecessary action, the comlink channel was already locked open, but it was the kind of habit you inherited when you spent too much of your downtime watching old holomovies about espionage and such things. "Good job, Zel," he commented; not an outpouring of praise or anything like that, but credit where credit was due. His associate had acted swiftly to prepare a suitable demolitions approach to their unfortunate circumstance, and had achieved total success. "Meet me back at the ship. I want to see whether Montegue plans to head home with his tail between his legs, or stick around."

[Atton Kira]

* * *

Three days. Three bloody days.

Not a word, not a signal. Not even a note. It had taken a slice into Cloud City's sensor logs and air traffic computers to even figure out where they'd bloody gone. A joyride to Ubrikkia of all places. Why, Atton had no idea. Frankly, he didn't particularly care: Vittore Montegue's business was his own, and if he had business on Ubrikkia, fine. If he needed to step out on the deal he had with Miss Shadowstar, fine. There were plenty of people here on Bespin to keep anyone who needed protection protected without some second rate bounty hunter in the mix. All of that was fine, and didn't bother Atton in the least.

Taking Sadie with him though? That was far from fine. The girl was barely recovered, barely stitched back together well enough to avoid her guts tumbling out of open wounds every time she walked. And that was just the physical trauma: the emotional trauma, the psychological wounds, those might never heal; and the last thing she needed was some selfish moron dragging her off to some seedy Hutt-controlled death pit, because - why? Some short-sighted plan to juggle his job to protect her with whatever pitiful little ancillary engagement had come his way? Risking her life, her safety, for a measly few credits and a chance to stave off a little boredom? Selfish ass.

Atton was utterly furious, to such an extent that his jaw was trying it's utmost to bite up through his skull and crush his teeth into dust. He watched with daggers in his eyes as the Crimson Tide eased itself into place on the landing pad. His petching ship, gods damn it, with his petching droids aboard, swiped by Vittore and his idiotic Wookiee-sized brother years ago. The insurance payout had more than covered his losses, true: but it was the principle of the thing. First a stolen ship and stolen droids; now a stolen Sadie. He could feel the broiling of his boiling blood beneath his skin, an outburst primed and ready to be unleashed.

"Mister Montegue!" he snarled, the instant the egress ramp touched the deck, and the scruffy bow-legged Squib began to strut his way out. His face was formed into a deeper, sharper scowl than it had ever known, his every word dripping with rage. "What the bloody hell?"

[Vittore Montegue]

"That's Captain Montegue, if you don't mind."

Vittore threw up the words like an instant forcefield, deflecting back the initial volley of verbal fire from Atton Kira just enough to provide a few seconds to work out what the damn hell was going on, and why he was on the receiving end of anything. He studied Atton's features, and while true, Vittore wasn't exactly much of a people person in the sense of knowing the right thing to say in the right way to act, his predatory understanding of humanoid behaviour was pretty on point. Sure, Atton was angry - very angry - but he could see the other things written in small print across his features. He could see the deeper than usual wrinkles around his eyes, the redness and the slight squint of someone who hadn't slept too great the last couple of days. There was the clench in his jaw, not something you expected from someone who was willing to let his tongue fire at will, but rather of someone who was trying desperately not to say things he wanted to say but knew he shouldn't. There was the strange off-balance slant of his posture, as if muscles bunched and tense with worry had suddenly been given a reason to relax, but were too committed to their stress to fully take advantage of it.

His eyes strayed across to Sadie, and a flicker of realisation dawned. He knew why this body language was so familiar, why it was so loud and clear to understand: he'd been on the other side of an overprotective rant like this plenty of times himself.

"I'm glad you're here, Mister Kira," he offered after a few moments of consideration, the emphasis there as a small jab at the angry man, but his tone mostly calibrated to smooth things over. Not in an ass-kissing way, more in that kind of calm and objective way that people explained things you'd got irrationally upset about, and left you feeling like a dick and an idiot after the fact. "Miss K'Vesh and I just got back from followin' up a lead on Ubrikkia. Found a few things that y' might find interestin'."

[Atton Kira]

"I know," Atton growled back, not letting Vittore's tone of voice discourage his anger in the slightest.

On the contrary, he let Vittore's words fuel it, deepening his irritation further. Why did people do this? Why did people talk to him as if he didn't know things. Knowing things - knowing near enough everything - was Atton Kira in a nutshell. He was the one people came to with questions. He was the one people expected to have answers. Most of the time when people came to him hoping to earn a little money from a well-placed bit of informing, nothing they ever told was ever something that Atton didn't already expect: just a matter of confirming those gut instincts, backing them up with corroborated sources and substantive evidence.

Of course he knew about their little trip to Ubrikkia: the two of them couldn't go to the bloody 'fresher without him knowing about it from multiple sources. And okay, so perhaps the notion of going there following up a lead - a lead to what? - came as a mild surprise, but not significantly. Even that was his own fault: he'd designed the comm array and Sleazy's subroutines far too well for even his efforts to circumvent comm security and let him listen in on Montegue's messages. He was an information broker, for Palpatine's sake. Who did this bounty hunter think he is?

"I also know that there was a bloody explosion!"

[Vittore Montegue]

Vittore didn't respond immediately, instead looking across at Sadie and giving her his best get a load of this guy face, complete with raised eyebrow and everything. When he finally turned his attention back to Atton Kira, it was with his arms folded defiantly across his chest.

"First of all, that explosion?" His face tilted to the side, his lips getting involved in a shrug that his shoulders didn't seem to want to have any part in. "Not our fault. Damn thing went and blew itself up before we even got there."

His eyes fixed on Atton's, staring the man down intently. There wasn't any fire behind them, no anger yet, but they were sharp like knives, the kind of eyes that you didn't dare look away from; like the eyes of a cobra swaying back and forward, ready to pounce and poison you the instant you glanced away. He took a step forward, taking advantage of every inch of his taller-than-Atton-Kira height. With a brother like Cambrio, it wasn't often that you got to be the one towering over people, and so Vittore was determined to make the most of it.

"Now me, I would a' just bugged out then an' there, called it a loss an' headed home. Sadie though? She managed t' slice into the starport registry, and wrote some kind a' complex comparative algorithm thing that I don't even remember the words to describe, let alone understand in any kind a' meaningful way. Back traced all the ships that landed within a day or two of us, dredged up the ownership files, sprinkled some fairy dust on it or whatever, and spewed out a few names. We headed for orbit, faked a jump-out, sat there in stealth mode waitin', and boom."

There was a tiny hint of pride in his smile as he bombarded Atton with what Sadie had done, trying his damnedest to maximise how impressive it all sounded.

"Less than an our after we leave, one a' the ships on Sadie's list makes for orbit and heads out. Waited an extra twenty-four to be sure no one else was gonna bolt, and no one did. Okay so sure, their ain't nothin' to prove that the tavern was blown up by an offworlder, but I went over all the police reports; think Sadie managed to get me the forensic scans before the investigatin' officers even saw 'em. Military grade explosives, pecision placement, a clean blast killin' everyone inside and collapsin' the structure entirely without a lick of damage to the surroundin' city. No way in hell you pay for that kind a' expertise over some petty local affair."

He reached into the pocket of his jacket, pulling out the datapad he'd already stashed there with everything that Sadie had found. Truth was, he and she were gonna head straight to Atton and Emelie the instant they arrived, to share what they'd found. Vittore wasn't even gonna be smug or dickish about it: situation seemed kinda grave and all that. If Atton wanted to force his hand and have it out here though, then bring it on. Read it and weep, tiny little man.

"Nychus Antirr," Vittore explained, pulling up the relevant file and shoving the device into Atton's hands. "Sadie says he's on-flle as a Sector Ranger, but we're pretty sure his sector ain't part of the Empire anymore. Seems like some bureaucrat somewhere forgot t' take his credentials off the system. Either that, or someone Imperial has got this guy's back. Guess we can't rule out anythin' just yet."

His arms folded back across his chest again, another shrug offered.

"Security feeds caught a Zeltron woman boardin' his ship as well, but we ran her through the system and didn't get a match... so either she's nobody, or she's some kind a' covert spy type of somebody. Either way..."

He trailed off, his point not really needing to be specifically concluded. This was bad news. Whoever this Sarlacc was, and whatever reason they'd had a score to settle with Emelie Shadowstar, it had been bad enough when they'd been splashing their cash on brutish bounty hunters entirely devoid of subtlety, but now there were spies, Sector Rangers, and the Empire in the mix. This was big, and bad, and he didn't have to point that out to Mr Tactical Analysis, no matter how up his own ass Kira was feeling today.

And that was where he should have left it. Point proven. Case made. Kira put in his place. All done with restraint, and maturity, and a certain roguish kind of elegance, if Vittore were to be honest with himself about it. It was the kind of conduct that his dad would have praised him for. You were a real officer today, son. Something like that. But Vittore wasn't that sort of person. Vittore wasn't done. There was more to say, and Vittore wasn't just gonna stand there and let it go unsaid.

"Now, as for this little rage routine a' yours, Mister Kira." The fire that had been absent from his eyes slowly began to smoulder. "I'm sure you an' Miss Shadowstar have your reasons t' act like Sadie is some kind a' princess who needs lockin' up in a dragon-guarded castle, and I'm just as sure they seem like damn good reasons t' you. But what y' all seem to be forgettin' is that Sadie here is damn good. I ain't never worked with a slicer with even half her aptitude, she's got one hell of a brain in that pretty little head a' yours, and barrin' some abusive asshole who I didn't nearly cause as much hurt as he deserved before he died, she can take care a' herself. She's been doin' it her whole damn life, and don't act like you an' your spynet ain't already aware a' that."

Vittore's words were cutting, searing into Atton like wafting strokes of a welding torch, searing into Atton with such white-hot brutality that the little man didn't even seem to know how to react. "Maybe you ain't got it in you t' respect Sadie is for who she is an' what she can do, but I don't work that way. Which is why when you scurry outta here in a minute or two's time, you are gonna take that datapad to Miss Shadowstar, and after she's read it you are gonna tell her to take half a' what she's payin' me, and shunt it into Sadie's accounts, because from now until she decides otherwise, I am hirin' her services t' help me get to the bottom a' this."

A thin smile tugged across Vittore's features. "If anyone has any kind a' problem with that, then just say the word. You can find someone else t' keep Miss Shadowstar safe the next time Sarlacc decides to come a-callin', and Sadie and I will be on our merry. Am I bein' clear and crystal on that?"

[Sadie K'Vesh]

Sadie weren't quite sure what she was more shocked at: the where have you two children been?? act from Kira or the sudden outburst of praise from Vittore. Course there were some things Vitt said that caught her attention in his rant other than just tellin' Kira to step off and if they hadn't been delivered with a blade's edge she probably would have turned all red and flustered. As it was she kept avertin' her eyes to the deck under her boots and casin' the occasional amused glance toward Kira, wonderin' when the broker's head would pop from the verbal onslaught Vitt was deliverin'.

Was true though, aside from makin' a real bad mistake in lettin' Bog get a good hold on her, Sadie had managed to keep herself alive for the most part all on her own. Nobody else had helped and those that claimed to be helpin' most often had other things they really wanted from the girl. Yeah okay, so not every choice was golden, most pretty bad if she was honest. Hells, up until the Rebellion snagged her she'd still been two cigs away from wantin' somethin' harder and... Well how about that, funny how near dyin' would knock off a habit that was slowly killin' you anyway. Probably for the best, but magic blood loss cure for a nic addiction wasn't somethin' to be musin' on at the moment. Either way she had been okay on her own, maybe not great but livin' just the same. Was about time other people started rememberin' that.

So the sheepish side of her decided to settle back down and a rather smug little grin replaced it as she gave a nod towards Kira, one of them Yeah, what he said jobs. Not that she was bein' disrespectful but truth was, Kira and Shadowstar didn't have the rights to tell her where she could go and when. Yeah, okay, so they may have been to thank for not bein' dead, but that just meant they'd get to use her skills when they needed, didn't mean they got to play overprotective guard duty on her.

[Atton Kira]

Atton bristled at the comprehensive rebuttal that Vittore unleashed, furious at the hunter for saying it, but even more so at him for being right. He knew, better than Vittore did even, how resilient Sadie was. Knew what she was capable of. Hell, he'd been shunting jobs her way for years, on the sly of course, steering contacts and third parties he knew could be trusted into her direction, to make sure she had at least half a chance to make a go of a passable existence. It wasn't the least he could do, but it was the least he was willing to do, given the circumstances. He was supposed to be staying away, staying out of her life, letting her make her own way... but just look at her. How could he?

It was when Atton's eyes shifted from Vittore to Sadie that his resolve crumbled. The sight of her wordlessly siding with that damned hunter, the realisation that Vittore was saying the things that Atton should have been thinking, that some angst-ridden waste of blood and testosterone had already done better by Sadie than Atton had managed her whole life - that was what did him in. His shoulders slumped, head fell slightly, expression turned grudgingly thoughtful instead of openly confrontational.

"Alright," he surrendered, not dejected or timid, but strangely quiet and lacking in his usual gruffness and swagger. Even his accent seemed to have faded into submission, as if even that part of him had lost the will to fight too. He drummed the data device against the palm of his hand. "I'll get this to Miss Shadowstar, and pass your message along."

For a fleeting moment, his eyes flitted to Sadie once again. "It was nice to finally meet you in person, Miss K'Vesh."

And with that he was gone, striding from the landing bay, not daring to look back.

[Vittore Montegue]

Vittore almost felt sorry for the guy, emotionally trapped in some weird limbo between that sentiment and the smug satisfaction of having somehow won against Captain Smartypants. It was weird, almost as if behind that skeevy veneer of information broker arrogance, there was a real person lurking, with real thoughts and feelings, who knew to back down when he was wrong. Kira hadn't seemed hurt by anything Vittore had said; more shocked by it, stunned into submission as Vittore hit closer to the mark than perhaps even he realised. There was certainly something here, something beyond what was out in the open; more secrets and shenanigans mostly, the kind of thing that Vittore had no patience for, but had the distinct feeling would rear it's ugly head and make his life harder and more miserable before too long. So what if Atton Kira had feelings? He was still an arrogant, secretive, manipulative son of a bitch.

"That guy's a jackass," Vittore muttered aloud, mouth agreeing with his mind's sentiment.

The weirdest part of all this though wasn't the way he felt about winning a victory over Kira, but rather the way he felt as his eyes turned to settle on Sadie. There was something almost content about the feelings that flooded him: the weirdly foreign feeling of knowing that you'd done the right thing for no reason other than to do the right thing. Vittore would fight and argue as readily as the next man, and there was always something satisfying about knowing you'd won; but that was always for credits, that was always about about the job. He honesty couldn't remember the last time he'd stuck up for someone, fought for someone, just because it was the right thing to do. Couldn't remember the last time he'd saved someone for purely their own sake - it was almost as much about hacking off the head of whatever was trying to hurt them. It felt nice. The way that Sadie looked at him now made it even more so.

Don't get used to it, he warned himself. We both know you're gonna screw it all up eventually.

A slightly embarrassed smile crept onto his features, making it hard to maintain a solid lock on Sadie's eyes, though he kept trying. The things that he'd said, that he'd accused Kira of, rattled around in his head. "So, Princess," he quipped, an extra tug of amusement creeping into his smile. "Anythin' you fancy doin' before someone comes t' lock you back in your tower?"

[Sadie K'Vesh]

Sadie weren't one to linger in the guilt bin too long or often but damned if that little rough actual meetin' with Kira didn't sit her squarely there. Was true, was the first time she'd actually met the guy who was a big part of her still kickin' and that was how she conducted herself? She may not have been taught none better by no one but even she had some sense of what was proper and not and that there was somethin' she'd have to make amends for later. It certainly knocked the smug right out of her and cut the power to her little happy place.

More than enough for her to only offer a mild "heh" in reply to Vitt's question whereas she normally may have suggested going and snagging a drink or two in some cheeky manner. Knight in shinin' armor and all that junk. Instead she focused more on the end of what he'd said, her lips puckering off to one side in a slight frown.

"Yeah, m' tower... 'Bout that... Don't really care much where we go so long as I don't have t' go back there any time soon. Place is too empty, too big, too... I dunno. Just don't really feel right there. They stuck me there in order for me t' feel safe or somethin' but just... no." Sadie let out one of them small sardonic laughs and allowed the sigh to follow right along behind it. "Sounds dumb but would y' believe I ain't even slept in the bed in there? Guess that's m' own hangup. Beds are weird. Too soft or open or somethin'."

[Vittore Montegue]

Too open. Vittore knew that feeling.

He'd tried it for a little while, living the normal life. He'd tried the house. He'd owned the speeder. He'd cooked proper meals in a proper kitchen; gone to work every day at a proper job like normal people had. He'd had neighbours he knew, visited the same bars, the same restaurants. Worst part of it though, the memory that really stuck, was waking up each morning and finding someone under the sheets next to you; the same someone, over and over. That was the part of it that haunted him long after it had been ripped away, a bloody mess the only thing left in it's wake. That was why he spent half his nights on the couch, the other half getting as much alcohol in his system so he could crash out before he got the chance to notice how empty the bed was without her.

So yeah, he knew that feeling. He knew how the longer it took to see the metal walls and the low ceilings when you woke, the longer that sleepy ignorance lasted, the longer your mind fooled you into forgetting everything that had happened. He knew curling up in a corner because you'd moved in your half-awake state, invaded the wrong side of the bed, and not bumped into the person you still subconsciously expected to be there a little too often for anyone to maintain their sanity.

A frown tugged at his brow, an uncomfortable conflict of thoughts, knee-jerk suggestions clashing with deep-rooted twisting reluctances. There was a reason his ship had become his home; a reason he'd stopped taking advantage of hotel and motel rooms every time he was planetside. Inside the pressurised, space-worthy hull of the Crimson Tide, he was safe. He was alone. The universe couldn't get to him anymore. It was the only place he could feel safe, feel like nothing was going to get him; feel that no one was going to get close enough to cause the kind of pain he'd experienced far too much before.

Exactly what Sadie needed.

"You can -" His throat tried to stop him, drying up to prevent his words from coming out, but he forced his way past it. "If you're gonna be my partner, you're gonna be spendin' a lot a' time on my ship, an' you're gonna need a place to crash when y' do. I got enough spare cabins that we could call one of 'em yours, and it wouldn't inconvenience me none. They ain't that big, and they ain't all that comfy, but -"

His voice trailed off. "Y'know, if you want."

[Sadie K'Vesh]

Sadie knew she must have rattled loose some sort of unpleasantness with the way that Vitt's expression flickered and changed even if he was tryin' to keep it all contained. Chalk up another reason to sit in the guilt seat. That weren't her intentions at all and she was startin' to wonder if her and Vitt needed to sit and clear the air one of these days so they stopped stumblin' across sayin' the wrong thing. Not that she figured that'd happen any time soon, they both seemed to have a pleasant don't ask don't tell policy goin' on. Don't fix what ain't broken sorta job.

What he was offerin' though? That was the truly unexpected. Sure Nen kinda was livin' on the ship but everyone knew it was a temporary sort of situation. Givin' her a spot of her own? Sadie hadn't expected that in the slightest. Maybe a recommendation on some sort of dive off in Port Town she could hole up in instead, but not that.

He used that word again, though. Partner. Yeah, that sounded agreeable enough. Was obvious it weren't real easy for Vitt to just toss out there, neither.

"Y' sure? I mean, I don't take up t' much space, don't have many things an' all. Y' jus' say the word and show me where t' stick to an' I'll stay outta your way an'..." Sadie didn't realize she'd been ramblin' and startin' to fidget somethin' awful until she took the time to look back up to Vitt. A small smile forced it's way on uncertain features. "I... I mean, thanks. Yeah. I-I think that'd be... I mean, yeah. Sure. If you'll have me aboard then aboard sounds shiny."

She didn't know if it were a good thing or not she managed to stay put rather than followin' through with the ludicrous sudden urge to hug the guy again. Her arms kinda raised a bit before fallin' behind her back, stopped before it could get that far. She'd done that sort of thing before but had been injured or all kinds of emotional, couldn't exactly claim some of that now.

[Vittore Montegue]

"Shiny," he echoed, a soft musing tone sprinkled across his words. A small smile tugged at his lips; glimmered a little in his eyes too, the kind of smile that it was impossible to fake. "I like that."

Outwardly, that was the extent of it. Small smile, a lingering look, job done. He'd made a simple offer, and she had accepted - with a kinda cute bit of nervous stumbling for good measure. Wouldn't do to tell her that though, she seemed like the girl who'd turn the colour of Bespin if you tried to compliment her even the tiniest bit. He'd have to experiment with that, see how it turned out. Not now though. They'd pick a room, he'd take her to go grab her stuff later on, job done. Crisis resolved. Score one for Team Montegue.

So why didn't it feel like that was all? Why didn't it feel like that was enough? Why was his jaw straining under the surface, fighting back the grin that wanted to push his way through? Why did he have the urge to instantly drag her back inside and give her the grand tour - which frankly wasn't all that necessary; weren't exactly a big ship - like he was a dumb kid excited about having just made a new best friend? Why was he stood there thinking about how light she was, how easily he could just scoop her up and carry her inside, how her being closer by wasn't happening fast enough? Was he really that lonely, that starved for company that her staying aboard felt like the equivalent of the last ten birthdays and Life Days rolled into one?

Man up, Montegue, he hissed at himself internally. No gettin' mushy. She's got enough t' work through without havin' to deal with your sad an' alone crap.

"So -"

He started talking before his mind had come up with anything to say, a slight awkward pause hanging in the air before he managed to fumble a few more words out of his mouth. His thumb jerked over his shoulder, indicating the ship behind them. "Wanna head back inside? We got beer."

[Sadie K'Vesh]

"'Less Nen drank it all," she quipped back with a small shrug of her shoulder, last few seconds of unpleasant done and gone with.

Was gonna be good to have place that was more or less her own. Hotel room was fancy enough and didn't leave a body wantin' for much but they'd never really been her style. Hammock slung up in a spare storage room was more her speed so whatever Vitt was gonna toss her way was more than enough. Hells, maybe it'd even become home to some extent, been a while since she could think of somethin' that counted that far. She was gettin' ahead of herself, though. Movin' a bit faster in the head than the rest of her had a change to catch on to, at least, but she didn't want to even give it a chance. Best to take things as they came and skip the future plannin' and hopin'

"B'sides," Sadie continued with another one of them signature halfhearted smirks. "Y' still gotta show me that Republic Rancors er somethin'. Y' promised after all."

[Vittore Montegue]

Vittore's lips drew into a thin line. "Rangers."

Okay, so Vittore wasn't an idiot. He knew a half-way joking comment when he heard one; wouldn't have surprised him if Sadie was just busting out a little deadpan humour at his expense. But even so, boundaries. Some things were sacred. Some things you didn't make fun of.

"It's Republic Rangers, Sadie. How do you not -"

He stopped, drew in a careful breath, let a layer of inhaled air weigh down on top of the bubbling words eagerly trying to climb their way up his throat: something that would begin as a rant, but dissolve almost instantly into a passionate advocation of the holoshow that probably meant more to Vittore than was entirely normal or rational. But it wasn't just a show. It wasn't even about the show. It was about everything that went along with it; everything it represented for Vittore. His life had been spent on the move, shifting from planet to planet every few weeks or months, little patches spent with Elroy maybe, the rest aboard dad's Coromon Headhunter learning from eduvids and crusty old books, feeding his dumb snot-nosed brother and trolling the holonet for advice on how to pick up girls. The only normal thing in his life, the only thing that made him feel like a regular child with a regular childhood, was that show.

Not even that show; that birthday. With dad away on a job so often, it didn't always feel like their father knew them all that much. But then he'd shown up at home one day - barely even still counted as Vittore's birthday, about 3AM the following morning - and crept into the room at Uncle Elroy's where Vittore was sleeping. Or at least, pretending to be asleep so he didn't get in trouble for being awake so late. Dad was limping, his arm was hanging weird by his side, and he clearly looked like he'd patched himself up after a fight and only managed a half-assed job of it. But he shuffled in, stood there for a minute looking down at Vittore, and then placed Vitt's first ever Republic Rangers playset at the foot of his bed. Happy birthday, son. Vittore still had that toy; had the whole damn set by now, but it was that lone figure that made the most. Not any old random set; not the cheapest one he could find; not the most expensive either, to overcompensate for being away. Alex Carmine, in his Season Three gear. Twin blasters. BARC Speeder. Customised ARC armour. Dad hadn't picked that out at random: he'd hunted down Vittore's favourite, and that wasn't knowledge that he could possibly just have, that was something he'd found out on purpose.

That was the memory Vittore had always clung to. All the times when Cambrio whined about their life, rebelled against dad just because he could; that memory was Vittore's assurance. Yeah, the moving sucked. Yeah, it was weird that they learned to use slugthrowers when most kids were tossing a Huttball around the park with their dad. But he was doing the best he could, y'know? He may not always have been there, may not always have been the best dad in the 'verse, but it wasn't for lack of effort.

Vittore took a step backwards, fixing Sadie with a stern but playful look as he aimed a finger back up at the Crimson Tide. "Get your butt on that couch, Princess. We're fixin' this, right here an' now. Captain's orders."

[Uncle Atton]

* * *

"That's it?"

Tony's voice was thick with disbelief, a hint of agitation as he sat up straighter in his bed, a challenging frown mustered across his brow.

"They went in the ship and that's the end?"

Uncle Atton shrugged, the kind of calm and patient shrug that was always infuriating, as if this whole situation was somehow of minimal interest or importance to him. He reached up, absent mindedly adjusting his spectacles, before changing his mind and taking them off, using a corner of his shirt to idly polish the lenses. "Not all stories have a happy ending," he offered sagely, "But that does not mean they have a sad one instead. Some stories merely end; others end and then begin again, different chapters within one life."

Young Tony wasn't prepared to let him get away with something that cryptic. "But there are still questions!" he protested, clearly very displeased with the quality of story service he had received thus far. "Who was Sarlacc? Why did they want Auntie Emmy dead? Who were the other people who made the tavern asplode?"

"What episode of Republic Rangers did they watch?" Danny chimed in helpfully. "And which one is her favouritest?"

Atton let out one more long sigh. He was surprised he was still conscious at this point, given the amount of surplus carbon dioxide the boys had forced him to sigh out into the air around him. It wasn't their fault though, he supposed. They may have had a responsibility to learn, but it was the duty of the others in their lives to teach, and some lessons had apparently received a lackluster delivery. Or perhaps they were simply waiting for him to teach them, he considered almost hopefully; one small task to help the old man feel like he mattered in some way.

"The danger with true stories," he began slowly, "Is that unfortunately, the answers do not come all at once. They form parts of other stories, and sometimes they only go on to create more questions. We did not learn what Sarlacc until much later, and their motives didn't become clear for months, despite our best efforts. The secret," he continued, mouth forming into a smile as he made his way slowly towards the door, his hand reaching out to loiter beside the control for the lights, "Is to know which answers to remember when the next story crosses your path - something we might get a chance to practice tomorrow, if you are well behaved enough and go immediately to sleep right now."

In less than a split second, Danny had thrown himself back onto his pillows, lying so still and straight that he was practically a packaged toy soldier. Tony though wasn't quite so willing to give up on the story just yet. A question clearly lingered on his tongue, and lacking better judgement, he challenged his uncle to find an answer.

"You said the story was about momma," he said quietly, almost as if he was afraid that someone might overhear him asking such a sensitive thing. "But she wasn't any of those people."

An enigmatic smile broadened across Atton's lips.

"Wasn't she?"

[Saidra Ath-Thu'ban]

The door closed with a soft click and already the muffled whispers of two overly excited boys followed with. They would stop soon enough, exhaustion claiming the both of them but for now they'd debate about what Atton had told them. The man himself seemed quite satisfied with the quandary left in his wake and Saidra could only shake her head from where she leaned against the wall, arms folded across her chest in a fake display of disapproval. Weren't easy bein' mom, but there were bits she was gettin' used to.

"Of all things, that's the story y' tell 'em?" She asked, knowing her voice would have to carry from behind the older man. Not trying to scare him or anything. At least she wasn't givin' him hell for not sayin' hi to her since he came planet side.

[Uncle Atton]

Were this the Sadie from his story, he would have found some eloquent way to excuse himself out of whatever mistake had earned him that particular tone and look. He'd have had a comeback. Something. This Saidra was different though. All this Saidra got was the warmest smile he could muster, before he bundled her up into his arms and attempted to hug the stern out of her. So much had changed since then. So much for the better.

"I missed you little one," he muttered softly, carrying on the embrace a little longer than a normal person would have. He didn't care. It didn't matter that he had now been a part of her life for almost as much as he hadn't been; he still squeezed the most out of every hug, every smile, every quiet conversation between them. So much to make up for. So much to make amends for. So much better than he was to try and be. "I'm afraid your hatchlings hijacked me before I had the chance to come and say hello."

When he finally found it within to release her - with no small amount of reluctance - he finally managed to shuffle his familial urges aside and respond in kind to her little show at being pretend-annoyed, though he couldn't help the faint teasing twinkle that manifested in his eye. "Would you rather I shared the story of the time you and their father locked yourself in Elysium after closing, without your clothes?"

[Saidra Ath-Thu'ban]

"Hey, I ganked the cams and feeds for that, at least. You only found out second hand because someone couldn't keep his damn mouth shut." For a moment she tried holding on to the dourness but it failed real quick. She wasn't even that good with the boys about it, usually only managing to hold on until they trudged off after their tongue lashings before she found herself having to hide the laughs. Was hard disciplinin' kids for trouble you were proud of them for causin'.

Sadie - Saidra as was what most people aside from family called her nowadays - looked back towards the closed door her two sons were behind. They'd crashed out sooner than she had expected. Good, they both had stayed up late enough as it was. "They're good for that sort of thing. That and annoyin' their dad with stupid questions."

She laughed, short but true before looking back to Atton. "You still got some time in y', old man, or need to get t' sleep? I got a bottle of Whyren's that th' ol' bosslady sent my way. Been keepin' it for special occasions... or special visitors. One in particular."

[Uncle Atton]

Atton took a step forward, carefully manoeuvring himself into place at her side, crooking out his arm for Saidra to take hold.

"For you?" he countered, and while there was definitely a smile on his lips, but there was a whole lot of extra sentiment going on behind his eyes. "For you, I would make a single drink last until the end of the universe, if it would save me from being dragged away from my family again."

His fingers patted against Sadie's hand, and as they began to stroll off down the corridor towards the rest of the house, a contented sigh left his lungs. After all his years, all his searching, his watching, his investigating and information broking, through all the struggles and adversity, the lies and misdirections, the heartbreak and the heartfelt conversations, somehow he had managed to blunder through the galaxy and had finally found the one thing that he had been looking for, the one thing he had been lacking. It was the same thing that united so many of those who had come to this world, so many of those who had found this destination at the end of their life's journey. A place to live. People to love.

Home.