All Night Diner [ completed ]

[James Prent]

"The nerf steak is especially good today." Yes, it isn't crawling with maggots. The petite waitress plucked a stylus from behind her ear to place the grumpy twi'lek's order. He ordered some form of crawly bugs that James didn't have the stomach for. Literally. She smiled, and promised to come back with a refil for his caf mug.

Lounging on the counter in the caf station, the nineteen year old Nar Shadaaian native wished for the umpteenth time that she'd be able to buy her way onto a freighter and get the frell off 'this dren hole of a moon.'

Her mother had taught her nothing before she died, other than the fact that she'd taken the easy way out. Dying in childbirth was the worst kind of cop-out. Way to take responisbility for your actions, mom. James didn't feel any ill-will towards the woman, after all she'd been a disease ridden prostitute. In all reality, her mother had probably done her a favor by dying.

She picked up the caf pot and made her way back out onto the floor. It was two a.m., standard Nar Shadaa time, and it was the middle of her shift.

[Sanis Prent]

The night was young, but I was all out of caf.

I ran the back of my hand against the five o'clock shadow I'd sported between here and Cato Neimoidia. A hop, skip, and a jump away, it seemed.

That was the trouble with living on spacelanes. There was no morning. There was no night. You lived in neverending insomnia. A manic-depressive haze that was some dull shade of grey. You longed for a break in the routine, if only to get enough sleep cycles to find the pattern, before you raised too much hell and had to pull up stakes again.

I'm Sanis Prent. The 100 kilo wall of striped skin and mullet across from me is Cirrsseeto. He's a Cizerack, and he's been my mechanic through feast and famine for the last eight years, give or take a cycle. I don't know exactly how we came to spend the better part of a decade on the same ship, other than it having something to do with a game of Sabacc against a Cizerack matron who'd gotten a terminal case of gamble-madness. She'd lost 4,000 credits, a YV-666 freighter, and her doe-eyed boy toy, who somehow managed to be the bargain of the pot. Everything on the freighter has since broken - twice, and he's been there to put it back together again.

The money? I think there were strippers and body shots involved. Probably drugs too. I don't have money anymore. Never been one to keep it anyway.

In fact, we're broke. I put 50 credits of fuel my freighter - The Layla*. I can pay for the caf, but the only thing I can cover my dinner with is my smile.

Cirr's not eating. He ate on the ship. I didn't eat on the ship. The ship smells like Cirr's cooking. The stuff of nightmares, on a dopa-seed bun and crammed into a waffle iron, smelling of burnt hair, caramels, and liquid smoke.

The waitress passed by, and I waved my empty mug at her.


<font size=-3>* = The freighter's name came from this Zeltron I met on Subterrel. I remember there was this trick she would do with a handball and it....well okay that isn't important.</font>

[James Prent]

"Be right with you, handsome." James smiled without really looking at the guy who'd tried to flag her down, and walked on to fullfill her appointment with the twi'lek's caf cup. He looked impatient for his bowl of bugs, but she merely flashed her trademark smile and took the caf pot to the table with the scruffy guy.

...and the huge Cizerack. James filled the mug, and eyed the striped one of the pair. "The bantha steak is especially good tonight, boys. Have you decided yet?"

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirrsseeto Raurrssatta wore a set of dark blue canvas coveralls, with various patches with Aurabesh text sewn on the sleeves and chest. His own name appeared over the left breast, in red script and a little bigger than the other adornments. The entire getup had endured a marinade of engine grease, sublight coolant, and hydraulic fluid, which seemed to remain in the fabric no matter how many wash cycles it got.

The grease stains seemed to follow his striped skin where the coveralls feared to tread, darkening the folds of the skin on his hands and in spots on his face. The only parts of Cirr that seemed clean were the Cizerack's fingertips and the area around his mouth. Even his brown mullet was a day's cycle overdue on shampoo, with a few metal shavings speckled here and there.

He eyed James as she spoke in a way that all Cizerack eyed the opposite sex, intentional or otherwise. His blue eyes ran up her long legs, against her backside, and into the cleft of her cleavage, and then remembered he was out of caf as well.

"No thanks. Just the darrrk stuff."

He pointed a clawed finger casually in Sanis's direction.

"Flyboy's gonna want some chow though."

[Sanis Prent]

"Whatever you say, sweets. Medium well and a side of fried tubers."

A slight movement caught the corner of my eye, causing me to sharply kick a shin under the table. Cirr squinted and his ears flopped back, but he kept his sabacc face otherwise.

The help tonight was cute, and suddenly I wished I'd found a razor this morning. Or a clean shirt for that matter.

"Oh yeah, and the caf too. Top me off."

[James Prent]

James turned her attention from filling the Cizerack's cup, and shook the glass pot lightly. "I'm all out, I'll be right back." She smiled, "Did you want th' vegetables that come with the steak? I'd reccomend against them."

[Sanis Prent]

"If it's free, sure."

I shrugged.

"If its coming out of your kitchen, thats gotta be some gourmet greens."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr worked on sipping his caf, almost taking care to look preoccupied with it. While that was happening, his tail found the opening of James's skirt...

[James Prent]

Her grin widened, a slight blush touching her cheeks. "Well it comes with, so that's sort of free."

James noticed she was just standing there, looking at him, and shook her pot. "Be right back." She gave a little jump at the brush of something at the back of her thigh.

She escaped to the refuge of the caf station, where she punched in the order. There was a shout from the kitchen, and a bang that sounded like something being hit with a pot.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr waited until she was out of earshot.

"Alphabet game."

He smiled a thin, dangerously toothy smile at his partner in crime.

[Sanis Prent]

My eyes widened, and I leaned forward, a pointing index finger leading the charge.

"No. Not tonight. No more stupid games."

Glancing sidelong, I settled back in my seat.

"Besides, I can't even pay for this crap. I can't worry about trying to pick her up while I'm trying to get her to pick up the tab. No way."

[James Prent]

James peeked around the corner of the station at the guy - they looked to be a pair of grease monkeys from the spaceport. At least, the one did. The human had an adorable smile though.

The bell rang at the counter behind the empty bar to her left, and James scurried over ot pick up the twi'lek's meal. The writhing bowl of wormy things disgusted her, and she dropped it off without much of a word. She looked over at the other two customers, and smiled to say she hadn't forgotten about the caf. Not yet, anyway.

Another twenty seconds, and she was topping off the guy's cup with a fresh pot. "Your steak'll be up in about ten minutes."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr sat silent, sipping his caf thoughtfully. He set it aside and made small talk with the waitress.

"Any news around the spaceport a couple of offworlders might like?"

With a split-second glance at Sanis, Cirr returned to James with a casual, friendly smile.

[James Prent]

She shrugged. "Heard that there's a rumor of some big battle by some planet called Endor. Maybe it's a moon. News has been scarce around here for the last few days. The holonet isn't really bringing in anything important - so that means they're probably tryin' to figure out how to spin it before they tell us."

James smiled, "I heard some big-wig on Coruscant got killed. His whole skyhook blew up. A Falleen called Xizor."

[Sanis Prent]

Cirr gave me an expecting look, and I returned him a glower over my caf. Setting it down, I looked back at James.

"Battle at...Endor? Never heard of it. Did hear about Xizor when I was pushing the express outside of Ryloth. Not exactly misty eyed there."

[James Prent]

She shrugged, "Oh well." James tilted her head a little to the side, "So you two are from off-world? Where abouts?"

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"Carrrshouljis Prrrjime, orrrjigjinally."

Cirr made eye contact as the business end of his tail lined up for approach again.

[James Prent]

She saw the tail coming and backed away. "Yes, originally, but I meant recently, as in 'where are you in from, flyboy?'"

James grinned, "I'll go check on your steak for you." She dropped the caf pot at the station and headed towards the kitchen.

[Sanis Prent]

Exasperated, I raked my stubble across the back of my left hand as I watched her leave.

Once again out of earshot, I leaned twice as far over this time, and grabbed a handful of Cizerack ear.

"Are you trying to get both of our butts on dishwashing duty, Mittens? Stop thinking with your crotch and follow my lead, or I swear on your unwashed socks that I'll straighten your hydrospanner out with your forehead."

I tightened my grip, just in case he couldn't hear and needed explanation in sign language.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"OWWWwwww<font size=-2>wwww....</font>"

Cirr exclaimed in a carefully quietening tone as he was wrangled face-first onto the table's surface. Looking about at his awkward setting, he talked to Sanis with a half-smooshed cheek.

"Y'know, thoth are thenthjitjive. Neverrr thjink about that, do you?"

Knowing his own strength, he probably could've ripped Sanis in half and gnawed on his sweet insides, but he was a lover, not a fighter. Besides, for all his skills with a wrench, Sanis ultimately paid the bills. And somewhere, Cirr would admit that he was more of a friend than he gave him credit for.

But not right now.

"Let go pleath? jI'm drrrooljing."

[James Prent]

James collected the entree plate from the cook, who promptly returned to the novel he'd been reading, and walked back out on the floor. The twi'lek looked happy with his grubs, and he had barely touched his caf, so she just gave him a smile and kept going.

As she reached table twelve, the two off-worlders were staring at each other, the Cizerack ruffling one of his ears. "Here ya go." James set the plate in front of the scruffy one.

[Sanis Prent]

My Cirr problems forgotten, I was rescued by the waittress and a delicious spread of steak, tubers, and veggies.

"That looks like a million credits."

A striped hand crept forward, which I slapped with the broad edge of my steak knife.

"Quit it."

and again

"quit it."

and again

"stop."

But this time with feeling. Cirr retreated to suck on a rapped knuckle, giving me some quality time.

"I'm sure you get about five hundred skeeby spacers a night asking you, but I can't help to be 501. What's your name?"

[James Prent]

She laughed and pointed at the name tag haphazardly affixed to her slightly wrinkled white shirt. "James. What's yours?"

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr stifled a laugh, and made a half-hearted attempt on Sanis's steak again.

"Oww."

He was good with that knife.

[Sanis Prent]

"Oh. Ohhhh."

I yanked back on the stick in an attempt to recover from the tailspin.

"James. Sounds....Chandrilan?"

Or at least I remembered an old folk song titled "A Boy named James". Wait, that wasn't it.

Didn't matter I guess. I shrugged off the train of thought.

"And I guess I'm the 201st skeeby spacer to ask when you finish up your shift tonight?"

[James Prent]

"Nope, I was born here. Well, not in the diner." James laughed, fiddling with the strings on her little apron. "And it's about 2:30 am... so I finish up in about three and a half hours when the morning crew gets in."

She smiled, thinking he didn't seem skeeby at all. That Cizerack had too many hormones though.

[Sanis Prent]

"Born here, eh?"

I leaned forward a bit, interest piqued.

"Small galaxy, me too. Didn't really put down roots, but that's pretty hard to do in Vertical City anyway."

[James Prent]

"Really, you too?" James leaned a hand on the seat just by the man's shoulder, resting her legs a bit. "At least you managed to get out - I've been stuck here for nineteen years."

[Sanis Prent]

"Yeah, I used to play gravityball in the scrap depot on grid 482. Not much to talk about. We were too broke to do anything, so it wasn't a big decision for me when I stowed away on an outbound charter."


I crossed my arms, forgetting my food, Cirr, and any other distraction.

"I'm not gonna tell a sob story or anything. I guess I just had other stuff to do. Was happy then, am happy now. Doesn't mean I have it all. I guess I've just got enough.

What about you?"

[James Prent]

"Not brave enough to stow away, that's what. Stuck around, got what education I could, stayed away from my foster parents as much as I could.

"And now I'm rewarded with all of this." James spread her arms and indicated the rest of the nearly empty diner. "Graveyard shift at the Ritz." She eyed the cups on the table, and looked at the Cizerack. "Need a refill?"

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr was caught with a mouthful of steak, and a suprised look on his face. He hurriedly shook his head.

[Sanis Prent]

"Dammit, CIRR!"

I sighed, surrendering to the futility of it all. There were probably some crackers and a few packets of Namana jelly lying in the galley somewhere. Probably.

The conversation was bound to be better than the food anyway. This was more than just a pretty face in a greasy spoon.

"But its not like you're chained down here or anything. I mean, you could always leave."

[James Prent]

James nodded, "Oh yeah, but my fairy godmother hasn't shown up yet."

She looked across the room, "Hey I'll be back, have to check on the other customer." James walked over to the twi'lek who looked a bit annoyed. "Anything else I can get for you? Piece of pie maybe? No?" She dropped the bill on the table and walked back towards Cirr and his friend. She still hadn't gotten his name yet.

Snagging the caf pot, she filled up Cirr's cup.

[Sanis Prent]

"Maybe she has."

I glanced sidelong to Cirr, who half-shrugged in passive agreement.

"What did you go to school for, anyway?"

[James Prent]

James blushed a bit, "I studied galactic history. But the grant money I was given got stolen by my foster father, so here I am. All the money I make goes straight into rent for my dren-hole apartment."

[Sanis Prent]

Hmm. History. Kind of a throwaway subject. Can't fix a broken repulsordrive with a history major. Still...

"Well, if you can burn a salad then you're a mile ahead of Cirr here. He's as bad with a spatula as he's good with a hydrospanner."

[James Prent]

She laughed, "Sounds like you needed a good meal. Too bad he ate most of the steak."

[Sanis Prent]

"Yeah..." I sighed "There's probably some crackers left in one of the storage compartments. I'll make do."

[James Prent]

James waved goodbye to the twi'lek, and then turned back to table twelve. "So I guess you have the whole place to yourself. Want a piece of pie to go with your caf?"

There was a clunk from the kitchen, and James hoped they didn't ask what it was.

[Sanis Prent]

"Want to hear a secret?" I asked, a sheepish look on my face.

"I can't even pay for the steak, much less a pie. The caf and a quarter tank of fuel cleaned me out."

It was risky. She could be a bitch about it, and throw both of our butts in the sud shop, but I figured honesty would work better at this point than another load of bull.

[James Prent]

"What?!" James rubbed her forehead. "You realize then your meal comes out of my pocket. Either that, or you wash dishes for a few hours."

There was another loud bang from the kitchen, and a string of curses in a language other than Basic. She leaned forward a bit and lowered her voice. "'Course, once you found out that the cook is trying to kill rats with a sauce pan in the back room, it only made sense that you threw a loud fit and demanded your meal be free."

She winked.

[Sanis Prent]

My smile widened.

"Sounds like you know how to live on a budget too."

I mulled it over a little. Cirr had already green-lit it, but I was still convincing myself, or at least trying to not convince myself so that I would be even more convinced.

"In that history class of yours, you have to look at a lot of maps?"

[James Prent]

"Tons. Had a memory for 'em too. Mostly star charts and the size of different sectors, who ruled what when and where."

James paused. "Why?"

[Sanis Prent]

"I don't have a magic wand, but I do have need for a navigator, among other things on my ship. I don't have the memory for it, and Cirr's gotten us lost in the Rishi Maze too many times for comfort."

[James Prent]

James looked back towards the kitchen, and then back to the guy. "But what's your name?"

[Sanis Prent]

Hah, how'd I forget that one?

"I'm Sanis. The big softie over there is Cirr."

[James Prent]

"Cirr I got. And you know I'm James. James Tau, actually." Her last name belonged to her mother, as she had no idea what her father's name had been.

"So you want me to... come with you?" Her eyes were wide.

[Sanis Prent]

"Unless you've got plans of rising to the top of the diner universe?"

I waggled my eyebrows a little, drumming my fingers on the table.

"If it sucks, no harm, no foul. We make you a little money and you get to cut bait at whatever port of call you like best."

[James Prent]

She grinned, "It sounds great. When and where?" I can't believe this is happening!

James frowned, "You wouldn't happen to be pullin' my leg, would you? This just sounds too good to be true."

[Sanis Prent]

"The when is up to you. The where is Docking Bay 42."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"All we need frrrom you jis yourrr crrredjit chjit numberrr."

Cirr butted in, daintily removing steak grease from the corner of his mouth with a nearby napkin.

[James Prent]

"What!" James turned on the Cizerack, guessing he was joking. "I'm not giving you that. And I'd have to finish my shift first. And..."

James looked back over her shoulder at the kitchen, "I'd suggest a noisy scene with lots of yelling about the rat thing."

[Sanis Prent]

I stamped my foot down, and Cirr yipped. Keeping a straight face, I replied to her objections.

"Its not a funny joke, and he's kidding."

Something about her suggestion made me smile. It was simpler than even she was thinking. I glanced down.

"Those look like comfortable shoes."

[James Prent]

She looked at her shoes. "What?"

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"BOOK jIT!"

Cirr hurdled over his side of the booth, stuck the landing, and bolted out the front door at full tilt.

[Sanis Prent]

"C'mon!"

I followed Cirr's lead, sprinting out of the establishment, trailing James behind by the wrist.

It wasn't the gentlemanly thing to do, but the hell with it. Paying was overrated.

[James Prent]

James shrieked in surprise, stumbling a bit as Sanis pulled her along behind him.

She was vaguely aware of the kitchen door opening and the cook peering out as they exited the diner. Getting her feet underneath her, she ran along with her kidnapper. "What the frell are you doin', flyboy?"

[Sanis Prent]

"Gettin out of here! Got about fifteen seconds for the rest of the help to figure out what the hell - that I'm crawfishing the bill and you're voluntarily shanghied."

Cirr skidded around a corner up ahead, and I followed behind.

"Don't tell me you're getting cold feet now?"

[James Prent]

"Oh frell no -!" She sqeaked as he yanked her around a corner, and struggled to keep up on her shorter legs. "Thought maybe I might need the reference later though!"

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"A place ljike that?" Cirr spoke between deep breaths "You don't need a rrresume, just a pulse."

[James Prent]

James pulled her wrist out of Sanis' grasp, and grabbed his hand instead. "Are we... running... the whole way?"

[Sanis Prent]

"Oh hell no!" I exclaimed through ragged breath. "Just yank his tail when you want to stop."

[James Prent]

James looked at the retreating back of the loping Cizerack and started laughing. "I'm not going to catch... him!"

She looked over at Sanis and couldn't stop grinning.

[Sanis Prent]

"It's the only chance we've got of stopping!" My eyes moved from hers to Cirr's tail and back again.

If she only knew the comedy that was coming...

[James Prent]

James used to be a long distance runner in school, but with the long hours at the diner, it was hard to find time, or the space, for daily workouts.

She concentrated on keeping up and not getting her feet tangled in Sanis'.

[Sanis Prent]

My lungs were dry as dewback jerky, and I could feel the lactic acid start to numb my screaming muscles. Cirr had hit a relatively lazy pace. He could run like this for hours.

"Okay....stop....Cirr....you can stop."

He decelerated, and I doubled over slightly, breathing rapidly. It was enough of a sprint to bring a sheen to my skin in the warm night air.

Looking around, I immediately knew where we were. We'd gone five blocks down through the duty free zone surrounding the spaceport, and were coming up on the commercial terminals. The private zone was maybe two kilometers across the straightaway.

"Well Furball, unless you're carrying both of us, lets get a cab to carry us across the port."

[James Prent]

"Hey, what about my things? Like... a toothbrush or something?"

James put her hands on her hips and drew in a few deep breaths.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"Say what?"

Cirr turned back to both of them, ears perked up and with a mock-incredulous look on his face.

"Genjiuses, you'rrre forrrgettjing that we'rrre a ljittle low on unjiverrrsal lubrrrjicant. Y'know, money? Makes jit harrrd to pay a cab farrre, orrr buy a toothbrrrush."

He paused, tail wrapping around his waist as he stroked a clawed finger up and down his jawline.

"Let's just walk, jI guess. jIf you need a brrush forr yourr teeth, jI should have at least one sparre one jin the engjine rroom. jI use them to scourr the carrbon scorrjing off the subljight powerr converrterrs, but one should stjill be new jin the box."

[James Prent]

James gave him a flat look, and then fumbled in her apron and pulled out a battered pack of stims. Pulling one out, she lighted it up and took a deep drag to calm herself down.

[Sanis Prent]

"Well, once we blast out of system, we gotta think about our next port of call."

As we all walked, I glanced sidelong at James.

"Anywhere you'd like to try first?"

[James Prent]

James flicked the butt of her stim to the side of the walkway, and lit up another one. "Anywhere I'd like to try first?"

The question was amazing. Two hours ago she'd been working a dead end job on a dead end moon, and now she was being handed the keys to the galaxy. "Well, I've always wanted to see Naboo."

[Sanis Prent]

"Naboo, huh. Never been. Cirr?"

I glanced to the Cizerack as he too lit up a stim as he walked.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"Possjible."

He exhaled a plume of smoke, and scratched the back of his head.

"Therrre's always worrk on the jinnerr moons wjith spjice hauljing. Could make a few crreds on the way."

[James Prent]

James didn't blink an eye at the mention of spice. Growing up on Nar Shaddaa - for all her talk of education she'd only gone for two years, and the college wasn't exactly well thought of out of the system. No, spice and crime were normal.

Not that she touched the stuff. Not yet, anyway. Her eyes glittered with excitement. "So Naboo? Really?" The ash on the end of her stim was knocked off with a practiced tap of the finger.

[Sanis Prent]

"Spice hauling in the middle core? Sure to be more than a few Imperial entanglements with that one."

We were nearly at the docking bay at this point. Unfortunately, there was company. A two seater speeder with flaring sirens was cruising up the tarmac, painting the pedestrians with a spotlight.

"There they are." A stormtrooper spoke in a mechanically-filtered vanilla voice. "They match the description of the trio who fled the establishment."

My mouth hung open. Of all the two-bit misdemeanors to report on the vertical city, they dropped a dime on mine.

"You have got to be kidding me."

The speeder crawled to a stop in front of us, and the driver dismounted, walking toward us in a condescending manner.

"Alright" I whispered under my breath to Cirr and James. "Follow my lead on this one."

I clutched at my stomach, leaning back and forth a little.

"Ohhh...I think it's food poisoning. Officer, where's the nearest 'fresher? I knew I shouldn't have ordered the special, ohh!"

[James Prent]

James almost choked on her stim when the spot hit them, coughing up a cloud of smoke while Sanis went into full theatrical mode.

Caught completely flat footed, she managed to put a concerned look on her face. So much for my fairy godmother bein' a scruffy looking pilot and his mechanic.

Fortunately for them, the officer also looked like he'd been caught off guard. James took a step forward so she was at Sanis' side, and tried to hold him up at the waist. "Officer, where's th' 'fresher?" She looked up into Sanis' eyes, "You okay, honey?"

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr let gravity settle in on him hard. His mouth hung slack, and his ears dipped low. He looked like he'd eaten the iffy end of low tide.

A repressed belch sealed the deal.

"jI need a bucket." He said slurredly, smacking his lips with a disgusted look on his face.

"Um..." The second stormtrooper, who had dismounted and walked up next to the first, backed up uneasily.

"Can jI?" Cirr pointed at the trooper's helmet.

"What?! No!" The stormtrooper shook his head.

"There's a storm drain there." The first one pointed, backing up his partner's play.

Cirr only wished he could see the looks on their faces!

[Sanis Prent]

"Ughhh..."

This was working better than I'd hoped. I doubled over, hugging at my stomach with both hands.

"...the special...why the special...."

I looked up at the first trooper pleadingly.

"What does a guy have to do to get a drink of water around here? I feel like I'm about to meet the maker...oooh!"

"TC-442, get the canteen on the double." The second trooper spoke authoritatively.

"It's my canteen. What if he's contagious?"

"You can draw another recepticle from garrison supply."

"Do you know how much paperwork I have to fill out for that?"

The first trooper shrugged and shook his head.

[James Prent]

James' fingers twitched, itching for the slim, comforting tube of a stim cig to hold. She yelped with surprise as Sanis suddenly went down, dragging her to her knees beside his prone body.

She lifted one of his eyelids as Cirr noisily pretended to empty his huge stomach in the storm drain. "Sanis? Sanis!" She shook his shoulders, and got no response. Turning horrified eyes on the trooper, she yelled, "I was tryin' to get them to the hospital before this happened! Grade seven infection of th' mucous membranes in th' mouth an' stomach! A highly contagious airborne virus once th' ingested food is vomited out. This could be th' start of an epidemic trooper!"

[Sanis Prent]

A few moments of feigned agony, and the first trooper returned with a canteen. He dropped to his haunches, placing a hand on my shoulder as he put the water flask in front of me. I took an unsteady hold of the canteen with one hand...

...and leveled a blaster into his gut armor with the second, discharging a stun bolt into his belly. The trooper went limp and fell over me like a sack of Ithorian yams, spilling water all over me.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

At the sound of the discharging stun blast, Cirr leapt to his feet from the storm drain, doubling one fist over the other and dropping a hammer blow directly over the second trooper's helmet, knocking him out instantly.

Cirr righted himself, noted a strinet of drool that had escaped his mouth during his charade, and wiped it with the back of his hand nonchalantly.

He yanked the trooper's helmet off his head, and slipped it on his.

"jI wasn't askjing. jI was telljing." Cirr said to the unconcious trooper in a voicebox-filtered voice.

[James Prent]

"Frell!" James got to her feet, and ran to the trooper's speeder, checking the heads up display. "And krasst. We've got backup comin' boys."

[Sanis Prent]

"Damn it all, we don't need this kind of hassle."

I ran toward the speeder, leaping over the hood and settling into the passenger's seat to access the commlink.

"Uh, this is patrol. Everything's fine over here. They weren't the people we were looking for, over?"

I winced. Over?! Did they even say that, anyways?

"We're sending two squads down to lock down the area, just to be sure."

"Uhh....negative negative. We're on our way to sector four to check out a reported mugging. Send all backup to sector four."

"Sector four? There's no such sector in this jurisdiction. Who is this? What's your operating number?"

"Uhhh...."

BLAM!

The comm terminal splintered apart in a shower of sparks. I whirled around to Cirr, shouting.

"Get that thing off your head and move tail! Fire up the motivators, we're getting the hell out of here on a rail."

I leaped out of the speeder, yanking James by the wrist.

"Let's go!"

[James Prent]

James stumbled sideways, "You're goin' t' pull my arm outta its socket!"

The trio hightailed it into the docking center, and James found herself scanning the numbers above the bays. 17, 19, 21... At this rate, it was going to take them twenty minutes to reach 42, unless there was a short cut.

[Sanis Prent]

"Better pulled out than blasted off!"

I was high-tailing it toward bay 42. Cirr was in the lead by a dozen meters, helmet still on.

"Lose the bucket, furball! This isn't a souveneir stop!"

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"Marrcus! Rrelease the gangplank!"

Cirr spoke into a comm on his wrist, but his voice was garbled by the helmet. At last, he yanked it off, but kept it tucked under his arm.

"Marrcus thjis jis Cjirrr...prrep the shjip forr launch!"

[Marcus v4]

"Cirrsseeto Raurrssatta, what have you and Sanis gotten yourself into this time?"

A mechanical voice sounded on the Cizerack's comm.

"All sectors of the Imperial garrison have been alerted to our presence. If they catch us this time, I'll be deactivated for sure! This is madness!"

[James Prent]

James was struggling to keep up with the long strides of the other two, and lost track of where they were in the docking center.

Sanis abruptly turned right, dragging her around the corner with him, and in front of them was what could only be their freighter. It looked... decrepit. "We're leaving in that thing?!"

[Sanis Prent]

"I guess you're right, we'd better take five and give her a wash and a wax?"

I bit back sarcastically.

"She may not win a beauty pageant, but she'll get us from point A to point B."

The gangplank lowered.

"Don't worry. I had the butler prepare the first class suite for you in advance. C'mon!"

I paused at the ramp, and looked at the helmet Cirr was still holding.

"Gimme that!"

I snatched it away, pushing him up the ramp as I followed.

"Give the port stabilizer a lick with the hydrospanner. I don't wanna have to overcompensate on orbital burnout!"

As the plank rose up into the ship, I made sure that James and Cirr were inside and out of sight....before I tried the helmet on myself.

[James Prent]

James found herself in a cozy room with a threadbare couch, a metal sink full of dirty dishes, gaming table... She turned a full circle, and then plopped onto the couch.

She heard a clank as Cirr must have hit the port stabilizer with a hydrospanner, and then the sound of running feet in the passageway. Through the doorway she saw Cirr run up to the cockpit, and she got to her feet to follow him.

Stepping out into the hall between bulkheads, James squeaked when she nearly ran into a stormtrooper. Sanis hurriedly snatched the helmet off his head.

He shoved it at her. "Take this, will ya?" He booked it into the cockpit, and James clutched the helmet and followed.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr sat in the shotgun seat, hitting switches in the on position. He wore a very sour expression, and about half a pint of machine oil on his face and shirt.

"Looks ljike we made somebody awful mad wjith that stunt of ourrs."

He gestured out the viewport to half a dozen arriving speeder bikes and a squad-sized troop transport, that began disgorging stormtroopers.

[James Prent]

"It's just a steak! Why all the fuss?" James sank into a spare seat behind Cirr, and scrubbed a hand through her short hair.

[Sanis Prent]

"Hell if I know. Maybe our buckethead friends are vegans. Either way, they're not gonna live long enough to cope with it."

I hop-straddled the captain's chair, tucking the stormtrooper helmet into an overhead compartment. I hit a red switch with a trigger hat, which dropped down a hidden repeating heavy blaster from the ventral hull plate, raining hell in a handbasket down upon the stormtroopers, and keeping their distance from the ship's entry points.

"Marcus, I need repulsor power to idle five seconds ago. Move your gears!"

I glanced over at Cirr, arching an eyebrow.

"What the hell happened to you?"

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"jI don't want to talk about jit!"

Cirr snapped at Sanis and stormed out of the cockpit, grabbing a towel that hung from the egress ladder rungs.

[James Prent]

James pointed out the cockpit window. "Shouldn't we be, like, taking off now?"

[Marcus v4]

"Sanis, procedure would dictate at this point that we should submit our flight plan to launch control and get approval for takeoff..."

A pink cyllindrically-shaped droid popped out of a compartment on the forward console.

"...would I be correct in assuming this would be one of those times when we should consider 'To hell with procedure'?"

[Sanis Prent]

"You'd bet your sweet can it would!"

I shunted mains into the repulsors, bucking Layla upwards a little harder than I'd have liked, but doing the job nonetheless. At this point, the repeater was useless, and I tucked it away. The remaining Imps were giving me hell, but at this rate, they would only singe the paint job.

I looked to James.

"Don't worry, we're booking it....Cirr, gimme as much juice as we can push through the residentials. Hit it!"

[Marcus v4]

Originally posted by Sanis Prent
"You'd bet your sweet can it would!"

"Oh...must your flattery be so lewd!"

Marcus pivoted side-to-side, in what could only be the tiny droid's equivalent of disapproving body language

"And to think I could've been stationed on a capital ship. I really do think I am underappreciated here."

[James Prent]

James gripped the sides of the seat, and then fumbled for the restraints. "Is this a bad time to mention I've never been in anything bigger than a speeder before? What if I get sick when we make the jump?!"

She frantically looked for anything that might be considered an air-sick back, still holding onto the stormtrooper helmet on her lap. She didn't even have a twinge of motion sickness.

[Sanis Prent]

I leaned back, carrying the yoke with me as power dumped from the repulsors to the sublights. The freighter accelerated skyward at a dangerous speed, and no doubt made a wreck of docking bay 42 in its wake. The result of kicking sublights so early was a bucketload of turbulance in the atmosphere.

"H...hang onto something......"

A few seconds of bouncy flight, and we eased into thin atmosphere, then ionosphere, and then low orbit itself.

"Here..."

I handed James a flask.

"It's Corellian whiskey. A little on the sweet side, but strong enough to keep the ride smooth if you need it."

I flipped another switch, which connected the comm line from the cockpit to the engine room.

"How we runnin, Cirr?"

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"Next tjime you wanna pull a stunt ljike that, let me know jin advance!"

Cirr practically screamed into the speaker, gingerly rubbing a goose-egg that was swelling on his forehead.

"Nothjing jis securrrrred down herrrre!" His Cizerack slang thickened with anger.

[James Prent]

James took the flask, and gripped it tightly. "Should I go help him, or something?" Gods I hope not.

[Sanis Prent]

I winced at Cirr's self-destructing basic.

"Yeah, probably...but I'd give him a few minutes to let the swelling go down."

The Layla cruised out of Nar Shadaa orbit, and headed for the edge of the system, where a hyperspace jump would be safer.

"So...you're the local here. Exactly how big is the garrison around these parts?"

And what crawled up their collective butts, anyway?

I shook my head, as if to keep me from asking that half of the question. Maybe there was more to this girl than she was letting on. Either way, I had my own demons to deal with, so I wasn't about to pry.

[James Prent]

James shook her head, "The garrison is small - you know the Hutt's won't let the Imperials too close. That's why th' special attention doesn't make any sense."

She eyed him, "At least, it doesn't to me." The girl gestured behind her back. "What're you carryin' back there? I know you're smugglers."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr's head popped over the egress hatch as he climbed the ladder. A reddened knot was clearly visible at the hairline, and the scenery didn't sunny up further down on his face.

"We'rre not carryjing anythjing...anymorre."

[James Prent]

James made a sympathetic face at Cirr, and added, "Well if you dropped 'the goods' then mebbe your buyer got caught... and they traced it back to you.

"Back to you, back to the diner, and that brought me into it." She pulled the crash webbing in around her as a light indicated they were nearing the jump point.

[Sanis Prent]

She was more than a little on the mark with that one, and the silence in the cockpit was proof positive.

"Yeah well...we won't be around for them to make a big deal over it."

Glancing to the hyper beacon, I engaged hyperdrive. The stars began to melt into interlacing streaks, as we headed for Naboo.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"AAAAAAGH!!!"

Cirr lost his grip on the ladder as the ship accelerated, and dropped down the egress hatch to the deck below

[James Prent]

James was pressed back into her seat, a wave of nausea rising in her stomach as the starlines stretched. She gripped the stormtrooper helmet so tightly her knuckles whitened.

She wanted to ask if the feeling of not being able to breathe was normal, but couldn't get the air to get the words out. The starlines stretched, melded, and swirled into a multi-hued cloud that surrounded the viewshield of Layla. James, released from the inertia that had squished her into her seat, slumped forward a bit, dizzy.

[Sanis Prent]

"Whoa, a cherry, huh? Easy! Easy!"

I ignored the renewed string of curse words coming from below decks, now in full-fledged Cizerack. I'd have to put kid gloves on with Cirr. For now, this took priority.

"You're cool. Just a little vertigo. Look at the controls. Still got that flask? Take a nip."

[James Prent]

James blew out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, and fumbled with the flask, trying to open it while still holding the helmet. Sanis pried it out of her hands and set it on the co-pilot's seat, and James took a swig from the flask.

She spluttered and gasped for air, making a face. "Frelling dren... That's what it's like to jump? It always sounded... more... exciting." In spite of her first reaction, she took another drink from the flask before handing it back to Sanis.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

The comm crackled to life, and an unnaturally calm voice spoke through it.

"Sanjis...can jI see you jin the engjine rroom please?"

[Sanis Prent]

"Sorry, I um...have the plague. Radiation leak up here. Very dangerous. In fact, I'd better seal off the lower hull at the bulkhead, sorry Cirr!"

I fumbled for the OFF switch on the comm.

[James Prent]

James pulled off her crash webbing, and started to get up to her feet. "I.. where's the 'fresher?"

She wobbled and started to fall.

[Sanis Prent]

"Whoa!"

I half-leaned out of my seat, bracing her at the hip with a hooking arm. Easing her to her feet, I undid my safety harness and escorted her to the 'fresher...down the egress hatch - much to my dismay.

Cirr was sitting on a tool drum, smeared with machine oil, and a little more banged up than the last time since we'd parted.

"Okay, lemme just say that the first time was totally not my fault. Second time, maybe. But first time is totally not me."

[James Prent]

James locked herself into the 'fresher, and splashed some water on her face. Her white blouse had some whiskey drops on it, and her skirt was uncomfortable.

She pressed her ear to the door, wondering if her new 'friends' were about to tear each other limb from limb. Frell... what have I gotten myself into? James ran her fingers through her hair to liven it up a bit, and wished she were a bit taller. Five foot even was such a tiny height.

The whiskey was starting to warm her stomach up, and she carefully opened the door and exited out into the passageway.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"Feeljing betterr?"

Cirr asked, in a little better spirits this time. Of course that may have something to do with Sanis's current situation, which was upside-down, and being held by the ankles by the Cizerack.

He smiled, and gave Sanis a quick rap to the gut, then dropped him on his head.

[James Prent]

James covered her mouth with her hands, and nodded. "Feeling much better, thanks."

[Sanis Prent]

"Owww...."

I lay on the ground, rubbing the back of my head, and made as much sport out of trying to catch the breath that had been knocked out of me. I'd gotten used to the fact that when Cirr played, he played hard, but adding the fairer sex to the mix was gasoline to the fire. He was in competition mode.

I rose to my feet slowly, not quite ready to stand fully upright. My abs were wound tight. I spoke in short, whispered sentences.

"Should be...hour to Naboo....ooh..."

I leaned up against an equipment locker, and spit on the floor.

[James Prent]

James moved to his side, and sidestepped the spit on the deckplating. "Are you okay?"

She turned to look up at the enormous Cizerack who looked proud of himself under the bump on his head, and in the surprise of the situation, scolded him. "Did you really hafta do that? Two wrongs don't make a right, ya know."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr looked from James to Sanis, and back, nodding after a while.

"Maybe jI djid go a ljittle too farr. You'rre rrjight."

His hand drifted to her shoulder, fingers running along the contours.

"So what arre you gojing to do on Naboo?"

[James Prent]

Taken a bit aback at his calm acceptance of her speech, James allowed the contact on her shoulder. "Er, I dunno. Sightseeing, mebbe."

Sanis made a sound somewhere between a cough and a mewl of pain, and she turned back to him, Cirr's hand falling off her shoulder. "Maybe we should get you upstairs where you can lay down?"

[Sanis Prent]

"No...no ladders. Ow."

I pushed through a grimace to smile at James.

"I got private quarters on mid-deck up ahead. Marcus's got the ship on auto."

I thought about this, crossing my arms for a moment.

"What am I thinking? You need a spot to bunk up."

With a genuine smile, I left the engine room behind, passing through the crew corridor to the forward hull section, with James in tow.

"Why don't you take my quarters?"

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"N-no! Hey wajit!"

Cirr was caught off-guard by the sudden reversal, following the pair through the hallway as they made their way foreships.

"Take mjy quarrterrss. Besjides, mjine jis cleanerr. Sanjis has djirrty clothes everrywherre."

[James Prent]

James 'hmmed.' "If I take your quarters, where will you sleep?"

Sanis was interrupted from replying with Cirrsseeto rejoining with the offer for his quarters. She stuttered, "W-well, I guess I could look at both of them... and see which one is less defiled by testosterone."

[Sanis Prent]

"Sounds good to me."

I shrugged, then smiled cattily.

"Besides, the only reason Cirr's quarters aren't covered in dirty laundry is because only one of us changes clothes regularly."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"At least jI don't stuff my pjillowcase wjith old copjies of Barrely-Legal Zeltrrons Barre All."

Cirr crossed his arms high on his chest, and his ears turned upward in superiority.

[Sanis Prent]

"Barely LEGAL. Legal as in not ILLEGAL, litterbrain!

Oh and how many old dishes are under your cot? Two? Ten? Did you even throw away those Nuna bones from last weekend?"

[James Prent]

James giggled, "Zeltrons don't need an excuse t' bare all. Used to work at a bar waiting tables next to a Zeltron club. Wild stuff."

They were at Sanis' door, and she peeked around his shoulder to see inside.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"But jI get hungrry when jI sleep..."

Cirr's ears dipped low momentarily, but then slapped backwards against his head.

"The deck plates arre cold on my barre feet."

[Sanis Prent]

The room was hardly expansive. Nothing on the Layla was designed with leg room in mind. The room was two by five meters, with a double-sized mattress wedged onto empty fuel cannisters in the back left corner. There was a pathway from the doorway to the bed in which floor could be seen. The rest was a forest of wrinkled clothes, a few random gadgets, and other spacer peripherals. A computer terminal hummed in the opposite corner. The walls were plastered with various holoposters that may or may not have had relevance to anything. A street sign from what must have been Ithoria now hung over the bed, with bold Aurabesh letters that read "Danger! Heavy Vines!"

The room smelled of herb pie, some kind of aftershave, and incense.

[James Prent]

James cocked her head to one side, trying to take it all in. "Well, he wasn't kiddin' about the clothes." She was trying to figure out a way to get out of staying in either of their rooms, when Cirr crossed the hall and threw open the door to his room.

She walked her slight frame across to the doorway, and grimaced at the odor of motor oil and mildew mixed together. And... "Is that a 'Mountain Valley' plug in?"

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"jI dunno."

Cirr shrugged absently.

"jI pjicked jit because jit was grreen."

Walking into the room, he covertly kicked a stuffed animal into the open closet, looking away immediately afterwards.

[James Prent]

She leaned against the door frame, and peered into the darkness under the bed. "Is something ...moving down there?!"

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"No!"

Cirr bounded onto the bed, crossing his legs matter-of-factly, fishing a hand under the covers deftly as he did so.

"Must be the djim ljightjing, prrobably. Yeah."

[Sanis Prent]

This was gold. Cirr had let one of his little sajoi treats get away from him. Now he was torn between his two loves. The opposite sex, and food.

I leaned against my open door, a cocky smirk on my face.

"Eh, I give up Cirr. You've obviously got the better pad. She really should stay in there, honestly."

[James Prent]

"Ah, I can just stay in the galley. Looked like there was a couch in there..." She couldn't keep her eyes off what Cirr was doing under the covers.

The Cizerack male grinned toothily at her, pretending he was doing nothing out of the ordinary. James smiled uncertainly back at him. "I, ah, I just need some other clothes to sleep in."

[Sanis Prent]

"If you wanna crash in the galley, that's cool I guess. That couch sleeps better than any in the outer rim anyway."

Cirr was still treading water. Too bad for him, I was going in for the kill.

"As for the clothes, I can't help you there. All my stuff needs a wash. Cirr should have a clean overshirt and whatever."

[James Prent]

James laughed, "Frell, anything he has will probably hit the floor on me." She grinned at Cirr, "So, have a clean t-shirt or something?"

She was already feeling like... the whole universe was opening up to her. She was off dren-sucking Nar Shaddaa, and Sanis and Cirr seemed like great guys. Still, she'd be sleeping with one eye open. They said it was the nice guys you had to watch out for.

[Sanis Prent]

I'd had enough of watching Cirr squirm.

"Hang on."

Ducking into my quarters, I returned with a blue shirt with faded and cracked lettering on it, and a pair of red shorts with double white lines running down the side.

"It's scraping the bottom of the barrel, but those are clean. Two sizes too small for me, but clean. It'll inspire me to do laundry I guess....later."

[James Prent]

James held out her hand for the clothes. Emphasis on clean? She'd sniff them later to be sure. "Well, thanks. Really, thank you."

She frowned slightly, "But you said we're going t' be at Naboo in fourty-five minutes?"

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Finally!

James's back was turned, and Cirr had a few seconds to work with. He quickly threw back the covers, yanked the sajoi off the mattress by the tail, and stuffed it in his mouth, himself turning his back away from the door as he chewed & slurped up the tail.

While it was embarrassing to a degree, Cirr could hardly believe his good fortune. He was getting hungry again, and this delayed another raid on the galley. Keen!

[Sanis Prent]

"Yeah, we are...."

I wasn't exactly sure where she was going with this.

[James Prent]

She smiled, "Then make sure you wake me up in time t' see it from space."

She walked down the passage, leaving the two males behind her, and made her way to the galley. It was warm enough she didn't need a blanket, and, with a careful over the shoulder look, she quickly stripped out of her diner uniform and tugged on the shorts and t-shirt. The shorts had a drawstring that she tied securely, and then she curled up on the couch.

Shifting a bit, she laid her head on the crook of her elbow, and closed her eyes. A nap would do her good... it had been a long... a long... night. James yawned.

[Sanis Prent]

I gave a half laugh over it all, yanking my shirt off over my head, and throwing it into a pile on the computer terminal.

"Yeah...a quickie nap will probably get me going. Marcus, we've still got some caf left, right?"

[Marcus v4]

"Of course, Sanis."

The little droid module popped out from a porthole in the ceiling, dropping down to roughly eye-level.

"And how will your ladyfriend be taking hers?"

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"Why do you always ask that as jif we've got anythjing to put jinto caf?"

Cirr answered, irritation showing on his face and ears.

"We haven't had a scoop of sugarr on thjis shjip jin half a month."

[Sanis Prent]

"Yeah, well that happens when somebody mixes half a bag in with the leftover scrambled eggs."

I sassed back, a look of disgust on my face.

"What the hell were you thinking?"

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"jI saw jit on a prrogrram once..."

Cirr replied, irritated at the question he'd heard plenty of times since.

"We werre out of flourr, and jI ljike sugarr."

[Sanis Prent]

"Whatever. Tired of arguing about it."

I shrugged it all off, easing into the threshold of my quarters.

"Look, she's got the right idea. I'm bushed, and I know you pulled half of the stint outside the Rishi Maze. We'll hit the hay, wake up on Naboo with fruit and crepes for breakfast or whatever those rich people eat, and we'll get to work on making some money out of this little vacation, alright?"

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr crossed his arms, not quite ready to let Sanis loose.

"Well, we rreally need to get jit done thjis tjime. No morre scrrewjing arround. And no morre jImperrjial entanglements. That stunt back therre was trrouble we don't need."

[Sanis Prent]

I made a suprised face.

"What, that little thing? I've gotten speeding tickets more painful than that. You know how those backwoods garrisons are anyway. Nobody gives a damn either way. Bet they didn't even log our ship registry."

I yawned, scratched my stomach, and flopped forward onto the bed, not bothering to close the door.

"Nite"

I said, voice muffled by a pillow.