A Homecoming, of Sorts

[Sarin von Metzger]

Contruum System

I made my way back to the common area as Merasska brought us into the system, muttering to himself about laying low and favors for relatives or something like that.

Arya was sitting, a bit more comfortable in one of Merasska's spare jumpsuits in the common area. I had eyes for no one else.

"We're almost there," I said cheerfully, eyeing the large Cizerack sitting nearby. "I do believe you'll like it."

[Arya Ravenwing]

"Anything is better than Kessel," Arya said. She smiled at Sarin, and leaned back in her chair. "You could be dropping me off on Mustafar and I'd still thank you."

[Sarin von Metzger]

"It is called Contruum," I said, wondering if she knew of this place before. The galaxy was a large place; there was always somewhere to be discovered. I sat across from Arya, feeling that the seats could do with better back support. "It is a sparsely populated world; perhaps only a billion people live on it, if that. It houses shipyards and much industry in its orbit, on its moons, or nearby in the system. The people are fiercely independent, and aren't too fond of the Alliance, though their disaffection for the Empire is much much more than that."

I studied her face, and came to the conclusion the first thing we'd do when we arrived home was to eat. She looked too lean, and underfed.

"They seem fine with a person able to provide employment, housing, and food, but if they feel forced in any way, things get a bit... touchy."

I paused.

"I have a home there," I started slowly, trying to gauge her reaction. "You are welcome to stay as long as you like."

[Arya Ravenwing]

Arya shifted a bit. It was a nice invitation, but she'd always had the feeling that behind everything Sarin said there was an ulterior motive. Not that she wasn't a big girl who could take care of herself, recent excursions to Kessel notwithstanding. His ulterior motives seemed to be centered around making sure she was safe, at least at the moment, so she wouldn't say it wasn't welcome for once. "I'll need a place to stay, figure out what to do next."

She ran her hands through her shaggy hair, nearly shoulder length now. "I sank every credit I owned into my ship, just about. I have some savings, but not enough to replace her." Arya paused. "Had. Had savings. I'd guess the Empire acquired them."

[Sarin von Metzger]

I nodded in sympathy. It had been difficult to find evidence of where Arya had been taken, much less the things the Empire had taken from her.

"Whatever you need, I will gladly provide," I said. After a pause I smiled. "Though a ship might take some time."

[Arya Ravenwing]

"Hopefully mine is still around somewhere," she said, lips pursing. The chase from Umgul to Sullust seemed like a lifetime ago. "I crashed it on Sullust, but it was still in one piece and the Alliance owes me a favor or two."

Arya got to her feet, feeling a little sick at the memory of the Chevette77 freighter belly down on the rocks. "Tell me you have something worth drinking on board, Sarin." She pulled open the cupboards in the galley, looking for a bottle.

[Sarin von Metzger]

"I don't know," I said, shrugging, even though Arya's back was turned to me. "This is Ben's ship, and I had to call in a debt he owed me to get him to do this. He's not very happy with me right now."

"Alcohol's in the bottom left cabinet," the pilot called back, able to hear us apparently. "Tug on it a bit, I got a magnetic thingie to hold it in place. Cups are in the top right cabinet. Same deal there, too."

[Arya Ravenwing]

She found the bottles as the instructions were called to her, and selected a clear one. After a moment she grudgingly pulled two tumblers from the other cupboard, making sure the doors were latched before returning to the table.

Arya plopped down across from Sarin and poured a few fingers of liquor into both cups. She pushed one over to him. "So, you have a nice house I bet." She drained her cup with a grimace, and then poured herself another.

[Sarin von Metzger]

I drained mine, pulling a slight face at the harshness of the alcohol. But it warmed me up nicely.

"I do believe it will serve," I said. "But you'll see for yourself."

"Entering the atmosphere," Ben called back. "Gonna be some turbulence, so don't go retching all over my common area!"

True to his word, the ship began lightly bucking and shaking as we entered Contruum's atmosphere. The discomfiting rocking stopped and calmed after a minute, and a short time later, there was a jolt as the pilot landed the freighter. He appeared a scant few seconds later and took my glass, poured some alcohol, and knocked it back without a pause.

"We're here, boss." He said.

We stood and made our way to the boarding ramp, a much smaller affair than the cargo ramp we'd entered onto when we escaped Kessel. We exited out into a fine Contruum afternoon in midsummer. Ben's piloting had once more been proven; the small clearing overlooking my home was just the size needed for the ship, and it was perfectly centered. A short distance away the town that people were beginning to call 'Sarin's Town', or Sarinston for short, was looking rather picturesque. Just below us a few dozen meters away stood my home.

It had been built up since I had left. The house itself wasn't big, though it wasn't small. Two stories tall, and about fifty meters in length and twenty in width with two wings on either side for my work and library and mementos. What made the place seem like a mansion was the walls surrounding it, and the various buildings scattered around inside the spacious compound. The garden was in full bloom, and there was smoke and steam pouring out of the workshops' chimneys, and lamps were being lit within the workers' dorm, a small one story affair that butted up against the eastern wall. The path and the clearing were both inside the compound's walls, though just barely, on the western side.

"Welcome to my home, Arya Ravenwing," I said, smiling at the place. It would be a stretch to say I had built it, but it had been my work and money that made it possible, so I felt entitled to the feeling of pride I had in it.

[Arya Ravenwing]

"Krasst," Arya said, and then gave a low whistle. "I guess it'll serve, huh." Their companions filtered down the ramp into the sunlight, still in Kessel greys. Her new friends, Callomas and Jaas, and the familiar face. Korlen - Aaron's twin brother. They'd spoken only a little on the ride from Kessel, mostly a what a coincidence and no, I'm not Aaron sort of conversation. Did anything more need to be said? It was like having a ghost staring at you. She'd avoided him as much as she could. Too many hard memories.

She turned from them toward Sarin. "Does your pilot friend need these clothes back right away? That could be awkward."

[Sarin von Metzger]

"Indeed," I said, laughing. Ben shifted awkwardly.

"Keep 'em, burn 'em, whatever," the tramp freighter captain said. "I don't need 'em."

We made our way through the courtyard and finally up to the house itself. Opening the back entrance, I realized my conceptions of the dimensions inside were a bit smaller than the reality. It was far larger than I realized, but I couldn't change it now.

The rooms weren't large, though; I had ordered it large because of the work I would be doing needed space, and working out of my home appealed to me. The entrance way was large, but only large enough to allow a hallway stretching up to the front entranceway, a large closet to the left, and a staircase on the right. It was not open to the second floor, I had deemed that a useless waste of space. Doors were interspersed along the hall, but I made immediately for the open archway leading into the kitchen.

The kitchen was large, and included the dining area which had a large wooden table and twelve chairs around it. A parlor was visible through another open doorway, and light from the windows there filtered into the dining room. There were windows along the dining room and kitchen as well, and all of them were open, but each had opaque white drapes which restricted visibility.

The cook and his assistants were busy making food for the workers. At our entrance, he gestured to the table and set bowls of warm soup before us, and equally warm bread.

"Call if you need anything," he said, and took the rest of the meal that he didn't leave for us to fill up on out to the workers' dorm with his assistants.

I ate, enjoying the meaty broth, before speaking again.

"First thing, I suppose, is to get you some clothing," I smiled. "And then we must find your ship. I'd appropriate one, but unfortunately most of my money is in the factory or this house now."

[Arya Ravenwing]

His humble abode was a bit less than humble, but the food offered was simple enough, and hearty. Arya hadn't realized how hungry she was until the smell of the soup hit her nostrils, and then she was ravenous. She are as quickly as she could, until the texture of the meat between her teeth tickled some buried memory of the Beast and Kessel. Suddenly nauseated, she pushed her half empty bowl away.

"I think, for now, I just want a shower and a nap."

[Sarin von Metzger]

"Yes," I said, only a bit disappointed. I still felt a bit keyed up, honestly. The thrill of victory hadn't yet left me. "Allow me to show you to the rooms. Any one you like shall be yours for as long as you want it."

I stood, and nodded to the others sitting around the table before ushering Arya back into the main hall, and up a flight of stairs to the next floor. The landing for the stairs was modest, a simply alcove in a long hall whose walls held paintings and doorways. There were no stands for the various Lupine artefacts I had managed to collect, but they would be placed in time. At the end of each hall a fair distance down was a doorway, leading to the two wings.

"My room is down there," I said, gesturing to my right and began leading her down the hall in that direction. "There is a refresher across the hall from it. On either side is a room; feel free to take a look around."

I stopped in front of the refresher and nodded. "I'll have a droid come by; just tell it what you want, and it will bring you clothing. I will be just here," I gestured toward the large door at the end of the hall, much closer than it had been from the stairs. "Working. If you need anything, I will do my best to ensure you get it. Please do not worry about bothering me, and call on me at any time."

[Arya Ravenwing]

The shower was water, and Arya lost track of how long she was inside it. She cranked the water as hot as she could stand it, and just stood under the hot spray after the necessary work of soaping up was over. The towels were large and fluffy, and the droid returned with a pile of clothes that she'd requested. The tank top, pants, and leather jacket were much finer than the ones she'd lost. Arya flipped open the jacket again to finger the red satin or silk lining, and then forced herself to stop. The skin tight dark pants accentuated her leg muscles, and ended in a pair of slouchy leather boots.

She looked... almost herself again, if you overlooked the sunken eyes and nearly translucent skin. Arya pulled off the boots and jacket and fell onto the bed, only to find it much too comfortable. She dragged the thin bedspread off the top, and rolled up in it on the floor.

When she woke up, it was night. Her nose told her that someone had left a tray of food for her while she slept, but it was now cold. Arya stretched, and got up, finding the tray on the chest at the end of the bed. She ate the meal anyway - cold food was still meters above the slop she'd been eating for...how long had it been? Six months? Arya stuffed the thick sliced piece of bread into her mouth and found herself staring out the window at the starlit sky. The brightness outside meant there was a moon up there, somewhere. She swallowed, and walked to the window, looking out, and then checking the latches.

The window opened easily and slid up. Fresh air with a hint of honey to it, the greenery that surrounded the compound...her nose quickly sorted out the smells she liked the most, and she felt the need to be out there. Arya stripped off her clothes, folding them neatly on the window seat, and climbing out the window. She balanced there for a moment with a hand on the window, crouched and looking down at the two story drop, and then she threw herself free from the house, the Change rippling over her body. The beast landed softly, took a moment to get her bearings, and then ran for the lowest point in the wall, durasteel claws scrabbling as she propelled herself over the top of it and to the open grass beyond.