Jovan: The Layover

[Stashia Yachenka]

She ran a black furred hand over the datapad with a frown as the ship set down into Jovan Station and pushed her headfur from in front of her eyes to read the orders she had been presented with once again.

>> To: Lt. Stashia Yachenka, Care of: Kroskova Air Command
Due to the nature of your talents you are ordered to report to Ossus
Upon arrival you will make yourself available to your Jedi contact for consideration into their Order.
You are relieved of active duty during the duration of your stay on Ossus, and potential placement within their ranks.
Report your standing once it has been determined.
For the glory of Kroskova, and the pride of Midloth <<

She returned the datapad to her duffel and stored it, standing to step out onto the station with a stretch, the vertebrae in her back popping loudly, and much to her enjoyment the annoyance of the ship's captain who followed right behind her. It's not that it was a bad ship, per se, Corellian in it's construction. Good speed, decent acceleration. It's that it wasn't her ship. Of course her ship was re-purposed from a TIE-Interceptor. That had remained grounded in Kroskova, likely to be assigned a new pilot. Her shoulders slumped, and her tail drooped, dragging against the ground for but a moment before steadying and swishing a bit in irritation at the thought.

Even if she could not take her own ship, she would have preferred to at least be allowed to pilot herself to Ossus, rather than be babysat. She turned to her sitter, the captain of the vessel, a fellow Kroskovan and gave a short salute.

"Few hours on repair, yes? I will find something to entertain self with, I think."

She smiled a bit wider, thoughts of finding the seediest possible dive and getting the strongest possible drink filling her mind.

"Do not fret, I will return." She waved dismissively, turning to walk away from the shipyard of the station and into the wider array of shops and glittering lights. "Tell our superiors that their proud moment will not be ruined by stray pilot. I know my duty, yes."

She let her hands trail behind her headfur, scratching at an itch that had developed at the scruff of her neck, fingers digging into the black fur there as she walked. While she was certain if she had been allowed to make her own way to Ossus the trip would have gone much smoother and without this likely unnecessary stop, at the very least this was a welcomed distraction from the mounting concern over becoming this Jedi she was expected to be.

[Anauri Rabeak]

The badge on Anauri Rabeak's work jacket read "Chief Engineer." It was hardly the first time the brown-furred Nehantite had worn such a title, but never before had it been on a space station. Foolishly, he'd presumed the position would be more relaxing than being chief engineer on a starship. On a starship, you had to worry about engines, shields, weapons, general electronics, life support, and a thousand other miscellany while in motion, and more than occasionally under fire. A station, presumably, could support a larger engineering staff, and would not have to concern itself with the hectic minutia of a starship.

Anauri Rabeak was wrong. So wrong. From day one, when he had to map out what systems even remained to build a skeleton off of, he had been all go, with no days off. His staff was pitifully small, and woefully under-trained - with a handful of exceptions - not allowing him to delegate jobs in a manner he had been accustomed to. And, to make matters worse, due to Alliance diversity hiring practices, he couldn't simply import his old crew of trustworthy countrymen. No, thanks to bureaucracy, he had to hire non-Nehantite staff, and so he had. Well, those who hadn't gotten simply assigned to him, that was. But, for the first time in months, Anauri found himself able to cross off most every disaster on the priority board, and Jovan Station seemed to be more or less able to support itself without him there to keep it from falling out of the sky. Or the furniture falling up to the ceiling, as had happened once when the polarity on the gravity meshes was reversed.

And so, the grizzled engineer found himself with a day off, and honestly no idea how to spend it. The promenade seemed as good a place as any, as that's where all the short-term entertainment was. Sure, he'd been in and out of every shop and restaurant, fixing this that and the other thing, but other than a quick bite to eat, he'd never truly bothered to take a look around. The lights and sounds, the flashing signs, it was all so colorful and confusing. Each business attempted to be more gaudy and tacky than the last, all desperate for the limited resource of visitors, promising them the best value for their money, or the best satisfaction for their layover time.

"Why can't there just be a nice, quiet place?" Anauri sighed. Oh, there were those, too, often on the Cizerack side of the station, but Anauri never felt comfortable there, and so he stuck to Alliance or general space areas. Stuffing his paws in his pockets, he walked along, pink eyes looking here and there, waiting for something to stand out.

The sight of black fur did it, and Anauri locked on quickly. Was he seeing things? A female Nehantite on Jovan? He'd seen a few males, as mechanics and engineers were not an uncommon sight in space, but a female, on her own? That was a sight rare as could be. Curiosity piqued, Anauri made his way through the crowd to investigate.

A polite smile accompanied the node and tug of his cap as he approached from the opposite direction. "Afternoon, ma'am," he said. "Just get in?"

[Stashia Yachenka]

She heard the voice before she saw who had spoken, and once she had, she attempted to keep her demeanor cool, though her tail swished behind her with a touch of excitement. She supposed she shouldn't be THAT surprised to see another Nehantite off-world, but it was still a welcome sight. She inspected him for another moment before she decided to reply, noting the words "Chief Engineer" on his clothes.

"Ah, yes, I am on the layover while ship is repaired." She said with a slight lilt to her accented voice that gave every indication that she wasn't particularly impressed by that fact. "You are local, yes?" She motioned at his patch. "Perhaps you know best place to kill few hours?" He wasn't exactly her type, but perhaps he would be a good conversationalist while she greased her own engine, as it were. Assuming, that is, he was even off-duty. She would have kicked herself any other day of the week to be so quick to drink, to be so quick to fraternize, but honestly the whole trip felt like leave. Worse yet, it had an impending sense of finality to it. As if she had better get all of her vices out of her system now while she still had the opportunity to do so.

"Ah!" She smacked her own forehead, uttering a small curse against herself in her native tongue, and extended her paw, "Stashia. Stashia Yachenka. Is pleasure to meet you."

[Anauri Rabeak]

Anauri couldn't help but chuckle at how flustered the black-furred Midlothian appeared to be. His smile warm and genuine, he took her paw in his own, which was thick and heavily calloused from a lifetime of hard work. Still, he gripped only hard enough for comfort, having no desire to crush the poor girl's paw.

"Chief Engineer Anauri Rabeak," he replied. "Most just call me Re. Pleasure to meet you as well. Can't say I expected to run into a Kroskovan, all the way out here."

His mind worked back to her desire for some down time, and he racked his brain to remember which of the various bars at least looked tolerable, and had food that most Nehantites would find palatable. Paw pulling back to rub his graying chin, he glanced around. "Let's see here... hate to say it, but... nothing around here's all that good, per se. Let me put it this way: Food, drink or entertainment, what're you out for, most? I'll help narrow it down from there?"

For a moment, Anauri felt his tail beginning to head toward a "How you doin', baby?" motion, but he halted that immediately. He was old enough to be her father, it would be improper for him to start hitting on her like that. Above all else, a Nehantite should show decorum when addressing a lady.

[Stashia Yachenka]

"Well, Re..." She made a 'shushing motion' in front of her muzzle after they broke the handshake, "Perhaps I am not looking for good, yes? What I am looking for is drink. Strong, plentiful and cheap." She spoke in a more hushed tone as though it were a secret between them, and them smiled wide, laughing unabashedly at what she thought to be the funniest joke she had told, at least so far today. She noticed the sudden stop of his tail, where had that been going she wondered? Time would tell, perhaps!

"Do not think I am delicate flower to be protected." She rolled her shoulder grin widening, "Where would you drink, Re? Take me there." She paused, and looked to him expectantly, though managed to force her manners once more "Please?"

[Anauri Rabeak]

Well, damn, she's a bit forward, isn't she? Maybe I should have paid attention to those pop-up ads that said, "Kroskovan girls are dying to meet you, live!" Was the thought that ran through Anauri's head.

"Hmm, ever been to a Cizerack bar?" he asked. He knew the answer, already, though. There were no Cizerack outposts near Nehantish, no real trade between the races. "Think I know of a place."

Through the crowds, Anauri led his new friend, and, dare he say it, companion? Maybe she was just happy to see a familiar type of face, maybe she had been spacing long enough that any Nehantite male looked good, Anauri couldn't be sure, but he wasn't going to complain. It had been many years since he'd had the opportunity to entertain a lovely, young lady, so many, in fact. the worn spot in the fur of his ring finger had almost fully recovered by now. Avoiding some of the more commercial places, and staying the hell away from the blob racing joint, Anauri led the way into a small bar, unassuming and out of the way. There were a few patrons, mostly local workers, and one nodded hello to him, and Anauri nodded back before selecting a booth near the back.

"Sunshine's Pride double ale," he called out to the barkeep, and, after a glance to Stashia, he added, "Make it two."

He could see the expression on her face at the name of the drink, and Anauri chuckled, leaning back into his booth, and shedding his jacket to reveal arms only slightly narrower than the sleeves had implid, plenty of scars and discolorations on his muscular forearms from countless years of work. "Don't worry, it's just a really unfortunate name," he assured her.

[Stashia Yachenka]

She nodded looking around the place. It was small, hidden away and frequented by those who looked to have spent their days busy, rather than spent their days partying. It was precisely what she was hoping to find. Her new friend, Re, had gone ahead and ordered for her. Being unfamiliar with off world spirits she was grateful for the kindness.

"I will take your word for it." She said as she watched a young man at the bar get up and slowly make his way out of the establishment. The atmosphere very much reminded her of her own local tavern, The Frozen Whisker, patronized mostly by military personnel, and those who wished to associate with military personnel. She smiled as she recalled her first experience, her squad captain taking her for a drink following her first successful mission. "Your nerves are shot, Ya-Ya." He had said, knowing how much she had hated the nickname, "So shots are what you give them." He had lined up the bar from end to end with single shot glasses, and they had drank from one end to the other. Her pleasant smile of memory faded slowly and she was left staring at her paws when their drinks came.

She took a slowly pull of the drink and let the warmth spread down her throat, colorful flavors dancing over her tastebuds. She hadn't expected something so delightful off-world, let alone in a Cizerak ran bar aboard Jovan Station, but it was what she had needed. She sat her drink down slowly, staring at it for a few long seconds. Ears gently drooping back against her headfur.

"Re, what do you do, when you are uncertain of path?" She let introspective comment linger between them, concerns over her future finally catching up with her now that she could relax for a moment without the watchful eye of either her superiors, or her chaperone.

[Anauri Rabeak]

How quickly it was all becoming clear, to Anauri. She was military, that was plain enough to see, but more than that, she was sheltered by her service. Not uncommon among Kroskovans, he knew, but still a pity. They often had difficulty relating to the greater breadth and scope of the galaxy, let alone the rest of their own world, and it was a conditioning which would take time to break. Time, and perhaps a few good words.

Taking a pull from his beer, Anauri swallowed almost mechanically. Yes, he tasted it, but he'd been drinking Sunshine for so long, he'd almost forgotten the actual flavor. "When I'm uncertain of my path?" he echoed the question. "Well, typically what I find is helpful is to focus on the short term. What you're doing now might not be where you want to end up, but doing it just might give you some insight as to if that's a path you even want to be on." Another drink, and he asked, "You getting sent to an outpost? Officer exchange, or something?"

They weren't common, but also not unheard of, especially with nearly every kingdom on Nehantish trying to strengthen ties with the Alliance. He, himself had been part of similar exchanges, back in his youth, spending four months on a Rodian freighter to learn their unique designs and methods. Wasn't fun, but he came out of it knowing what he wanted.

[Stashia Yachenka]

"Nothing so simple, I think." She sighed softly, rolling the beer back and forth in her paws staring at it while considering, could she even tell him what was going on? What was protocol for a situation like this? Was there even protocol for a situation like this? She scoffed low, under her breath, knowing her superiors they would likely welcome word getting out of their discovery of her, so what harm could there possibly be in giving the details of her situation?

"Let me tell you story." She said taking another pull on the drink and savoring it for a moment before she began. "Once upon a time, there is little black-furred Kroskovan girl, like this one." She motioned at herself, "She was very proud, because her father had been great pilot and told her many story of his adventures, and she - she wanted to be pilot, just like papa. So she joins air command, trains to be pilot and succeeds! All is good! She is good pilot, she is excellent pilot. Her superiors see this and believe she is too good. Too quick. So she is tested, and prodded and treated, results come back - she is... adept."

She took another long swallow of the beer, ignoring the rich flavor for the burn that it filled her throat with, needing that sensation as she spoke. "Only Jedi is Kufu, though Nehantish boast having first many years ago. Midloth not willing to wait, see if Munjesh find one, or Garfiffe forbid, Cathay suddenly reveal they have own. Would be great shame. So her superiors see opportunity, Midlothian Jedi, Kroskovan Jedi. So she is ordered away from home, from family and only friends she know. Go to Ossus, they say, become Jedi, they say. Report when you have succeeded."

She sighed heavily, shaking her head, the long headfur falling back in front of her pink eyes. "She just wants to be pilot. She likes being pilot. This she knows. Being Jedi? This... this she does not know." She finished her beer and sat the bottle on the end of the table, resting the side of her head against the table to stare lopsidedly at the bottle as she turned it, watching it spin. "What is she to do, Re? She has her orders."

[Anauri Rabeak]

Jedi. It was a word that came up often in Anauri's communications with a former working partner, and longtime friend. Much had been discussed on the subject, and indeed on the Kufu woman, as well, but Anauri had no true opinion on the matter, from a national pride point of view. Knocking back another mouthful of the strong, pale ale, the engineer considered Stashia's situation in parallel to his own. Only after a few moments of silence, and a sigh, did he speak up.

"When I was a lad, I wanted more than anything to be a fireman," he said. "It seemed like the greatest job in the world. But my parents had other ideas, and I was sent to technical high school to learned engineering. I didn't like it, at first, because I was too focused on it being not the thing I wanted to do. I nearly flunked out my first semester. But then someone pointed something out to me. Without an engineer, a fireman would have no engine to run. Water pumps would not function correctly. The power grid could fail, and no calls would go through. So, even if I wasn't was of the guys on that red truck, in a way I was still a fireman, and still saving lives."

Another pull from his beer gave him time to lay out what he wanted to say next. "Now, I personally don't know any Jedi, but I have a friend who does. Name's Tevit, he's the site foreman at the complex you're actually on your way to, on Ossus. He's told me about that Kufu gal, and watched her grow. She started out raw, wanting power. And there she learned it, but not only that, control. The Jedi didn't change her into something else, they made her more of what she already was. You want to be a pilot? Then be a pilot. But imagine how much more of a pilot you could be, if they could teach you how to do that... Force... magic... stuff. Don't go to change, go to become more of what you are. The best version of you you can be. I might not be fixing fire engines, but I'm still protecting this whole station by making sure all our fire prevention systems are in perfect working order. That still counts as some kind of fireman, right?"

[Stashia Yachenka]

She didn't pay much attention to what he said at first, his story of wishing to be a fireman - until he revealed he himself knew someone on Ossus who was familiar with the Jedi and got to the crux of the point he was making. From her place on the table she rolled her head so her chin rested against the flat surface, eyes looking up at him as he spoke, and a small smile began to return to her features.

"You are firemen, yes." She said slowly sitting back to a full upright position, tail curling against her own leg happily as she started to consider her future from a new point of view, a sudden twinge of excitement growing inside of her. She'd never thought of it that way, she had seen this all as the end of her life as a pilot. It had never occurred to her that she could be both a Jedi and a pilot. And he was right wasn't he? If she was this good with her natural gifts, without any knowledge of the Force that apparently gave her so strong an edge, couldn't she be even better with that knowledge. "You are very smart, Re." She complimented, looking at her empty bottle and motioning toward the counter for another after catching the bartender's eye, "And you know very good beer." She smiled at him with a laugh in her tone and her mind wondering what kind of ships the Jedi would have access to.

[Anauri Rabeak]

Anauri chuckled, then polished off his own beer. "Heh, you get smart by learning from a lot of mistakes. Truse me," he laughed. "Goes the same for beer. I've been across near half this galaxy, I reckon, and let me tell you, there is some terrible beer, out there. Just never know until you try."

Holding up his own bottle, the engineer waggled it a bit at the bartender, who simply nodded, readying two more.

"You ever really been off-world, before, Miss?" He asked. "And, I don't mean a day trip to the shipyards, or out to Vendaaius Station. I mean proper off-world."

Vendaius Station, that was a name he hadn't said in quite a while. It was Nehantish's biggest spaceport, comfortably orbiting the planet, itself, fully decked out with the wealth and splendor of the three nations that had contributed to its construction. Of course, after any visitors saw its splendor, there was nothing but disappointment to be had on the planet itself.

[Stashia Yachenka]

She laughed again, feeling the warmth from the beer fill her cheeks and help to relax her nervousness, even as the older Nehantite's wisdom had already bled away much of it. She nodded appreciatively as the second round was placed before her and she took a slow drink of it, this time, with less on her mind taking the time to really appreciate the complex flavors, the subtle aroma that scratched at her senses.

"there is some terrible beer, out there." Re's words echoed in her mind.

And apparently there was some truly wonderful beer. It rivaled or surpassed anything she had enjoyed on Nehantish, or even - as he had mentioned - on her trips to Vendaius. She had of course been up to the Station a number of times, providing a flight escort to dignitaries, training runs with a squadron of cadets - it was always fun to hear their first reactions to breaking into orbit and seeing their planet in a way that truly made one feel small. But... she was caught, and her smile turned sheepish as she offered little more than a shrug once she finally broke contact with the bottle.

"Heh. Is that obvious, eh? Guilty. I have not been away from Nehantish before now. Always wish to, at least once, never opportunity." She let a short, wistful sigh slip past her, without breaking her smile. "Is funny, yes? Now I do not know when I can return." Her smile wavered, but only just, "Careful what you wish for, yes?"

[Anauri Rabeak]

"Everybody's gotta take their first trip, sometime," Anauri shrugged, grinning before taking a swig from his fresh beer. For the first time since he arrived at the station, he actually felt relaxed. Whether it was having a day off, enjoying a causal drink, or speaking to a fellow member of his race, he wasn't sure, but he didn't want it to end. Still, he recalled giving the 'off world' talk to another, some years ago, and the memory of it forced him to take another sip.

"Just, take it easy, and make sure you remember your destination. It's easy to get lost, out here, and I don't just mean actual direction." The older mongoose's voice had taken a turn for the serious, the fatherly, as had his facial expressions. "And never forget where you came from. Take time out to keep in contact with those you love, back at home. Even a holomessage is enough, sometimes. I know space can make you feel small, insignificant, but you're not. You're Kroskovan. You're Midlothian. You're a Nehantite. You're something special, something Garfife saved until late in the game to spring on the galaxy. Stay true to who you are, and you'll keep your wits about you."

It was a speech he had given before, for the most part. A difficult one he had practiced, scripted and fretted over some years ago. In his heart, he prayed the words would do Stashia more good than it had the last Nehantite to be on its receiving end.

[Stashia Yachenka]

"Right, right..." She tried to ingrain the words he spoke into her memory. He reminded her very much of her first squad captain, the one who had always called her Ya-Ya. He spoke to her of his experience and insight as well, and much like Re had a sort of distinguished attractiveness to him. Her tail was already swaying under the table in growing excitement, baser instincts feeling a very strong and growing urge from her time spent with the Nehantite male.

Still... she didn't have time for such things, not on this trip. She finished her second beer and sat back, considering him. Why did she always have such a thing for older, wizened men? She'd had the same feelings for the Captain, though he had always acted more as the father, than the companion. She sighed, leaning back and rubbing her paws across her muzzle. "I should really be getting back." She said, obviously not wanting to do so - and straightened back up when she realized how she most likely sounded, let alone looked. "Still a long journey ahead, I think. But eh.... perhaps this can happen again, yes?" She smiled a bit warmer at him, her nostrils filling with a richer scent than the alcohol flowing freely in the establishment. Her tail swished excitedly again with the smell of musk.

"Jovan is not so terribly far away, I am certain to be here again. Hopefully sooner, rather than later..."

[Anauri Rabeak]

"So soon" Anauri asked, almost appearing hurt. He had no business feeling that way, he told himself. He'd just met her, barely knew her, yet... he could practically taste the pheromones rolling off of her body. It had been years since he had known that scent, that flavor, and he knew that it would, in turn, signal a cascade of his own desires. Was that what he wanted? He couldn't deny that he would love to take Stashia back to his place, but... it wasn't to be.

"A pity we didn't have more time to get to know each other better," he said, forcing his smile to return. "And, in case you need a pick-me up, or just some advice, here's my number. Tevit, on Ossus, knows how to patch a signal through." Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew a card, and extended his thickly muscled arm across the table to hand it to her. "I think you'll do good out there," he then added. That time his smile was genuine.

After a deep pull of his beer, he eased himself out of the booth, taking his coat up in his left paw, then reached out with his right to take Stashia's paw to help her up, as any good gentleman would. "Next time you're back, I've got a bottle of Kroskovan vodka I've been saving for a special occasion. Let me know and we can crack it open, together, if you're interested."

[Stashia Yachenka]

She smiled and took his paw, letting him help her up. She certainly didn't need it, and wasn't used to the treatment - but he was an older gentleman, was he not? This was how he showed kindness, concern, care. It was touchingly cute. "So kind." she offered as she stood, straightening her flight jacket and murring in delight at the mention of Kroskovan Vodka, before making a small, appreciative clicking sound with her tongue. "Ah! You know the way to a girl's heart, Re!" She joked, and knew she had wrapped her arm around his instinctively. Her head didn't move as she smiled at him, their mutual scents strong in her nose now, but her eyes caught sight of how his tail moved, of what it said even as his words said differently.

Her own tail relented, signaling in return her consent - even if it weren't to be on this visit. "I will very much have to plan vacation to Jovan. You can show me all the wonders of your Station, yes?"

[Anauri Rabeak]

Damn it, she wants it, too. Anauri mentally kicked himself the moment her tail flicked back, mirroring his body's own advance. You have the worst timing of any male, Anauri.

Before he could stop it, a deep murr rumbled in his own throat, and he let his paw slide to her hip, pulling her just a bit closer, their muzzles close enough that they could kiss at any moment. But he did not take it that far, instead simply smiling, his pink eyes looking fully into her own. "All the wonders, indeed," he replied. "It's a promise."

Gently his paw eased away, and he stepped back, all the while his body screaming at him to not miss such a chance. He did not listen to it. There were times it was best to be a gentleman, and pray that it would pay off in the long run. "I'll save that bottle of vodka just for you. But for now, I'd probably better let you go. If we stay this close much longer, we might not be able to help ourselves," he added with a wink. "Shall I walk you back to your ship, or would it be less distracting if I didn't?"

With the thick cloud of pheromones boiling about them, it was a legitimate concern, and Anauri thanked his lucky stars that no other race would be able to identify the scents, if they could even pick them up.

[Stashia Yachenka]

Kiss him. Kiss him. Kiss him. KISS. HIM.

Her base instincts were aflame as she was pulled so close it was almost painful, and he offered such sweet, wonderful promises. She was a little weak in her knees, and she wasn't certain if it was the alcohol or how close they were, and how tempting it was to let her instincts simply go where they wanted. No, that wasn't true, she knew exactly what it was - this had barely been a tasting compared to past exploits her squad and herself had engaged in at bars.

She rumbled softly, fighting the urge to throw herself against his body and cleared her throat. "Yes - well it may be best if I see myself back then." She rumbled, knowing how husky her tone had become. She held up the card he had given to her with a smile, "I WILL be calling though, promise." She turned slowly, tail and body language alight with her desires as she started for the door. "Sooner." She repeated to her earlier promise of a return date as she backed toward the doorway, pink eyes locking with his own as she finally slid out of the bar.

Walk. Walk away. If you do not walk away you will run back in, and make mess of entire bar. This you know.

So she forced herself to walk away, heading for the docking area of the Station, and very intent in locking herself away in her cabin for the remainder of their journey.

[Anauri Rabeak]

"Be safe," Anauri called back to her. So many other words were caught in his throat, so many that should not be let out at a time like that, and thankfully weren't. Don't let her go. You may not get another chance. Do not let her go.

And then she was gone. Closing his eyes, the graying mechanic inhaled deeply through his nose, filling himself with one last breath of her scent before it was gone, scrubbed away forever by his efficient work on the air circulation purifiers. The remainder of his beer was useful enough to stall for time, knowing he needed to not catch sight of her once he left the bar, lest he fall victim to his urges. Urges far, far stronger than he had ever expected he would have felt again in his life. She was half his age, though. It'd never work. Still, for a few minutes, Anauri had felt like a young man.

Maybe that's enough for today, then.

Paying the tab, he pulled his jacket back on, tugged his cap down tighter, and headed back in the direction he had come. Suddenly, spending some time alone in his apartment on the station seemed like an excellent idea.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Oh hey there Chief! fweeee"

Gradoona made a bid to enter the Cizerack watering hole, almost running smack into...oh. Oh! C-c-cleee squik-ik Oh dear a lady mongoose! Well penguins, she'd sure stepped in on something mushy in the making. The Herglic's broad mouth cracked a knowing smile.

"Ohhh you ol' dog, sir! Didn't mean to get in the middle of a little friendly carousin' donchaknow. And she's a cutie pie too!"

[Anauri Rabeak]

Didn't mean to get in the way of carousing? Gradoona, you're so fat you could get in the way of a moon's orbital path...

The words did not escape Anauri's lips, but he felt the passion which had welled inside him near to boiling suddenly vanish into thin air. Tail falling flat, Anauri looked down, rubbing his forehead with his paw as if attempting to ease a headache which had suddenly formed there.

"Gradoona..." he grumbled, voice carrying with it a note of despair. "What do you want? You do know this is my day off, right? My first day off in months."

[Stashia Yachenka]

She had been right on the verge of turning around and running back into his arms, good decorum be damned when she had nearly walked into a bulkhead. A bulkhead that responded by suddenly talking. She wasn't that drunk yet, she was certain of it. It wasn't till she took a step back from the mass that was now talking to Re that she was able to take in the scope of the situation, and realize...

That's no bulkhead.

The creature. Yes, it was a creature - though how anything that big could move so freely defied her senses - seemed to cause the older Nehantite to deflate. In truth, she herself found her desires begin to ebb as a third party, possibly one that could be counted as a fourth or fifth entered their previously private moment. "Ah... is okay." She said with a smile.

I did not see you there? No, is lie. She is likely viewable all the way on Nehantish.

"I was just heading back to my ship." She smiled at Re, and gave him a wave of farewell, uncertain if she could even be SEEN from behind Gradoona.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"What I want is about three and a quarter liters of Old Reliable in an artillery shell, ha haa! fweee"

The Herglic's broad toothed beak chattered up and down in clicky laughter, her small eyes squinting merrily.

"Oh penguins, you know I'm just joshin'."

The bipedal cetacean seemed to deflate a little as a sighing haaauum escaped her blowhole.

"Probably just tie on a few pitchers of brewski and call it an early one. Unless they got the Alzoc ice fights on the holo! A real slobberknocker!"

Gradoona gave Stashia a friendly pat on the back at the mention of must-see ice sports. Maybe too friendly, as Gradoona carefully caught the Nehantite before she could pitch over.

"Aaaanyhoo, didn't mean to get in the way of you guys being all chummy. Pretend I'm not even here!"

[Anauri Rabeak]

Pretend you're not here? If only we could...

Anauri didn't know how she had found his little, secret hideaway, and quite frankly, he didn't want to know. What he did know was that, despite having no ill-will toward anyone, Gradoona had just ruined one of the most special moments the older Nehantite had felt in a very long time. The apology was written across his face as he sidestepped back in front of the Herglic to see Stashia once more. "Have a safe flight. I'm sure you'll become the best pilot our race has ever known," he said with a smile, then gave a playful salute. "I'll see you again for the full tour, Stashia. Take care."

They were words he didn't want to say. Words of goodbye, words of parting. He'd known her only for a moment, and then the moment was gone, crushed under the weight of a friendly whale. Stepping back, Anauri attempted to guide Gradoona toward the bar, allowing Stashia her escape. "C'mon, Gradoona. I feel like I could use another drink, already." It was fortunate the brim of his cap was low, as only Stashia was privy to his eye-roll at that comment.

[Stashia Yachenka]

She smiled as he waved, and at the words. How could she fail with such well-wishes heaped upon her? She walked from the bar and immediately wanted to walk back in. When she was out of earshot a sigh left her lips, eyes turning to linger back in the direction she had jut been, and then a short barking laugh, shaking her head. She had known him for no time at all, but all she could think about was rushing back to the bar and draping herself across him and staying there.

She was pining for the male. Her. She had logged over 1,000 flight hours, drank her whole squad under the table at least twice, and bested her instructor in his own combat classes, but she felt completely lost when thinking about the older male.

She gave a short shrug and tried to shake off the growing sense of longing she felt. "Сердце странно и глупо." She whispered to herself.

Finally she arrived back at the ship, with thankfully no sign of the idiot pilot. Good, he was the last person she wanted to deal with.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

All trilling clacks and whistles, Gradoona gave her superior a supportive squeeze at the shoulder.

"Yeeah, that's the spirit, sir! And shoot, dontchaknow that luck be lady, and this girl cleaned up at Sabacc yesterday ~fweeeeeee~ so buck up, cause the suds are on me!"

The unlikely pair of engineers meandered through a group of gawking Cizerack toward the bar. Gradoona haauuumed at the sight of empty barstools, pushing them out of the way with a mind to stand. As an engineer, she knew all about objects under stress, and she wasn't going to make that mistake again.

"Okay boss, so what's the dish on lady exotic over there? I'm no scientist but there was a lot of chemistry happenin' if you get my drift!"

[Anauri Rabeak]

The lady over there had left the bar, and possibly left Anauri's life forever. The older engineer sighed, the melancholy sort, its escaping breath laden with hopes and youthful thoughts that had no business still hanging around his tired and grizzled frame. He was twice her age, easily. That sort of thing never happens, in real life, and it certainly never happened to him. Pulling up a barstool, he allowed the weight of his sorrow to shift from his shoulders to his ass, tail loosely swaying behind himself.

"Sunshine's Pride, blonde," Anauri ordered, in the mood for something simply light and wet. For some time he simply stared down at the simple surface of the bar before he deigned to answer his subordinate's question.

"Have you ever loved someone, Gradoona? Loved them, and they loved you back, and you could simply feel how magical it was? Well, imagine that, and it all goes to hell in ways you couldn't have ever imagined, and you think you'll never feel that passion again." His beer arrived, in a glass, as blonde was on tap, and he took a slow pull from it.

"Well... I just met that woman, and... either I'm closer to mating season than I thought, or we both reminded each other of someone we used to feel that way for. It was... special."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

As the dark furred mongoose approached the airlock where her ship was docked, a figure watched from across the way. The tallish woman pushed herself away from the bulkhead and walked slowly toward the Kroskovan, dressed in a non-descript wrap tunic and pants in muted browns and greens. A touch of crimson showed at her throat where a small red stone on a chain bumped her collarbone, and her dark curls were loose around her shoulders.

Soon the mongoose adept would find her repairs had been delayed, though she wouldn't suspect the reason. Lilaena De'Ville continued her walk toward her. Though she was wanted in Imperial space, she had a reputation among the Alliance of a different sort. A good soldier, who got the tough jobs done. After the Ssi'ruuk no one had blinked at eye when she'd taken her leave of the cause. That mission had been the last for a lot of good men and women.

[Stashia Yachenka]

She ducked into the ship to find the front control panel split open, wires dangling out freely. She frowned, happy she had been to not have to deal with idiot sitter again, but had he simply left the repairs started and unfinished? Where had he vanished to. She clicked her tongue in irritation. By Garfife had she known that she would be delayed yet further, she would have simply thrown decorum to the wind and seen how much of Re's bottle of Vodka they could be through by this point.

She was strongly tempted to turn around and do just that, in an act of defiance against this entire trip. Instead she walked off the vessel and turned, tail straight and hairs splayed out making it look larger, and kicked the ship in irritation - because the captain were not here to kick instead.

"Сын кота! Чубарый грызунов! Пусть он жевать от собственных ушей!" She fell back into her native tongue, spitting venomous swears in frustation and anger.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Ooh..."

Gradoona haauuumed in commiseration, suddenly aware it was gonna be that kind of talk. She flagged the lady barkeep down, ordering a pitcher of what Anauri was having. It arrived with the customary pair of glasses, which Gradoona kindly declined in favor of drinking straight from the pitcher in a hefty quaff.

"Well suure, Chief. I mean, there's always someone out there that you go penguins over, and then donchaknow sometimes they go penguins right back. And then..."

~haaauuum~

Feeling the contagious melancholy, the Herglic's usually chipper beaked grin blanked a little. If Anauri looked at her small eyes, he'd catch something wistful there.

"Had a main fella back on the homeworld. Y'know, on Giju. Real dreamboat. 'Course I'm no small catch either if you don't mind me sayin' so. He saw me and I saw him and oh penguins! 'Course now with the Empire there to stay back home and all, you don't really come and go all willy nilly anymore. Gotta take a look at things and make real tough choices. It's a pickle, y'know."

~haaauuum~

Gradoona gave a shrug, taking another quarter pitcher down.

"He chose to stay home, and I left for the wide starry yonder, donchaknow. Guess that was it for us. He had roots and ol Gradoona's just a rolling stone. Shucks, what I wouldn't give to change that boy's mind."

Suddenly mad at the situation, the Herglic assistant engineer turned to her Nehantite boss.

"Lookit, Chief, I may be freshly dunked in this pool and all, but if you're telling me that you got bit by the love bug again, then shoot, what the heck are you just mopin' around here for? Go on and kiss her, darnit!"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Lilaena' eyebrows raised at the mongoose's explosion of rough sounding words, the emotions roiling off of her clear enough to read. "Trouble with your ship?"

[Stashia Yachenka]

She turned at the question, seeing the woman approach and pointed angrily at the ship. "Oh no, my ship? My ship perfect. Problem is this not my ship." She considered kicking it again, tail swaying with angry energy. "And idiot Captain is nowhere to be found, so is not like I can take out on him. Would be much better if could!" She wheeled back to kick the ship again, and stopped. How would she feel if someone were kicking her ship for mistakes she had made?

"Разве это не ваша вина, глупо корабль. Ваш капитан идиот."

She offered a half hearted apology to the vessel, feeling a twinge of remorse for taking out her anger on anything other than the pilot responsible for the poor care of their transport. She sighed in defeat, having blown through her immediate anger, though the body language of her tail, and the way her fur stood straight demonstrated her continued irritation. "So now I remain stuck here on Jovan. Had I known, I would have made arrangements."

She strongly considered going back to the bar and informing the captain she'd book a flight off Jovan when she was good and ready.

[Anauri Rabeak]

Anauri could not deny that he very much wanted to just rush and go grab up Stashia in his arms, hold her and kiss her, and then some. But there was a part of him that said no, he had no business courting another woman, not after how badly things had gone with his wife. The battle between love, lust and a broken heart raged inside him, while Anauri attempted to slowly drown all combatants with beer.

"It's not that simple, Gradoona," he sighed. His glass tipped up, pale amber liquid disappearing into his muzzle with mechanical precision, so practiced was his arm at such a meneuver.

"I'm twice her age. She deserves someone who can be there for her, relate to her, be someone who can actually love her. How can I do that, from here? Hell, I couldn't manage it with my ex-wife, and Garfife knows I tried," he grumbled. Without thinking, his thumb and forefinger on his right paw rubbed at where a wedding band had once been on his left ring finger, now worn and missing half its fur in that spot.

"Besides," he added, "You'll notice she's the one who left."

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Ooh suure, I'm pickin' up what you're puttin' down there Chief."

The Herglic knew a bit about that too, and she bobbed her enormous head up and down by ponderous degrees of solemn understanding. Love was a battlefield at times. And while Gradoona tried to impart the fact that there were no rules in love and war, Chief Rabeak was putting his war wounds on display.

"Once harpooned twice shy and all. I gotcha. Well lookit, sometimes you get the penguin, and sometimes the penguin gets away. But if you get burned on missin' all the time then shoot, you won't even try. Just think about all them penguins that got away and twiddle your thumbs at what might've been. ~haaauuuum~"

Gradoona picked up on the subtle motion at Anauri's hands, like an amputee tracing fingers at the point of a lost limb. Her beaked mouth pressed tight in mixed feeling.

"I may have only known you just a smidge, Chief, but you seem like an old soul. Lotta fellas out there got their heads all screwed on backwards, but not you, sir. No siree. Don't fret the mileage, y'know. Everybody's sweet on vintage models. Maybe you can fool any other old Joe with that cantankerous rigamarole, but I know a catch when I see one. And she would too."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She murmured sympathetically. "Sounds frustrating." Lilaena brushed her hair back out of her face, the knifes edge thin scar that nearly bisected her left eye clearly visible. "I would find it frustrating to wake up and find other people making my decisions for me, too. Not that they would for long," she added with a wry smile.

[Stashia Yachenka]

She let a small laugh escape at the words, her fur smoothing a bit as she engaged in friendly conversation. "Ah, but I am always having the decisions made for me. Such is life of pilot." She sighed a bit at that, was she though.

"You are relieved of active duty during the duration of your stay on Ossus, and potential placement within their ranks."

What did that make her? Kroskovan former military? On an extended leave? Reserve officer? She did not know. She turned to finally really address the woman, at a point where she was certain she wouldn't bite the woman's head off at least.

"Stashia. Stashia Yachenka." She offered her paw in greeting, ears perked forward in curiosity at the woman's identity.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"Lilaena De'Ville," she said, taking the offered paw. "But, if you could choose, Stashia. Would you join the Jedi? Do you know what you are getting yourself into?" She didn't explain how she knew what she knew. If the Kroskovan was curious, she'd ask.

[Stashia Yachenka]

She took the extended hand and shook it firmly, the sharp up and down motions slowing to a stop as the woman mentioned the Jedi, her head turning to one side in confusion as her ears pinned back.

"I am not offering this information. Is memo going around to announce this?" She spread her paws out as if displaying a large banner "Jovan Station welcomes incoming Jedi recruitment! First drink free."

She sighed and shrugged a bit rolling the question over in her mind, "I... I do not know. I am pilot..." She thought back to the lesson Re had offered, smiling a bit brighter, "Maybe Jedi make me into better pilot."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"You could become a better pilot anywhere." Lilaena shrugged dismissively. "Do you have any idea what the Jedi are, what they do​, or why they do it? You are an adept. You have a power your superior officers can't understand, buried deep inside you. The Jedi hold to a dead philosophy, one that nearly wiped them out years ago. Do not feel that you are beholden to a group you have never met, and have not chosen to join."

She reached out with her senses, feeling the emotions coming from Stashia.

[Stashia Yachenka]

The first and most foremost emotion she was likely to feel was confusion, and an underlying sense of fear. This was a highly abnormal situation already, made more so by the strange woman who now lectured her.

"... Who are you?" was the most the Kroskovan could manage, already taking a half-step away from the woman. If she had to defend herself, she needed room to do so.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"I was a Jedi. Once. A long time ago." She couldn't hide the flash of anger in her eyes, but it faded quickly. "You have nothing to fear from me, Stashia. I only wish for you to know your options. The whole galaxy lays before you at this junction. To be forced down one path without knowing the others even exist would be a tragedy."

[Stashia Yachenka]

"Options?" She said curiously, brow knitting as she relaxed her stance, but did not allow her guard to fall. This one was a former Jedi, or so she claimed. It might be good to get as much information as possible from her, even if she has her own agenda.

"I have orders. Options are go to Ossus, or becoming traitor."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Lilaena smiled thinly. "Such are the orders from the small minded. You can follow your orders, of course. Or you can join the Jedi because you think it is the right thing to do. There are, of course, the ways of the ancient Sith lords, those who followed the dark side of the Force to its inevitable end, using their power to carve out great empires and bend the galaxy as they saw fit. There are rumors some still exist... But if they do they are small, weak copies of the greatness the Sith once knew.

"As for me," she said, "I have made my own path. The Empire has a long history of the murder and misuse of Force Adepts. I oppose them most vehemently - with every fiber of my being. I do not tie myself to the Light, nor the Dark, but make use of all my abilities as necessary to protect those adepts who have been given no choice. And this, Stashia, includes you. An order is no choice at all, not when we are talking about the Unifying and Living Force."

[Stashia Yachenka]

Stashia Yachenka, Lieutenant, recipient of the Kroskovan Medal of Merit, the best pilot in all of Kroskova, likely all of Midloth... felt very small. She fought the growing weakness in her joints, her tail drooping as she was beset by the knowledge of just how wide the Galaxy was, how much bigger than herself this all was.

Jedi, Sith, Adepts, Empire, Unifying and Living Force? What had she stepped into. By Garfife what had she stepped into."I..." she stammered, pink eyes searching for something to hold onto, something that felt real despite all of this madness. "I do not know what I should do."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"Follow your orders," she said. "Go to Ossus, Stashia. But as you learn their ways, retain your skepticism. Know what you are committing to, before you commit fully. If you wish to ask me questions, you can reach me at this number." Lilaena held out a data chit with a comm number in its memory.

She looked down the station, and then back to the mongoose. "I'm sure your layover will be over soon. In the meantime, I think someone is looking for you." She smiled as Stashia took the chit, and when the pilot looked away she let herself disappear into what foot traffic there was nearby, her purposes complete.

[Anauri Rabeak]

Anauri's pink eyes stared at his beer, knowing that it could make him feel better, if he drank enough of it. Slowly they rose. Bottles of harder liquor lined the back wall, in front of the mirror behind the bar. There he considered himself. Was he so old that his time had passed? Did it matter that there was an age difference, if he loved her? And, even if it wasn't love, was a fling too much to ask, especially with a girl so pretty, and so obviously interested. All he could see in himself were his flaws, his damage and imperfections. Leave it to a space whale to point out that he was still a man, under all his war wounds.

Paw grasping his glass, Anauri lifted it and took a swig, before setting the half-empty vessel down, and slapping a few credits down next to it. Then he was out of his seat, standing beside the Herglic as he dug for something in his pocket. A twenty-credit chit was placed before, her, and the older engineer smiled.

"You know what? You're right. If I don't try, I'll never know," he said. "Drinks are on me, for that. And... you're in charge of engineering, for the rest of the night. Thanks for the penguin tailk." He suddenly winced, then laughed and shook his head. "I mean pep talk. Enjoy your drinks."

With that, Anauri took up his jacket and exited the bar, back onto the promenade. Civilians and non-Alliance craft always docked at Spire One, which was fortunate as it was in the same direction that Anauri needed to go to buy a box of... party favors... along the way, stuffing them into his jacket pocket. Crowds on Jovan had grown ever thicker as he and his team had helped bring the station on line, and make it hospitable to those who chose to brave it as a place of business, or a new home. His badge of office helped clear some of the standabouts out of the way, and in little time he made it to the docking bay, where he saw an older style of Kroskovan shuttle, and a black-furred beauty standing near it.

"Stashia!" Anauri called out, waving his paw as he drew near. "Still waiting on repairs?" he then asked, glancing at the shuttle, and praying she hadn't only used that as an excuse to get away from him in the bar.

[Stashia Yachenka]

Her ears went from their flattened position upward at the voice, that wonderful, grizzled voice. Her head all but snapped to find him, a momentary look of panic on her features from what had just happened and the now missing woman she had been talking to, this... Lilaena De'Ville. She rolled the data chit over against her paw pads before pocketing it into her gray flight jacket. It could be useful.

She rushed to him then, throwing her arms around him, clinging to him like an anchor of safety. "Re, I am thinking that I need good drink. Yes, very much needing good drink." She'd explain it all to him in time, or well... most of it. She still wasn't sure what to make of the mystery woman. But the missing pilot, the mounting concern, this she would explain. Orders be damned for that moment. She did not feel safe traveling with her sitter. Let command be upset.

"Things are... much more difficult than I expected." Her body language and tail told everything even if she didn't about the bundle of nerves she had become in such a short time since leaving his company.

[Anauri Rabeak]

It was not the greeting Anauri had expected, but he accepted it nonetheless. His own arms wrapping around her waist to hold her and still the nerves he could feel emanating from her, he stood, wondering what the hell had gone wrong in the last fifteen minutes. "It's okay, he assured her, reaching a paw up to stroke the back of her head before the pair slowly separated.

There it was, already, that sharp, sweet pheromone scent, but this time it was different, twinged with insecurity. Had she changed her mind? No, couldn't be, not from how she had greeted him, he told himself.

"What's wrong?" he asked, nodding to her ship, and its open door. "Does your pilot need assistance, in there?"

Of course, the vodka, and the private place to share it in were still very much on the table, but, being an engineer, he couldn't resist his immediate curiosity.

[Stashia Yachenka]

"Незаконнорожденный сын кота." She spat on the ground in frustation as she stared at the open door.

"No, he is not on board. I am not knowing where this идиот has gone." She groused loudly. "He has left work half done, console is split apart, wires everywhere - no sign of him, no message on how to reach him." She pulled herself a bit closer to the older male, the scent of him already doing much to improve her mode, tail swaying with growing ease at being in his presence.

[Anauri Rabeak]

"We'll get to the bottom of this," Anauri assured her. His paws rubbed the small of her back, letting her rest her head on his shoulder as long as she needed to in order to feel safe.

Deep inside of himself, Anauri could felt old emotions rising to the surface, ones he never thought he'd feel again. But why was he feeling them for this woman he barely knew? Was Garfife blessing him, or was it some nasty trick being played on him by what remained of Garamond's spirit? Either way, there was something else afoot, something he could not abide: a ship left unfixed.

When he felt her ease away, Anauri reached for his comm. "Security, this is Chief Engineer Rabeak. Please be on the lookout for a Nehantite male. Should be the only one on the station other than myself. When located, please detain him, and alert me."

That done, he nodded toward the ship again. "Come on, let's see what's going on, here."

Inside, it was a disaster of pulled wires, exposed panels and a console laying on the floor. To most, it would appear that something had gone seriously wrong, but to an experienced engineer, who had seen his fill of lazy stunts, it was something worse. A sham.

"That fucker..." he growled. There was nothing wrong with the panel. Every wire and connection had been cleanly separated at their proper junction box, and two minutes worth of reconnection and testing proved that there had never been anything wrong in the first place. "You've been had, Stashia,' he announced, scowling at the half-completed mess. "Nothing wrong, your pilot just made it look that way."

Reaching for his comm once more, Anauri's voice was decidedly less pleasant than the previous call. "Security, this is Chief Engineer Rabeak, again. When you find that Nehantite male, put him in the brig, minumum six hours. Willful disabling of a spaceworthy craft. Fine his ass for taking up a parking space, too. Nobody pulls this shit on my station."

There was something about solving a problem with a spacecraft that never failed to get Anauri worked up, and as he looked back to Stashia, his raised pulse went higher. His tail swishing in just the right way, he found the ability to smile, and said, "So... drinks at my place still sound good?"

[Stashia Yachenka]

She watched him work, intrigued by how quickly, how immediately he had diagnosed the problem, even if it was that there was no problem. When he finally spoke again to security, the treacherous male who had abandoned her on this station was being flagged for a night in holding. Good. Let him rot. She would send a report to her own superiors informing them of the situation, that she would acquire new transport to Ossus, and would be stuck on board the station until she could arrange such.

Her temperature had risen several degrees as she'd watched his tail move and dance, and flicked hers back in response. When at last he turned, smiled and made the wonderful offer of drinks, Stashia found that words no longer properly conveyed her sentiment. She was against him in an instant, muzzle locked against his in a delightful warm kiss. That tiny instinctual voice that had not shut up since she had left him in the bar finally relented, and she felt herself relax against his thick form, tail swaying in delight.

[Anauri Rabeak]

The older male's pink eyes went wide with surprise, at first, with that kiss.

Hoo, boy, this one is forward! Maybe we should pace our-

Immediately, Anauri stopped paying attention to the voice in his head, and let his heart and instincts take over. Eyes closed, he returned the kiss, softly at first, then deeply as his arms pulled her tight. He barely knew her. He'd likely not see her for months, at the earliest, but... everything felt so right. In that moment, he abandoned himself to his impulses, strong paws sliding down her back to grasp and squeeze that backside, pulling her deeper into that kiss until it parted, both Nehantites panting.

"I think we'd better hurry back to my place. There's rules about having sex in parked craft, here in the bay," he murred. Another kiss was unavoidable, but after that he found himself taking Stashia by the paw, and leading her back through the promenade, past the shops and bars, to a turbolift where they shared yet more kisses, despite an onlooking Cizerack officer, until at last they reached the crew deck. From there it was a short distance to his apartment, and he fumbled with his keycard before finally finding the slot and gaining entry.

"My humble abode," he announced, bidding Stashia inside, then peeled off his jacket as the door closed behind him. "So... drinks first, or...?" he asked with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

[Stashia Yachenka]

She wanted to suggest the Vodka, open it to pry the mood, but her pheromones and instincts had decided that she was pried enough. She pushed against him forcefully, a low growl in the back of her throat as she nipped at his neck wantingly. It was mere moments later their bodies crashed to the ground, and sheer luck that they managed to get the door shut before the show became public.

The rest of the night was a blur, he gave her a tour of the apartment, and she availed herself upon him in every room.

An alarm beeped somewhere across the room, his bedroom a disheveled mess of their passion. She pulled herself up from against his chest with a startled look, a morning alarm usually meant that she had overslept and was late for morning inspection. She blinked a few times as the night came back to her, wry grin spreading over her lips from the memories and she pulled back the covers, expecting to find Re's face, and instead revealed his legs. She flopped backward and pulled the covers the other direction, finding his face, somehow still sleeping through the noise and smiled brightly as she watched him breath for a few moments.

It had been exactly what she had needed. Her body free of the tension and stress that had been building since getting her assignment to go to Ossus. She leaned in and let her muzzle wander against his own, hoping to stir him with the warmth of her kiss.

[Anauri Rabeak]

A deep and throaty murr resonated from the male's throat, and his paw slid up to find her cheek even before he had fully come to. Gently, his eyes opened, and he smiled. It could have been but a fantastic dream, but as he looked into the eyes of his lover, Anauri knew it had been so much more. Sliding closer in he bed, he let one arm wrap around her waist to draw her close to him once more, the warmth of Stashia's black fur feeling so right against his body, and with his other paw he reached out and slapped his offending alarm.

"Mmm, good morning, beautiful," he murred again. "I don't think they'll mind if I'm a bit late for work, today. I know I won't mind," he chuckled, nuzzling her before licking her neck.

Any thought of work was as far from Anauri's mind as the Dagobah system.

[Stashia Yachenka]

She murred back in appreciative sensation to the paws pulling her closer to him, offering more of her neck to his deliciously skilled tongue. "Good morning~" She sang out softly against him, quite pleased with the idea that she didn't have to give him up so quickly. "Mmmm, while I am liking this very much." She gave a soft rumble of approval, "I am not wanting to keep you from work - even if you won't mind." She smiled at him, peppering his chin with soft kisses. "I am here for several days now I am thinking. Must still find new transport to Ossus, I have no desire to go anywhere with that идиот pilot after such a stunt."

She stroked her pawtips through his fur, tracing his scars appreciatively. It was the sign of a hard worker, the sign of a male who could bare the weight of the world. It was a roadmap that she desired to learn every inch of.

[Anauri Rabeak]

"Mmm, don't blame you," Anauri said between kisses up her jawline until he found her lips. "But... I may have a solution," he smiled after that. "I have my own ship, and I've got some leave built up. What if I took you to Ossus?"

Without warning, Anauri rolled onto his back, his strong arms grasping Stashia to come with him, grinning up at her as she lay above him, now, straddling his hips. "Though, my ship only has one cabin, and a single bed. Think that'll be a problem?" he asked with a playful wink.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

The commlink on the bedside table began to vibrate, rattling the polymer surface and creating a buzzing din that begged to not be ignored.

[Anauri Rabeak]

His question would have to wait, apparently, and Anauri growled as he reached over to his bedside table. Arms not quite long enough, he tapped and pushed at the commlink with his clawtips before a final surge of motion pulled it into his grasp. One paw stroking Stashia's back, the other holding the comm, he sighed, and pressed the button.

"Chief Engineer Rabeak. What's broken, this time," he grumbled, not even having checked to see who was on the other end.

[Stashia Yachenka]

She would have been all too happy to answer his question by continuing their adventures from the night prior, murring in appreciative delight at the position he had managed to wrangle them into when his comm buzzed and he was forced to draw his attention away. She didn't want to interrupt his call, she really didn't.

But she was going to. Her face turned up mischievously, ears perking forward in playful anticipation as she braced her paws against his chest, fingers digging in and slowly began to rock her body, her wide and wicked grin beaming down at him.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

One hand on the commlink and the other hand on a pilfered bearclaw, Gradoona leaned casually against a load-bearing pylon at Spire D Routing Relay Junction.

"Soo theere Sunshine. How ya doooing?"

Whistle-clacking, the matchmaking Herglic disappeared the bearclaw in her hand behind her happy curling tongue, reaching for another in the nearby box as if on autopilot.

"You knoow, a little penguin told me you didn't clock in this moornin'. Huh? Huuuh?"

The Herglic's voice began getting higher with each conspiratorial insinuation, her small eyes squinting in naughty delight.

"Soo...sleep well didja, Tiger?"

Suddenly another thought occurred, and the Herglic glanced left and right before whispering.

"...is she still there?"

[Anauri Rabeak]

"No no no no no," Anauri's mouth silently worded as he felt what Stashia was preparing to do. She very clearly didn't listen, much to the engineer's simultaneous dismay and delight. "Didn't clock in? My alarm just went off," he said into the comm, trying to keep his voice as flat as he could.

No good, a pleasured grunt escaped his lips, albeit a short one. "Yeah, she's still here," he admitted. "Kiiinda busy, at the moment, Gradoona. Mmf! Can you handle things until I get in?"

Pulling the comm as far away from his head as he could, he hissed, "This is so not fair, and you know it!" His face was cross, but in a mockingly playful sort of way.

[Stashia Yachenka]

She didn't even answer back to his pleading 'nos' smile simply turning more feral and wicked as she picked up her speed, biting down on her lower lip as she listened to his conversation, and tried not to laugh at his soft noises that he fought to hide over the line.

When he did finally say something directly to her, she brought her paw to her muzzle to stifle the laugh that came out, before leaning down to kiss his lips quickly in response, "I have never claimed to be this, 'fair'." She mimed the word with her lips, as if it were a strange foreign tongue she didn't understand and leaned back further, arching as she shifted from rocking to grinding.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

The Herglic's mouth hung open in full salacious bliss at both her matchmaking prowess and the naughty aftermath. She giggled hypersonic.

"Ooh suure Chief, dontcha worry your pretty little bedraggled Nehantite noggin on my account. Yoou knoow, I doo know how to turn a hydrospanner or two. I'll just tell the Commander you got a whopper case of Langoonan Measles."

Wolfing down another bearclaw, she winked unseen next to the comm.

"Dontcha go break a hip now, she looks bendy!"

[Kes Akiena]

Sitting at the desk in his office, Commander Akiena found himself in a bit of a quandary as he continued to thumb through the morning's reports. There was one missing, and it was one of the more important ones. He frowned, scrolling back in the hopes that he'd missed it, but no. It was not there. A sigh, and he reached over to the comm unit built into the glossed surface of his desk, keying in a certain number before depressing the callbutton.



* * *

The comm in Chief Rabeak's hand emitted a distinctly different ring as it pinged in his grasp.

[Anauri Rabeak]

"She is," Anauri found himself saying before he even realized it. Immediately his face screwed up with wince so hard that it appeared painful. "Damn it! Just... I gotta go!" he blurted into the mic, then fumbled for the call end button, finally clicking it.

"You're gonna get me in so much trouble," he said, the wince gone, replaced by a grin. "Though... be careful, I'm not wearing a-"

*BE-DEEP! BE-DEEP-DEEP!*

The comm in his paw beeped and vibrated again, causing Anauri to cut short his legitimate protest and roll his eyes. "Chief Engineer Rabeak, what's broken, this time?" he said, carefully timing his pickup to allow himself the proper breath to say it.

[Stashia Yachenka]

She grinned down at him and was about to respond when his comm beeped again, she brought both paws up to her mouth this time, having to desperately fight back the laugh. Her poor, poor Re. He had the worst timing of any male. She should stop and let him do his job...

She bit into her lower lip a bit harder, mischievous look growing as she gave her hips a subtle bounce.

[Kes Akiena]

"Chief Rabeak."

There was a distinct, curt tone to Kes' words, and one could almost see the stern look on his face over the audio-only comm transmission.

"I'm not interrupting you, am I... ?"

[Anauri Rabeak]

Anauri bit back the sudden moan he was about to make, transforming it into a most uncomfortable noise, then a cough. "N-no, sir," he replied in a hurry. "Just... feeling under something, this morning."

Immediately he yanked the comm away from his face once more as he gasped, his torturess bouncing mercilessly upon him. "This is my boss!" he hissed through grit teeth, then summoned up the wherewithall to speak into the mic, again. "What's up?"

[Kes Akiena]

"I was looking through the morning reports," A strange look was sent to the speaker in his desk.

"Yours is absent."

There was a far-off gasping sound made from the other end, and his brow knit further.

[Anauri Rabeak]

"Morning reports?" Anauri blurted. His left paw furiously tried to hold his lover's hip still but to no avail. Jaws clenched, throat tight, he managed, "It's 0620, I don't even start shift for forty minutes. That report's - *nnf!* not even due 'til 0800!"

[Kes Akiena]

And in that moment, it all clicked. Everything came into sharp focus as Kes leaned back into his seat, one elbow settling on the armrest of his chair as he closed his eyes, head dipping to rest into a waiting palm. He didn't even have the desire to explain that the morning reports he was currently filing through were those filed from the very end of the previous night's shift. In the face of what he could only imagine was happening on the other end of the comm, he was rather certain that Chief Rabeak had other more urgent matters on his mind.

It was the barely contained nnf from the other end that sealed the deal, and Kes leaned forward once more, hand reaching out for the button that would terminate the call.

"I'll be waiting for that report, Chief."

And without waiting for a reply, Kes swiftly pushed down, ending the call.

Blinking, he stared ahead at the closed doors of his office. Idly he picked up the mug of caf that always seemed to be on his desk, briefly entertaining the thought of sending his K'ohta'rrou to the nearest dispensary for a small handle of Caridan whisky with which to spike his normal morning drink.

[Anauri Rabeak]

The moment his comm beeped in termination, Anauri gasped loudly, releasing all the noises he had been suppressing in one strange, gutteral stream of ecstasy.

Followed by, "Mmmf! Keep that up if you want to have kits, Stashia!"

In the back of his mind, Anauri knew he was in all sorts of trouble, but to tell the truth, he couldn't care less.

[Ydran Esk'avar]

But trouble always came in threes, and now the comm began to play the theme song to a well-known Nehantite police procedural (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz4-aEGvqQM).

[Anauri Rabeak]

"Damn it, why now?!" Anauri groaned, picking up his comm once more. It took only a moment to realize who the caller was, and his face went from pleasure to panic. "Stash, this is station security. I seriously need you to stop for just a moment," he begged.

Much to his relief, she did, and the engineer took a deep breath to calm his nerves before answering, "Chief Engineer Rabeak, what's broken, this time?"

[Stashia Yachenka]

She pushed the bangs away from her eyes, having relented when security had called her poor, clearly overworked lover. There was a limit to her cruelty, after all. He'd asked for a moment, and she would give him that moment, though the countdown to when that moment ended had already started in the back of her mind.

[Ydran Esk'avar]

The amorous atmosphere was tempered somewhat by Ydran Esk'avar's gravelly monotone. "Inspector Esk'avar to Chief Rabeak. You may be interested to know we've apprehended your truant pilot. He's been threatening to make an interstellar incident of the whole affair and is demanding to speak with his passenger. I don't suppose you have any idea of her whereabouts?"

The cynical dispassion in the Bothan's voice left no illusion as to what he thought of such threats.

[Anauri Rabeak]

Anauri sighed, leaning his head back against his pillow. Closing his eyes, he let his left paw reach up and rub the crooked, broken bridge of his muzzle in exhasperation.

"After her pilot intentionally damaged her ship, and disappeared without notice, Miss Yachenka didn't feel safe in his company. I put her up with lodging for the night. Need me to bring her down to the station?" he asked. All the magic was gone. All of it.

*Nnf!* he grunted lightly as he felt himself slowly ground against. Well, perhaps not all the magic was gone, but a lot of it had left the building.

"Might take me a few minutes, you've reached me in bed. Pretty sure she's still in bed, herself. Can you stall this jackass for a few?" he added into the comm.

[Ydran Esk'avar]

"We have him in a holding cell, stalling him won't be a problem," Ydran replied. "However, an examination of his ship turned up no evidence of sabotage, and he filed no repair orders, nor did he declare his ship in distress when he docked. As long as he pays his docking fees, I have nothing to charge him with. Contrary to what you might expect, it's not illegal to be a very bad mechanic. Still, I'm certain his superiors will find it interesting that after making an unscheduled stop to perform unnecessary maintenance, he chose to spend the night in the Shatterstar Lounge sharing an expensive bottle of vermouth with a very large Askajian woman."

The inspector paused, and one could almost hear his long, canine snout wrinkling. "Once you and Miss Yachenka are both... out of bed... I would like to take your statements."

[Anauri Rabeak]

"We'll be in as soon as we can," Anauri answered. That said, he pressed the end call button on his comm and set it down once more.

At last he opened his eyes, looking up at Stashia. "I am in so, so much trouble now, just so you know," he sighed. For a moment his face was still, until a grin turned up the corners of his muzzle. "But, you're more than worth it. Now... why don't I suit up and we can do this proper? We've got a few minutes grace, I'm pretty sure." The older Nehantite winked, paws tracing down Stashia's sides.

[Stashia Yachenka]

She slapped his chest playfully. "I will do what I can to see to it that there is no trouble, or... at least less." She rolled off of him, smirking. "But if we have few minutes..." She murred and reached for the nightstand and it's contents.

-- Some time later --

She had encountered some trouble locating a few of her pieces of clothing, and that had resulted in a quick impromptu cleaning session to find her shirt. She had eventually settled to simply tucking one of Re's in under her flight jacket and zipping it to make the larger shirt less obvious. It didn't take too much longer after that to make their way to the security office, and Stashia found herself holding onto Anauri's arm as they walked in.

[Anauri Rabeak]

A quick sonic shower had helped to reduce the scent of their passion to the point that human noses would not be able to detect it, but Anauri bit his lip, knowing that the station's constable was quite the bloodhound of a Bothan. The sliding doors of the security office made nary a sound as they whisked open - a feat that had taken Anauri two days to manage, compared to the grating, jerky, halting trudge that they had previously sported when he came onto Jovan in the first place. Inside, a security officer sat at the front desk.

"Chief Engineer Rabeak, here to see Inspector Esk'avar," Anauri announced, trying his best to appear professional.

[Ydran Esk'avar]

The desk officer, a young, gangly human male who look like he'd barely started shaving, pointed the two Nehantites through the frosted glass door marked CHIEF OF SECURITY. On the other side they found the Bothan inspector studiously shuffling his way through a large stack of flimsy, annotating each one on a holoscreen projected above his desk. Behind him stood a bookshelf sagging with actual, honest books, made of tree pulp, ink, and glue. At his left-hand side was a standing holoframe bearing the luminous image of a staid Bothan female in the plain black uniform of an intelligence officer.

"Enter," Ydran said before Anauri even reached for the chime, and the frosted door slid open to admit them. "Good morning Mr. Rabeak. Ms. Yachenka."

The inspector did not raise his eyes from his work, but pulled another flimsy from the edge of the desk and considered it. "Stashia Yachenka, First Lieutenant, Kroskovan Federal Aerospace Corps, highly decorated, suspected Force adept. You are something of a national treasure, I'm given to understand."

[Stashia Yachenka]

Stepping inside she took stock of the office, feeling very much like many offices that she had been in before, paperwork busily spread across the room, some touches of a personal life, and of course an ever busy individual working at their desk. What stood out was how much the Bothan seemed to be at the top of his game. Her file was immediately ready, and far more detailed than she'd anticipated.

Her tail swayed at the words 'national treasure' ears turning down a bit in humility. "Ah, I do not know of all this. I am merely pilot. Very good pilot." She smiled a bit with a chuckle, "But pilot." She clasped her hands behind her back and considered him, "And I am understanding you are having problems with идиот who brought me to station." She tried to keep her frustration toward that particular individual calm, at least in the presence of the Security Chief. "If I may be permitted? I may speak with him?"

[Ydran Esk'avar]

"Of course, Lieutenant, but if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a few questions first."

At last Ydran set the flimsy down and looked up from beneath hooded eyes at the ebon-furred Nehantite.

"Starting with your reasons for visiting Jovan Station?"

[Stashia Yachenka]

"This is not my decision." She admitted, straightening to attention, this was an official inquiry, after all. "идиот pilot. He is saying we need to stop for repairs, so we stop. I am finding out this is a lie?"

She bit back the desire to curse further about the pilot, this airman, and his waylaying of her journey. In truth she saw that it had been for the best, as she had met Re, and her time with him had been something truly special. But she did not appreciate being lied to, and there was still the question of why he had lied? Simply for his own vacation? Possibly, but what of that woman? She knew more about Stashia than she should have, even being a former Jedi as she claimed. The situation did not smell right.

[Ydran Esk'avar]

Ydran's snub-clawed fingers tapped away at the keypad beneath his holoscreen. "Are you aware of any reason your pilot may have had to lie to you?"

[Stashia Yachenka]

She considered mentioning the woman, the 'De'Ville' who had stopped her at the ship, told her that she had options and slipped her a data chit. This... was likely the reason. But it was also not information she wanted made public.

"I do not." It was a half lie at worst, she had no way to know for certain that was the reason for the stop. "He did disappear very quickly from the ship, though. I imagine wherever it is you have found him, is likely reason."

[Ydran Esk'avar]

Ydran's eyes narrowed, and he rumbled deep in his throat, a sound that might easily be construed as a canine growl.

"I want you to think carefully, Lieutenant Yachenka. Is there anyone you know of who could stand to gain from delaying your passage to Ossus?"

[Stashia Yachenka]

She frowned. Her assessment had been spot on, he was absolutely at the top of his game. But she had dealt with security personnel before.

"Gain? There are likely many who could gain from my delay. As you say, I am National Treasure, on way to Ossus to become first Midlothian, first Kroskovan Jedi - many would gain from interrupting this journey. As to whom these would be? I do not know. Perhaps Imperials wish to make counter-offer, or a rival faction from Nehantish with need of my skills. What I can tell you, Chief, what I can promise is truth?"

She leaned in, resting her paws against the table to lock eyes with him, "No one has tried to stop me from following my original orders. I am to go to Ossus, I am to meet with Jedi. This, even after this delay? This is still what will happen."

[Anauri Rabeak]

"Ydran, if I may," Anauri edged his way into the conversation. "Stashia was clearly distressed when she found her pilot missing. I inspected their craft, and there was nothing wrong with it. The main console had been pulled to make it look like work was needed, when none was. It's an old trick common to young technicians, but I was able to spot it immediately. I have no interest in the politics of my world, any more, but I would like to make sure Miss Yachenka gets where she needs to go. Not to mention we have some old tech here we can't use, but perhaps my counterpart on Ossus can. I can take her the rest of her way, and make sure she gets there safe, with no interference."

[Ydran Esk'avar]

"That's between you and Commander Akiena," Ydran replied. "I'm more concerned with the pilot's motives for deceiving Lieutenant Yachenka. His tab at the Shatterstar Lounge was well over three hundred credits. Probably would have been higher if he'd made it to the back rooms with his... companion."

His gimlet eyes darted from Anauri to Stashia and back. Gossip meant little to him, but intelligence was everything. The two mongooses' own nocturnal activities would unfortunately cast the pall of suspicion on them as well.

"Your pilot made a deposit to his account on the order of one thousand credits in unsigned chits last evening at seventeen hundred hours. Someone paid him to delay you here, Lieutenant. I intend to find out who. If any information should occur to you that may shed light on this conspiracy, I want you to let me know."

The Bothan rose from his seat, standing considerably shorter than either of his Nehantite guests. "If you'll follow me, I can take you to see him."

[Stashia Yachenka]

Her eyebrows raised at the mention that he had been paid. So this De'Ville had indeed known she was going to be on the Station, assuming she was the one who paid the airman to stop. She regretted not sharing this bit of information with the Bothan, he was merely doing his job. But she had to play this one close to her chest, the woman had done nothing more than give her information, and apparently paid a great deal of money to pass along her contact information.

'I understand, sir, if I remember anything of us, I inform you." This was a much more overt lie than the last, and she did not enjoy the deception, but if what the woman had said was true, that she would need to remain skeptical, it was likely necessary. That meeting being on record before arriving on Ossus would cause additional inquiries. Perhaps the rejection of her appeal to join their order. Too much was at play, expectations from back home, her own future, no - this was not information that anyone should be having just yet.

She followed the Security Chief into the holding area, a small number of cells lining one wall. It was entirely likely that this was only one of many such locations, she could not be certain. Immediately the идиот brightened upon seeing her, standing sharply.

"Ah! There is little lost lamb! Now, she will explain facts of"

"Заткнись!" She snapped sharply, stalking to the holding cell, pink eyes alight with righteous indignation as her tail moved menacingly behind her, fur sharply on edge. His expression fell dire, and he started to open his mouth again.

"Я сказала, заткнись курсант! Не забывайте, что я являюсь лидером. Нет? Ну, вы будете слушать меня. Ты идиот, хорошо для ничего бездельника в лучшем случае. Потенциал предатель, да, в худшем изменник!"

His body language collapsed, and eyes widened at the words, and most importantly his muzzle closed sharply. He looked afraid to breathe, let alone speak.

"Ах, у меня есть ваше внимание сейчас? Хорошо. Ложные ремонт? Деньги переведены на ваш счет? Это не хорошо выглядеть для вас. Как наши начальники смотрят на это? Ваши лояльность будет поставлена под сомнение."

He nodded sharply, his back stiffening to sharp attention.

"Я чувствую себя щедрым, как настроение значительно улучшилось, так как вы оставили меня. Вы сообщили о трудностях корабль. Вы вернетесь домой, так как это не безопасно для вас, чтобы продолжить. Я найду свой путь к Оссусе. Это не договорная. вы будете согласны или я вижу, что вы лишены вашего ранга, обесчестил, если вам повезет. Возможно, вы будете расстреляны."

He nodded again, faster this time, anxious. "Ma'am, yes ma'am."

"Тогда мы поняли друг друга, не так ли? Хорошо. Теперь, встретили меня, вы слабоумные идиот."

His hand went to his forehead, snapping into a proper military salute as she turned from him, anger draining away to smile at her Nehantite lover, and the Bothan chief of security.

"All is dealt with. There is no incident as he threaten. He will report ship difficulties to my superiors, and I will report same. Then I am free to find new travel arrangements. Is agreeable?" She looked at Ydran. "Is... safest route. It will keep my superiors out of your investigation, yes?"

[Ydran Esk'avar]

The Bothan raised his snout with an affronted air. "I wouldn't be so cavalier about this matter if I were you, Lieutenant. It stands to reason that whoever paid to have you stranded here is no friend of yours. As long as you're aboard this station, I'd like to keep you under surveillance in case they make a move against you. As for your pilot, if he wishes to lodge a complaint about how he's being treated, he is welcome to do so. I'll be sending a full report to his superiors just the same."

Behind him, the pilot's upturned paw wavered and fell from his forehead, and he turned in desperation to Stashia. "Я ... я могу заплатить ему!"

[Stashia Yachenka]

Not just good then. She had given him an easier way to go about his work, even to continue his investigation and he was insisting on being completely above the board with this. Honorable. The man had earned her respect, even if she thought he was being a fool with his choices. "I hope you are not minding, but I will offer my own report after I am on Ossus, in that case." Behind her the идиот pilot spoke up again, and she fought the urge to snap back at him. He would not even make his job a little easier on himself, and this fool thought he was someone to be bribed?

"Предложение это самостоятельно, если хотите. Я не буду иметь никакого участия в нем."

She didn't even break eye contact with the Bothan to respond to him. "I do not like, sitters, as you can imagine." She narrowed her eyes considering, "But your point is well made. May I request someone specifically to keep eye on me?" She glanced toward Anauri, "Or is that yet another choice I am not allowed?" She was growing tired of being moved around by other people's decisions.

[Ydran Esk'avar]

"Mr. Rabeak will have his own duties to attend to, unless you plan on picking up a hydrospanner and joining his rounds," Ydran replied. "In any case, I'd like to issue you a station commlink for the duration of your stay. It will allow us to track your whereabouts, and also give you a way to contact security should any problems arise."

The Bothan produced a small metal plate (http://www.shadowdalecreations.com/b5_communicator_1.jpg), about the size of a matchbook, whose reverse side would adhere equally well to clothing or fur, matching the commlink on the back of his own hand. As he pressed the device into Stashia's paw, it chimed and flashed a blue LED.

"It's keyed to your biosigns now, so it'll also alert us if it's separated from you for more than a few minutes. As if no one's ever tried that before."

[Stashia Yachenka]

She saw it coming before he moved to put it in her hand, could have avoided it, could have refused it. She didn't move. It chimed, beeped and she held up her palm to look at it.

It was a rather unobtrusive sitter at least. And she wouldn't be here terribly long, it was certainly better than having the Bothan or one of his men follow her around the station for however long she was stuck there.

"Do not worry, chief, I have no intention of flying coup, as they say." She turned it over, and then afixed it to her flight jacket, playing with it's positioning. "Is there anything else you are requiring?"

[Ydran Esk'avar]

"Not presently. I'll contact you if I should need any additional information. If anything occurs to you that you wish to add to your statement, feel free to let us know."

Ydran's fur rippled with intrigue, if one knew how to read the subtler points of Bothan emotions. Hiding something was not in itself suspicious behavior; those who said they had nothing to hide were either lying or living uninteresting lives. But the inspector's patience, while prodigious, had its limits. When it broke, other things tended to break as well.

"I think we've held Mr. Rabeak from his duties long enough. Enjoy your stay on Jovan, Lieutenant, but try not to go anywhere too secluded." With his arms tucked behind his back, he executed a bootheel turn back toward his office.

[Anauri Rabeak]

Anauri had said nothing after his opening statement. He, too, was concerned with why Stashia's safety, but more so about how a low-ranking Kroskovan pilot had suddenly found a thousand credits to deposit. Military pay was almost exclusively deposited by the government into a soldier's account, so unless he'd withdrawn a tidy sum before the flight, only to deposit it again on Jovan, it made no sense. Offering his arm to Stashia again, he escorted her out of the station, and to a quiet corner.

"You lied to him," he stated quietly. "I'm sure you have your reasons, but I'm not going to hide that it worries me." No longer did the older Nehantite sound like a lover, instead he had all the tone and poise of a disapproving father. "Tell me, truthfully, should I be concerned? Or have you played me like you played Inspector Esk'avar?"

[Stashia Yachenka]

That... hurt. She turned to look away from him, crossing her arms across her chest. "I protected myself." She said sharply, "Your Inspector Esk'avar, he seems honorable, but I do not know him. This... person who has caused this, I do not believe means to harm me." Should she mention De'Ville? Could she? "..." She let out a soft sigh, and took his paws, "I am not wanting to deceive you, and I am not playing you." She looked at him earnestly, "But there is much happening in my life. Much I am... now a part of, that I am unaware of how to proceed with. These Jedi, this... larger universe." She pressed her muzzled against his chest, finding comfort there, "There is no danger here, I promise you." ...She squeeze his paws tighter, "I wish to say more, but... I do not know if I can."

[Anauri Rabeak]

Anauri didn't know what he was truly feeling, at that moment. His personal thoughts on the matter were clouded by paternal instinct, his desire to go mate again, and his duty to his superiors. Closing his eyes, he sighed, letting a strong arm reach around her back.

"It's... it's okay," he said with a sigh. "But, Ydran was right about one thing - I do have duties to attend to. And we also can't leave you alone, again." Pulling his arm, back, he used a finger to lift her chin until she looked into his eyes. "I have to get reports submitted, and, at the same time I need to request some leave. Going to be boring, for a bit, but I need you to stick with me for right now, got it?"

From there it was over to a restricted access doorway. Anauri used his badge to gain entry, and ushered Stashia in along with him. There was little to see, mostly access tube junctions and workstations, and it was one of the latter that Anauri plonked himself down in front of, then reached into his jacket pocket to withdraw a pair of reading glasses. For a few minutes, he hammered away at the keyboard, and dragged files from screen to screen before plugging in a datapad and downloading his work to it. "There. Should have been done last night, but oh well," he grumbled. Pad in his right paw, he stood. "Well, off to submit this, and see if I can get some leave. If I can't, I'll at least try and find you good passage to Ossus."

It was no guarantee that Anauri would be granted any of the leave he'd built, and he didn't want to get Stashia's hopes up. Still, he offered his arm again, and after she took it, he led the way back down the promenade and to the central hub where most of the station offices resided. Strange looks abounded, seeing their chief engineer with a young lady at his side, but Anauri paid them no heed, going so far as to press the buzzer on Kes's office door. There, he politely had to let Stashia's arm go. It was better to look profession in front of his boss, after all, and he had a late report to deliver.

[Kes Akiena]

Though his office was positioned on the periphery of the command hub, Kes had made sure to maintain that he held an open-door policy. It was a policy that really only extended as far as personnel. Anyone else had to file a report. Many such reports now littered the surface of his desk, and the Commander of Jovan Station found himself in the unenviable position of trying to sort through each one according to their perceived importance. A daunting task, all things considered. It was also a tedious task, and one that the redhead would not wish on anyone. This was punishment, and he knew it. The higher powers had seen fit to simply demote Commodore s'Ilancy - for himself, they had decided to place him in charge of a space station. And all for stealing a ship. No matter that he'd been in the right, and his aide had helped to save not only the Jedi, but keep the Alliance itself from fracturing. No. Such things were apparently trivial, and meaningless.

Kes sighed, frowning in distaste at the display before him; so many flimsis and a smattering of datapads. It was a fate so far worse than demotion. Then again, promotion often was.

When the chime to his office sounded, he gladly leaned back in his chair, ignoring the mess atop his desk. A sad look was sent to his empty caf, but the thought was soon enough pushed away.

"Enter."

[Anauri Rabeak]

It would be the eighth time Anauri Rabeak had been to Commander Akiena's office, and only the third time when he wasn't there to fix something. There was always something nerve-wracking about having to go visit the boss in his office, and this time Anauri's nerves were on edge because he was in trouble. Trouble for something he didn't even do, and wasn't supposed to have done. Submit a report for the previous day.

His tail was still as he entered Kes's office, noting the pile of datapads already on his desk, and there he was to submit another. "Commander," he greeted his superior. "Morning report from yesterday's activities," he annouced, passing his datapad across the desk. "I'm sorry. Kedix was supposed to submit that, last night. It was my first day off I've had, here. I'll make sure to set up an automated system so that it doesn't happen again, when I'm off."

[Kes Akiena]

A warm smile greeted his Chief Engineer, and Kes gave a gracious nod while accepting the offered datapad. It was - regrettably - set atop the already voluminous pile.

"Not to worry, Chief."

There was an understanding look given to the Nehantite as he gave a shake of his head.

"We've all been a bit busy, I know and understand that much. And I'm not about to reprimand you for something one of your own men should've done."

A cunning tilt upwards of one corner of his lips.

"I'll let you do that."

There was more to this however; that Chief Rabeak had come to his office in person - and not to repair some misbehaving bit of software or machinery - was not something that was normal. The redhead seemed to relax in his seat, but was mindful enough to gesture at the chairs in front of his desk should Anauri wish to sit.

"So. What can I do for you, Chief."

[Anauri Rabeak]

Anauri did not sit. To sit with a commander meant you were a visiting dignitary that he had to attempt to appease, or that you were friends. Anauri was neither, and while he respected Kes Akiena, he did not yet know him well enough to call him a friend. Besides, making friends with the boss often spelled disaster down the line. Instead he straightened his jacket and cleared his throat.

"You know I've worked hard on this station, getting her online, habitable, and getting systems integrated. I've worked every day since I got here, until yesterday," he said. "A day off was needed, but it also made me realize that if I don't get some down time, I'm going to burn out. I would like to request use of some of the leave I've built up. Say, six days or so, if that wouldn't be a problem, and I would be off-station for the duration of that time. I'll appoint a better lead than Kedix, for sure, and make things are in order before I go. It'll be a trip to Ossus and back, and I can even kill two birds with one stone by ferrying some supplies bound for the settlement there in my ship. And, just maybe I can see if I can convince Tevit to come back with me. Garfife knows my team is stretched thin, as it is. Do I have your permission to take leave, sir?"

[Kes Akiena]

Goodness that was a mouthful.

But he listened intently, his eyes never straying from Anauri. A moment of thought, and Kes finally gave a slow nod.

"So long as whoever you choose to take care of matters while you're gone is better than Mr. Kedix, then yes. I see no reason for you to not have a bit of downtime."

Another smile, this one a genuinely easy expression.

"Enjoy yourself on Ossus, Chief. You've earned the break. And Chief," a single uplifted eyebrow met the Nehantite.

"Might I suggest you go ahead and not answer early morning comms in the future, no matter who they're from?"

[Anauri Rabeak]

The insides of the Nehantite's ears burned red with embarrassment, and he glanced back at the door where Stashia waited. "Sorry, Commander. It was... not a typical morning. Won't happen again."

With a brief salute, even though it wasn't necessary, Anauri turned and headed back out of the office, embarrassment still written on his face. "Well, Miss Yachenka, looks like we're free to take you to Ossus. I'll just have to make a couple calls, and get things loaded up in my ship, and we'll be ready to go. Need anything off your ship? Can't imagine it's gone anywhere," he chuckled.

[Stashia Yachenka]

She had watched the exchange silently from the doorway, and breathed a sigh of relief when it was over. Authority was authority no matter what uniform it wore. "I will be needing my duffel, yes." She said as they started walking away from the room, "And I will be glad to be getting this" She tapped the side of the comm that Inspector Esk'avar had given to her and keyed to her biosigns "back into the hands of your security."

She wrapped an arm around his a bit tighter, this had been a rather... unique visit to Jovan station, and she'd only the briefest contact with the lives that occurred here, but it had left memories she would not soon forget.

Next stop, Ossus.