Are New Beginnings Supposed to Be This Hard?

"Well, she is a hunk of junk, isn't she?" Ben said, looking at the ship for the first time in daylight and outside.

The wind carried dust from the countryside and he closed his eyes, mercifully shutting out the sight in front of him.

"I'm going to love explaining this," he murmured, noting that he might as well continue talking to himself and just go the extra mile over the crazy cliff. She looked at him in askance, and he turned from the ship to face the entrance to the landing bay, made from what looked to be stucco and dried mud. The structure itself was little more than a wall, a little over two stories high, erected around a large empty space in the middle. There was no ceiling or roof, allowing the elements in freely.

"Mama Taa's going to be here soon," he sighed. "I don't even have a name for this thing yet."

He walked out of the open landing bay and sat down on a bench in a shadowed corner of the building, watching the sleepy little town just down the hill. In the far distance, the spires and towering buildings of a huge city were visible, distorted by the waves of heat rising from the ground.

Lips parted, a response lingering on the tip of her tongue, but she thought better of it. Ben was right, and Enedra would be beyond surprised if the thing managed to lift off, never mind break atmosphere. But dust came swirling in and forced a cough out of her instead.

It was probably for the best. There was really nothing she could say that would make Ben feel any better in that moment. Hell, she was tempted to hug him, but since he was already on the crazy train, she didn't want to derail it completely.

Enedra followed him after a moment, lingering in the shade but not sitting down. "We could call it the Aluminum Albatross..." she said quietly, a faint smile curling her lips. At his glance she shrugged and looked out over the heat-shimmering landscape her expression sobering.

Her dark gaze turned over her shoulder briefly, looking towards the pile of her things that waited just inside the hangar. Her ripped up jacket lay atop the neat pile, reminding her. With a faint sigh, she dropped down to sit beside Ben, glancing at him briefly before looking out at nothing once more.

Ben huffed a laugh.

"Sure looks like it was made out of aluminium, doesn't it?" he said. "Nah. I think I'll call it Alderaan. I was going to name the Albatross that, but it didn't fit."

The red-headed pilot turned captain frowned.

"That might raise some questions though, huh?" he asked, both himself and Enedra. "I guess it'll work until I can think of something else."

Thoughts swirled through his head at a mile a minute, and he couldn't focus enough to deal with them all. Instead, he turned his attention to the necessaries.

Food. And water. Fuel cells, and tanks for the laser cannons. Program the new name and information into the ship, and paint over the carbon scoring and distinctive marks, and remove and replace prominent features, like the forward laser cannon under the cockpit. Too unusual. The hyperdrive would need to be looked at and upgraded, as would the shield generators and the power supply...

Enedra shifted next to him and he blinked, sitting up and looking down the road to the town, squinting to see better in the glaring sunlight.

A sedan glided to a stop outside of the blue collar district starport. Syragor's largest city Ryuumbiiri. In the distance, the plateau of the city center could barely be seen through the smog. This far out, they were in the immigrant and human quarters, a far cry from the finery of Carshoulis Prime or the other glittering centers of Cizerack commerce. The driver's gull wing door opened, and a Cizerack woman in a chauffeur's uniform stepped out, looking slightly annoyed through the otherwise aloof veneer her job required of her. With a slight motion to her jacket pocket, she removed a small disc, holding it up in her hand as a holographic figure flickered to life.

"jIss thjiss on? Oh. No, turrn me arround, wherre jiss he?"

The figure of Matron Taataani Meorrrei lost some of her patrician gravitas when presented as a twelve inch hologram, but she still stood as if she were rightfully twelve feet tall.

"Captajin Merrassska, jI don't ljike bejing ssummoned to Ssjyrragorr. What'ss the poljite worrd? jIt'ss cossmopoljitan. Morre poljite than ssajyjing jit'ss full of poorr half brreedss and poorrerr forrda trrjyjing to sstrrjike jit rrjich on rrusst farrmss. Sspeakjing of rrusst farrmss..."

The hologram's face grimaced, looking past Ben.

"What mannerr of hatchet-faced garrbage sscow djid jyou arrrjive jin?"

Ben grimaced as well, looking back through the partly open doors.

"That is...uh..." Ben mumbled something incoherently.

Enedra, Mama Taa, and even the haughty driver all looked at him blankly.The pilot took a deep breath and firmed himself before speaking more slowly.

"The Albatross is gone, Mama Taa," he said, looking directly at her little hologram. "Enedra here and I barely made it out on the oh so very dazzling lady you see behind me, but my ship is gone."

He paused.

"This was the first place I thought to go. Carshoulis Prime has a lot of eyes, ears and mouths - you know this for a fact - and on my good days I tolerate that, but today hasn't been very good to me, and limping into heavily regulated space in a ship like this, without a name or transmitting credentials - fake or not - that's just not something I, or you, need right now."

She took a deep breath of her own, stepping a little closer to Ben, standing just behind him. A spot meant to be supportive and yet, enough of a polite distance to not make his unease any worse. They'd been through a hell of a time together, though. And he'd witnessed what was perhaps her very worst moment and its runner-ups.

"Frankly, we also thought that this was likely one of the only places we had to run to." Enedra offered quietly, glancing at the hologram and inclining her head.


A more formal introduction had yet to be made, but now didn't seem like the time. 'Nee fell silent once more, dark eyes focused on the hologram. She was a little unsure of what more to say, if anything.

Her jawline set and her left ear flicked.

"Gone. What do jyou mean, gone?"

It was such a vague word. It could mean any number of things, from frustrating to maddening. She knew the sticker price on that ship, and even for her, it wasn't a pittance.

The woman with Ben spoke, and Taataani keyed in on something she said.

"Rrun to? Whjy werre jyou rrunnjing, Ben???"

It was a rhetorical question, fashioned into a spear, and lobbed into his belly. The barb on the spear, her using his first name, ensured it wouldn't easily be removed.

"Get jin the carr."

Ben grimaced.

"Well, ah, you could say I've been running my whole life, and not only in that metaphorical sense but also very very literally..."

He trailed off at the look of anger on Taa's face. If the detail on the little hologram could be trusted, she was pissed.

He stepped toward the speeder and opened the door, allowing in first Enedra and then sitting down himself. The driver closed the door and then settled herself behind the wheel, the disc still in the palm of her hand.

Ahh shit...I shouldna said anything...she winced internally, sliding into the car with a soft 'thank you' for Ben who displayed a fine sense of chivalry in a most...trying moment.

If by trying you meant climbing into a car with an angry twelve inch hologram who was doing her level best to glare through them.

But Taataani, she had heard, was a force to be reckoned with in any form, and out of respect for Ben, Enedra wisely kept her mouth shut. Never mind that she generally made it a policy to not speak until she'd thought about her words; but doubly so when she was exhausted and strung relatively tight with everything that had happened.

Shutting up was an art form 'Nee had extensive practice in, given her background.

Blinking, she realized the speeder had begun to move, with the driver handling the controls smoothly even though the hologram remained in one hand. Leaning slightly forward, she spoke.

"Would it be easier if I held that for you while you drove?"

The driver didn't dare move until the hologram cleared it.

"jYess of courrsse, pleasse do. jI want Ben jin one pjiece, at leasst untjil jI get to ssee hjim."

Relieved, the driver went about her duties, easing the sedan into the air and clearing the industrial district and slum sprawl before heading to the plateau city center.

"He hassn't jintrroduced uss jyet, and jI'll asssume jyou arren't hjiss mjisstrresss becausse jI've gjiven up on anjy ssenssjible asssumptjionss."

"Honestly, Mama Taa, that's the last thing on my..."

Taataani fixed him with another look, stopping his statement cold.

"Alright, it's not the last thing on my mind, but it's sure not even close to the top five things," he grumbled, before scratching a non-existent itch. "I just want you to know I'm not asking for anything. Except for access to that account you said I had. I'm - We're - going to have to fly off the scanners for a while."

Another look.

"Listen, I'll explain it all face to face, and preferably in a deep dark room with no chance of anyone hearing. But not before then."

Her lower lip ended up firmly caught between her teeth, allowing only the hint of a laugh to escape. Ben responded before she could manage to compose herself, a fact for which she was somewhat thankful. She sat back in the seat, holding the hologram's disc up securely between the two of them, affording Taataani a good view.

She certainly had a way with Ben, that was for certain. Enedra certainly couldn't get him to stop his happy little train of thought once it started, and the Cizerack woman did it with a glance. A single glance.

'Nee had to learn that trick.

Taking a deep breath as the gaze transferred to her, Enedra managed a smile, though the expression was somewhat tired to match her overall feeling. "Ben's right. There is much to say that is best left to a more private setting..."

Arching a brow, she finished her thought. "...however, you were also right. I am not his mistress. Frankly, I think he's afraid of me."

That surprised Taataani not one bit. Ben was nearly afraid of his own shadow.

"Then we don't have anjythjing to ssajy untjil then, do we? Honesstljy jit'ss forr the besst. Whateverr jI ssajy that jissn't jinto Ben'ss well-twjissted earrss wjill be losst jin trransslatjion."

The Matron sized up the female on the other side of the holo, and felt comfortable dealing with a woman of relative strength of her own. Her formal haughtiness dropped from her tone somewhat as she crossed her arms.

"Mjy drrjiverr wjill take jyou to mjy ssujite and esscorrt jyou jin. jI expect to ssee jyou both prromptljy."

And with that, the holo terminated.

Ben grimaced.

"I think she's mad at me," he said, his voice trembling a bit.

The city was now beginning to surround them; and the driver pulled the speeder up from ground level through several lanes of traffic. The sight of the city, draped in clouds of smoke and the orange-brown patina of dust was still somewhat majestic. The driver took them to one of the tallest towers, whose top floors pierced the smog and offered a clear view of the sky and the horizon.

With a slight jolt, the speeder landed on the pad, which mercifully boasted a complete railing ringing the entire platform.

Ben didn't wait, but opened the door and stepped out, and stretched. Meorrrei wasn't waiting for them here, so Ben paused, eyeing the doors to the suite she owned warily. The driver shot him an annoyed glance, and he glanced at Enedra and took a deep breath.

"Waiting will only make her more surly," he said, partly to her, but mostly to himself, and walked quickly to catch up with the haughty driver.

Reaching over before she could think twice about it, 'Nee patted Ben on the shoulder, gently offering some measure of support. Of course the woman was bound to be upset...she'd invested a considerable amount of money and being informed that the ship was gone would be jarring to anyone who'd done the same.

Ben's voice, however, made Enedra debate following up the pat on the shoulder with a smack upside the head. Thankfully, she resisted the urge easily. There was no use fighting Ben's nature right at that moment, no matter how much she wanted to. It wouldn't do either of them any good.

She'd have to content herself with hoping that no matter how upset Taataani was that she'd at least understand what had happened after they explained. Not that it would make the loss any easier to bear, but still...perhaps it would help.

Lost in thought, she watched the view change as the speeder climbed, but stared blankly at the beauty of it as they approached and landed at their destination. 'Nee passed the holodisc back to the driver as she got out, striding swiftly behind Ben as he rushed inside when the driver opened the door.

They were lead without fanfare or delay through the hallways of the suite to a pair of double wooden doors, which abruptly parted before them. A Cizerack man hurriedly exited, paused, and his eyes met Ben's like a deer caught in headlights. Fixing the lapel of his coat, he hurriedly moved along, apparently not wanting to be anywhere near the human guests.

"Mjisstrresss wjill ssee jyou now, Captajin."

Faashieerro Meorrrei, one of the Matron's husbands, nodded at the periphery, gesturing the pair inside. Taataani could be seen in the far corner of the room, standing next to a full length mirror next to the wet bar. She tended to her drink, topping off a crystal tumbler from a matching decanter and paying the arrival of her guests no mind.

She turned, acting as if she noticed them for the first time.

"Ah."

Taataani wore a monogrammed tailored bathrobe whose lines nearly fooled the eye into thinking it could actually pass for a kimono or something meant to be seen in public. Her bare feet betrayed it all, which she made no effort to cover with the nearby slippers.

Padding over to her guests, the Matron embraced Enedra, air kissing to each cheek as she held her drink behind the woman's back. At this intimate distance, the slight glistening of perspiration on Taataani's features was noticeable.

"Taataani Fai'sheea Igaarrai Meorrrei, Rrou'fai of Housse Meorrrei, and Barronesss Executorr of MeorrreiCorrp."

She parted, sipping at her drink slightly.

"We sstjill haven't been jintrroduced, but ssjince jyou've done the courrtessjy of brrjingjing back ssomethjing that belongss to me, jI've decjided that we wjill be frrjiendss."

Taataani crunched an ice cube, waiting to hear whatever convoluted mess they were about to lay on her.

Ben looked around, as if he could see or feel the presence of listeners about them.

"You're sure this place is safe enough?" he asked, before shrugging and sitting down quickly on a nearby divan. A small, almost unnoticeable cloud of dust rose at the action.

"Like I said before, the Albatross is gone. Exactly that. I don't know whether the guy who stole it got away clean or not, but I'm expecting that it's a wreck floating in the black now."

He fell silent and swallowed, but couldn't get the lump out of his throat. He continued.

"I know I said I'd explain it all, and I'm going to tell you as much as I can, but you have to promise not to get angry at what I can't tell you. It's dangerous - listen - it's dangerous. I know I have a reputation for not being fond of heroics, but in this case it's truer than I would even like to admit."

He paused.

"The less you know the better, but I was doing a job for the Alliance - ain't going to say more about that - with Ned here and we got boarded by some very unfriendly Imperials. Things got complicated after that. Expect a visit or a call at the very least from someone from the Empire. Imperial Intelligence most like. They're going to ask questions about me and Ned. Tell them what you know. Let them see whatever they want."

It was obvious Taataani wanted to say something (or many somethings), but Ben spoke louder and bulled through until he veritably pleaded with her to tell them what she knew.

She offered Taataani a smile, one that warmed her features for the briefest of moments. A formal introduction of her title and rank would have spilled past her lips in response, however, Ben's impeccable sense of timing struck again.

Enedra let it go, stepping away as he spoke and crossing her arms over her chest. The whole mess they were in did nothing but make her anger bubble up to the surface, evidenced only by the tightness with which her fingers clung to her upper arms. Dark eyes traced the art installation on the wall she faced, finding a sense of calm in the intricately repetitive pattern.

"If I may?" 'Nee interjected, her tone firm though still within the bounds of etiquette and decorum. She hadn't always been a SpecForce soldier, after all.

"Ben is phrasing it very mildly, Taataani...do forgive me for addressing you so informally, I am not certain what the proper form is in your culture." She took a deep breath, turning to face them as she drew closer, boots barely making any noise on the spotless floor.

"We were boarded and the ship taken by force. What we were doing was immaterial...the Imperials wanted Rebels...and they wanted information. Don't give me that look, Ben, they were going to torture yo-us. Was I supposed to let it happen?" 'Nee's voice snapped with a mix of frustration and something else before she got it back under control.

"I am...or rather was, Special Forces. Six stormtroopers wasn't much of a challenge, the rest of the squad plus the Intel agents were, however. We barely made it out alive, and by the time we did, the Albatross had been jacked by stars only know who. We took the first ship we could find and hightailed it out of there. Going back to...to the Alliance...was out of the frakking question."

Madam Meorrrei's glass came to rest on her desk audibly, missing it's coaster which was just adjacent.

"Faashieerro, leave uss."

Meorrrei's husband became invsible, closing the doors behind him as he exited.

"jYou'rre both Alljiance, then?"

She was looking at Ben, as the question was to him alone. Then she laughed.

"That'ss funnjy. jI sspent the betterr parrt of an hourr handljing jyou losjing an extrremeljy valuable sstarrsshjip. Now, jyou tell me thjiss. That, jI wassn't expectjing to hearr."

She picked up her drink and promptly finished it, depositing the tumbler against the far wall at a high rate of speed, where it was obliterated. In the next instant, her hands were at Ben's collar, forcibly hunching his frame down so that he was eye level with her.

"What arrrre jyou thjinkjing?!?"

Still holding Ben close, Taataani locked eyes with the SpecForce soldier.

"And jyou let hjim?"

Ben's eyes widened comically as his boss pulled him down to her eye level.

"See, uh, that's the thing. I'm not - we're not Alliance," he said, following with a mumbled 'anymore' after half a second. He scratched his jaw awkwardly, Meorrrei's hands getting in the way of his nervous gesture.

"I mean used to be," he continued when she seemed to not calm down. "I used to fly fighters. One of the worst pilots in the squadron, but I kept coming back when others didn't. Then the Empire..." he blinked and thought for a moment before finally shrugging and saying: "...blew up my planet. I didn't come back after that."

He thought for a moment that her hands loosened a bit.

"Mama Taa, you know Lyanie. You know Cirr. I just... she's like a sister to me. You have all this."

He gestured to the suite.

"All I had was a ship."