Atton was nervous as he stepped onto the bridge of a new ship, but he would never let it show. He was, though, eager to meet his new Captain, Carth Onasi. He had heard much about him while traveling with the exile he got stuck with on Peragus who made him dodge bad acquaintances and deal with countless other problems. From what he heard he got the impression that Carth was a skilled, brave, and honorable soldier who never backed away from what had to be done. That's something Atton could admire, he just wished he could relate to it. Atton never felt like he made an impact on the universe. Sure he fought in both the Mandalorian Wars and the Jedi Civil War but he did so for all the wrong reasons, he knew that now. Atton's thoughts were interrupted by the Captain stepping right in front of him.
"Good to have you aboard Lieutenant Rand. I hope you're ready to head out as soon as the ship's engine is finished being checked out." Carth's voice was both stern yet smooth; he had an air about him that made it feel like he was a commanding leader who could be a good friend as well. Atton quickly made sure his posture was more professional and replied.
"Yes Captain, in fact I'm ready right now. Just give me the word and I'll be at my post." Carth gave a slight smile.
"Good attitude Lieutenant. I'm expecting you to keep it up." Then he walked away and Atton let out the breath he was holding in. It wasn't the tough encounter that he thought it would be, he was actually quite relieved. About twenty minutes later the Captain's voice was heard over the intercom.
"All crew members to their stations, we're ready for takeoff." Atton practically sprinted to his work place. He was the navigations officer. Carth was already on the bridge in his Captain's chair when Atton seated himself. Atton had to really impress him on his first mission, first impressions were everything. He set the coordinates into the navicomputer. After that Carth gave the go ahead and the pilots took off following Atton's instructions. Atton had to make sure they stayed on course the whole trip, it was fairly easy. Their current mission was a supposedly safe one, they were on their way to Nar Shaddaa for a minor negotiation but you know how that place is, trouble lurks around every corner.
Upon landing the Captain announced that he, Lieutenant Rand, and two choice officers would be the only members leaving the ship. Atton got up and left the bridge, trailing right behind the Captain. Atton was surprised to see that as soon as they got off the ship's ramp there was a group of; it looked like, five Devaronians already standing there. Carth walked confidently up to the leader.
"We're here on account of the oil supply for Onderon. I was told that Youto Anarth would be ready to hand it over today if I brought a box of spice from Korriban." The leader spoke with who was most likely his first officer. Atton didn't know a lick of Devaronian but the look on Carth's face let him know that they weren't saying anything good. Soon Carth turned to Atton and whispered into his ear.
"It's not going as planned. Unfortunately Youto got into a bit of a conflict with his supplier and doesn't have enough for the trade but they want the spice anyway. I won't allow that so I'm afraid this isn't going to go smoothly. I'm sorry there's going to be a feud on your first day on the job." Carth gave him a soft look and patted him on the shoulder. "Just follow my lead, alright?"
The Devaronians led the group to a Trandoshan, Youto Anarth. As they approached Carth became cautious, not knowing what was to come, and Atton had a bad feeling. Standing before Youto he gave them a disapproving look then spoke.
"Where is the spice?"
"It depends on how much oil you're going to give me." Carth answered. Youto looked aggravated in his seat.
"I'll give you one third of the original amount." Now Carth was angry, how could Youto think that was sufficient?
"We had a deal Youto! That's not going to be enough." The tension in the room grew very quickly. Youto stood up.
"I want that spice!" Carth went for his guns.
"Come and get it!" He said as he pulled out his guns and started shooting the Devaronians. Youto gave out an angered growl and started shooting back. A few minutes into the fight Carth looked around for Atton. When he found him he was right in the middle of the frenzy, laser bullets were flying through the air just barely missing his head. Carth ran past the shooters towards Atton as quickly as he could, grabbed Atton by the arm so hard that he probably caused bruising, and yanked him behind a stack of crates so that they were somewhat safe for the moment. Atton had no idea what was going on, it happened so fast, and gave Carth a surprised look.
"Atton…." Carth had to catch his breath. "Atton I'm so sorry, I didn't know this was going to happen. Go to the ship and wait there for me. If I don't return before an hour is up you will be in command." Atton was kind of offended by this.
"Captain, I can handle this." Carth suddenly felt bad realizing that Atton could have misinterpreted what he meant.
"Lieutenant Rand, I have no doubt in my mind that you could handle this. I just can't risk the chance of my second in command getting hurt or my crew being without the knowledge of what's going on. Do you think you could go back to the ship for me?"
"Yes Captain." Atton then reluctantly ran away to the ship, giving Carth a harsh look before he did so. Carth hung his head with an expression of pain wrought over his face. He just couldn't bear the thought of Atton getting hurt. Soon Carth was back into the fray, he saw one of his men lying on the ground shot to death. That could have been Atton he thought. By then only one man was with him to continue the fight and there were two more Devaronians and Youto left to fight against.
Back at the ship Atton had found his way back to the bridge informing the crew members that a fight had broken out. Sitting at his post Atton fumed with anger. How could Carth do that to him? He was trying so hard to prove himself to him. No matter where he went he couldn't seem to show anyone he was capable of anything. But despite his disappointment he still respected his Captain and now he was starting to worry about him. His feelings instantly went from rage to concern. Now that he couldn't be there to help him he could get seriously hurt or even killed. What if the Captain didn't return? He couldn't leave without him even if an hour came to pass, what if he was still alive when he began to leave? He pictured the Captain laying on the ground bleeding out, gasping for air needing someone to come to his aid and the crew never knowing. This is all he could think about as he sat by the navicomputer waiting.
Together Carth and his last member finished off the rest of the Devaronians. Carth then spotted Youto around a corner and lined up his gun with his head, it was a perfect shot. But as soon as Carth locked onto his target Youto had shot and killed his crew mate. Taking his shot the bullet hit the side of Youto's head just as perfectly as he thought it would. Tired Carth lowered his weapons and looked around at the awful carnage, he had lost two soldiers and he was glad one of them wasn't Atton. He headed to the ship worn out by the intensity and torn apart by the loss. When he got there Atton was so relieved but didn't show it.
"Good to see you back Captain." He spoke without looking at him.
"Thank you Lieutenant. I hope it wasn't too boring of a wait." Carth tended to make lighthearted jokes in times of high emotion. Atton didn't reply. Atton was given orders to set a course back to Onderon to tell them the bad news that they'd have to continue the search for an oil supply. On Onderon Carth stopped Atton before getting off the ship.
"Lieutenant Rand, can I talk with you a moment?"
"What do you need Captain Onasi?" Carth sighed.
"Lieutenant, I can't apologize enough for the turn of events. I know it's your first day and it must have been pretty stressful." Atton's nerves were being tested.
"Captain I assure you, I don't mind. I don't know why you think I was incapable of taking care of the situation in the first place." Carth closed his eyes in sadness.
"Atton please don't take it the wrong way. I respect you, I've heard many good things about you, I know you're a capable soldier and that's why I hired you." Atton was taken aback, did he really think that? He would have never guessed.
"Well you didn't show that very well back there did you Captain?" He said and stormed off the ship. Carth was filled with anguish; he didn't want to hurt Atton, it was never his intention. He had to explain himself better.
Later, in the evening, the Captain and his crew were to have a banquet dinner with the Onderon council. Carth sat next to the Ambassador and Atton was supposed to sit next to him but he deliberately sat a few seats away. Throughout the dinner Carth told the Ambassador about the incident and answered whatever other questions he had while also trying to get Atton's attention every chance he got, but Atton ignored him. Atton didn't even understand himself why he was being so cruel to the Captain, he was acting childish. What had gotten into him? Was it his need for acceptance taking over or was it something else? Every time he snuck a peek at the Captain he would get this flow of emotion that he couldn't identify. He looked up to the Captain so much that it turned into a want to always be around him and when he heard his voice it always mesmerized him. But when he was told to leave him during the fight he was hurt and now he felt like being stubborn. He did that quite often actually, it was part of his personality but this time it was different, he felt he was overreacting but he couldn't snap out of it.
Carth's thoughts weren't too different from Atton's only with him he didn't know why he was so worried about Atton's feelings. He's had many other Lieutenants and he never cared this much for any of them. There was something about Atton, the way he desperately wanted to live up to his expectations, his stubbornness was amusing, and his snarky attitude was surprisingly refreshing. He so badly wanted to make things right between them. Atton shouldn't have to feel this way right when he gets a new job, he must be so disappointed.
After dinner everyone went to their courters. On the way to his Carth saw Atton down the corridor. He had an urge to call after him but decided instead to catch up to him. Trying not to run he walked as fast as he could. When he reached him he spoke his name, "Atton." Atton turned around and saw Carth standing right there next to him, "Captain."
"Atton I've felt bad all day about how I made you feel. Please let me explain myself." Atton raised his eyebrows at him.
"Carth, you're the Captain, you can do whatever and say whatever you want. You don't have to explain anything." But Atton still gave him a cold stare.
"No, I really want to explain myself. You don't know my past. I've let people down. There were times when I wasn't able to save the ones I cared about. I've messed up so many times. Hell even today, losing two men, I screwed up. What started out being your first day could have ended up being your last. Do you know how terrible I would have felt if that happened?" Atton felt something well up inside of him, his face scrunched up as his eyes began to water. The stress of the day had gotten to him.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I feel you deserve to know. You're a good man and I can't stand to see you upset knowing it's my fault." Carth noticed that Atton was on the verge of crying and it tore at his insides, never has a man looked so precious to him. Atton was so embarrassed that he was acting so vulnerable and tried to hide his face.
"Uh…well…have a good night Captain." Atton began to turn around stepping into his room.
"Wait!" Carth grabbed Atton's arm by impulse and froze, "I-I'm sorry. I'm really sorry…" Atton turned his face slightly and Carth could see that tears were now streaming down it.
"It's alright…" Atton choked the words out. Carth noticed that his grip on Atton's arm was still pretty tight and loosened it. He stepped a few inches closer to Atton.
"Atton, please don't cry….I never meant to hurt you…" Carth spoke softly on the verge of tears himself. Atton turned around showing his tear streaked face.
"You don't understand. It's not you. I've never been good enough for anything." Carth put his other hand on Atton's shoulder.
"You're good enough to me." More tears fell from Atton's eyes at those words, he wanted so bad to believe them. All Carth wanted to do was wipe the tears from Atton's face. Never before has he ever felt this way for a man, it was strange and unexpected. Suddenly he noticed his heart was pounding so quickly that he began to breathe harder. A fire was burning in Atton's chest from being so close to the Captain. He had wanted to be near him all day but he didn't know why he felt this way, it scared him. The hand Carth had placed on Atton's shoulder moved hesitantly to the back of Atton's neck. Atton's fingers flung up to barely touch Carth's chest.
"Captain…..I…I don't kn….." His words trailed off and he quickly backed away, slamming his door in Carth's face. Atton broke down completely behind the door and Carth stood outside the room letting his own tears flow.
"Atton…please don't be embarrassed, it's ok, I'm crying now too. Can I come in? I don't want to stand out here like this." The door opened a crack after a few seconds. Carth stepped in and shut the door gently behind him. Now standing in the room he looked over and saw that Atton was standing right there next to him sobbing with his face in his hands. He walked over and pulled his hands from his face. Atton's face was red and he chuckled nervously through his tears. Carth placed a hand on his cheek and rubbed his thumb over it soothingly.
"Shhh…Atton it's alright." Atton stared at the floor unable to look his Captain in the face. "Please look at me." Atton looked up timidly meeting Carth's caring eyes. Carth stared back into his eyes and said his name so sweetly that a flutter coursed through Atton's stomach. They gazed at each other like that for a while and then Carth spoke again.
"This morning when I saw you on the bridge…I…you see…I don't know how to say it but…I felt something in that moment, an attraction towards you…Atton I can't explain it but I fell for you right then and there. I've never felt this way for a man before…you're just different somehow…"
"I-I…" Atton stuttered from the shock of what he just heard. The Captain had been feeling exactly what he had been. Atton took a deep breath. "I feel the same way. You've been on my mind all day…I've never thought I was g-gay before now…I just feel so secure around y-you…" Atton was shaking uncontrollably, his heart was racing. Heat formed in Carth's chest, spread to his stomach, and streamed lower still. It was an ache to feel Atton's warm body against his. Carth moved closer to Atton once again, this time Atton didn't run away. Their faces were only centimeters away and Atton could feel Carth's cool breath against his wet face. Atton's shaking hands shot up and pulled Carth's face hard to his into a heated, passion filled kiss. Carth could feel Atton's body trembling against him and he squeezed his ass with merciless need, forcing Atton's abdomen to slam forward into his erection which Atton could feel protruding through the fabric causing his own erection to want to be released even sooner from his trousers. Their bodies were a blur as their lips were pressed hard together, their tongues slid in and out of each other's hot mouths, their hands roamed over every inch of the other man, and their hips ground roughly together. They eventually found their way to the bed never breaking contact. Instantly realizing that they were fully dressed they reluctantly broke apart to quickly strip.
In what seemed like less than ten seconds they were naked and back in each other's arms. After a few seconds Carth shoved Atton onto the bed and still standing up he parted Atton's legs and positioned his torso in-between them. Atton wrapped his legs around Carth's waist and felt Carth's cock brush against his own. Atton gasped at the touch and gyrated from the want to have Carth inside him. Carth spread Atton's ass cheeks to gain easy access to the opening. His cock was already dripping with semen as he prodded at the hole. He let a whimper escape as an intense sensation rolled through him. Finally he shoved himself into Atton making the sensation even more intense. Atton clung to the bed cover and grunted with pleasure. Carth's hands ran over Atton's stomach and over his chest, rubbing at his nipples with his fingertips for added pleasure. His hands slid back to Atton's hips for balance as he pushed and pulled his dick in and out of Atton's ass in a rhythm that blew both their minds. Carth was panting and Atton's chest was heaving, they were both caught in the moment and didn't want it to end as the sensations got better and better.
"Captain…oh…Captain…god, fuck…yes…fuck, fuck, fuck…ahhh…Captain, Carth…" Atton's moaning was music to Carth's ears. He closed his eyes as he felt himself on the verge of orgasm. He moved one of his hands over to Atton's erection and began to pump it to the same rhythm as his humping. Lights danced behind his eyelids and Atton grunted more often now.
"Atton…Atton…" Carth breathed Atton's named over and over until he felt the release of his orgasm. Not long after Atton also reached his orgasm. "Carth…" Carth slid out of Atton and collapsed on top of him, both men reduced to weak, quivering lovers. They embraced each other tightly and used the rest of their strength to kiss once again deeply. Carth ran his hand through Atton's hair and pulled away from the kiss just enough to speak into his mouth.
"You really are my first mate, Lieutenant Rand." Atton chuckled sheepishly back into Carth's mouth. Carth finished the sentence. "…and I think I love you." Atton brushed his face against Carth's. "I love you too Captain…" In that moment they gave into sleep, resting in each other's arms. They have never been as comfortable as they were then. They were Captain and Lieutenant, as close as they could be in rank which made it feel even more right to be in love.