A/N: So my first go at writing in awhile, and I'm curious to see how you guys think I did. Standard disclaimer applies: Star Wars: The Old Republic and everything therein belongs to Bioware save for my characters. Enjoy!
Force and Family
A Star Wars: The Old Republic fanfic
Prologue: Ord Mantell Pt. I
It wasn't really that far a distance, but for Corso the run might as well have been from Mannett Point to Talloran. He'd seen the expected freighter come swooping down, manoeuvring in a manner that could only be described as dancing, skipping around anti-air fire as though it were a mere nuisance and not something that could tear the whole vessel apart with a few salvos. XS-series freighters were notoriously tetchy with their balance and control, small mistakes equalling out to capsized ships, but this one screeched to a halt with little more than a slight wobble and stood still. The native Mantellian allowed himself a moment of awe before picking his pace back up and sprinting down to the hangar.
Inside, he found Skavak talking with whom he assumed to be the pilot, a Mirialan. The part of his mind that had urged him to warn the two about the developments in town made him get their attention, but another part, that part of the male brain that always assesses a woman, kept its focus on her. Not hard, considering she asked his name right off the bat.
Naturally, his eyes first went to her torso, like a male sizing up a potential mate, and this stranger's anatomical endowment made the caveman in him jump and hoot in excitement. Though obviously fit and athletic, this woman was all curves, from the rounded oval of her face down to the wide flare of her hips. She covered herself in a black sleeveless shirt with brown leather vest, darker trews, and supple boots, though none of her clothing could hide the natural sex appeal she had. Corso didn't let her figure distract him overmuch, forcing himself to look into mischievous baby blue eyes and notice the dark, geometric tattoos spread around the corners of her mouth, cheeks, and chin. Reddish-brown hair was cut no longer than shoulder-length and pulled into a ponytail, save for a few strands that hung loose along her hairline. Even though he wasn't speaking to this stranger, he kept his gaze on her.
'Skavak, we got trouble!'
'That scum stole my ship!'
The blistering tirade of expletives that spewed from the alien's lips made Corso blush all the way to his scalp. He hadn't known anyone could swear that colourfully, or bring into question so many improbabilities about one's lineage. The tantrum lasted almost a minute before she paused, chest heaving and face flushed darkly.
'I'm going to kill that bastard. Get him on the holo!' she growled, and Corso didn't hesitate under her snapping gaze. He had to hit the call button several times before Skavak finally picked up, stretched out in a chair with a mocking smirk curling his mouth.
'Hey Corso, how's life? Oh don't give me that look, be happy you're still alive.'
'Be worried I'm not dead, you Hutt-humping sonuvabitch!' The Captain's voice literally sliced through the air, her hackles up at her new nemesis's image. 'You have no clue who you've fucked with!' While he'd seen angry women before, Corso almost cowed from the palpable force of the smuggler's rage. His money was on her if she and Skavak were ever put into a locked room together. The smirk on Skavak's projection twisted cruelly and without mirth.
'Don't care, sweetcheeks.' The unwelcome reference to her prominent posterior made the Captain bristle all the more. 'On behalf of Ord Mantell's glorious freedom fighters, I just wanna say thanks; for the blasters, the ship, and a great laugh. Oh, and thanks for the present, Corso.' The last was said as the thief waggled a blaster at them before the image cut out.
Oh stang…
Corso's hand automatically slapped his thigh holster and felt it collapse as the Captain broke out into another foul-mouthed rant. 'No… NO! That ffffraking pig lizard!' The mercenary absently berated almost swearing in front of a woman before his anger tumbled out. 'He stole my blaster! Torchy's a genuine BlasTech ALT-25 with magnatomic adhesion grips and rail-mounted rangefinder. She's too good for that jackal!' Despite her ire, the woman growled in agreement.
'You won't hear me argue.' With a sigh, Corso deflated a bit, her own plight still glaringly sore.
'Sorry, Cap. Ain't exactly fair of me to complain over my blaster when you lost your ship. I feel for ya.' Another sigh. Well, they couldn't just stand around staring at each other, not that he minded. 'Listen, Skavak and me were working for a guy named Viidu. When he hears Skavak's a sep, he'll wanna get him just as bad as you. I can hook you up and arrange introductions all around, but you'll have to get over to Fort Garnik.' At that, she snorted and cocked a hip out, fist pressing into it.
'You do realise forts are filled to the brim with law-abiding types, right? Yanno, the sort we generally try to avoid?' she quipped. Corso chuckled and shook his head before speaking.
'The boss has an understanding with the base commander: He brings in supplies, keeps the staff in line, and gets the run of the place in return. Viidu's smart and has connections all over Republic space, and he's fair, to top it off: You'll work with him, not for him. If anyone can help you find your ship and Skavak, it's him.' The Captain was silent as she mulled the idea over, nodding an affirmative in short order.
'Works for me. Let's lock this place down and get out of here.' He hadn't expected the offer of help, and it must have shown one his face since she jerked a thumb to indicate the warzone outside. 'Safety in numbers. Saw seps roaming the hills on my way back and I'm not going to risk getting shot in the ass just to have a few minutes' lead on you. 'Sides, that'd be awful inconsiderate of me when you're already helping out.' Corso smiled gratefully. She was alright, this one…
'Appreciate it, Cap. Er… I don't even know what to call you,' he muttered. She blinked, as though it hadn't even occurred to her.
'Name's Catilya, but... Call me Cat. Only person who uses my full first name is Mom.'
'Farm Boy, down!'
He didn't hesitate, falling onto a knee and ducking his head as the Captain's pistols chattered and spat bursts of magenta fire. The sep that had been about to give Corso a new hole to breathe out of shrieked in pain as the incandescent bolts smashed all over his chest and sent him tumbling backwards, his breath stolen permanently. The Mirialan finished things up with a final shot to an incapacitated foe attempting to crawl away and then scanned their immediate surroundings with a keen eye. Satisfied, her weapons spun in her hands before smoothly sliding into their holsters. Corso got his rifle back into a ready carry and rose, joining her. Since leaving the hangar, they'd faced two individual squads of separatists and both times Catilya had killed the rancor's share.
It was enough to make the mercenary dole out an immense dose of respect, along with a healthy note to never piss her off. He nodded to her once. 'Thanks, Cap. I owe you one.'
'Three,' she corrected, a sideways glance and sly smirk betraying the lack of venom behind the word. 'And neither of us can hold a debt to the other until we're out of danger.' She turned to face him and gestured at the countryside around them. 'Well, you're the guide. Where to?' Looking around to get his bearings and ensure that they weren't in imminent danger of another attack, Corso pointed at a rocky hillock.
'Path should be on the other side there.' He started walking, senses stretching alertly once more. 'Leads right to Fort Garnik and as much safety as there is around here.' Catilya let out a small whoop and spanked her companion forward, her laughter ringing at the dumbfounded darkening of his face.
Getting on-base was easy enough, the guards knowing Corso by sight and simply nodding at his explanation that the newcomer was with him. He glared when they openly eyed her and then pushed past without any further incident.
'Welcome to Fort Garnik, Cap,' he said quietly as they entered the main thoroughfare. He pointed out Rendia Freight and she bounced off without waiting, leaving him to run and play catch-up.
Catilya had already been to Talloran and back by the time Corso saw her again, with nothing more than a fresh layer of dirt on her boots to show for it. Despite this, she seemed as agitated as ever.
Guess taking out her frustrations on those seps didn't help much.
Viidu welcomed her warmly and invited her to the table where they supped, but the fiery woman declined as politely as her irritation allowed without snapping. It was obvious she was anxious to get her ship back, but when Viidu asked about Reki, Corso saw her skin shrivel in distaste.
'That slug had a whole group of women under his thumb like a personal harem.' She shuddered and Corso was certain her flesh was trying to crawl away. Viidu levelled a displeased gaze at her.
'Had?' That flippant smirk curled into being and revealed a dimple.
'Juma-head tried to touch me, so I laid him out and gave the ladies the blasters he'd been hiding.' Corso lifted his hand to his mouth in a poor attempt to hide his humour as Viidu's lips pressed together into a thin line and he exhaled. 'What?! He was alive when I left, and those ladies can watch after themselves and each other now. That's a win all around.'
'That'll affect business in the future.' Viidu pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger for a few moments before he moved on. 'I'll worry about that later. What did he have to say regarding the separatists, Captain?' Her arms crossed in an attempt to deal with her excess of energy and immediately reversed the motion to take up pacing instead.
'He's got his own private entrance at his old home. Leads right to the hideout's maintenance tunnels, if you believe the slime.' Corso had risen to refill his cup and shook his head with a grin.
'Always did wonder how Reki managed to steal so much from Mannett Point and avoid getting pinched,' he said. Viidu rubbed his chin thoughtfully and hummed as he processed this information.
'Mannett Point's a tough nut to crack, Captain. For starters, you'll have to swim there.' At the Mirialan's child-like look of excitement, the fat man held his hands up. 'Throttle down, now. There are very few clear spots around the island that'll allow you to move without being spotted by separatists. Everywhere else is either filled with debris or the wildlife, and believe me when I say that most of it isn't friendly.' That round face went from overjoyed to the most adorably disappointed pout Corso had ever seen in a fraction of a second. Her arms crossed again as she grumbled angrily.
'So why swim?'
'Seps demolished the only bridge between the islands when they took Mannett Point. Turned it into their own little playground,' Corso explained. She tsked in irritation.
'So it's into the Hutt's maw then, huh?' She huffed. 'Guess somebody has to make it look easy.' Viidu was a bit more sobre.
'Careful with that attitude, Captain. Mannett's full of separatists who'll wipe the floor with you if you give them half a chance.' He then turned to the merc. 'Corso, see if you can't track down Skarra. We'll need a slicer kit for the data the Captain here will be bringing back.' The Mantellian's face wrinkled.
'I'd rather go with her, boss. She might need some help cutting down seps.' He felt Cat's eyes stray to the broad vibroblade strapped to his back. 'I call him Hewie, Cap.' Viidu's head shook in a negative.
'No. I want to make sure that that kit is here in time, and you're the most efficient employee I've got. Now get going.' The so-called King of Cargo fished around in a pocket for a moment before handing their guest a datapad. 'Here, Captain. Now, when you get to Mannett Point…' Dismissed, Corso let the conversation drift away as he headed out of the warehouse, though he found himself waiting on the far side of the fairway when outside. Within a few minutes, Catilya exited and paused when she saw him. A strut marked her step as she crossed over to him, wry mischief painted across her face.
'Planning on disobeying the boss, Farm Boy?' she asked. He shook his head.
'Nah. Just wanted to catch you before you ran off.' He took a breath to steady himself before proceeding. 'Captain, you sure you wanna go to Mannett Point all by yourself?' The woman's brow rutted a bit.
'Cat or Cap,' she corrected automatically, to which he just lifted a shoulder in silent apology. 'And while your concern's cute, I've got it covered.' She used her chin to gesture past him, towards the front entrance to the fort. Turning, Corso saw a hulking mass of white duraplast that resembled a man stumping on over to them, rifle held in a ready carry. The lack of helmet allowed him to see that, like the Captain, he was Mirialan, though beyond that the similarities ended. He had blond hair, reddish eyes, and yellow-green skin in contrast to Catilya's red-brown locks, baby blues, and darker pigmentation. The stranger stopped a few metres away and nodded to her.
'Midget,' he offered by way of greeting. Her grin was lazy as she approached.
'S'going on, lunkhead?' she jibed as she held out her arms to the man and was swept up into a hearty embrace, squealing when her feet left the deckplates. Corso blinked confoundedly.
'Er…' he muttered, at a loss for words. Well, that was unexpected… The soldier let her down and Catilya turned to face him, leaning into the man's frame comfortably. Her grin was downright evil.
'The walking tank's Serrase, Farm Boy. My little brother.' The newcomer whapped her shoulder with surprising control, and she twisted to stick her tongue out at him.
'Oh,' Corso said lamely, letting out a breath he hadn't known he'd even been holding. 'Little' doesn't exactly cut it. 'Uh… hi?' He held a hand out in greeting, which was promptly encased in the other man's mitt and Corso discovered that his size wasn't simply for show.
'Nice to meet you… I take it his name isn't Farm Boy, Cat,' he threw down to his sister. She chuckled and slapped an armoured thigh.
'His name's Corso, you granite slug, and he's good people. So quit trying to crush his masturbating hand.' Serrase laughed, a deep sound that buzzed in the blushing Mantellian's ears, then blood rushed painfully back into his fingers as the giant eased his grip. Corso kept himself casual and didn't shake the needling sensation away. 'Good luck, I guess?'
Her tongue brushed her lower lip as she laughed. 'Got more of it than you know, Farm Boy. And if that fails, I got backup.' She boffed her brother's cuirass and pushed away. 'See you when I get back. C'mon, biggun, let's go find us some trouble.' Serrase grunted as he shipped his rifle and pulled a helmet into place.
'I'm pretty sure trouble already knows exactly where you're at…'
Sure enough, Corso managed to find Skarra, secure a slicer kit, and make it back to the warehouse before the Mirialan duo returned to base. The crotchety old Iridonian didn't make it easy, though given that he had what he'd come for, Corso didn't much care. Viidu was continuing his indulgence when their mutual friend sauntered in to the business parlour, thankfully free of her armoured escort and sopping wet. A bandage covered a small patch of skin on her upper right arm, though otherwise she seemed whole.
'Captain!' Viidu exclaimed with obvious relief. 'I feared you weren't coming back.' Corso silently agreed. 'By all that's holy, tell me you got the data we need!' Catilya flipped them a confident grin as her hand produced the slim datapad, bound in a polymer sheet for waterproofing.
'Course I did. Maybe I should have charged double for my thrilling heroics. And there were MANY thrilling heroics.' Her face hardened as Viidu took the pad from her. 'Might wanna start keeping a closer eye on your minions, though. Three of your boys went after Syreena. I left 'em with bruises for the trouble. One of 'em might have a busted bean bag, but he'll live.' Viidu groaned as he clutched the object in both hands.
'Great. Last thing we need is for word to get out and those yokels to start spinning the rumour mill. If they start smelling more opportunity, the warehouse staff is going to make trouble.' Corso's eyes narrowed, knuckles crackling as he clenched his fists.
'Want me to start busting skulls, boss?' he asked. The merchant shook his head after a moment's consideration.
'No. Keep an ear to the ground, but otherwise stay quiet for now and let things run their course. If any of the staff makes another ruckus, we'll clean house.' He reached for his cup and downed a long swallow. 'In the meantime, we can go ahead and work on getting this data decrypted. You did an amazing job, Captain. Corso got us the kit we'll need, though if I know Reki it'll be some time before his encryption's broken, and given that it's getting dark outside I'd suggest we hunker down for the night.' She nodded, boots squishing as she shifted her weight.
'There any way I can get these cleaned?' she asked. 'Maybe find replacements for the night?' Viidu smiled and gestured with one arm as he began walking around the table.
'Of course, Captain. Anything I can do to help, nevermind the fact that you've more than earned it.' A glance backwards allowed him to somewhat-professionally size her up. 'We recently got in a shipment of luxury items, mostly expensive food and clothes for some government fat cats, but given the circumstances they can get stuffed. Failing that, there's also a container or three of clothing items for the general populace. Should have something that'll suit you.'
'So long as it doesn't chafe and you've got a pair of pants that I can wear without destroying at the seams,' she sniped. Corso, walking behind her, stole a glance at her legs and enjoyed the mental image. 'Keep staring, Farm Boy.' He flushed and blustered all the way down to the warehouse floor while she cackled.
Corso stepped into the Avilatan's Rest, looked around, and shook his head in amusement: The Captain had almost shut the place down and happy hour was barely finished. She looked fantastic in her new clothes; a billowy, cream-coloured shirt hung nicely on her frame and her hips were ensconced in a brown pair of shorts that she'd gleefully snatched, among a few other outfits . A pair of knee-highs finished out the look nicely and brought into stark appearance why she'd made the quip about her legs earlier: While she was wider and more curvaceous to begin with, her thighs rippled with nothing but hard muscle. Corso felt a sympathetic pang for the warehouse grunt she'd mentioned having a 'busted bean bag' earlier. The merc sidled up next to the green-skinned woman silently and cocked a brow at the bartender, who placed a mug of what was presumably ale in front of him after a few moments before shrugging in helpless apology. 'Nothing but the local brew left. Sorry.'
'Heeeey, Farm Boy,' came the slightly slurred greeting as she swayed far less than he guessed she should be, given the amount of alcohol she had to have ingested. 'Join me?' Corso got a momentary buzz as her breath washed over him. Just how much have you had to drink, Captain? And you're still standing! He was amazed he didn't pass out then and there. That aside, he'd come to find her if for no other reason than her company, though sharing libation wouldn't hurt. Letting a smile slip into place, he twisted to look at the smuggler as he took his drink in hand.
'What're we drinking to, Captain?' he asked. A tuneless hum rolled out of her throat while she bobbed side-to-side and thought. Finally her glass was raised, contents sloshing to the rim haphazardly.
'T'Torchy an' the Folly! Th'best blaster n' ship in the sector!' she toasted before emptying the rest of her drink into her throat. Corso let a moment pass and drank a healthy swallow. The empty cup was placed carelessly onto the bar and Catilya belched loudly, drawing surprised glances from everyone except the tender and nearby servers. A fist thumped her chest as she exhaled any excess gas and shook her head rapidly to clear her senses somewhat. All this served to make her breasts bounce pleasantly, the motions drawing his gaze long enough for him to figure out that she wasn't wearing anything beneath her shirt. Flushing slightly, he dragged his eyes upward in time to catch the knowing and mischievous light in her baby blues. One hand came up to rub the back of his neck.
'Th-thanks again for saving my hide today, Cap,' he stammered, looking anywhere else but her as the colour reached his cheeks. Catilya smiled and gently bumped her hip into his own with an easy familiarity, as though she'd done it an untold number of times before.
'Ya kept my bacon outta th'fire, so we're pretty much even. S'not always easy keeping my ass safe, given how big a target it makes.' The last was said with a wink and flash of her pink tongue. Corso chuckled a bit as his entire face went hot. She swayed more while they made small talk, bumping him again and downing two more of whatever she was drinking before he'd even finished his own. Finally, the tender had enough and cut her off. This naturally led to a furious round of swearing until Corso got her out and into the night air, with her grumbling the whole way. Somehow, he managed to get her back to Rendia Freight and to the second-deck bunking area without her passing out or starting another fight.
'Here you go, Cap,' he said as he guided her to the corner of the room he normally occupied, where she fell unceremoniously onto his rack. Corso snickered softly under his breath and worked carefully to undo her gun belt, hanging it next to his rifle and Hewie before sitting down on the edge to kick off his boots. A few moments after he'd crawled into the bunk next to hers, he discovered something new about the Captain.
She snored. Loudly.
A/N: Hope y'all enjoyed the read. C/C and reviews are always welcome but never required
