Title: Speeder Piloting (or How To Fall For Your Subordinate)
Disclaimer: Lucas Arts and BioWare owns Star Wars: The Old Republic
Notes: My female Trooper x Aric Jorgan and mentions of another Republic character of mine.
Tihaara, for all of her great qualities that included diplomacy, blaster skills and the ability to run and command a crew of rather strange proportions on the Thunderclap, could not fly a speeder to save her life.
A speeder was necessary, really, especially on planets such as Tatooine where nothing is close and there's a chance of a sandstorm every few weeks, and the heat is unbearable on the Mirialan skin. Tihaara bought a speeder (at a reduced price being the Lieutenant of Havoc Squad) at the same time as Jorgan bought his own. They both obtained patroller speeders and her Sergeant hopped onto his, revving the engine and looking up to her with a minute smirk. They had just finished a mission, and were left stranded in the sand so Tihaara grabbed the handle bars, powered up the engine, her canon on her back resting on the speeder holster.
'Ready?' Tihaara asked and Jorgan nodded once.
'Lead on, sir'
Tihaara rolled her eyes, steering away from Jorgan and heading in the general direction of Anchorhead Market to their meeting point with a smuggler.
Something caught Tihaara's eye, so she pressed down on the brakes which, unbeknownst to her, were quite sensitive, and proceeded to be launched over the bars. She hit the sand, three feet in front, rolling and finally stopping, landing face up into the glaring sun, her armour not completely blocking sand. Tihaara heard the low whirring of Jorgan's speeder, and then the Cathar appeared hovering over her. She blinked.
'Are you alright down there, sir?' Jorgan's voice asked, teasing but also with concern.
'Perfect. Enjoying the sun' Tihaara squinted.
'Well, your dismount was elegant, very lady-like' and Tihaara scowled up at him. He never took his gaze from hers, his eyes showing his amusement.
'Oh shove it' she said weakly and at that he began to laugh. He composed himself as Tihaara sat up, dusting the sand off her uniform. He bent his knees, offering a hand up. She took it gratefully. He lifted her easily – it slipped her mind sometimes just how much power was encased in the body of Aric Jorgan. He was a soldier through and through - that she could never forget, nor would she let anybody else.
'Thanks' she said, combing a hand through her hair, making a face at the sand that came out. 'Alright, let's move' she said, brushing past Jorgan to her speeder.
They headed to the check point. A meeting with an Emperial spy.
Later that night, back at the ship, Tihaara collapsed on the couch in the communal area with her PADD in sweats and a t-shirt. Dorne had gone to bed earlier, checking in as Tihaara and Jorgan arrived back, and C2 preparing dinner for the two heads of Havoc Squad.
'Sir, could I ask a question?' Jorgan asked, surprising Tihaara who startled. Jorgan sat down beside her, just close enough so she could feel his body heat.
'Go ahead, and call me Tihaara, please, we're off duty' she said, and Jorgan paused.
'Tihaara – that's a nice name by the way' Jorgan commented and Tihaara grinned.
'Thank you. It means alcohol' she said and when his eyebrows shot up she nodded slowly, grin widening.
'I didn't know that. Well, the compliment still stands' he dismissed and Tihaara's heart swelled.
She and Jorgan hadn't got on at the beginning, locking each other out, Jorgan wrapped up in his demotion and the location of the disbanded Dead Eyes and Tihaara wanted to earn the title she had been given. Slowly, very slowly, they opened up to each other. They knew the other had their backs, and the trust sealed tight. He had saved her from many a sticky situation, covering her when panic started to rise. He had waited for Dorne on a mission, while she propped herself up, coughing blood and finding it quite hard to breathe. Tihaara honestly thought that was it, Jorgan took the droid down, turning to her – through her pain addled haze – she saw his cold, determined expression. That was why he was a Lieutenant. Hold on, sir. When Tihaara's eyes fluttered closed, the copper taste of blood bubbling in her mouth: Tihaara, dammit. They didn't talk about it, because she got better, she healed, and was back as the CO of one of the commended special forces in the Republic. Not that this had been entirely one way – no - Jorgan scared her like a rampaging rancor when he was hit with a heavy blast in a warehouse, and she crouched in front of him, firing, taking down Imps. She saw him drop; that was the worst thing. Tihaara watched as his knees buckled and six foot plus of military Cathar collapsed. Tihaara saw her moment and ran to him. Turning to her Sergeant, he was bleeding out and she called for evac. Thankfully, the injury looked a lot worse than it was and Dorne reassured her constantly when Tihaara found herself hovering near med bay a lot.
She cared for him. He was a fine colleague and friend.
'Aric, means ruler. Quite appropriate, your mother was wise'
Jorgan snorted, shaking his head, looking at his knees before turning his attention back towards her.
'I wanted to ask about your – uh – trip into the sand earlier' Jorgan asked, head titled. She pursed her lips and punched him lightly in the arm. Tihaara opened her fist, the tips of her fingers tracing his arm. She snatched her hand back, coughing.
'What about it?' she retorted.
'Would you like help?' and Tihaara shot him a look, feeling her cheeks flush with embarrassment.
'As your CO, I am open to options that help my running of the team' she dodged. Jorgan raised an eyebrow in question and out of mild annoyance at her beating about the bush. Unlike other Mirialans, Tihaara could do without being incredibly blunt and clinical – her armstech training allowed for that.
'That's a yes' he didn't ask.
'Yes. Aric Jorgan, can you assist with my speeder piloting?' she asked, and he ducked his head, smirking at her.
'Of course, sir'.
They didn't actually set a time or date as, once again, Garza had plenty of missions and they traveled to Alderaan.
Jonas Balkar was good at his job, sure, and he knew how to flirt with the ladies. He was SIS, and to be honest, Tihaara didn't expect much less (you should see Jedi's being 'diplomatic' with female Counsellors). However, another quality of the Republic agent was his stubborn persistence, namely so regarding Tihaara herself. She had to admit, the dark haired, blue eyed man was easy on the eye and wasn't shy with the charm, but Tihaara didn't really see him that way. The flirting relaxed her, made her feel wanted, but she could say with utmost sincerity that that was it. Watching Jorgan and Jonas go at it with their alpha male business was quietly amusing. But she always stepped in, calmly, reminding both (namely Balkar) that they had a job to do. Tihaara went out for drinks with the agent, enjoying his company in a small cantina. Jonas offered to take her back to one of his apartments he owned – in Lower Nar Shadaa – a hand trailing her arm with intent. She declined nicely. Tihaara returned to the ship, changing out of her dress and pumps, and into nightwear. Walking out of her quarters she managed to walk directly into Jorgan.
'Sorry. Not concentrating' she apologised, scraping both hands through her light grey hair, pulling out the braid by the bead and replaiting.
'It's fine' Jorgan said absently, tightly but that could just be for fatigue, skirting around her and that was the moment when she noticed her Sergeant was shirtless - she really had caught him unawares. He stilled, then disappearing into his own quarters. Tihaara shook her head. Was that the end of their conversation? On quiet moments when they were together traveling, her mind occasionally drifted to what Jorgan looked like under his armour. It was a nice sight. Jorgan re-appeared, a dark grey t-shirt that Tihaara recognised as the Academy t-shirt. She had kept hers too. His long lounge pants hooked at his hips, clinging to places Tihaara should not think about regarding to her Sergeant. 'Have a good time?' Jorgan asked, sitting down on the couch in the same place as before, his knees spread. It took Tihaara a second or two to realise what it was he was asking about.
'Yeah, thanks. Apart from a dark Jedi Zabrak nearly spilling her drink on me'
'That's a sentence I'd never thought I'd hear'
Tihaara chuckled, settling down with a foot underneath her, elbow resting on the back of the seats, body facing Jorgan.
'How's Balkar?' Jorgan asked, gruffly.
'He's good. He say's hi' she replied, smiling lightly. Jorgan smirked back.
C2 shuffled over, asking if she needed anything.
'C2 could you make Jorgan and myself a hot drink?' Tihaara asked and C2 inclined his head.
'Your happiness is my highest priority, sir' and off he went.
'Tell me Jorgan. Are you going to take Agent Jaxo up on her offer?'
Jorgan crossed his arms across his chest, leaning away from Tihaara, brows furrowed.
'I don't know what you mean'
'Come on, Jorgan, she was interested in you' she teased, remembering how Jaxo had first stumbled and stuttered over her words in meeting Jorgan, her eyes shining a little. When they met a second and third time, she became more confident and openly flirted with Jorgan who responded professionally but didn't ever actually say no.
'I'm not interested in her. She's attractive sure, but – blast it' he cursed, turning away from her, C2 returning to them with their beverages.
Tihaara curled her hands around the mug, breathing in the chocolate-ey smell. She watched him over her mug. Jorgan nodded, muttering a 'thanks' to C2 who wandered off.
'You were saying?' she prodded feeling, albeit slightly mean, but she like teasing him. They did this on occasion to the point where some got uncomfortable.
'That's it. I don't think there's anything else to say here' Jorgan said and Tihaara desperately wanted to call bullshit.
'Okay, then' Tihaara replied, knowing that would rile him up. She gulped some of her drink, letting her eyes drift shut.
'What?' he deadpanned, and Tihaara could feel the scowl he was wearing without opening up her eyes.
'I just want you to be happy. That's all. I thought maybe Jaxo could do that for you' Tihaara shrugged, blinking her eyes open to drink more of her cocoa. Jorgan's scowl depleted and his shoulders adjusted so he looked a lot more relaxed, but the was still something lurking. Something unsaid.
'Do you want to know why I don't like Balkar?' and that was not where Tihaara thought he was going to go with that.
'Apart from the whole playboy thing he has and that professionalism and casualness are kinda blurry with him?' Tihaara asked, tilting her head to the side in curiosity. Jorgan sniffed, frowned for a moment, obviously trying to organise the lexical structure of what he wanted to say, carefully.
'There's that. But, with all due respect sir, he treats you like you're something to conquer and I don't like it' and it was Tihaara's turn to glare.
'I'm not interested in Balkar. He's an asset, and someone to talk to when on Nar Shadaa. He maybe a ladies man and plenty have spent the night with him I'm sure, but I won't ever be one of them' Tihaara roamed her eyes over the ship, feeling her cheeks heating up. Returning her gaze to the man next to her, she caught his head lowered, avoiding her eye line. Like a soldier being reprimanded by his superior officer. Tihaara sighed, choosing her words. 'I'm not mad at you for saying that, Aric. I'm glad you did. You've got morals about women, ones that would make your mother happy. Thanks' she reached out, placing a hand above his wrist and squeezing slightly. Jorgan lifted his head up again, nodding, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth. Tihaara grinned back.
'Now, concerning your morals about women, Sergeant Jorgan' Tihaara said lightly, her grin still very present. 'When are you going to make sure I don't fall off my speeder?'
'Well, patroller speeders have delicate breaks and their handling is a challenge. I used one with the Dead Eyes and I uh-' Jorgan coughed, '-crashed it into an Imperial tank' he finished, Tihaara's eyebrows shot to her hairline, a smile threatening to bloom.
'Oh really?' she asked drily. Jorgan shot a glare her way briefly.
'Yes. Could we leave mockery to later?' Jorgan asked defensively.
'Of course. Teach, dear Master' and that earned an unimpressed pursed lips but Jorgan ignored that and carried on. Tihaara liked that she could get under his skin, who wouldn't? Who wouldn't want to be able to say they could get under Aric Jorgan's skin and he let them. Tihaara used to believe it was due to her being his direct superior in the field, however she slowly learned that they both found comfort in de-railing and picking on the other. It felt like home.
'When you're hovering, level your weight, if it's disproportionate you'll go flying' Jorgan said and Tihaara fired up the speeder, pushing back so she felt more equal (at least in her mind), the engine humming and spitting. 'Okay that's better - see there's the problem. You're hunched forward' he commented and Tihaara let her shoulders slump, thanking the Jedi that she had no canon to weigh her down at the present.
'My posture's always been trouble. I'm small in case you haven't noticed' Tihaara replied. Jorgan nodded, went to do something and then stopped in his tracks. Tihaara looked at the man, trying especially hard not to suddenly jerk the handle bars.
'Something wrong?' she asked. The Cathar was known for bottling things up, his grumpy almost miserable appearance to those who didn't know him, caused friction. Tihaara knew the man of action, who saw how things needed to be done and did them, be it for himself or otherwise – the latter the most often. When the man seemed to be having an internal crisis and Tihaara could have sworn she heard faint growling, she commanded instead. 'Jorgan. Report' and the man snapped out of it instantly. 'Sorry for that, but you looked wrapped up in your own head' Tihaara said as consolation, allowing him to elaborate on just what was going on inside that mind of his.
'Permission to adjust your posture, sir?' he asked in the same way he would ask about the scanning the perimeter in a mission.
'Granted, why are you – oh' and she realised where the issue stemmed from. Jorgan's large, warm palms spread across her middle back, kneading and positioning her spine and back muscles. She allowed her body to become pliable (much easier to do sans armour) and when Jorgan retracted his hands – to her disappointment – Tihaara's balance and stance on the speeder was much, much better. She hummed. Jorgan stood, arms crossed, eyes flitting over the bike and her. 'I'm going to try and fly it' Tiharra said determinedly, focusing on the stretch of land in front of her. Why did they have to do this on Taris? she thought, although it was most likely due to the swamp grass and lands that are difficult to navigate around. You go in hard or you don't go in at all were the words taught at the academy. She was wary of rakghoul infestations lurking about. Rakghouls and K'lor'slugs – the two creatures Tihaara absolutely despised with every fibre of her being. Nothing about. Good. Tihaara squeezed the bars, leaning forward, powering the speeder forward. She did perfectly fine, fully aware of Jorgan's inspection, until she heard the rasping that she fashioned to rakghouls, wavered, locked her arms and nearly fell off the speeder.
She didn't. Jorgan darted forward, a hand gripping her upper arm, the other at her waist. She let out a curse, huffing, not only at her near pathetic fall, but at the burst of want that had coiled in her gut caused by Jorgan's hands.
'What happened?' Jorgan asked.
'Don't laugh I thought I heard a pack of Rakghouls' Tihaara shivered involuntarily. Jorgan looked about, listening carefully and obviously finding nothing.
'That's nothing to laugh about' he said diplomatically.
'Plus, you've got a gaze as intense as a Jedi's lightsaber. Anyone ever told you that?' Tihaara grumbled, shaking her head. Jorgan grinned wide enough to show the pearly whites of his canines.
'Is that a compliment?' Jorgan asked.
'I think I prefer the grumpy you' Tihaara groused with affection. 'And yes it was' she said, rolling her eyes. Jorgan didn't reply, his grin dying to a hardly there smile.
They continued, Tihaara not having any trouble and Jorgan hopping on his own speeder, the pair flying to a spot next to a bridge, dismounting. Tihaara sat down, dusting at the thighs of her trousers, her back resting on the barriers of the bridge. She got why they called Taris the 'broken city', but it was beautiful in its own way. It wasn't leafy like Balmorra or Coruscant, the green was oily and less bright. However, it had a history, people, communities. Tihaara could respect that. Jorgan settled down beside her, and Tihaara was reminded of their time camping on Hoth with their gear, their knees knocking as they sat through the night, neither wanting to sleep.
'My little sister could never ride a speeder' Jorgan said, fondness underlying his gruff voice. She knew how he missed his family, she would too if she had one, Jorgan didn't speak of them a lot because he was a private person, not thinking how it was anyone's business. He gradually started telling her about them, his little sister and brother the main aspect of his stories. 'She stole mine one afternoon when we were kids, and went off near the lake and she vaulted right over the handle bars. Just like you did. Thankfully she can swim' Jorgan said. Tihaara chuckled in warmth. Not months previously, Jorgan would never have told her that.
'You're little sister sounds lovely. Plus, I know how she felt' and Jorgan made a noise at the back of his throat. Tihaara suddenly thought of something. 'A friend of mine, at the orphanage, and I always used to race across the bridges and plazas. He was taller than me and stronger but I was always faster' she said and Jorgan nodded, his brow creasing at the mention of the place where she grew up. It was in her file, and she told him about things that happened as kid, not mentioning the place itself. 'Once, we were running through a forest heading for a bridge and I trip and fall' Tihaara said. 'He zooms past me with all the momentum and agility etcetera, then I see him stop. He jogs back over to me, holding out a hand for me to get up. I told him he could have won, I tripped, it's my fault, and he said that it didn't matter, if they're friend, family or ally, you don't leave that person behind' she finished, her chest tightening briefly. She missed him. There weren't many people Tihaara could miss, but he was one of them.
'He's right. Where's your friend now?'
'He's a Jedi. He was spotted as force sensitive and shipped off to Tython to train, I never saw him again after that. His name's Q'uentin' Tihaara replied. 'I might see if I can find him' she muttered, more to herself than her partner.
'You should' Jorgan said succinctly but his tone friendly.
Tihaara smiled, glancing at him sideways. Then her portable-holo started bleeping and chiming obnoxiously.
It was Dorne: 'Excuse me sir, General Garza is requesting your presence at the ship for a private call. When do you and Sergeant Jorgan expect to be back?'
'Within fifteen minutes, Sergeant'
'I will notify the General. See you back at the ship, sir' and with a brief, professional nod Dorne cut the call.
'We should get going' Jorgan pushed himself to a standing position, turning to his speeder.
They powered up their speeders, heading back to the BT-7 Thunderclap and her crew.
Review if you think I should carry on. I adore my trooper and Jorgan ^_^