Beyond the Borders: Unknown Regions Part 4
The Past:
Ezra looked at Lara and tried not to feel both relieved and hurt at being rejected by her. He was initially confused and decided to allow her to continue.
"i like you Ezra, a lot. But I know that you do not really want me, you are still set on Sabine. The way you talk about her, I know that I cannot be your second choice or replacement to her. I can handle that, the problem I have is that is that if somehow we do get home. I cannot be the one in between you and her." Lara explained and Ezra knew she was right, the main reason he was attracted to Lara was that she reminded him of Sabine. Any relationship cannot be built on that.
"I understand and I am sorry, you are right. We can be friends but nothing else." Ezra nodded as she smirked at him.
"Not to say that we cannot be more than just friends." She stepped up closer and put her arms around him. "Have you ever had sex with a friend?" She asked as she saw his shocked expression. "I take it, no. Well we can as long as you understand that it is just sex, no emotional connections or feelings. It is just to relieve the boredom." Releasing him she pushed the continue button on the controls. "I will see you after our shift, your room."
Ezra first felt relieved then in utter shock, that ended when he went to the armory to ensure that every crewman had sidearms. Locating the Stormtrooper Commander he was a little dismayed to have found out that most of the Crew had not fired a blaster since joining the Empire. "Commander, I need you to schedule range times for those crewmembers that need it." Ezra ordered him.
"I will see to it, Sir." The Commander said with a bit of malice in his filtered voice.
"Do you have a problem with that order, Commander?" Ezra asked as he waited the usual problem that he encountered every time he gave an order to one of the ranking Imperial Officers. They all knew he was a Rebel and a Jedi. They all knew there was a standing order in the Empire to arrest or execute all Rebels and especially Jedi.
"No problem, Sir." The Commander replied.
Ezra dismissed him and while the Stormtrooper walked away in perfect Military fashion, Ezra shook his head. "This is going to be a long day." He muttered as he went to check on the other sections of the ship. The other duty he had to conduct was to reduce the use of power that was being used throughout the ship. That meant turning off certain sections of the ship, having crewmen and officers moving into areas that they worked at. For example the Engineers were being moved closer to the Engine Room, the Gunners near the primary Turbo Lasers and the Bridge Crew nearer the Bridge. Thankfully he or Thrawn did not have to move, both of their rooms were already near the Bridge. After that he had to go to the Hanger Deck and ask Lieutenant Perkuns the status of the retraining of the Pilots and finally after all that, return to the Bridge to brief Thrawn on all of it.
The Nova Cluster Pirate Base.
Captain BU Loctee growled and protested as he threw various items around his small Bridge. Ranting and Raving at the injustice of it all; a huge Star Ship with the potential of a huge score just blew a quarter of his ships into atoms and damaged three others. He still had three combat ready ships, all the same design and power. In the past his fleet was the biggest and best of the Sector. Now he lost two ships. "Where are they!" He bellowed to his Sensor Officer that swallowed and shrugged his shoulders. Loctee smiled, the crew still remembered what he had done to the Tactical Officer that had blundered the tactics on attacking the Large Ship. The Twil'ek Light Green man now floated outside, with both of his Lekku cut off. Loctee had punished the man personally right on the Bridge. With grim satisfaction he flopped into his chair. They had to wait for the "Ghastly" and "Viceroy" to return so that they could plan their next attack on the Large Ship. Both had gone to conduct their own raids on unsuspected Worlds and Outposts and only recently did Loctee order them to return. Closing his eyes he began to think over a strategy to capture the Prize and make it part of his Pirate Group, with that ship he could be a real threat and in time force the other Pirates that operated throughout the Sector and beyond would have to swear allegiance to him. That and he would personally gut the Large Ships Commander. He needed a thought like that to make him feel better.
The Present: Border of the Known Regions
Sabine was angry and frustrated, it had taken almost a year of searching and now they had come to the border of Known and Unknown Regions of Space. "Are you sure that the Purgills dragged the Chimaera this way?" She asked Ashoka as she peered at the unknown regions in front of them.
"Yes, that Cargo Pilot that we talked to said he saw the Purgills and a Star Destroyer and they were heading this way." Ashoka replied as she used the Navigation Sensors to calculate a small jump into the Region before them. Without clear and precise calculations they would have to do small jumps and repeat the process.
"Shit, it will take months to go from one Sector to another." Sabine stated impatiently as she waved her hand towards the vastness before them.
"That is why they call it the Unknown Regions, it is unknown." Ashoka relied as she smiled slightly.
"Smart Ass." Sabine sarcastically said as she rechecked the Sensors. "It checks out, two hours and fourteen minutes Jump time."
"Just be thankful that our fuel tanks are full and we have one of the more advance Nav-Computers available. An older model and we would really slow us down." Ashoka pulled the levers and the "RED" jumped into Hyperspace.
The Past: Ezra's Quarters
Ezra paced in his room with some worry and nervousness. Mainly because of what Lara had said to him, he had never been with a woman before and he almost hoped that she was joking with him about them being what he found out was just friends that had sex with no commitment or emotional connection. But he knew that she was not joking. Several of the Data Pads that he had to study laid on the table, strewn about. Exhaling, he sat and picked one of them up. As he began to read the door chimed. He was half tempted to pretend he was not home, instead he stood and approached the door. He could feel sweat run down his back as he unlocked the door and it whooshed open. Then with relief he saw that it was Dillon.
"Sir, I brought the updated repair estimates." Dillon said as he looked at Ezra with a bit of concern. "You look like you were expecting a squad of Stormtroopers that were coming to escort you to an execution, is there something wrong?"
"No, no not at all. I was expecting someone else and you surprised me." Ezra took the Pad and after skimming it he smiled. "Good, it seems that in less then a week we will have a functional Hyperdrive."
"That someone would be Ensign Marcell, would it Sir?" Dillon smirked slightly.
"Thank you Dillon, now go get some rest." Deflecting the inquiry as the older man chuckled and left.
"Good evening Ensign." Dillon's voice echoed down the corridor with a hint of merriment.
"Thank you Sir, Good Evening." Lara's voice said as she walked up to Ezra's door and saw him standing at it. "Hello Sir, I believe we need to go over the Imperial Procedures some more." Giving him a small smirk as she entered, turned to face him and waited.
"I suppose we do." Ezra said loudly as he shut the door and locked it. "What would you like to eat tonight?" Ezra started to walk over to the Food Dispenser, but Lara stopped him with a touch on his arm.
"I think we can wait until after, shall we go into the Bedroom." Lara stated as she led him by his arm inside his small bedroom. Once inside she turned and started to unbutton her shirt. Smiling at him as removed her blouse, showing her wearing only a Imperial Navy regulation bra. "Take your clothes off, Sir." She ordered as he complied and bent down to remove his boots. Then his pants and shirt. Meanwhile she had removed her own boots, pants and underwear and slipped into his bed. Allowing him to see her naked body first. Ezra nervously joined her, laying next to her. She then pulled him closer and kissed him. "It is alright Ezra, it is just sex." She then reached down to massage him, noticing that he was really well endowed. After a some ministrations and reassurances, they had sex.
Two hours and three times later, Lara looked over at Ezra. "That was really nice." She said with a bit of flattery. "You were a little resistant at first but after you really are exceptional."
"Thank you, I did everything right didn't I? You were my first." Ezra admitted as he saw her smirk over at him.
"Perfect and quiet enjoyable. All three times. Now we can get up and eat or perhaps just go to sleep until we have to go on duty. Your choice." Lara asked as she herself wanted to snuggle up with him and get some sleep. He had worn her out, physically and a little emotionally.
"I think some sleep is called for." Ezra replied pulling her tightly to him and closing his eyes. The small bed was not really designed to hold two people, so until they adjusted somewhat so that they were basically intertwined it was difficult to get comfortable.
An hour before the Alarm Chime started to beep, Ezra awoke. Carefully moving out of Lara's grasp, he went to the Refresher and showered and shaved. Returning he saw her sitting up in bed. "You still have an hour, I have to get ready early today. Dillon is ready to test the Hyperdrive and I have to be there." Ezra explained as Lara just shrugged her shoulders.
"Do you have time to eat with me?" Lara asked as she also got up and went to the Refresher.
"Yes, plenty of time." Ezra went into the main room, while Lara Showered. "What would you like?" He asked loudly.
"Meal selection twenty two." She replied just as loud over the spray of the shower. A few moments later she came out dressed and they ate together.
In the Engine Room, Dillon was rushing from one terminal to another. When Ezra arrived he saw the haggard and hurried Dillon, going from one terminal to another. Hearing him swearing several obscene and physically impossible curses. "What is wrong Dillon?" Ezra asked as he watched the older man punch a terminal with anger.
"The Frogging thing won't work! I thought we had it, the diagnostics said we did when we ran it!" Dillon then swore again and Ezra winced, the language was really beyond obscene, it bordered on unthinkable. "Nope we are totally Frogged!"
"So, the Hyperdrive won't work?' Ezra asked as he saw the pissed off Engineer throw a Hyperscanner across the room, hitting the Engine.
"No, it is a piece of junk." Dillon replied then went over and kicked the Engine for good measure. Turned and sat, covering his hands with his eyes. Weeping.
Ezra did not try to console the man, spinning on his heal he left Dillon to cry out his frustration. He could relate, Dillon and his Engineering Crewmembers had worked on the Hyperdrive for almost six weeks, around the clock and now to find out that all that work was wasted, could devastate anyone. Going to the Bridge, he reported to Thrawn about the failure.
"I expected it was too much to hope for, Captain. I think I know where we can get the possible replacement parts we require to repair our Hyperdrive." Thrawn said with a small smile.
"Where, Sir?" Ezra asked as he saw the Blue Skinned Alien Admiral smile broadly. "Should I set a new course to where we will get the parts?"
"No, Captain. I suspect that in the next day or so the parts will come to us." Thrawn replied then gave a short chuckle. Seeing that Ezra did not understand. "Those Pirate ships have a very large Hyperdrive Engine on their ships, I suspect that it might provide us with the replacement parts that we require." Thrawn explained as Ezra stared at him in shock.
"How would we do that, I doubt that they would surrender?" Ezra asked then realized that he goofed again. "Sorry, I forgot. Sir."
"That is entirely alright Captain, I believe I will have the appropriate Strategy worked out before they attack again." Thrawn then steepled his fingers and leaned back into his chair, smiling slightly.
The Present: One Year two months six days from leaving Lothal
Finding a Planetary System that was loosely attached to the Galactic Core was relatively good fortune, Sabine said and thought as they spent two days on the Small isolated world of Vulaka. It took a day to barter with a fuel merchant to refill the "RED's" Fuel tanks. Another ten hours to trade for some other supplies. Thankfully most of the residents of the small world was starved for recent Holo-entertainment videos and to Sabine's surprise Ashoka had quite a collection. Several hundred different montage's to include; Love Stories, Comedies, Action and Adventures, Informational and finally Daily Game Shows. Trading copies of those gave them something of value to trade with the different Merchants.
"It is funny, Ashoka that I did not know that you were a Holo-Watcher." Sabine said as she sipped a local cold light purple milky drink that tasted sweet and refreshing.
"Why, everyone has something that interests them. I have always liked to watch the Holo-Entertainment videos. Even when I was a Pattawan at the Jedi Temple. I find them interesting." Ashoka admitted as she sipped her own. A server walked over and offered a refill and Ashoka gladly took it. The drink was really good, she had reassured that it was non-alcoholic. Ashoka knew that alcohol and Togruta biology do not mix. Some Alcohol would effect her and lower her ambitions and normal restrictions on how she acted. Master Shaak Ti had warned her once when Ashoka was much younger to never drink Alcohol. It had a very negative effect on them, she may find herself doing things that she would not normally do. To include finding herself afterwards in some strangers bed, naked and having regrets on what had happened. Ashoka followed Shaak Ti's advice and never drank. As Ashoka looked over at Sabine she wondered why the young Mandalorian hardly ever drank Alcoholic beverages and when she did it was only a mug of low grade alcohol. Which confused her because usually Mandalorians drank excessively.
"Another day and we better get going again." Sabine said as the server filled her mug with again. Glancing around the outside serving area with a bit of regret. It was nice on Vulaka, the weather was mild and the air was crisp and refreshing as the drink. After spending so much time inside the "RED" with the recycled air it was nice to breath the real thing. All types of people milled about with barely a care in the world. Sabine chuckled when she talked to one of the Local Politicians who had no clue about the fall of the Old Republic, the Rise of The Empire and the reestablishment of the New Republic. When she told Ashoka, they both had a good laugh over it. In some aspects Sabine envied the people of Vulaka, they did have to worry about hostile invasions or Pirates. But not the Galactic Core Politics. Draining the last of her drink, she reached over and pulled her Helmet to her. "You ready."
"Yes, it is pleasant here isn't it?" Ashoka asked as she drained her own drink. "Perhaps after we find Ezra we can stop back here a couple of days and relax."
"I would like that." Sabine stood and the two made their way back to the main landing pad. The "RED" was waiting, with the fuel tanks topped off.
Rising above the green, blue and brown world of Vulaka. Sabine exhaled and sniffed, the recycled air itched her nose as she sneezed.
The Past: On the "Rasper"
Captain BU Loctee looked over his Bridge on the Rasper. The replacement Tactical Officer shifted in his chair whenever Loctee looked at him. That pleased, Loctee. he liked commanding with fear, it kept his crew and the other ship's crew all in line. He was the boss, what he said went. Otherwise you die, that was what Loctee told all of the members of the Nova Pirates. That was how it went. "Can you still detect the prize?" Loctee asked his Sensor Officer.
"Yes Captain, it is still within sensor range of the probe we dropped in that sector. It has moved only five hundred thousand kilometers from the initial engagement." The Bothan Sensor Officer replied, his fur flattening and quivering. Fearful that he may join the Late Tactical Officer.
"Good, this time we will take them. The last time we separated and our shields could not overlap to provide adequate protection. Not this time." Loctee stated as he signaled the other ships to prep to jump into Hyperspace. "No not this time, this time we take them." He muttered as he smiled broadly.