Taren was under her, gasping as she leaned down and traced his muscles with nibbling kisses. They were moving together slowly, each thrust purposeful and lingering. As enveloped as she was in her own pleasure, she was enthralled by his face as he was consumed by his own. Finally his body tensed, arching beneath her and...

"Wake up Ona!"

The gruff words were followed by a smack to her rump that had her jumping awake, awake but not alert. She was dismayed when she realized she was wrapped around her large pillow, not Taren's solid body. "Go away Ina," she slurred as she snuggled deeper into her pillow, trying to recapture the dream she'd been yanked from. But her brother just reached over and shook her harder.

"C'mon sleepyhead, get up," he chuckled, "We have to rally, there's a job waiting."

The mention of a job roused her but only enough to make her sit up. She scowled at the cheerful face of her big brother, noting that he looked well-rested and satiated. Reaching down, he grabbed her hand and heaved until she was standing, laughing as her shoulders and head slumped down theatrically. "Get moving you," he teased, "I have a surprise." Head held high he strode from her room grinning, and she stuck her tongue out at his retreating form.

"Better be caf made," she grumbled sleepily as she shuffled from her room with Fluffy trailing after her.

The stumble to the galley was a blur, but when the heavy fragrance of caf reached her nose her spirit lightened. When did Te'ig learn to brew caf, she wondered as she poured a cup and tasted it. Better than the usual sludge her brother was known for, the rich scent and flavor cleared her head making her feel more alert. She was almost through her first cup when she heard footsteps and stiffened, praying that her brother didn't have the gall to bring last night's company onto her ship.

"Mornin' Kitten," the voice she'd heard in her dreams vibrated huskily into the room, causing her to turn.

Taren stood in the doorway looking fresh and relaxed in a light shirt and fitted pants. His eyes traced over her for a moment before he glanced down the hallway past the galley. Quickly he stepped towards her and she met him halfway to share a heated kiss. It was quick but blinding, and when they peeled apart reluctantly she felt like he took a piece of her with him.

He looked her over again and when his eyes flared she knew he was remembering the stolen hours they'd had before Te'ig came back. She remembered them too and warmth unrelated to the caf spread through her. But it wasn't just their passion that she'd enjoyed, it was also the time cuddled next to each other talking and touching. She'd felt a deep sense of loss when he'd left to shower despite their last kiss and his sweet whispers in Mando'a.

She'd hurried to sleep, hastened by the idea that she would see him in the morning. And now, even wary of an intrusion by her brother, she wasn't disappointed. She loved how he was looking at her with those glimmering dark jewel eyes, and the knowing half-smile he wore, and… a rush of warmth flooded her chest, and startled by it she swallowed it back. Not yet mr'ho'ri, she scolded herself, you shouldn't start thinking in 'l-word' terms. It was too soon to start tumbling into that. Besides, he hadn't broached the subject, why should she?

Deciding to keep things playful she squeezed the hands she held and gave him a teasing smile. "Morning Buckethead. Sleep good?"

"Not as well as I would've if you'd been there," he murmured, and gave her a self-depreciating smile as he looked her over. "Now that's just mean. Te'ig's aboard and here you look like something from one of my fantasies."

Looking down, she glanced at the tank top and shorts she'd gone to bed in. She'd never thought much about her sleepwear or noticed how the pale blue semi-sheer fabric clung to her body, but Taren looked fascinated. "This is nothing" she winked impishly, "We really need to work on those fantasies of yours."

"Gladly," he quipped, giving her a quick smooch before retrieving a cup of caf for himself. They'd sat down together and she was tempted to steal another kiss but boot-steps in the hallway quashed that idea.

"Good morning!"

The unfamiliar perky male voice had Selari nearly spitting out her caf. She looked at the doorway to the galley, her eyes widening at the Zabrak standing there. Te'ig stepped up behind him grinning, and Selari sunk her face into hands.

"Gods help me," she moaned, "Te'ig, who did you bring aboard my ship?"

"This is Braxx, Ona," he rumbled soothingly, "I 'inherited' him from Bloodfang. He was her ship's slicer and wanted to come along with us."

She peeked through her fingers watching the men sit down. Braxx was looking at her with a pleasant smile as he extended a cybernetic hand. The dark brown tribal etchings on his face were the same shade as his short hair and stood out against his light brown complexion. A gold chain was hooked on two of the horns that crowned his head, arcing across his forehead. His smile seemed friendly but appraising, crinkling the corner of one green eye while the other flashed amber with implants.

"Bloodfang wanted to take a break but I'm not the type to sit idle," Braxx explained, "So Darkslider said I could come with you guys."

Selari glanced at her brother. "Who's Darkslider?" she asked and Braxx exchanged a look with Te'ig.

"Te'ig is, isn't he."

This time she did spit out her caf, grasping for napkins as she choked on her laughter. Bounty hunting wasn't for the meek, if you took down the wrong target you could become one yourself. Some competing hunters were ruthless enough to retaliate against a rival's family to scare them off their turf. She and Te'ig had discussed staying anonymous for the sake of their pride, and several aliases had been bandied about. But she'd never known which one Te'ig had settled on. She hadn't realized he'd pick something so dramatic.

Her shoulders shook with glee as he stiffened and glared at her. "What's wrong with Darkslider?" he growled tightly, and she took a breath to stifle her laughter.

"Nothing," she said through pursed lips, but she could only stay calm for a moment before adding "If you're a holo-novel villain!" Collapsing in a fit of giggles she looked at Taren as he ducked his head before getting up to busy himself with more caf. Braxx's smile had frozen uncertainly while Te'ig glowered at her, so she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Bloodfang approved of it," he grumbled, "Said a menacing name would be an advantage." His glare softened into a teasing look. "Besides, it's better than Silvermoon." He wiggled his fingers in the air as he pretended to look frightened, "Ooh, watch out for Silvermoon."

"Nothing wrong with Silvermoon," she said huffily, "It's a tribute to Selari. I'd hate for her to be insulted that I don't use her name."

Te'ig's heavy eye roll told her what he'd thought of her logic. "Should've known you'd pick up that religious nonsense from Iya'ri Trehna."

"Think what you want," she admonished, "This venture will need all the blessings it can get. Might be wise to pay respect to our deities."

"I'd rather trust in my blasters," he grumbled.

Ready to chide her brother for his lack of faith she was distracted when her cup brushed her hand. Taren had refilled it without her noticing, and she had to resist the urge to kiss him gratefully as he sat next to her. Giving him a subtle nod of thanks she gripped the cup tightly as she took a sip and turned her attention back to Braxx.

"My fuzzhead brother never mentioned a slicer, so sorry if I seem less than hospitable," she sighed, "But I guess it makes sense to have a well-rounded crew. What are your qualifications?"

The question seemed to catch Braxx and Te'ig off guard. "Now Ona, I already told him he could come," Te'ig said and she glared at him.

"Then you can tell him to leave, Ina," she snapped, "MY ship, remember."

"MY credentials, remember," he retorted, "I can always score a ship but you can't just run off to do bounties without the clout to back it up. Bloodfang made sure I had the start of a solid reputation, this way we won't be chasing every two-bit hustler with a few creds on his head just to scrape by." He tilted his shaggy head at the Zabrak next to him, "And Braxx helped with that."

Selari curled her lip in scorn, but her brother had a point. She also remembered Bloodfang was exceptionally picky about her crew, if she'd vouched for Braxx Selari could put up with him, for now.

"Fine," she drew the word out on a long sigh, "Slicer and public relations specialist. Anything else?"

Braxx tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I'm good with tech. My blaster aim's not the best but I can repair them in no time flat, along with other weapons. Know my way around a galley, Bloodfang used to say I made the best nerf stew she'd ever tasted. I also made the caf this morning."

Explains why it was tastier than what her brother usually made, she thought as she took a considering sip. Peering over the lip of her cup she watched him as he gestured. The metallic digits of his right hand flashed in the light and Selari pointed at the extremity.

"Accident or personal preference?"

Te'ig groaned loudly but Braxx just shook his head. "You warned me she was direct," he chuckled and elbowed the large Cathar.

"Tactless would be more accurate," her brother muttered. She sneered at him playfully and he returned the look.

"I guess you could say accident," Braxx said as he lifted the limb and fanned the metal fingers, "As in I was 'accidentally' thrown against a vibrosword by Drooga the Hutt's henchman when she caught me slicing into her accounts." The dexterity in the artificial hand was amazing, but not enough to distract Selari from what he was saying.

"So you got caught stealing?" She raised a dry eyebrow at Te'ig who'd covered his face with his hand, "Nya'mayu Ina?" Really Brother? When there was no response from him, she looked expectantly at Braxx.

"I prefer to think of it as lightening someone's financial burden," he said, "But those days ended after my 'accident'. Then Bloodfang found me in an alley on Hutta. I was half blind with a short-circuiting rusty mess of mechanics for a hand. She set me up with the quality parts I'm currently sporting."

That sounded like the old she-devil, Selari chuckled to herself. Bloodfang may have been a ferocious hunter, but she was a sucker for lost-causes. The loyalty she inspired in her rag-tag crew was as fierce as her reputation.

"I guess if that hell-cat can put up with you we can too," she said, "Especially if you keep brewing caf like this."

"Nice to see my talents are appreciated," he quipped before lowering his voice, "Especially by a cutie like you." He gave her a blatant wink and her eyes widened in surprise. Normally she would retort or flirt back, but when she heard Taren shift as he stiffened next to her she wasn't sure how to react.

"Hands off, Braxx," Te'ig grumbled good-naturedly, "Not a good idea."

"When have I been known for good ideas?" the Zabrak replied, giving her a wicked smile. "She looks old enough to make her own mistakes." Glancing from her brother to their new crewmate she seized the opportunity to test the waters.

"He's right Ina," she returned Braxx's wink. "I've been making my own mistakes for years. Why not now?"

"No mixing business with pleasure," Te'ig's response was firmer. "Even if you weren't my sister, we're teammates, and teammates and romance don't mix. We want clear heads in the field, not minds clouded by emotion."

Something in her brother's tone sparked a memory, and it dawned on her why he might be being so obstinate. "This isn't about Gisayn, is it?" she prodded. He looked shocked for an instant before his features closed off, and she knew she'd hit a nerve.

"Who's Gisayn?" Braxx sounded intrigued and Se'lari forged ahead despite Te'ig's brooding look.

"He was on Bloodfang's crew when Te'ig joined up," she informed the Zabrak, "Buff Twi'lek, shot his mouth off almost as much as his blaster. He and Te'ig were a couple for a while."

"Ahh yeah, he was fun. Helluva shot, helluva..." Te'ig stopped short and cleared his throat. He shook his head before looking sternly at Selari, "He's also why I know not to get involved with your teammates."

"He wasn't with you and Bloodfang when I joined up." Braxx seemed to be enjoying the gossip, it looked like even Taren was listening intently. "What happened to him?"

"Broke up with him, found out he was cheating on me," Te'ig grumbled as he shot a pointed look at his sister. The other men followed his gaze as she ducked her head, chuckling quietly. "Not funny Ona," he muttered, "Bad enough he was two-timing me, but with my own sister."

"Hey, he came on to me," she said defensively, "If I'd have known you two were an item, I wouldn't have hooked up with him. And I broke it off once I'd found out."

"Never blamed you Ona. I think he just liked idea of scoring with siblings," Te'ig sighed again, brushing his hands together as if brushing off the memories. "Alright, enough reminiscing," his gruff voice was unwavering,"Braxx, mitts to yourself. Selari, we already agreed not to let temptations distract us. Let's stick to that."

Selari shrugged at her brother but her heart sank at his words. She was fine with him shooting down Braxx, but he was also shooting down Taren by default. She snuck a look to Taren who gave her a half-hearted smile partially hidden behind his cup of caf. It was disappointing but no less than they'd expected. She wasn't losing hope though, and in the meantime stolen moments would be better than none.

"What's this job you mentioned?" she asked Te'ig and his lethal grin gleamed hard white against the soft charcoal of his fur.

"You'll love this Ona," he proclaimed, "Got us a slaver."

At the mention of a slaver something dark and primal flashed through her brain. "Good choice, any link to Jelka?" Her voice had slunk low and deadly, but Te'ig shook his head slowly.

"Not sure yet," he said, "But we can ask him when we bring him in."

"Jelka?" Taren asked and Selari shivered at the onslaught on memories.

"A traitorous piece of scaa that's only alive because even Khan wants nothing to do with him," she snarled. Her vehemence had both Taren and Braxx looking at her in surprise.

"He organized a raid on the pride, brought in slavers," Te'ig explained, "Because we were freeborn they cut down most of the males, feeling they were too strong-willed to be made slaves." He paused and Selari knew the next words were as painful for him to say as it was for her to remember. "But the females were still considered valuable."

Wrapping her hands around her cup she kept her head down, feeling the eyes of the three men on her but unwilling to meet them. She didn't know Braxx well enough to know what expect from him, but Te'ig's eyes would be filled with anger, sympathy and self-imposed guilt.

Taren's though, she thought, his would be her down-fall. His hand clenched close to hers, and she wanted to retreat into the warmth of his embrace. Instead she took a deep breath and focused on her simmering rage.

"I wasn't attacked or hurt," she answered the unspoken questions, "I was with Iya'ri Trehna. Once we realized what was going on we gathered up as many of the kits as we could and hid them in her hut. Thank Tzu most of the la'e scurried them to us before trying to fight off the slavers, but…" The images still haunted her; the massacre, the abuses her people were put through as they were rounded up, and the kits they hadn't been able to get to.

"Iya'ri Trehna stood her ground, staff in one hand and blade in the other. Told the slavers their souls were damned for what they did, but if they crossed into her hut the rest of their lives would be scourged as well."

Selari had never been so scared in her life, clinging to the robes of her shaman and a blade almost as big as she. But when Trehna announced her curse defiantly Selari felt strength through her fear, and she'd stood as tall as she could next to the woman.

"I remember Iya'ri's eyes burning into Jelka as she cursed him. He told the men not to worry about 'an old woman and her puny apprentice', but his hands shook as he did. They continued shuttling off as many as they could before Bloodfang arrived."

That was something else that haunted her, the look on Te'ig's face when he took in the ruins of their village. He and Bloodfang had gotten there as the last shuttle was about to leave, and the hunter and her apprentice descended on it like avenging gods, slaughtering the slavers and freeing the terrified captives. Selari had wanted to join them as they took off after the other shuttles, but she'd had her own duties. She'd waited for him fretfully while healing the injured, and helping with the Rites of Elysium so that the fallen would have a peaceful afterlife.

When Bloodfang and Te'ig had returned they were bloodied and grim with a handful of captives, the rest having been taken off the planet as quickly as possible. She'd tended her brother's wounds herself, carefully stitching up the cheek that had been sliced open. Neither of them had taken part in the Rite of the Moon yet, the Rite that would name them full adults. But she knew whatever vestiges of their childhood remained had been burned away, and they'd be considered full members of their demolished pride.

Taking another swig of caf Selari heaved a sigh to ground herself and a soft tap on her leg had her glance down. She saw Taren's fingers next to her thigh and reached for them quickly, giving them a subtle squeeze.

"We should get things ready," Te'ig's voice was firm as he stood, "Taren, go check the weapons. Braxx, I need you to check that contract one more time, make sure it's solid as durasteel. Also holo the client, remind them where we're rendezvousing."

"I'll make sure the med packs are ready to go," Selari said as she sprung up, but Te'ig held up a hand. He looked decidedly uncomfortable, and she knew something was up.

"Actually Ona, I was thinking you could sit this one out."

"What!?" she squawked in outrage, "Why?"

He tried to grab her hand but she yanked it back with a snarl. "Now Selari, this one's risky. Three other hunters I know have tried taking him down and no one's succeeded yet."

"All the more reason to have me there," she protested, "You'll need your medic on hand."

"I need to know our medic is safe," he countered, "Someone should be here to fix us up if things don't go well."

She glared at him eyes locking in challenge and he moved closer, looming over her as he held her gaze. "I'm not just going to sit around waiting for you guys to come back." She crossed her arms still staring up at him.

"She always was an asset on our hunting trips," Taren defended her and she wanted to hug him, but Te'ig just shook his head.

"We were kids back then," he said, "Ona, I'm not saying you won't come on other missions. But this may be too dangerous for your first."

"More dangerous than when that Nexu had you pinned?" she snapped. "The one I had to shoot before I patched up the arm it almost bit off?"

"Selari," he growled her name warningly. "We agreed that I'd be in charge of the missions. I'm asking you to stay, don't make me order you to."

"Order?" she sputtered in rage.

She maintained her stare but realized he had her. Since he had more experience in this she'd agreed to bow to his expertise, and he'd never promised to take her on all of the missions. "Fine," she seethed as she let her eyes slide from his. "I'll stay. Your medic will be ready when you return, Darkslider."

As she left the galley she patted Braxx on the arm. "Welcome aboard Braxx," her voice was still icily controlled, "Sounds like Te'ig is going to need someone to brew his caf, something unpleasant might end up in it if I do it." And with that she stalked off to her room.