The Republic was very happy to let Zavvi settle into one of the hangars in Fort Garnik and send a few soldiers over, to stop her ship being stolen again, but they warned her that the volcano on Avilatan was starting looked like it was ready to erupt, so not to linger. The Twi'lek grimaced as she heard the news; it had been rumbling and shaking when she and Corso had ventured through it, so it wasn't a shock, but the mountain was huge and if it went off, she had no doubt the entire place would be buried.

She shook her head of the thoughts, and accompanied Corso back to Rendia Freight, the soldiers nodding to them as they passed. The Republic had cleared out the bodies from the warehouse and some of the cargo, but personal affects had all been left in the sudden realization the volcano was playing up.

Corso said little as they walked there, and paused outside the door, the soldiers moving aside so they could pass.
"Corso," Zavvi asked, "do you want to go in alone?" He shook his head.
"Come with me, please?" He asked, much to her surprise.
"If that's what you want." She replied, stepping back to let him lead, a mere bystander in his territory.

Neither had much Force sensitivity, but both could sense the general gloom and sadness that hung over the place, eerily silent, the large space mostly empty except for crates and cargo that didn't really have places to go which were just sitting there, forlorn as the building they resided in.
She glanced to Corso, his eyes hollow, the only sounds coming from him the slight hiss of breath from his nostrils and his boots against the metal floor. The Twi'lek wanted to speak to him, but no words could come to her that didn't seem insulting to the situation.
She followed him to where the barracks was, stopping outside to let Corso collect the rest of his stuff, watching from the corner of her eye.

With every item removed, a memory of his time here was put to rest. The brawls between their outfit and the Republic soldiers. Sharing a drink down in Avilatan's Rest Cantina. Singing old songs between one another as they hauled. Viidu laughing. The rumble of starships overhead. Potshotting seps at night. A picture of his family.
A hot, wet tear slid off his eyelashes and down his cheek, dipping in and out his scar furrows before it obeyed gravity, splashing onto his trouser leg. Will alone held back his ragged breathing as he remembered what once was. His gloved thumb stroked the figures, another tear flopping onto the metal floor.

He sniffed, hating the sound, closed his eyes. Two times now, he'd lost his family. Nothing but the Void itself would stop him protecting her, his third 'family' now. He could feel her eyes on him, even though she was trying to give him privacy, giving him time to let him put things in order. Corso had to smile slightly, and his heart fluttered.

Pausing only to wipe his eyes, Riggs climbed to his feet, gathering his stuff and turning to Zavvi, her eyes lingering with his.
"I'm ready to go, Captain." She nodded, and led the way out.

Back above Coruscant, Zavvi decided it was overdue a celebration, and despite Risha rolling her eyes and retiring to the cargo hold, the captain dragged her first mate all the way to the galley, opening the liquor cabinet with a sparkle igniting in her eyes at the fact it was fully stocked.
"Oh no Corso, look at all these beers I don't like. Well, looks like I'm going to have to drink them all..." She sighed dramatically.
"You don't need to, Captain. I could drink them for you." Corso spoke, her joke flying over his head. Zavvi only giggled to him.
"Aw, but the bad tasting ones always have the most kick!" She pulled a couple of bottles at random out of the cupboard, Corso being reminded of one drinking game he and his buddies had played after work. How he'd managed to get back to the warehouse afterwards had always been a bit of haze; one that involved sizable bruises to his head and the loss of one of his boots that he never did find again. Needless to say, Viidu wasn't impressed when most of his workforce turned up with pounding headaches. Corso had felt under the weather most of the day too, and resolved to try not get himself back into that state again; the last thing he wanted was to discover the hardness of the buildings in Fort Garnik using his face.

But the Twi'lek was right; they might as well celebrate getting her ship back. Corso didn't know what the liquid was that was poured for him, and figured he'd find out in the next few seconds. They toasted their victory against Skavak, throwing back their drinks, Corso coughing at the burning sensation that gnashed at his throat.
"Ugh! How can you tolerate this, Captain?" Riggs grimaced, to the musical laughs of the smuggler.
"Like I said, farm boy, these ones are only for the kick, not the taste!" She grinned at him.
"Why can we have anythin' like that Coruscanti stuff I had?" He asked, staring at his half-full glass glumly. "That tasted nice, at least." She paused thoughtfully.
"I'll get some in if you like it, but we need to make room first!" She chuckled, gesturing to the full liquor cabinet. "And since I don't like to let anything go to waste, me and you are going be drinking our way through them!"
Aw, great. Corso thought. What have I gotten myself into?

Three bottles in, that thought had long since been forgotten, and in his drunken haze, Corso was contented and pleased with himself. The liquor was still as foul as ever, but the human was past caring.
Zavvi watched the mercenary slowly descend into his stupor with great amusement, though she was in a similar state, and as such thoughts about how big certain parts of Corso's anatomy were didn't embarrass her in the slightest.
The Mantellian smiled warmly.
"Booy, Captain," he began, his drawl swirling like the liquid in his glass, "life with you is almost enuff t' get me missin' the good ol' days!" He leant back in his chair. "Ah, fer Ord Mantell. Where separatists were bad an' guns were good, an' we could jus' run in shootin'!" He gestured grandly, and the smuggler felt herself grinning widely, slinking around the counter flirtatiously, chest low.
"I could be persuaded into a little drunken gunplay..." She purred. Now she had a ship back, Zavvi could concentrate on the finer things in life, and her inebriation brought her desires to the forefront. Her eyes swirled over him, feeling her body heat up as she remembered his well-defined muscles, the slight, musky scent that she caught when they were too close, and that very fine backside he had...

Corso chuckled. She noticed his eyes pause very briefly on her breasts, before politely returning to her eyes.
"I'm not drunk!" He declared. "Jus' tipsy!" Zavvi smirked. Nope, you're drunk, handsome."I could still bullseye an Imp at a thous'nd paces!" He lurched to the side unsteadily as he clambered to his feet, frowning. "Jus' we have 't do so much thinkin' bout it first." The way his lower lip popped out like he was some petulant child was strangely amusing to the Twi'lek.

"Why don't we have more fun on this ship?" He suddenly said, sniggering. "Back home, when we needed a laugh, we used to run the rontos in circles," he twirled his finger, "then see if they could charge us without fallin' over!" He broke into more chuckling at the memory, Zavvi shaking her head.
"You're a one, farm boy. But that past time...Nah, sorry, can't do on this ship. No room fer rontos." She said, wagging her finger at him.
"Awww!" He moaned.
Another thought slid into Zavvi's clouded mind, that made her grin seductively, propping herself against the counter.
"But tell, me farm boy...Have you any suggestions that don't, involve farm animals?" She purred.

Corso looked at her, the tipsy glaze over his eyes clearing and the smuggler noticed the mercenary's pupils suddenly swell, his body turning towards hers. He took a step, closing in to her.
"I've got a few..." Another step, now mere inches apart, his hands coming to rest either side of her. "But, uh, they might take a while to explain." A half step, and he was so close their warmth mingled, she could smell that musky scent, and she could easily brush against him by merely lifting her hand. His brown eyes were dark, his mouth slightly open so she could hear his breath deepen, and she was tempted to touch the dreadlocks that swung by his cheeks, seeing how his hair was woven into it.
"Care to let me show you?" He asked, breath wisping across her lips. Zavvi's heart thumped, and her eyes lidded. She'd only need to lean up just a tiny bit to capture his lips with hers. A part of her cried out for more; he was already standing over her, why not? She so desperately wanted a release after all this stress...

Their eyes were locked at this moment, so Zavvi caught the unmistakable switch of clarity in Corso's expressive eyes. It was a spark of fear that lit them, and the young man recoiled from her as he'd been stung, stumbling back frantically to bang loudly into the wall. Zavvi jerked too, as if someone had ripped a piece from her chest, and it threw her back to consciousness as well, as her common sense tried to sort out the mess her addled mind had gotten itself into.
"I-I'm sorry!" Corso began. "I-I-I shouldn't 've said that!" His arms flailed, trying to scrabble his way up the wall as his legs didn't seem to want to work. His eyes were wide, and he seemed to have numerous emotions crashing around in his eyes; fear, excitement, guilt, maybe a slight sliver of anger?
"Why? 'Fraid I'm gonna turn you down? I have a few ideas of my own I could show you..." Zavvi almost bite her tongue out as the liquor throbbed uncomfortably in her veins. This wasn't the thing to say, it certainly was the time either. She fought of reasonable control of her head, reasoning to drink some water as soon after this was done.
"It's not right, me propositioning you like, like some Hutt's dancer, you deserve better." He replied, somehow managing to stand upright now. "You deserve a man you can let your guard down with, someone who'll take care of you for a change."

She wasn't sure if it was her current state or something else, but she knew she would have battered him for that comment. And yet she felt as if the liquor had brought down some of Corso's walls, that she was getting a rare glimpse into his soul. Or maybe her head was warped.
However, the Twi'lek didn't deny feeling a part of her cry out with joy when he'd backed off from her; as much as he was very attractive and she'd love to roll in the hay with him, it just didn't seem...right, somehow. Also the fact he'd treated her just a like a person, not an item that her species had become in the eyes of many...
The smuggler wobbled.
"I don't need anyone t' take care of me." She muttered, jerking her chin up. She needed to make that clear. Corso smiled.
"You're the strongest woman I've ever met, no, strongest person, period." He said. "I'd fight for you, with you, at any command you give." He bowed his head, his voice only a couple of decibels above a whisper. "I just think you deserve more."

If that didn't touch the captain's core, few other things would. She hesitated, a very slight blush on the top of her cheeks, feeling strangely honoured that he'd see her in such a way, and she felt her heart skip a beat.
"Well..." She began again, seeing Corso's eyes flick up to peer at her through his eyelashes. "I wonder where I could find...a man...to let my guard down with."
"I'm not gonna presume anything, Captain." He straightened, shaking his head slightly, whilst a blush alighted on his cheeks too. "But I...I'd like you to consider letting me show you I can be something more..."
There was an awkward pause, before Corso grunted.
"I'm sorry, Captain...I...I need to go lie down." One hand against the wall, he stumbled his way out, pausing at the doorway as he tried to remember which way the crew quarters were.
"Go right, first on your left." Zavvi called quietly to him, watching him move away with a sigh. I need a drink of water...

Each of Corso's steps was dogged by a curse word resonating in his head. Blast it all! He'd tried so hard to not act like Skavak and all the others, and what had he done? Come on to her like the only thing he was interested in was her fine body and- Stop thinking about her like that! Look at all the trouble it's brought you; what's the difference between you and all the other men that wink at her and say all those suave things now? She probably just thinks you're just the same too...

He was relieved when he saw Risha wasn't in the crew quarters. The last thing he wanted was her goading him. A good night's sleep would do the trick...
She deserves so much better than those guys. He thought sadly. But how do I make her see? He pulled the band of fabric from his hair, letting his dreadlocks free. He ran his hand through them, letting some droop over his face. I'm gonna have one hell of hangover in morning. Guess I kinda deserve it, really.
The mercenary sighed when he was changed, clambering up onto the top bunk away from where Risha sleeping, pulling the duvet around him and over his head.

He didn't see the figure in the darkness, her light green eyes glittering.

There was a rather sombre mood that hung over the Skylark as she touched down in a more private hangar on Coruscant that would make sure Zavvi could go over her ship in peace, without fearing someone nicking it.

She could see Corso was nursing a nasty hangover as well as a very sad mood, and for some reason, she couldn't abide it. The captain ordered the mercenary to gather some supplies, trying to make out that the night before hadn't happened, as she figured that was what was troubling him so much. The guilt gnawed at her.

He protested feebly, wanting to keep his pounding head under control, but after asking him politely several times and with the bribe of a tonic to cure his pains, he eventually agreed. His gait looked defeated, and her heart twisted, conflicted whether to tend to her ship first or her first mate. Her fingers drummed on the metal wall when she heard Risha behind her.

"What's snuffed his spark out?" She drawled, looking at the captain.

"I did something stupid to him, last night." The Twi'lek replied. "I don't really wanna talk about it."

"You're together?" Risha had a slight grin on her lips as the younger woman spun to face her.

"No! We're just...associates, he just works for me. We're just friends." She said firmly. Risha shrugged.

"You're very concerned about how he feels." She pointed out.

"Well, yeah, because I want him to work to his fullest." Zavvi replied. "And clearly he's not right now. Just wish I knew what to do to get him out of his funk."

"Why are you asking me?" The older woman raised an eyebrow. "You're the one who's been with him long enough. Surely get him something he likes. Men are usually easier to keep happy like that."

Zavvi frowned a little while, trying to think of a something, before she had a brainwave. Of course! That's just what he needs!

Corso returned in good time, and noticed the name 'Skylark' had been repainted on the ship's side in black paint, the Aurebesh characters clear and proud. He smiled slightly, but it was not enough to shift the weight in his heart.

He dropped said supplies off with little fanfare, and trudged down to the workbench in the cargo hold. Risha was out doing something, and the Captain would be tied up sorting out the supplies, so Riggs had time to himself in the cargo hold, time he was going to spend going over his weapons, especially Sparky, who'd taken a rather nasty beating during their time on Coruscant.

He set the rifle down on the bench, looking over the weapon with a critical and sympathetic eye.

"You took a right old walloping out there, didn't ya?" He whispered to Sparky, his fingers tracing all the lines and curves. He looked to the harpoon mechanism that looked like it had gone through about two wars in a row. "And we lost Whiplash..." He shook his head, opening the drawers to look for his tools he'd only set in there a day before. That day, that night when...

Corso shook his head, glancing to Hewie briefly.

"Never had to worry 'bout what a lady really thought of me before, did I?" He asked them. "So long as I was polite an' nice to them, didn't have a bit of problem. We never had any problem with Syreena 'til Skavak got her, did we?" He knew they'd never give him any answer, but the mercenary was comforted by the illusion that they were listening to him. "S'all changed now." He sat down, starting to take Sparky apart. "Do you remember when we first saw her, Sparks? I weren't expectin' a Captain like her at all. She's so pretty, with a smile that makes her eyes light up an' her lekku are jus' gorgeous with them tattoos and the way they move when she does..." Sparky was in pieces now, his fingers on autopilot as he spoke to his weapons, slowly venting the feelings he'd bottled up since the night before.

"An' I never knew 'til saw how nice she was too, like helping them refugees out an' not charging 'em a thing, or that family." A smile as he began to work on the dismantled weapon. "She's in it fer more than the credits, 'cos she's always try'na help people out an' she never lets the bad guys get away. She's real good at fighting too, but you've seen her fer yourselves" His smile saddened. "Yeah, it's such a shame she won't let herself...love." Corso shifted uncertainly in his chair. "There's gotta be a way I can show her..."

He snorted suddenly, brows furrowing.

"Yeah, it'd all be easier if I hadn't goofed up last night!" His fists and shoulders clenched. "I knew I shouldn't 've drank so much. Shoulda been more careful, but no, I drank too much, and then look what happens!" He hung his head. "What's she thinking of me? I'll tell ya; she can't tell the difference between me and all the other fellas that are always looking at her and have them lines." He shrugged. "There's no way I can ever be that suave, Sparks. What am I? Probably just some dumb farm boy to her...A dumb farm boy just, you know, after that, not like, havin' a crush on her or anythin'..."

Corso slumped, looking sadly at the harpoon mechanism. He really needed a new harpoon head, but he'd have to do a ton of modifications to the points to make sure they didn't break off under too much force, and the cable was frayed on the end where it connected to the head, so he'd have to use some more cable, as cutting it shorter wasn't really an option. They could recycle the frayed cable for something else, though, he hoped.

He tensed suddenly, as if he sensed a judgement. He shot a glare at Hewie, then at the reformed Sparky.

"Fine, okay, you're right. It's not just a crush any more. It's a bit more than that. Better?" His brows furrowed. "I don't know if it's anything more than that, okay? It might be, or it might not." He shot another glare at Hewie. "Look, I don't know, I've never met a woman like her before! I jus'...want to make sure I do it right. I don't wanna be like all the others..." He sighed. "But looks like I've screwed everything up now..."

The Mantellian shook his head, getting up and crossing to his locker to look at some of his other weapons. He hesitated as he heard something electronic burble behind him. The creature in the cage growled too, shifting around and away from a box near its crate that the sound was coming from. Curious, Corso wandered over it, noticing that it was closed, but some Aurebesh had been hurriedly scrawled on the top of the lid, reading: 'For C.R.' The young man figured that was him, since Zavvi didn't have a surname, and Risha had never given one. And if it was hers...Corso didn't really care.

As he opened the box, he noticed there was a lot of packaging material, hiding most of what was inside, but there was a holocomm nestled on the top, a light flashing to indicate a message had been recorded.

He lifted it from the box, hitting the button. The image of the captain flickered into view.

"First off, if I'm talking to Risha, put this back, the message ain't for you. It clearly has his initials on the box, and what's in there is of no interest to you anyway." She tapped her foot, frowning, before she smiled, looking sheepish. "If you're Corso, then sorry for the intro, but I dunno if she likes to poke her nose into things or not." She sighed, her image shimmering as she hung her head. "Look, Corso...I'm sorry about last night. I overdid it with the drinking and..." Her shoulders lifted in a shrug. "What can I say? I provoked you."

"I realized...After you went...You'd be blaming what happened on yourself." The Twi'lek's small chuckle was humourless. "If anything, farm boy, you were the one that stopped it going any further, from...causing regrets, you know?" She looked up through her eyelashes. "So, thank you. Thank you a ton. Thank you for being the only one with any sense left in his head that night." Corso's eyes were wide. "I'm sorry I got us into that mess. And I'm sorry I didn't catch up with you, but we still weren't in a good condition, and then Risha was all around in the morning, and I don't want her making gossip about us." She was standing in a way that made Corso want to reach out and cradle her image in his hand, hold her close to him.

"So again, I'm sorry what happened last night happened. All I wanted was a little celebration after we got my ship back and all, not for me to upset you like I did...I got you some things, whilst you were out. I think you'll like 'em, but please feel free to tell me if you need them changed or something." She paused for a while this time, tracing spirals with her foot, as if thinking of something to say. Corso was about to turn the recording off when she lifted her head to speak again. "Corso...Please let us still be friends. I really like you, and you've been such a great partner...I hate for this to come between us..." And then the recording went dead, Corso's heart missing a beat in pure joy.

"Of course..." He whispered to the cargo hold. "Of course we're still friends, Captain." He took a minute to just smile, eyes closed with the holocom resting against his forehead and his heart hammering against his ribcage. Thank the stars...And thank the Force... He thought to himself.

Placing the holocomm to one side, Corso began to rummage, pushing the packaging aside, and when he saw his prize, his eyes lit up brightly. Nestled in the packaging were three new harpoon heads, with points reinforced and miles of strong cabling coiled around underneath them.

"Okay, I'll admit it..." Corso sighed, a great grin spreading over his lips. "I love her."

He picked the box up and placed it on the workbench, gently taking out the harpoon heads and the cable, rubbing his hands with glee.

"Hold on Sparks, Whiplash'll be back and runnin' in no time at all!" He spoke, pulling his tools back out to work on the battered harpoon mechanism.

As he was about to begin, however, he heard footsteps coming to the cargo hold, and then her voice calling to him.

"Corso? Can I talk to you?" Zavvi stopped at the door, taking a good look at the mercenary, noticing the box she'd left for him now on the workbench, its contents scattered with the holocomm nearby, with the recording light off, and a weight lifted from her shoulders.

"Sure, Captain. I was just gonna repair with Whiplash with the materials you gave me. Where'd ya get them from?" He replied, his eyes now alight once more.

"Ah, that's my little secret." She smiled, tapping the side of her nose, before her arrogance bled away. "You watched the holo, didn't you?"

"I did, Captain." Riggs nodded. "But it weren't entirely your fault. I shoulda controlled myself-"

"Corso." She stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Remember we were both smashed. We both made mistakes, though I made the majority of them. I'm just glad nothing bad came out of it." She looked up at him. "Thank you. And I really mean that. If you hadn't snapped out of it...Well, I don't want to consider it."

"You're welcome." He smiled back. "Before you ask, Captain...Yeah, of course we're still friends. Like you said, it were just an accident."

For some reason, Zavvi felt her heat flutter.

"Good. Because you're a really great partner, and like I said, I'd hate for anything to come between us." The Twi'lek looked back to the workbench. "I best leave in peace to get on with your repairs, shouldn't I?"

"Don't you have more stuff to do with the ship, Captain?"

"I do. I need to completely overhaul her, which'll take about two days or so." She lifted one shoulder casually. "Risha will have to like it or lump it; there's no way I'm leaving my ba- I mean my ship in the condition that scumball left it in." Corso nodded. "So, I'll see you around, farm boy."

"Wait, Captain!"

Zavvi paused, turning back around with a confused and curious look on her face.

"Yes, Corso?"

He hesitated a moment, looking quite unsure of himself, before shaking his head.

"No, sorry Captain. It's nothing. I'll catch up with you later, yeah." She gave him a puzzled look before she shrugged and walked off to tend to her ship.

The Mantellian turned back to work on Whiplash, with a smile on his face. He knew that moment he'd fallen head over heels in love with the captain, making a promise to himself to do everything in his power to woo her.

Corso only wished he knew where he should begin...

Author's Notes:

And so this monster was finally finished. After this one, I will not follow Zavvi and Corso's adventures from point to point, but rather focus on particular parts during their adventures together, such as Corso's conversations and other things.

Thank you to all those who reviewed this and my other one, 'Into the Fire', they always serve as encouragement to write more and do better.

Zavvi's saga is just getting started...