10
Space was cold. Before coming to this galaxy, Vek had never imagined being able to travel in it. Now, it was more a curse than blessing. He shivered as he walked down the wide corridor toward the cafeteria.
The Republic frigate wasn't what you'd call a spacious ship, either. Under normal operating conditions, it contained a crew of less than fifty. It was cramped with a full crew. With the extra personnel aboard, it was downright crowded.
Vek hated crowds. They sent his anxiety off the chart.
Being in this wide corridor was a blessing, of sorts. "Is it the cold of space, Padawan?" Vizif asked as they walked, side by side.
Two men and a woman in Republic uniform pushed their way past him. The muscles in his neck tensed, spasmed and he sucked in a breath.
"Ah, the people," Vizif said quietly. Under normal circumstances, she might have slipped her arm into his, to provide a little comfort. Thankfully, she realized that wouldn't be a good thing at the moment.
The cafeteria was large enough for about twenty personnel. At the moment they walked in, there was a handful, maybe a couple more. Vek felt the tightness in his chest let go. A pinch returned when he spotted Britmar Seclu, sitting in a corner booth. She waved to them.
Normally, Vizif might have teased him. Sensing through their bond that he was still anxious on the crowded vessel, she refrained. Maybe there is a God after all, he thought as he took a tray and got in line behind his master.
"I wish I could eat like that and still keep my girlish figure, Master," Vek said as she heaped all kinds of food onto her tray. Vizif often did this and yet remained svelte.
To his comment, she turned and said, "Don't forget to sit with your girlfriend." Since he felt better enough to poke fun, she knew he would be able to take it, too.
The one good thing Vek could say about being aboard a Republic ship was the meat. The Republic didn't have qualms about eating it. Indeed, they had entire agricultural worlds dedicated to raising herds of deliciousness. While Vizif's tray was loaded with vegetables, starchy and otherwise, his was weighed down with nerf burgers and tubers fried in animal fat.
"I'll have the healers stand by with the cardio stimulators," Vizif said as she glanced at his tray.
"Hey, I might die tomorrow at the hands of Master Craroc's minions," Vek said. "I should enjoy myself."
They were headed to Metalorn. Five Republic cruisers, complete with dozens of fighters, and half a dozen frigates made up the small strike team. Master Vandar was the senior ranking Jedi on the frigate with Vek and Vizif, second only to one Grand Master from Coruscant on the lead cruiser.
"Have a seat," Britmar said when they approached. She scooted over in her seat, patted it while eyeing Vek.
"Brother," Vek whispered as he sat. He knew she wasn't actually interested in him. Though a scoundrel and good at hiding her intentions from most beings, he sensed she was after her ship, nothing more and nothing less. If she cozied up to a Jedi, to her way of thinking, it was all the more likely she could use that relationship to better ensure she got what she wanted.
If she'd been interested in him as a person... Well, he might have felt differently. He'd always liked redheads.
"I been thinking about what'll happen when we get to Metalorn," she said, thumbing through a datapad. "I been there before." She laid the pad on the table, slid it between Vek and his master. "Reckon this is our goal."
The high resolution picture on the pad showed what might have been Dantooine. Grassy plains behind and a sod covered entrance in the foreground. "The Osprey's parked not far from this place," she added.
"You say you've been here before?" Vizif asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
"Yep. I, uh, traded with the workmen who were building the place," she said, quickly substituting the word 'traded' for what Vek suspected would have been 'smuggled'.
"What can you tell us about the inside?" Vizif asked.
"They didn't want me going in there." But then, the scoundrel grinned from ear to ear.
"My bet is you went anyway," Vek said, the infectious grin making him smirk, too.
"Not quite, but close, handsome," Britmar said. She pushed a button on her pad. The picture of the front of the facility turned into a blueprint of the inside.
"I should take this to Master Vandar," Vizif said. "With your permission, Miss Seclu."
"Knock yourself out, honey," Britmar said, then grasped Vek's arm. "I'll keep your padawan safe in the meantime."
Vizif's amusement nearly burst through the hull of the frigate and spaced them all.
==I'll get you for this, Master,== Vek said through their bond as she slipped from the booth.
"That Vandar fellow, he can thank me later," Britmar said, still clinging to Vek's arm. "You, however, can thank me in any way you like. Think creatively." The tip of her nose gently nuzzled the soft flesh just behind his ear, her hot breath fell a bit lower on his neck.
"Miss Seclu," Vek said, turning to regard her green eyes. "There's no need for this; Master Vandar promised you your ship for your aid. We Jedi keep our word."
"Who says I'm doing this for my ship?" she asked quietly. "As a smu- uh, trader, I live life in the fast lane, sweet thing. If I see something I want, I go get it. Who knows what'll happen tomorrow."
He opened his mouth to say something, but she quickly leaned forward, pressing her lips against his. They were soft and warm. Suddenly, Vek forgot about the coldness of space.
"Ahem."
Vek's eyes bulged and he tore away from Britmar's kiss. He stumbled from the booth, nearly tripping over his own big feet. When he stood, he said, "Master Vandar; I thought you were in your quarters. My Master was looking for you."
A ghost of a grin made Vandar's head appear lopsided. Quickly, his mouth turned into a frown and he made another noise at the back of his throat. "If I was in my quarters, I couldn't have discovered this breach of protocol, Padawan Talis."
"That cute young girl was bringing you my datapad, pops," Britmar said and Vek's eyes rolled into the back of his head, again.
"I'm sure it is important Miss Seclu." Vandar had the patience and tact of a stone statue. The experienced master turned back to Vek. "How is the crowded ship affecting you, Vek?"
"I've had more fun, Master Vandar," Vek answered truthfully. "Like when the Sith were trying to blast me to oblivion or when that apprentice tried to fillet me with his lightsaber."
At his words, a squad of Republic soldiers entered the cafeteria. The volume in the small room went off the charts as the groundpounders joked, prodded and poked one another. They grew quiet only for a moment as they passed Vandar respectfully, then burst into raucous behavior again.
Vek felt the walls closing in around him, all over again. The frigate he flew on carried an entire company of Republic soldiers. The cruisers in the strike team, most of a whole regiment. What they thought they would need so many soldiers for was anyone's guess. Of course, they were probably just being cautious.
"I should find Knight Krat," Vandar said. He cast a last look between Vek and Britmar, that whisper of a smirk returning to his lips. "Carry on, Padawan," he said.
I'll get them all for this, Vek thought as he dropped heavily into the seat. It's no wonder Frags fall to the Dark Side, with these madcap Jedi for masters. In the next instant, Britmar had her hand in his, fingers interlacing with his, her warm palm pressed against his.
Quickly, he finished his meal, drank down a full glass of water. "Ah, look at that," he said, trying to slide out of the booth. "I should return to my quarters."
He dropped his tray into the recycler and nearly bumped into Britmar on the way out. "I'll tag along," she said.
"Stellar," he whispered.
"Training to be a Jedi must be hard," she said as they walked. "But I envy the power you have."
I'll bet she'd make a fine Sith, Vek thought. She covets the Force for her own ends. Charming.
To her, he said, " A Jedi doesn't desire power for its own sake. A Jedi uses the gift of the Force to help others in need."
"That's wicked," Britmar said, smiling. "And you're just as needy as anyone else, so you can help yourself, too."
"A Jedi sacrifices for others," Vek said. "I have little desire to make personal gains. I have food, clothing and shelter; I need no more than that." Maybe I can scare her away with asceticism, he thought.
"But if you had someone on the outside who cared about you, you could do things for her, right?" Britmar lived in a world where altruism was helping someone along the way to getting exactly what you wanted. Everything else was simple self interest. "I could do things for you, you know." She winked.
"For me, or to me?" Vek asked and her smile got wider.
"Now you're talking my language," she said and smacked his rear end.
His brow went skyward and he shook his head. Yes, she was charming in a gruff kind of way. But he'd already gotten a sense of what self interest was in her mind. She'd denied it, of course, but facts were facts.
Before he could say anything more, the diffused lighting in the corridor dimmed, turned yellow. A soft alarm rang through the halls. "All personnel to battle stations. Repeat: All personnel to battle stations."
"What's going on?" In a moment, Britmar's defenses went down and Vek discovered a frightened young woman where the gruff scoundrel had been a second before. Her fingers dug into his arm and she tensed, but quickly recovered.
"My guess is we've just come out of hyperspace," Vek said. "If this was a real emergency, we would see red, rather than yellow, lights."
She blew out some tension, barely noticeable and the smile behind her eyes was genuine, right before the mask slid down over her face again. "That's what I thought," she said and Britmar Seclu, pirate and smuggler, was back.
Of course, that, too, might have been a calculated 'vulnerability' designed to capture his affections and gain her the ally she sought. It was hard to tell with some people, what was really in their minds. Puzzles inside puzzles.
"There you are, Padawan," Vizif said as she hurried down a side corridor. "We should get to the bridge; there's trouble brewing outside."
The three hurried back the way Vek and Britmar had come. At the end of the main corridor was the door to the bridge. It opened automatically at their approach.
The bridge was small and cramped. Vek had to wrap himself in the Force and drown his anxiety in it. Warm fingers slid into both of his hands, Britmar to his right, Vizif to his left. If he'd been dreaming, he wouldn't have wanted to awaken.
"Republic vessels, you are not authorized in our space." The taciturn voice of a Metalorn naval officer echoed through the bridge. "What gives you the right to invade Metalorn; we have rejected Republic envoys in the past and shall continue to remain neutral."
"Metalorn Navy, stand down. Our orders have nothing to do with you." That message came from the lead cruiser, from the Grand Master and Council member along for the ride. Vek hadn't caught the female Togruta's name.
It didn't seem as though Metalorn's navy cared. Large, red laser bolts sliced through the emptiness of space. They crossed the bow of the lead cruiser, but didn't strike it. The cruisers and other frigates reversed course; a standoff ensued.
"We need to get down there; the longer we stay up here, the more time Craroc will have to prepare a welcome for us," Vek whispered to his master, who in turn whispered what he guessed was the same message to Master Vandar.
The diminutive, green fellow hopped up on one of the consoles and spoke in hushed tones to the captain of the vessel. When Vandar returned, he said, "I want you at the helm, Knight Krat. The captain is reluctant to disobey orders."
The officer who sat at the helm regarded Vizif for only a moment before vacating his chair. Vek hadn't known she was a good pilot – all of their training had been on land thus far. Like an expert, she flipped a few switches, grabbed the controls and took the ship into such a tight turn, Vek had to widen his stance or be thrown off, even with artificial gravity.
Britmar's hand tightened in his and she gazed up into his eyes. "This is what I live for," she said. Her right hand fell to the blaster that swung on her hip. "Soon, sweet thing, we'll get those slimeballs."
As they broke into the atmosphere, ground based laser cannons began firing. Vizif pulled the ship into another tight turn, weaving between the blasts. Vek felt his master drawing upon the Force. Soon, they flew over the north polar region, dodging lasers fired from the facility they approached.
"Republic soldiers, to your squads," the frigate captain said. "Drop point Alpha coming up."
"That is also our cue," Vandar said to Vek. Once passed the ground lasers, Vizif returned the helm to the Republic officer, joined her padawan. Vizif, Vek, Britmar, Vandar and a Twi'lek Master hurried toward the main ramp, lightsabers and blaster in hands.