25

A/N: I don't know if you've noticed the site going up and down a few times in the last couple of days; annoying =.= so yeah... please check you haven't missed my updates ^^;

According to Risha, they needed to acquire a particular prototype starship engine in order to claim Nok Drayen's lost fortune. Luckily, she had a deal with a Hutt named Drooga, who was willing to trade it for the huge caged-beast in the cargo hold.

"That's good, because that thing sure eats a lot," Liling commented. "But how can that slobbering creature be worth a starship engine?"

"It's the very last male shanjaru in the galaxy. The species is pretty much extinct. This makes it valuable," Risha explained.

It still didn't explain what anyone would want with the beast, but she wasn't gonna complain. "Next stop is Nar Shaddaa, I suppose?" It had been a long time since she'd last set foot onto the 'Smuggler's Moon'. This promised to be fun.

.

She was just as ready to leave Taris as Risha, but Corso insisted they stayed on Taris a little longer so that they could have access to a med-center; "Just in case," he'd said. In the end, she'd agreed to stay a few more days. She wasn't stupid; she knew she would be pretty much useless in a fight until the rakghoul's bite healed. Thank the Stars for the invention of synthskin! She was probably gonna have nightmares about Tarisian 'wildlife' for a while; she didn't need a physical reminder on top of it. Hopefully, the itchiness was a good sign…

Corso was glad he had managed to convince the Captain to rest a little more. Still, he had to admit it; he was pretty excited about going to Nar Shaddaa himself. What, with Risha and the Captain raving on about the planet…when was the last time he went? Must be a year at least…He looked over at the caged-beast, not wanting to think of Viidu and the gang. "Poor boy, must be lonely being the last survivor of your kind, huh?" The shanjaru, with its grumpy disposition reminded him a little of the wild nerfs back home.

"Master Corso, I took the liberty of cleaning your equipment for you."

Corso looked up at the droid, who had its arms loaded with his arms and legs plates. The armor was polished to the perfection. "Wow, thanks buddy." He had to say, he was impressed. Not a spot.

"I am so glad it pleases you. Is there is anything else I can do for you?" The droid looked at him expectantly.

"Uh, well, there's this smudge I can't get off my chest plate…"

"It will be my pleasure, Master Corso."

He watched as the droid enthusiastically whirled around to leave, when something occurred to him. "Wait! Before you go, just one thing I want clear between us… You know, about my guns…"

"I would not dream of it," the droid replied swiftly, before disappearing into the crew's quarters.

…How did he know? Corso shook his head, admiring his good as new equipment.

Liling checked her reflection in the polished metal. Not bad, she thought, before taking off the Battle Laminoid headgear. It was really more of a metallic headband with a chin strap, which suited her fine. She just couldn't get her head around anything more cumbersome. She needed to be able to see clearly and didn't like the feeling of a helmet weighting her down. She looked at the Coordination Belt on her bed, the only other item she'd kept from that Death's Claw captain's loot; probably stolen from some Republic convoy. She'd given the rest of the spoil to Corso to do as he pleased; although she'd advised him not to sell it back on Taris. There hadn't been much credits in the chest. Barely enough to cover for the fuel they used for the trip…

.

They would finally be leaving the dump of a planet tonight. But now that she wasn't fighting scavengers or chased by bloodthirsty creatures, she thought that she might actually miss the toxic swamp.

"Hey, anyone wants to go for a drink? It'll be on Agent Fancypants." She chuckled to herself at the irony of it all. "Anyway, meet me downstairs in 10. Or I'll start without you."

She dropped by the bridge to check her new security system was in order before leaving -now that Risha had the astrogation chart, she wasn't taking any chances; her ship wasn't leaving without her, ever again.

Risha had looked at him questioningly and he'd explained to her about the custom officer transferring some money over for helping him out, at which the woman had raised an eyebrow, but not said anything other than an "I see."

He'd asked her if she wanted to come out for a bit, since they were leaving tonight, but once again, the red-haired woman had declined. He'd shrugged it off before heading out after their Captain. He figured it might very well be his first and last time on Taris anyway and suddenly felt almost nostalgic. Almost.

.

He nearly missed her standing just outside the spaceport, looking off into the distance. She had let her hair down for once, and the light breeze caught one of her long, dark locks.

"Hey," he said, stepping next to her.

"Hey" she replied without turning around. "Risha not coming?"

"'Thanks, but no thanks.' Those were her exact words," he replied with a smirk.

"I'm not really surprised, but it's her loss." She turned to look at him then, and the genuine smile on her face took his breath away and for a moment, he was speechless.

Then she broke his gaze, turning back toward the horizon. "You know, I might miss this place, swamp and all" she finally said, voice soft. "Is that weird?"

"Wanna take a walk?" the words slipped out before he could think them through, but she simply threw him a mischievous look before heading into the dirt path, and so he went chasing after her, chuckling.

They didn't go very far into the swamp, and stayed mostly on the dirt paths. But it had been nice, being surrounded by all the greenness. It definitely was nice to part on good terms with the planet, she thought. They had gotten back to the spaceport and were making their way back to the hangar just as it was about to get dark.

"This is the best feeling…"

She turned around to look at her companion. She was glad he had suggested a walk. She could see he had also made his peace with the place.

"A sky full of stars…a new planet waiting across the galaxy… It never gets old!"

She laughed at his enthusiasm. "Why do you think I never settled down?" she replied with a smirk.

"There's something about cities, all that plasteel and concrete; weighs too much to ever feel free." His voice dropped low and he had stopped walking. "When I came back to Ord Mantell, I thought that was the end for me. Thanks for giving me a way off." He was so solemn; she couldn't help but tease him a little.

She took a step, then another, effectively closing the space between them until she was looking right up at him. "Well, you are good at watching my back," she gave him a meaningful look.

"Is that the only reason you keep me around?" he quipped right back, just as playful, surprising her a little. She had expected him to step back or blush or at least stutter! Still, she didn't lose a beat either, replying.

"Of course. Why else?" She threw him another saucy look over her shoulder just as they entered the lift. This time he did blush, although she couldn't really see why. Something was amiss, but she couldn't put her finger on it...

A/N: This concludes our friends' stay on Taris. What did you think? Good? Bad? So-so? Feel free to let me know. :)