Push- Kira Carsen
"Nar Shaddaa," Kira announced dully, as the ship exited hyperspace and the planet came into view, the great, fat, gray, ugly, irritating, blob-like, disgusting, miserable wretch of a world she'd spent too much time on. "The junkyard of the galaxy." A sense of unease was growing within her. Here, she'd been found by Kiwiiks, but she'd also done many things here. Worse things...
"Actually," Hayram said thoughtfully from the seat beside her, "I think that's Raxus Prime."
"Shut up," she groaned, flicking a candy wrapper at him from her copilot's seat.
"You're so mature," he teased, grabbing the wrapper with the Force and crumpling it properly, then telekinetically disposing it in the small bin in the corner of the cockpit.
She stared at him. "Seriously? Did you have to do the folding thing?"
He cleared his throat and adjusted the controls as he took the ship in for landing.
Her fidgety mood persisted as they entered the atmosphere, the window outside turning orange as they descended from Hayram's competent piloting. Memories startled to bubble to the surface of her thought so she scrabbled for a distraction. "So what're we going to name this thing, anyway?"
"Hmm?"
"I said, what are we going to name her?" She patted the dashboard console affectionately. "She's lasted so far. A month. Or so. Put up with us and our shenanigans. That deserves a name."
"Well," he said carefully, "what do you think? Any ideas?"
She considered. "The Ebon Falcon."
Her companion gave a rare, full laugh. "No," he said shortly, grinning.
She gaped at him. "What's so bad about that?"
"I'm pretty sure it's taken."
"There are millions of ships. Everything is taken."
"Even so, I think something unique would be nice."
"We'd have to come up with something ridiculous." He raised a brow at her challengingly, and she crossed her arms. "Fine. Watch. I'll come up with the best name in the galaxy to placate your need to be special."
"You're so kind," he replied dryly, as the ship finally lowered enough to see the endless cityscape. "I'm landing us in the entertainment sector. Near the promenade. Godera seems to think there's an SIS base there."
"There is one," the old man insisted as he hobbled to the cockpit, having refused any kind of crutch or cane-like support. He peered out the window, scanning the city. "I remember the locations from when I last hacked the Republic databases..."
Kira raised a brow at Hayram, who shrugged gruffly and promptly went back to piloting the ship. Huh. Some kind of issue between them... When she looked at Godera, she saw a frail old man with a cranky attitude and a permanent scowl. In the Force, he was considerably darker, like a sleeping, wounded beast.
Still, Kira thought the best thing to do with Godera was the same thing she did will most old people: ignore him.
"I'll be staying put on the ship," the doctor muttered, turning around and shuffling back down the corridor to the main hold, and Hayram let out a long sigh when he had gone.
"Tension much?" she mused, frowning at the sight of the buildings. Force, I'd hoped never to come back...
"You care to elaborate for once?" he said suddenly, and she swallowed.
"... It's just that you two seem to-"
"I meant about you. I can feel your stress." He fixed her with a serious but concerned look. "Kira, what's wrong? Can you sense something?"
She shifted in her seat, sliding down slightly as her thoughts turned to the email she had read days before. "It's nothing, tough guy. I've been to Nar Shaddaa before and it's not the best place to be."
He guided the ship lower until they were cruising the skylanes, headed for a free landing pad. "I'd have thought this planet to be more along your lines, actually. Less laws to break, more common people, a grounded sort of life..."
The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. "Maybe you don't know me as well as you think you do," she snapped, and looked away and out the window before she could recognize his hurt expression.
They were quiet for a long few moments, as he located a free docking space and touched the vessel down. Only when the clamps had firmly set the craft onto the deck did he remove his hands from the control pads and remark, "You're right. I guess I don't," and stand to leave her in the cockpit, meeting up with T7 at the ramp-like stairs to exit the ship. The little droid twooted happily as they descended, leaving Kira alone with the hum of the ship for company, and the bruise of Hayram's injured feelings echoing through the Force around their little local space.
It was really terrible company, too, but nothing more than she deserved. She crossed her arms in frustration, feeling the lights and lives of the planet scratching at her mind like ants. Damnit. He's not trying to be... ugh. Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. Not his fault, anyway...
Besides, even if he knew what happened here, it's not like he could judge... She snorted to herself at that. Some Jedi we are...
Gathering her courage, she stood and smoothed her robes before checking for her lightsaber and belt and exiting the ship to find the other two.
They were bartering with some docking official, a twi'lek with was chattering in Huttese at Hayram about the fee. The Jedi answered in Basic, attempting to lower the price but eventually sighing and handing over a credichip, albeit reluctantly.
She bit her lip as she approached him and the astromech. "Exorbitant?" she tried lamely.
He shrugged. "I should've expected as much. This is a Hutt world, after all." He was much more neutral, less friendly but not rude, and he was pointedly avoiding her gaze.
"Hey," she continued persistently. "About that, I didn't-"
He cut her off with a chop of his hand to the empty air. "It's none of my business," he stated shortly. "Sorry I asked. Come on, T7." And he started to walk, the droid loyally following.
Kira felt her own chest pang with rejection. Damn it all. He's just doing what he always does. She felt her growing misery worsen as she considered that, remembered the times he'd involved himself with the settlers on Taris, with the people of Tython. He always was interested in people, trying to see how he could help them. He was a fixer, and she'd refused his help.
Would it really be so bad? Yes, she brooded. He'd judge you for what you were. Maybe what you are. Kira was far from a perfect Jedi, and Hayram didn't seem to have much of a problem with that, but the things she'd done before Kiwiiks had pulled her from the street were something else entirely.
A stray thought crawled into the forefront of her mind and whispered something interesting and a little scandalous. Yeah... but he never took offense at other people refusing help... only with me...
And she stared at his retreating back, eyebrows raised to disappear into her ginger hair. ...Huh...
(O)(O)(O)
A/N: A shorter chapter this time, but every time I extended it the scene didn't feel right. Here we are, and the next chapter will introduce a new POV for this fic.
Thanks again for all the reviews, guys, and to all of you for reading in general. :) I makes me feel great to know that this fic is enjoyed by so many.
The ideas for vignettes is always open, and I'm still taking suggestions for ship names. Your chances are higher if they fulfill the criteria Kira and Hayram discuss at the beginning of this vignette. Until next time...
