A/N: Little mature this chapter, please be warned.
DG
Chapter 18: Past and Future
"Mind if I join you?"
Jas looked up and shook his head no. He had been sitting in the galley drinking caf; getting ready to go back to his quarters for the evening. He had just finished his shift on the bridge and was looking forward to a bit of rest.
Char Valenthyne stood before him; a tired expression on her face, the security chief had been on the bridge before he had left. In fact, she had been there for some time. She had been working with Tessa, trying to get a secure signal out to the Bann woman's contact on Alderaan.
If she was now here, Jas would guess she had been successful, hopefully everything was proceeding smoothly now. This trip had been chaotic from the start.
It would be nice to think that things were finally starting to go their way.
Val sighed heavily and stretched, arching her back before she sat down. She had finally removed her coat and the various weapons she had kept hidden there. For the first time since they had met, Jas could sense more than suspicion and hostility from the young Security Chief. It had taken Alric's betrayal to do it, but it seemed that Val had finally come to realize she had little to fear of The Coop's Folly and her crew.
Jas looked away politely, the shirt Val wore was skin tight, and showed off her lovely figure. He had been taught long ago to behave like a gentlemen, those lessons remained even if he was far from the temple where he had learned them.
It was not polite to gawk and someone, no matter what they looked like. Besides, he had no desire for Val to take offense. She was more than skilled to make him answer for any slight if he did.
The young woman took the seat across from him, stretching out her long legs, and rubbing her temples with her forefingers.
She gave him a weary look.
"I don't suppose you have anything to drink here, do you?"
He smiled, and gestured to the pot sitting in front of them. Val picked it up and sniffed the contents.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Caf," he answered, "It isn't really that good, but it serves its purpose."
He laughed lightly.
"Maybe when we get paid for this run, we can purchase some of the good stuff. I'm willing to give up a little bit of profits for it."
Val smiled and pulled a small flask out of one of her pockets. She poured some into a mug before filling it was caf. He could not tell what it was, but it was strong, he could smell it from across the table.
"Would you like some," she asked holding up the flask, "As far as liquors go it is a little sharp but it does the trick."
Jas smiled at her.
"Should you be drinking on the job, Chief Valenthyne?"
"Vess is sleeping in her quarters, the lock is scrambled, and only I have the code. She is safe as possible, and besides."
Val grinned.
"I think it is safe to say that your crew is no threat to my lady. You've earned my trust."
Her comment made him smile.
At least something good had come out of all they had gone through.
IOI
The crew had grown to love the little queen, in the days since the incident with Alric she had been free to move about the ship and had won the hearts of the crew. She had visited Shusk in the med bay, even brought him food so that he could keep up his strength. She has sat with Figgy when he had played cards with Tessa and Jas.
The memory of seeing the girl and the Bith conspiratorially whispering to each other still amused him. He was not sure what the value of teaching a future queen how to cheat at cards was, but Vess seemed to enjoy the lessons.
Even Burr had warmed up to her, thought he was still smarting about the fact that Alric had managed to get the drop on him. The former trooper had given the girl a smile vibro-knife to keep on her person, and showed her what to do if someone grabbed her from behind.
Val really hadn't liked that, but accepted her new queen's desire to learn that particular skill.
She would have preferred the girl keep her innocence a bit longer than what she was, but the Security Chief was just realistic enough to recognize that that might not be possible.
We all have to grow up some time, he thought morosely.
It was a shame that Vess had needed to do that so soon.
As for Val, she had settled into her job as the young queen's protector, trying to teach the girl everything she would likely need to know as she began the preparations for her new life.
It would not be an easy road for the child to walk, but Jas thought she was ready.
She was far stronger than she looked, and the force was with her, she may not have been able to feel it, but it was there.
She would survive the trials that were coming, he was sure of it.
Vess would be a queen one day, he had foreseen it. In the meantime, she was still just a little girl.
Hopefully, she would get the chance to enjoy that.
IOI
He took the flask with a grateful nod and added some to his mug. The first sip burned his throat, but he was more careful with the second, letting the liquor sit on his tongue for a bit. It was strong yes, but also had a sweetness that made the bitter caf a bit more bearable.
He added a bit more before returning the flask to its owner; he toasted the young lady before taking another drink.
"We should reach Alderaan in about ten hours," he informed her, "Provided there are no more surprises."
"Good," she replied, "Hopefully, we can avoid any more trouble. Vess doesn't deserve what has happened to her."
"She isn't the only one," Jas said.
Val looked up at him, turning over what he had said in her head.
Finally she had smiled.
"To safe arrivals then," she said raising her mug.
"Yeah," he agreed raising his.
"And no more surprises."
He prayed to the Force that that be true.
Surely they had endured enough already; that did not mean that they did not have to be careful.
There were still enemies out there…looking for them.
Hopefully, they would be able to evade them.
He closed his eyes and reached out with the Force, sensing the Folly and the rest of the crew. Shusk had done a remarkable job getting them back under way, everything flowed seamlessly through the Force.
You could say what you wanted about their ship, but the one thing you couldn't say was that it was not capable of doing what was needed.
It had what was needed to get them where they needed to go.
Now they just had to do it, which was easier said than done.
The Coop's Folly continued its round about path to the Alderaan system. Despite the removal of the traitor Alric, they were not completely out of danger yet. It was likely that at least one Red Eclipse vessel was watching the hyper lanes between Alderaan and Bantoon. The course set by the Folly should have been enough to throw off any further pursuit, or attempt at an ambush.
The result being that they would be arriving a few days later than they would have normally, but that could not be helped.
It was better to reach their destination in one piece, even if progress was extremely slow.
Jas frowned as he regarded Val. Despite her attempt to appear relaxed, it was clear that the security chief was anything but, he could sense the tension in her through the Force, and the rigidness of her posture.
He decided to see if he could help.
"I sense your frustration," he said, "Is everything alright?"
Val chuckled at that question.
"Depends on your definition of alright," she replied, "Your comm-officer was finally able to get me a secure line to Lady Dorma on Alderaan."
"Lady Dorma," he asked, "Is that the woman that agreed to shelter Vess for your queen?"
The Security Chief nodded.
"Yeah," she said, "Despite recent events, Lady Dorma remains committed to my lady's original plan. She has agreed to both foster and protect Vess."
Val smiled sadly.
"At least one thing about the plan went the way it was supposed to."
"I see," Jas replied, not really sure if he did, but it sounded like something that she needed to hear.
"But?"
She chuckled again.
"That wasn't the only thing that the Lady Dorma told me. She has received a message from home, from members of her family still serving in the matriarchy on Bantoon."
Val shook her head.
"According to the media on my world, Queen Annara and her family are missing and presumed dead. My lady was apparently on her way to a trade summit on Coruscant when all contact with her ship was lost."
A fatalistic laugh escaped the Security chief.
"In response to this terrible loss, Lady Adira has stepped forward and claimed the title of lady protector, not queen, not yet, at least until the queen's whereabouts have been determined. Her husband has assumed the title of acting High General, and both have promised the people that the queen and her family will be found; that ships are even now searching for their missing monarch and her family."
Jas frowned.
"The last part isn't a lie, at least," he said, "Though I'm not sure how your people would respond if they knew the search parties looking for their queen were slavers in the employ of the mining guild and the new would-be rulers of your world."
"The matriarchy wouldn't be happy, that is for sure," Val agreed, "Sadly, I'm fairly sure that even now Lord Lyron is greasing all the necessary palms, credits are likely flowing like water now, as the new Queen and her high general consolidate their grip on my world."
Val shook her head again.
"Congratulations, Mister Jas, you are currently sitting with a dead woman, at least that is what my people think."
"That may be the best, for now," Jas countered, "If you are dead, it is likely that no one will be looking for you."
"True," she agreed, "But it also means that neither Vess nor I can return home, not while Adira is in power."
The Security chief sighed heavily.
"It is safe to say that Vess and I are now officially in exile. Our lives would be forfeit if we tried to return."
Jas frowned, not an easy thing to accept, knowing that everything you had known was now gone.
He could relate.
"Are you going to tell her?"
"I'll have to…eventually," Val said shaking her head, "It is a good thing that she is stronger than she looks. A week ago I might have tried to hide the truth from her."
"She has proven her strength," Jas agreed, once she had escaped from Alric she had been fine, after a brief moment of tears.
The Force had not been wrong about that one, he thought, Vess maybe young, but beneath her child's form is a will of pure durasteel.
She will find a way back.
I'm sure of it.
He looked at Val, she was also holding it together, but he feared that despair might cloud her judgment, she could not afford that, not right now.
"What are you going to say, when the time comes?"
"I…I don't know. I don't think that I should start with the fact that her aunt and uncle have officially betrayed her and usurped her throne. That two of the people that should have loved her have decided it is better that both she and her parents were dead."
"I wouldn't start with that, no," Jas responded dryly.
She shot him a dirty look, but it was gone almost as soon as it had appeared.
Humor could be a defense sometimes, Chief Valenthyne understood that.
"Is there no one you can contact on Bantoon?" he asked, "Someone who could help you get the truth out?"
"There are a few nobles who would listen, but for the moment they can't afford to speak too loudly. As I told you earlier, High General Lyron is very popular with the military. No one is going to risk speaking out of turn, not with Lyron so close to the throne. No one will risk being accused of treason, not when things are moving so fast. The Matriarchy is going to be in chaos for months."
"So…what are you going to do?" Jas inquired.
The woman smiled.
"Wait…for now, as much as I would like to return home immediately and declare Vess as the new queen, I have to face the fact that she would not survive such an attempt. She is still a child, after all, and a child on a throne always has a target on her back. Plus, she has little support from the more militant members of the matriarchy. Then there is the fact that the new High general is no fool. I would not put it past Lord Lyron to have arrested anyone who might still support Annara and her rightful heir."
Jas pursed his lips.
It was not an easy road for the two Bann. The intrigue and power games of their homeworld would not be easily overcome, not until Vess came of age.
Until then, the two would need to wait. They would need shelter.
"So you will need to remain on Alderaan?"
"As I said, for now."
Val gulped down the last of her caf and wiped her mouth, her brow furrowing with thought.
"I can't afford to let the people forget about Vess. Lyron will no doubt push his agenda forward, using his wife as his puppet. Dorma and I will need to establish contact with anyone we can in the matriarchy. We will need support back home to keep Vess' claim alive, we're also going to need allies, people with skill and power, people that we can trust."
It was at that moment that she turned to Jas, her expression both cold and serious.
"We could use your help, Mister Jas," she said, "Your good in a fight, and I've seen what you can do. Your skill with the Force would be a great asset in helping Vess regain her place."
Her offer surprised him, considering that only a few days ago she had had a blaster pointed at his head, and had been more than ready to pull the firing stud.
"You're actually trying to recruit me?" he asked.
"Why not, Not a Jedi," she said with an amused smirk, "Vess likes you, and you've certainly proven your skills to me."
She leaned in closer.
"Not to take away from what you are doing now, but are those skills of yours really getting used aboard this ship? If you come with us you would be fighting the good fight, helping to right a terrible injustice, and put Bantoon's rightful ruler back on her throne. Isn't that what you Jedi types are supposed to be, defenders of peace and justice?"
Jas nodded, what Val was saying was true, and he would be lying if he said he did not feel the appeal of what she was asking.
To fight for a worthy cause, he had seen what the two were up against, and besides, the Force had brought them together.
Maybe this…was the reason why.
If he did choose to go with Val and Vess, he would get to be what he should have been, what he would have become had he not been aboard that transport and lost all those years ago. He would be able to do a lot to advance Vess' cause. The Force was a powerful ally, and it would be good to fight for righteous cause…
…but…that was also the problem.
His expression turned sad.
"I'm flattered by your offer, Val," he said, "But I fear that I must decline. If I was to go with you, I would not only bring my skills to your cause, but also all the enemies I've made as well. I would not do that to your queen, she has enough to face already."
His refusal made her frown, but it had also made her curious.
"Enemies," she said, "What type of enemies?"
"The dangerous kind," he answered, "Not the kind of people that Vess wants interfering in her business."
"I see," Val responded, he could sense her disappointment, and he was sorry.
Yet, there was nothing that he could do about it.
It was safer for the both of them if he stayed away.
"Can I ask what you did? What happened? Did you build an army and attack the heart of the Republic?"
Jas gave her a saucy grin.
"Only one of their main ship production worlds, and caused several million credits worth of damage when I did."
Val blinked, likely trying to figure out if he was joking or not, when she saw that he did not laugh, she knew that he was telling her the truth.
"You don't seem the type to do something like that? I'm guessing there is more to the story."
Yeah, but I doubt you want to hear it. It is a bit of a tale and its getting late."
She smiled at him again.
"I asked didn't I? Go ahead, please, I won't pass any judgment."
He leaned back and sighed.
Did he really want to do this?
It wasn't like anyone could do anything about it now.
Still, she had asked.
He sighed.
"We might need some more of whatever it is you got in that flask."
She smirked.
"Don't worry," she promised, "I have another."
That realization made him laugh
The young woman he was sitting with was far from the Chief Valenthyne he had come to know since leaving Bantoon, still…after everything that had happened…
He may not have owed her anything, but that did not mean it wouldn't be good to finally speak about what had happened.
"Okay," he said leaning back in his chair.
"Don't say that I didn't warn you."
He began his tale, starting with the events of a decade ago.
Val poured them both fresh drinks.
There was a lot to tell.
IOI
"And that is it?"
He nodded, his head buzzing from the liquor that the two of them had been drinking, and the memory of past events.
The two flasks sat empty on the table, both he and the security chief were not as sober as they had been at the start of the tale.
He sighed, and took a deep breath.
It would have been easy to burn the alcohol from his system, the Force was more than capable of that, but he chose not to.
In that moment, he was too lost in the past; the faces of friends and enemies swam up and reminded him of everything that he had been and what he would never be. Both his victories and his losses were there, reminding him of what he had become, and what might still be possible…
…but above all that was Val, Security Chief Char Valenthyne.
She looked upon him with slightly glazed but sympatric eyes.
He smiled.
He sensed no pity, he was grateful for that.
He didn't need pity, nor did he want it.
He was grateful for simple understanding.
"That is it," he said, his voice slightly slurred, "The short sad history of Jas Dar Bynn."
She smiled.
"Jas Dar Bynn," she said, "that is your real name?"
He nodded, forgetting for a bit that he had not used that name in almost three years.
"I needed to become someone else," he confessed, "It is still possible that the Jedi may still seek Jas Dar Bynn. He needed to go away, for the safety of those he cared about."
"Because of what happened at those shipyards? Because of what happened on Kuam?"
"Kuat," he corrected her, "And yes, because of what happened on Kuat."
She sighed and shook her head.
"Couldn't the Jedi have helped you? Couldn't you have returned to the order and explained what had happened?"
"Maybe," he said, "Of course, if I had done that, I likely would have ended up being council, and judged."
"Judged? For what?"
"For choosing to remain away from the order for so long, the Jedi do not look favorably on rogue Force users. Even if they did manage to settle matters with the Kuati, I would still have had to surrender my saber. I likely would have been sent to live the rest of my life on one of the Jedi labor combines. I would have to have spent the rest of my days as a farmer or some other form of laborer, and would be told never to use the Force again."
"But why? It was not your fault what happened? You were just a child when you were lost? As for that mess at the shipyards, it sounds like you did everything in your power to stop it."
"The council would probably acknowledge that, but at the same time…they would also see me as…contaminated, that my exposure to non-Jedi ideals made me dangerous."
"But that is not right," Val spat, "It is unfair!"
"Life rarely is," Jas shrugged.
She frowned and shook her head.
"Your order sound like a bunch of hypocrites."
"They only try to do what is right," he responded, "I don't fault them for that."
Val still looked unconvinced.
"You could have stayed with your clan? You could have stayed with the people that took you in, you could have led them?"
"I could have."
"And you left it all behind? You could have been a leader in your clan, and you chose not to be."
"It was…the smart call," he said with a sad smile, "Had I accepted…had I chosen to remain, I would have been tempted by darkness, the violence of that life would have changed me. I might have become more dangerous than Darth Revan…"
He snorted trying to look at her through the bottom of his empty mug, remembering then that it was not made of glass.
Damn, he thought putting it down.
Nothing ever works right.
He looked at Val; this was the first time he had told this story to anyone. Coop knew it of course, but he had been with Jas since the beginning. Randa knew some of it, and Tessa a bit more.
Yet, this was the first time that he trusted anyone with the complete tale, and he did it because he had had too much to drink, and despite everything that had happened. He had come to trust Char Valenthyne.
He wanted her to understand.
He wanted her…to know him.
She leaned in closer; she reached out gently touching the back of his hand with hers.
"It is never easy is it?" she asked, "letting go, giving up everything you knew and loved?"
"No," he said, "But it is necessary…sometimes."
"Sometimes," she said her touch feather light on the back of his hand.
He was tempted to pull away, but did not, his arm had broken out in goose flesh, but he did not care."
He stared into those strange green eyes of Char Valenthyne and felt lost, sweetly slipping away.
His heart beat a little faster; he told himself it was just the drink, but…
…what if it was more?
"What did you lose Val?" he asked, 'What did becoming what you became cost you?'
She sighed.
"A hero like you won't accept me if I say anything," she replied, "I…I don't want to lose your respect."
"Never," he said turning his hand over and taking hers, giving it a warm gently squeeze.
She smiled.
"Please," he murmured, "You can tell me."
She looked away, blushing slightly.
"My parents, Chin and Tara Valenthyne were the greatest thieves on all of Bantoon. Their tales were legendary, the nobles all feared what they might lose if something they possessed caught my parents' eyes."
He felt a surge of warmth from the young woman, a sense of…love…tainted with sadness.
"They taught me everything they knew, I looked up to them, wanting to carry on their legacy. I wanted to be like them. The laws of Bantoon were nothing to us, if we wanted something we took it, and no one could stop us, no security system or guard could keep us out."
A sad smile came to Val's face.
"It was the ultimate thrill, a life adventure, romance, and danger. Freedom without fear or guilt, I loved that life."
"So…what happened?"
She sighed heavily.
"Mom got sick, some genetic ailment that for all our technology will not die out. She was gone in a matter of months. Dad grew reckless, without her there temper his ambitions. He took risks, took more and more dangerous jobs, and then…one day…it all caught up with him."
"Was he killed?"
She shook her head no.
"He wasn't killed, but he might as well have been. He was sent to the jagged islands, the worst penal colony on Bantoon."
Val shuddered.
"He left me alone, it just me, and my two brothers, we were all we had left."
Val took a shuddering breath and continued.
"I tried to do what my parents had done, to keep their legacy alive. My brothers were thirteen at twelve at the time, too young to join me on the job. I hooked up with a new crew, my name giving me the credentials to move with the more dangerous elements of our world. Our first job was a big one; it would have set me up for at least a year or two. We could have lived the easy life for a while."
"A job that did not go well?"
"No," she said with a frown "It did not."
"The intel about the job was bad from the beginning. The people we were robbing. They were home when we broke into their estate. Their guards fell upon us; we were both outnumbered and outgunned. We tried to escape, but we ended up getting cut off."
Val cursed under her breath.
"One of my new partners killed one of the nobles who owned the estate. Murder is one thing on Bantoon, but for a commoner to kill a noble, that is something else entirely.
"I stood trial with my partners, charged not with attempted theft but murder. Bantoon has the death penalty, and knowing that they had caught a Valenthyne was all they needed to give me the maximum sentence."
She shivered at the memory.
"There is a place on Bantoon called the garden of bones, Mister Jas. Thirty feet beneath the ocean there are rows and rows of skeletons, their feet sunk in duracrete. Their bodies left to sway in the waves forever, picked clean by the fish."
Val shivered.
"I was sentenced to join them, I had only just turned eighteen and I was sentenced to die. My brothers would be left to fend for themselves, no parents and no big sister to look out for them. I remember weeping in my cell, begging to see them one last time, trying to come up with some way to help them."
Her tale made Jas shake his head, he could see Val in his minds eye, sitting in a cell, trying to come up with some way to help her loved ones.
It was a heartbreaking image to be sure.
"What stopped it?" Jas asked.
Val's face brightened.
"The head of the sworn protectors came to visit me the night before my execution. She offered me a chance to survive, a means to make sure that my brothers were cared for. If I gave myself to the state, swore to go through the system, then, my crimes would be pardoned, I would be a sworn protector of the matriarchy, no longer a problem for my people, but a solution.
"I take it you said yes."
She nodded a sly smirk on her face.
"I didn't want to die, but at the same time, I did not understand what was being offered, if I had I might have taken a bit more time before accepting the offer."
"The system," Jas said.
"Yeah," she said nodding, "The system.
Again she shivered.
"I have almost no memory of it, of my training. I have flashes sometimes of being strapped to a table, my body being pumped full of gene-mods, and potions designed to reinforce my loyalty to the matriarchy. There were days that I awoke in my room and not remembered my own name, where the councilors at the compound had to come and remind me of who I was."
Jas winced.
"Oh Val," he said.
She held herself, refusing to meet his gaze.
"I have nightmares about it sometimes, the system, I'm staring into a pool of swirling colored lights, and in my ear someone is whispering: Are you ready to comply, Miss Valenthyne? Are you ready to comply?"
Even saying the word made her wince.
"I remember shouting, no. I tried to resist, thinking that I could fake my way through the system, escape and return to my old life. Eventually, I stopped saying no, there was no resistance. All I wanted to do was say yes, yes, my lord, yes my mistress; Char Valenthyne is ready to comply."
She finally looked at him; she probably saw the pity in his eyes.
She glared at him; she did not want pity any more than he did.
"It was all for the greater good," she shrugged, "The skills I learned from my parents served me well in the physical part of my training, and gene mods that my people are famous for made me far more than what I was. My bones are twice as strong as a normal human my age. I can run twice as long and lift almost three times my own weight."
She smiled at the slight widening of his eyes.
"My pain threshold is also higher, I could be tortured for several days without breaking; I can see in almost total darkness and can hear far beyond the normal human range."
"And you also have to kill yourself if you fail to protect your mistress," Jas added.
She winced.
"That too," she agreed.
She sighed and shook her head.
"How did you do it? How did you stop me from obeying my final order? That is supposed to be impossible."
"The Force can do many things," Jas answered, "It gave me the chance to get through whatever programming that the nobles put into you."
He squeezed her hand again.
"If you like, I could try again."
"Try what?" she asked.
"I could use the Force; try to get through the programming that was put in your head. I…I could free you from it."
Val's eyes widened, for a moment Jas thought she was going to say yes, that she would let him try.
Then…a sad smile came to her face.
"No," she said, "That isn't necessary."
"Val," he said, "You don't have to be…"
"Vess' protector? Of course I do," her smile turned soft, warm.
It almost made Jas blush.
"Thank you, for the offer, it is very kind of you, but…this is a choice I made long ago, I can live with it."
"What about your family," he asked.
"My brothers live well enough," she answered, "I used my position to purchase a proper home for them in one of the coastal cities. They are both young men now, and because of my sacrifice have the chance to have better lives than they would have. Both are currently attending the finest university on the planet, and even in death I can help them. The package offered the family members of slain sworn protectors is nothing to sneeze at."
"You don't think they would much rather have their sister?"
She sniffed at that.
"I've tried to speak with them over the years. All that they say when we are together is how much I've changed, how I don't act like I used to."
She sighed.
"Alric was not wrong on that point, the system does change you."
She looked up at him.
"Do you think I made the wrong choice? Do you think I should have done more to help my family?"
"I don't really see how," he responded, "What does your heart tell you?"
Val sat back and chuckled.
"It would probably tell me that I'm really drunk."
Jas laughed lightly.
"Mine too," he agreed.
She smirked.
"Glad to see that our hearts are in agreement."
He nodded and let out a heavy sigh.
"We should really get out of here; morning is going to becoming far too soon.
She nodded.
"Would…would you walk me to my quarters?" she asked.
He nodded.
It was the least he could do.
Jas was not sure how they managed not to fall off the walkway leading out of the galley, but they did, now that they were moving the liquor they had drank seemed far stronger than he had realized.
Thankfully, through the Force and Val's enhancements, they somehow found their way up.
The ship was fairly silent, only the soft rumble of hyperspace could be heard through the hull.
Jas stopped before a lone door.
"This is my quarters," he informed her, "You have the room next to Vess' right?
She nodded.
"Is it just you, in there," she asked, "or do you bunk with one of the others?"
"All to myself," he said, "the advantage of being first officer on this ship."
Val grinned.
"I was hoping you would say that.
Before he could answer she grabbed and pushed him up against the door.
"Val…what are you…mmmmm."
She pinned him to the door and kissed him, fiercely.
Jas could have pushed her away but didn't, her breath tasted of the sweet liquor they had been drinking, his body warmed as she pressed hers tightly against his.
She broke away, panting, her green eyes dark with desire.
"Val," he said in a husky voice, "I can't…"
Her eyes darkened, her lip trembled with longing.
"Please," she murmured, "Please Jas…"
The look on her face, what he was sensing through the Force almost broke his heart.
The poor woman, he thought, the poor sweet girl.
"You saved my life," she purred, "Gave me a chance to fulfill my queen's wishes. I'm…I'm in your debt."
She stroked his cheek with her fingers.
"Please, Jas," she murmured, "Please."
He wanted to push her away, that is what his head said he should be doing, but he did not.
He was too lost, lost in both the drink and in those beautiful green eyes.
"Let me have tonight, please," she murmured into his ear, kissing and nibbling on the lobe.
He shuddered.
"We're drunk, you realize that right?"
She grinned.
"I don't care, please good sir, please."
Jas tried one last time to push her back, but ended with his hands gently cupping her breast, he could feel her heart beating, fast and strong.
He took a shuddering breath.
Oh what the hell, he thought.
He trigged the door and took her into his arms; she kissed him hungrily, wrapping her legs around his waist.
He had no time to close the door, so he gestured with the Force it slid shut behind them.
She untangled herself from him, finding her feet but only after she pulled her boots off, the vibro blade she had hidden there clattered to the deck.
The two stood before each other, both lost in each other's eyes, wanting only one thing.
"How do you want to do this," he panted, her fingers unbuttoning his shirt.
She smiled and kissed him deeply, pulling back only long enough to pull her shirt over her head and off.
"Oh my," he said, staring as she slid down her leggings.
"Follow my lead, good sir," she giggled, "I know exactly what to do."
Jas grinned.
"As you wish, my good woman," he said.
"I'm all yours."