"Matara." The voice echoed in her mind.
She shot up out of her bunk; droplets of sweat covered her brow. He was thinking about her again. They have always had this strange connection with each other for as long as she could remember. They never called it the Force at work, only a connection of the closeness they once shared in their youth.
'Why can't you forget about me?' Matara's thoughts called out. 'I have my own life now, so let me live it.' She laid back down on her bunk, wondering why Dirik was calling to her. Trying to push those thoughts from her mind she lay there, concentrating on the low hum of the ships hyperdrive engines. Knowing sleep would not come for a time she decided it was time to get up.
Throwing back the thin covers, Matara stood grabbing her boots and jacket where they laid strewn across her quarters. Dressing quickly Matara moved across the room fro her holster, picking it up from the top of the small dresser in the corner of the room. Clipping the holster and belt loosely around her hips she caught a glimpse of herself in the small mirror. Gazing at the reflection that stared back at her. Her once short cropped brown hair was now black and worn long down her back with a slight curl at the ends. Her brown eyes never changed color, but the hardships of the past few years could be seen in their depths. Her face had changed, her features had smoothed out some; her once slight pug nose was now a small button nose, she's lost the cleft in her chin six months after leaving home, now it its place was a long thin scar, starting where her cleft used to be and followed her jaw line to her left ear lobe. She let a small laugh escape her lips, "Wonder what he looks like after this long time?" Matara asked to the empty quarters. After all she only came away with a scar, he left on a stretcher. Wonder if he's still kicking.
She finished dressing and walked over to the doorway. Slapping the door release, she walked threw the opening to the ships lounge beyond.
"What are you doing up so early?" A female voice asked as Matara entered the ships small lounge.
"It's so good to see you too, T'ishi." Matara said to her Trianii co-pilot. "Why aren't you up at the controls?" She asked as she sat across from her at one of the lounges tables.
"It doesn't take a genius to operate an auto pilot Matara. You're up early though. I thought you weren't going to be up for a few more hours. No harm in taking a little break now is there?" T'ishi said jokingly.
After the call, Matara really was not in a joking mood, but she decided to play along anyway. "I had a feeling you would be shirking your duty again, so I decided to ruin my wonderful sleep and come out and sit with you over a mug of caf. Hey where's the caf? You take a break and you don't even make fresh caf? What am I going to do with you Te?" This was their usual greeting for each other. They would banter back and forth until it was time to move onto something else. It had been like this for the past three years now; they also know when one was telling the other something subtlety as well.
"Fine I get your point. I still don't understand what is with you human females and always having to talk over something hot and eating sweat pastries. It's not like you really needed the pastries though right?" Te said as she got up and started fixing the caf.
"So sorry I have to put you through this, I didn't have many girlfriends growing up so I have to take it out on someone." Matara said while she was getting some mugs down fro the overhead compartment.
"So what's this little gab session about this time? Te asked when the caf was done.
Before Matara was able to answer her question, the ship came to a sudden halt. The hyperdrive engines sputtered then died. Warning light blinked in distress while klaxons blared in annoyance.
"Te, get to the controls and shut down the hyperdrive. I'll check the drives for damage." Matara yelled over the warning klaxons. Grabbing her tools from a corner of the lounge she headed for the engine compartment. Slapping the door release Matara was overpowered by the acrid smell of burned up wires and components. She swore under her breath and plunged into the room. Turning on a portable glow rod Matara moved throughout the small room looking for the damage. Reaching the hyperdrive unites Matara was able to see what the problem was. Someone or something had placed an explosive in the hyperdrive unites. Some how they were able to get aboard her ship and plant this. Before she was able to hail T'ishi over the comlink her own beeped with an incoming call.
"Yes, what is it?" Matara barked with more anger then she expected.
"I think you had better get up here. I think your friends are back and they want to pay you a visit." The feline voice of T'ishi said.
"Great, I'll be right up. Don't say anything until I get up there." Matara said clicking off her comlink and heading to the bridge.
She shot up out of her bunk; droplets of sweat covered her brow. He was thinking about her again. They have always had this strange connection with each other for as long as she could remember. They never called it the Force at work, only a connection of the closeness they once shared in their youth.
'Why can't you forget about me?' Matara's thoughts called out. 'I have my own life now, so let me live it.' She laid back down on her bunk, wondering why Dirik was calling to her. Trying to push those thoughts from her mind she lay there, concentrating on the low hum of the ships hyperdrive engines. Knowing sleep would not come for a time she decided it was time to get up.
Throwing back the thin covers, Matara stood grabbing her boots and jacket where they laid strewn across her quarters. Dressing quickly Matara moved across the room fro her holster, picking it up from the top of the small dresser in the corner of the room. Clipping the holster and belt loosely around her hips she caught a glimpse of herself in the small mirror. Gazing at the reflection that stared back at her. Her once short cropped brown hair was now black and worn long down her back with a slight curl at the ends. Her brown eyes never changed color, but the hardships of the past few years could be seen in their depths. Her face had changed, her features had smoothed out some; her once slight pug nose was now a small button nose, she's lost the cleft in her chin six months after leaving home, now it its place was a long thin scar, starting where her cleft used to be and followed her jaw line to her left ear lobe. She let a small laugh escape her lips, "Wonder what he looks like after this long time?" Matara asked to the empty quarters. After all she only came away with a scar, he left on a stretcher. Wonder if he's still kicking.
She finished dressing and walked over to the doorway. Slapping the door release, she walked threw the opening to the ships lounge beyond.
"What are you doing up so early?" A female voice asked as Matara entered the ships small lounge.
"It's so good to see you too, T'ishi." Matara said to her Trianii co-pilot. "Why aren't you up at the controls?" She asked as she sat across from her at one of the lounges tables.
"It doesn't take a genius to operate an auto pilot Matara. You're up early though. I thought you weren't going to be up for a few more hours. No harm in taking a little break now is there?" T'ishi said jokingly.
After the call, Matara really was not in a joking mood, but she decided to play along anyway. "I had a feeling you would be shirking your duty again, so I decided to ruin my wonderful sleep and come out and sit with you over a mug of caf. Hey where's the caf? You take a break and you don't even make fresh caf? What am I going to do with you Te?" This was their usual greeting for each other. They would banter back and forth until it was time to move onto something else. It had been like this for the past three years now; they also know when one was telling the other something subtlety as well.
"Fine I get your point. I still don't understand what is with you human females and always having to talk over something hot and eating sweat pastries. It's not like you really needed the pastries though right?" Te said as she got up and started fixing the caf.
"So sorry I have to put you through this, I didn't have many girlfriends growing up so I have to take it out on someone." Matara said while she was getting some mugs down fro the overhead compartment.
"So what's this little gab session about this time? Te asked when the caf was done.
Before Matara was able to answer her question, the ship came to a sudden halt. The hyperdrive engines sputtered then died. Warning light blinked in distress while klaxons blared in annoyance.
"Te, get to the controls and shut down the hyperdrive. I'll check the drives for damage." Matara yelled over the warning klaxons. Grabbing her tools from a corner of the lounge she headed for the engine compartment. Slapping the door release Matara was overpowered by the acrid smell of burned up wires and components. She swore under her breath and plunged into the room. Turning on a portable glow rod Matara moved throughout the small room looking for the damage. Reaching the hyperdrive unites Matara was able to see what the problem was. Someone or something had placed an explosive in the hyperdrive unites. Some how they were able to get aboard her ship and plant this. Before she was able to hail T'ishi over the comlink her own beeped with an incoming call.
"Yes, what is it?" Matara barked with more anger then she expected.
"I think you had better get up here. I think your friends are back and they want to pay you a visit." The feline voice of T'ishi said.
"Great, I'll be right up. Don't say anything until I get up there." Matara said clicking off her comlink and heading to the bridge.