Chapter Fourteen
"By the Sith's evil eye, she's finally risen from the dead!" M'aaranik said with a sly smile as he leaned back in his chair.
N'aadija yawned and stretched, and then flopped herself down in her seat behind the co-pilot's. She felt warm, comfortable, and content, and she wasn't ready to wake up just yet.
M'aaranik swiveled around in his chair to gaze at N'aadija sitting there half asleep. Her cheeks and lips were flushed pink and her hair fell softly across her closed eyes.
"My, you look radiant this morning," M'aaranik commented, waking N'aadija with a start. She glanced at him curiously, looking for any sign of sarcasm in his face.
"I don't see how that's possible. I've made no efforts to make myself beautiful just yet. I'm wearing Daa'salar's old work shirt and a pair of slacks, but whatever you say, M'aaranik," N'aadija snapped, giving him a grin.
"You'd look good even if you wore nothing but a N'aatuch hide with rags on your feet," M'aaranik muttered.
"What did you say?" N'aadija asked, casting him a look of warning.
"Oh, nothing. How was your night's sleep? You seem to be cheerful, so I take it that you had pleasant dreams," M'aaranik purred, relishing the warm smile N'aadija gave him that confirmed his suspicions. He approached her and knelt down beside her chair.
"Well . . . I did dream a little," N'aadija said secretively.
"Oh, and were any of those dreams about me? Hmmm?" M'aaranik asked hopefully.
"Yes, I believe that in one of them I beheaded you! It was quite an . . . enjoyable experience," N'aadija said wryly, biting her lip to keep from busting out with laughter.
"I'll bet," M'aaranik said, giving her that half-smile he always gave her when he didn't approve of her sense of humor. His dull eyes told her that he was definitely not amused.
"No, M'aaranik. I didn't dream of you. In fact, I don't have a clue whom I dreamed of. All I know was that he was tall, dark-haired, muscular-" N'aadija said and then paused. She saw the smug expression on M'aaranik's face and realized that her description was too close to his own physical characteristics. She'd have to give his ego a little twist. "-And handsome. Sorry, M'aaranik. That counts you out! He also had these AMAZING blue eyes that just bore into me when I kissed him, and he was so sensitive and gentle, and sweet, and all of the things you're not, M'aaranik!"
M'aaranik narrowed his eyes into slits and smiled all the more with every insult she threw at him. She could tell that she was getting to him, and that she better watch out. As she made her last insult, she reached out and touched M'aaranik mischievously on the tip of his nose. She turned away, smiling to herself for showing that jerk what she thought of him.
M'aaranik reached out to grab N'aadija and pulled her toward him. She gave a high-pitched shriek of fear as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her zealously. Her initial reaction was one of complete bewilderment, for she didn't expect him to react in such a manner. She expected to get hit or scratched, not kissed. Then she noted that he'd never kissed her like this before. There was something almost tender about it . . .
M'aaranik finally broke off the kiss and he smiled at the sight of N'aadija standing there in his arms with her eyes closed and her full lips slightly parted. She slowly opened up her eyes and gave him the seductive smile of hers that he loved so much.
"How was that?" M'aaranik asked. "Was it as good as your mystery man?"
"Oh, even better!" N'aadija gasped, pulling him in for another passionate kiss.
"Um . . .Daa'salar? N'aadija has asked me to . . . help her pick out an outfit for today," M'aaranik said shakily as N'aadija continued to kiss him. "Are you sure you're going to- enough N'aadija! - Are you sure you'll be able to handle things up here?"
"Sure thing, boss," Daa'salar droned as he shook his head and rolled his eyes. He smirked as he realized that he never did get much help from either one of them on voyages, or any other time for that matter. He wondered to himself if he was the only one who was at all worried about what they'd be facing when they reached the N'aanwarian System. M'aaranik seemed confident that they'd pass smoothly into the sector without much hassle, but Daa'salar wasn't convinced at all. His keen sense for danger was being thrown off the scale by something, and he was certain that they'd be facing trouble.
'Oh well,' Thought Daa'salar. 'It's better to be in trouble later than right at this instant. I for one don't want to face M'aaranik's wrath this early in the morning.'
M'aaranik ran his hand down N'aadija's bare leg as he kissed her shoulders tenderly. She smiled and closed her eyes, basking in the glow of what they had just done. She was convinced that she had never felt so good in her life as she felt at this very moment. She held M'aaranik's head to her breast and gently stroked his hair. She felt his shoulders heave as he let out a content sigh. It was clear that neither one of them wanted to ever leave this moment, or this bed, because on the outside lay the cold nothingness of space. N'aadija didn't want to venture out there. No. All she wanted was to stay here, in the comfort and warmth of M'aaranik's arms.
"N'aadija?" M'aaranik asked softly.
"Yeah?"
"What do you think we should do about disguising ourselves, just in case security does decide to come on board and take a look around?"
"You had to ruin it, didn't you! By the Sith's Dark Lightning, M'aaranik! We had a perfect moment! Why did you have to bring up that stupid mission again?!" N'aadija said, sitting up and turning away from him.
M'aaranik soothed his hands down her back and hugged her close.
"You know I didn't want to think about it, N'aadija! It's just that it's of such profound importance that I can't seem to get my mind off of it for very long! However, you did a very nice job of it, my beautiful accomplice!" M'aaranik said, kissing her playfully on the cheek.
"Beautiful?" Asked N'aadija, giving M'aaranik a suspicious smile. "You never used that word to describe me before. Most of the time I'm seen as sexy, delicious, hot, and cute, but I've never heard you call me beautiful!"
"What's your point? You're all of those things and beautiful besides! Don't tell me that you aren't aware of your own stunning beauty!?" M'aaranik said, cupping N'aadija's face in his hands.
"No, it's just that I thought . . ." N'aadija muttered, trailing off.
"You thought what?" M'aaranik asked, raising an eyebrow at N'aadija.
"I thought that I sensed something. I could feel the strong emotions that you were giving off, and I thought for a second that you might be . . . falling in love with me," N'aadija whispered.
"Ah, there you go again with that idea of love!! N'aadija, why won't you understand that there's no such thing as true love! I'm not in this to make a commitment, you know!"
"Well, that's funny. You seemed to be pretty in love with me when you were screaming my name!" N'aadija growled angrily.
"What can I say!? You were better than usual today!" M'aaranik said, giving her a roguish smile. "You know what I think? I think you were the one who was falling in love with me! Why else would you perform better?"
"Oh, dream on M'aaranik! I see you haven't lost that aura of sleaze!" N'aadija snapped.
"All right, N'aadija. Just keep on lying to yourself. When are you going to wake up and realize that I'm all the man you'll ever need?" M'aaranik said as he stretched out across the bed.
"Stop! You're making me nauseous!" Cried N'aadija. "I'm going to go get dressed. Meanwhile, you can stay here and think about what I would have done to you if you hadn't opened up your big, fat mouth!!"
"Tease!" M'aaranik yelled after her as she disappeared into her quarters. He ran his hands through his short dark hair and laughed quietly to himself.
"Imagine that!" He whispered. "N'aadija's falling in love with me. Ha! Love! Whoever came up with the idea that true love could rise above all odds must have been a few Gungans short of a really cheesy holoflick! I hate to see someone as vibrant as N'aadija be bogged down by silly fantasies!"
M'aaranik finished dressing and walked back into the cockpit where Daa'salar was eyeing the radar suspiciously.
"Anything wrong up here?" M'aaranik asked as he saw Daa'salar's worried expression. Daa'salar gave M'aaranik an icy stare and pointed to the multiple blips on the radar up ahead.
"Dammit!! Why do things always have to go this way for us!!? The entire Ch'eentae-forsaken N'aanwarian fleet is there waiting to apprehend our sorry behinds!!" M'aaranik cussed, slamming his fist against one of the control panels overhead.
"What!!!?" Cried N'aadija as she raced into the cockpit. "The N'aanwarians are waiting for us!!?"
"I know. It's unexpected to say the least!" Daa'salar said with a frown. "I don't know how they knew we were coming!"
"Security has probably increased since we blew up the Ambassador's vessel!" Cried N'aadija. "We can thank you for this welcoming committee, M'aaranik!"
"At least they don't know it's us who did it! It could be worse!!" M'aaranik snapped back. "Say, you look pretty good in that outfit! Very good, in fact!"
"Can it, M'aaranik! Now is not the time for games! We need a plan, and fast!" N'aadija yelled.
"Whatever you say, Great Leader!" M'aaranik said sarcastically. "Just make it quick, because we're coming up on them pretty soon!"
The small ship hurtled though the cloudy atmosphere that surrounded the N'aanwarian system and at last the fleet came into sight. There were many ships lined up, trying to get through the security check point. The three dark jedi stared at the sight with open mouths, and they knew they weren't going to have an easy time making it through this.
"Relax, guys," Said N'aadija, her smile growing larger every second. "I've got an idea!"
"By the Sith's evil eye, she's finally risen from the dead!" M'aaranik said with a sly smile as he leaned back in his chair.
N'aadija yawned and stretched, and then flopped herself down in her seat behind the co-pilot's. She felt warm, comfortable, and content, and she wasn't ready to wake up just yet.
M'aaranik swiveled around in his chair to gaze at N'aadija sitting there half asleep. Her cheeks and lips were flushed pink and her hair fell softly across her closed eyes.
"My, you look radiant this morning," M'aaranik commented, waking N'aadija with a start. She glanced at him curiously, looking for any sign of sarcasm in his face.
"I don't see how that's possible. I've made no efforts to make myself beautiful just yet. I'm wearing Daa'salar's old work shirt and a pair of slacks, but whatever you say, M'aaranik," N'aadija snapped, giving him a grin.
"You'd look good even if you wore nothing but a N'aatuch hide with rags on your feet," M'aaranik muttered.
"What did you say?" N'aadija asked, casting him a look of warning.
"Oh, nothing. How was your night's sleep? You seem to be cheerful, so I take it that you had pleasant dreams," M'aaranik purred, relishing the warm smile N'aadija gave him that confirmed his suspicions. He approached her and knelt down beside her chair.
"Well . . . I did dream a little," N'aadija said secretively.
"Oh, and were any of those dreams about me? Hmmm?" M'aaranik asked hopefully.
"Yes, I believe that in one of them I beheaded you! It was quite an . . . enjoyable experience," N'aadija said wryly, biting her lip to keep from busting out with laughter.
"I'll bet," M'aaranik said, giving her that half-smile he always gave her when he didn't approve of her sense of humor. His dull eyes told her that he was definitely not amused.
"No, M'aaranik. I didn't dream of you. In fact, I don't have a clue whom I dreamed of. All I know was that he was tall, dark-haired, muscular-" N'aadija said and then paused. She saw the smug expression on M'aaranik's face and realized that her description was too close to his own physical characteristics. She'd have to give his ego a little twist. "-And handsome. Sorry, M'aaranik. That counts you out! He also had these AMAZING blue eyes that just bore into me when I kissed him, and he was so sensitive and gentle, and sweet, and all of the things you're not, M'aaranik!"
M'aaranik narrowed his eyes into slits and smiled all the more with every insult she threw at him. She could tell that she was getting to him, and that she better watch out. As she made her last insult, she reached out and touched M'aaranik mischievously on the tip of his nose. She turned away, smiling to herself for showing that jerk what she thought of him.
M'aaranik reached out to grab N'aadija and pulled her toward him. She gave a high-pitched shriek of fear as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her zealously. Her initial reaction was one of complete bewilderment, for she didn't expect him to react in such a manner. She expected to get hit or scratched, not kissed. Then she noted that he'd never kissed her like this before. There was something almost tender about it . . .
M'aaranik finally broke off the kiss and he smiled at the sight of N'aadija standing there in his arms with her eyes closed and her full lips slightly parted. She slowly opened up her eyes and gave him the seductive smile of hers that he loved so much.
"How was that?" M'aaranik asked. "Was it as good as your mystery man?"
"Oh, even better!" N'aadija gasped, pulling him in for another passionate kiss.
"Um . . .Daa'salar? N'aadija has asked me to . . . help her pick out an outfit for today," M'aaranik said shakily as N'aadija continued to kiss him. "Are you sure you're going to- enough N'aadija! - Are you sure you'll be able to handle things up here?"
"Sure thing, boss," Daa'salar droned as he shook his head and rolled his eyes. He smirked as he realized that he never did get much help from either one of them on voyages, or any other time for that matter. He wondered to himself if he was the only one who was at all worried about what they'd be facing when they reached the N'aanwarian System. M'aaranik seemed confident that they'd pass smoothly into the sector without much hassle, but Daa'salar wasn't convinced at all. His keen sense for danger was being thrown off the scale by something, and he was certain that they'd be facing trouble.
'Oh well,' Thought Daa'salar. 'It's better to be in trouble later than right at this instant. I for one don't want to face M'aaranik's wrath this early in the morning.'
M'aaranik ran his hand down N'aadija's bare leg as he kissed her shoulders tenderly. She smiled and closed her eyes, basking in the glow of what they had just done. She was convinced that she had never felt so good in her life as she felt at this very moment. She held M'aaranik's head to her breast and gently stroked his hair. She felt his shoulders heave as he let out a content sigh. It was clear that neither one of them wanted to ever leave this moment, or this bed, because on the outside lay the cold nothingness of space. N'aadija didn't want to venture out there. No. All she wanted was to stay here, in the comfort and warmth of M'aaranik's arms.
"N'aadija?" M'aaranik asked softly.
"Yeah?"
"What do you think we should do about disguising ourselves, just in case security does decide to come on board and take a look around?"
"You had to ruin it, didn't you! By the Sith's Dark Lightning, M'aaranik! We had a perfect moment! Why did you have to bring up that stupid mission again?!" N'aadija said, sitting up and turning away from him.
M'aaranik soothed his hands down her back and hugged her close.
"You know I didn't want to think about it, N'aadija! It's just that it's of such profound importance that I can't seem to get my mind off of it for very long! However, you did a very nice job of it, my beautiful accomplice!" M'aaranik said, kissing her playfully on the cheek.
"Beautiful?" Asked N'aadija, giving M'aaranik a suspicious smile. "You never used that word to describe me before. Most of the time I'm seen as sexy, delicious, hot, and cute, but I've never heard you call me beautiful!"
"What's your point? You're all of those things and beautiful besides! Don't tell me that you aren't aware of your own stunning beauty!?" M'aaranik said, cupping N'aadija's face in his hands.
"No, it's just that I thought . . ." N'aadija muttered, trailing off.
"You thought what?" M'aaranik asked, raising an eyebrow at N'aadija.
"I thought that I sensed something. I could feel the strong emotions that you were giving off, and I thought for a second that you might be . . . falling in love with me," N'aadija whispered.
"Ah, there you go again with that idea of love!! N'aadija, why won't you understand that there's no such thing as true love! I'm not in this to make a commitment, you know!"
"Well, that's funny. You seemed to be pretty in love with me when you were screaming my name!" N'aadija growled angrily.
"What can I say!? You were better than usual today!" M'aaranik said, giving her a roguish smile. "You know what I think? I think you were the one who was falling in love with me! Why else would you perform better?"
"Oh, dream on M'aaranik! I see you haven't lost that aura of sleaze!" N'aadija snapped.
"All right, N'aadija. Just keep on lying to yourself. When are you going to wake up and realize that I'm all the man you'll ever need?" M'aaranik said as he stretched out across the bed.
"Stop! You're making me nauseous!" Cried N'aadija. "I'm going to go get dressed. Meanwhile, you can stay here and think about what I would have done to you if you hadn't opened up your big, fat mouth!!"
"Tease!" M'aaranik yelled after her as she disappeared into her quarters. He ran his hands through his short dark hair and laughed quietly to himself.
"Imagine that!" He whispered. "N'aadija's falling in love with me. Ha! Love! Whoever came up with the idea that true love could rise above all odds must have been a few Gungans short of a really cheesy holoflick! I hate to see someone as vibrant as N'aadija be bogged down by silly fantasies!"
M'aaranik finished dressing and walked back into the cockpit where Daa'salar was eyeing the radar suspiciously.
"Anything wrong up here?" M'aaranik asked as he saw Daa'salar's worried expression. Daa'salar gave M'aaranik an icy stare and pointed to the multiple blips on the radar up ahead.
"Dammit!! Why do things always have to go this way for us!!? The entire Ch'eentae-forsaken N'aanwarian fleet is there waiting to apprehend our sorry behinds!!" M'aaranik cussed, slamming his fist against one of the control panels overhead.
"What!!!?" Cried N'aadija as she raced into the cockpit. "The N'aanwarians are waiting for us!!?"
"I know. It's unexpected to say the least!" Daa'salar said with a frown. "I don't know how they knew we were coming!"
"Security has probably increased since we blew up the Ambassador's vessel!" Cried N'aadija. "We can thank you for this welcoming committee, M'aaranik!"
"At least they don't know it's us who did it! It could be worse!!" M'aaranik snapped back. "Say, you look pretty good in that outfit! Very good, in fact!"
"Can it, M'aaranik! Now is not the time for games! We need a plan, and fast!" N'aadija yelled.
"Whatever you say, Great Leader!" M'aaranik said sarcastically. "Just make it quick, because we're coming up on them pretty soon!"
The small ship hurtled though the cloudy atmosphere that surrounded the N'aanwarian system and at last the fleet came into sight. There were many ships lined up, trying to get through the security check point. The three dark jedi stared at the sight with open mouths, and they knew they weren't going to have an easy time making it through this.
"Relax, guys," Said N'aadija, her smile growing larger every second. "I've got an idea!"
