The two worked on the ship for a while, chattering loudly about their past exploits and what they'd done since the Yuuzhan Vong had arrived.

"I'm here because my boss sent me to deliver some supplies," She explained.

"That must pay well," He said as he removed a fried panel and began to mess with the wires inside.

"You bet," She agreed, rubbing a smudge of grease from her nose. "It doesn't hurt that I'm employed by Lando Calrissian."

"Yeah, I'm sure it doesn't," Brodey snorted. "I've heard he's quite the businessman."

"He sure is. I can't even tell you how fortunate I am to be working for the guy," She said as she plugged a sanding tool into her power pack.

"Oh? Who fixed you up?" Brodey asked, smiling at her again.

"I have my sources."

"Should have seen that one coming," He said with a sneer. "What other jobs did you hold before this one?"

"Oh, you know. The usual, dangerous, illegal kind," She chuckled, giving him that playful smile of hers.

"Ah, I know what you mean," He replied.

"I'm sure you do," She said darkly. "So, who do you work for?"

"I worked for Nimba the Hutt for a while, smuggling spice and other illegal goods," He answered gravely. "But, despite what you may think, I didn't get my ship from him."

"Understood," She said simply. "What do you do now for kicks?"

"I'm a Jedi Knight, apprenticed to Jedi Master Kyp Durron."

"Durron, eh?" She murmured, biting her lower lip as if deep in thought. "I think I met the guy once. He, the Solo kids and their friends helped me clear up a few things on my home world."

"You know the Solo kids?" He exclaimed, amused at the thought that he might have stumbled across an old friend of Jaina's.

"Oh yeah, we go way back," She acknowledged.

"I'm in a squadron with one of them."

"Must be Jaina," Anja laughed. "She always did love to fly. What's all that stuff I hear about her being a goddess?"

"Oh, that. It's just some crazy charade we need to keep up," Brodey shrugged, and then winked at her. "You know, top secret plans and all."

"Oh, I see how it is!" She giggled, shoving him a bit as she walked around him to the other side.

"I can't tell you that much about it!" He insisted. "It's for security reasons."

"Nyeh, it's for security reasons!" She said mockingly, sticking her tongue out at him. Brodey responded similarly, extracting yet another round of giggling from her.

"I don't think I've ever met anybody as cheeky as you," He confessed. "Well, except for my younger brother. He was quite a character."

"Where is he now?" She asked, cocking her head to the side inquisitively. She had a certain way of saying things so that every word was compelling, and it took a second for her words to register in Brodey's mind.

"Dead, unfortunately," Brodey muttered, hanging his head a little in reflection. "Been dead for almost three years now. Or so I thought."

"Really? You found him again?" She asked enthusiastically.

"It's a really complicated and drawn-out story," Brodey said. "I'd rather not get into it, if it's all the same with you."

"Suit yourself," She responded, flipping the long hair that was getting in her way as she worked back across her bare shoulders. "Your nose is looking a lot better, by the way. Is that some sort of jedi healing that you're doing?"

"Yeah, kind of," He said. "I'm not exactly the best healer in my family. My father could have healed this in a little under a minute."

"Hey, if you can heal anything then I'm impressed," Anja chuckled. "Speaking of impressed, you're quite a looker."

"Are you flirting with me, Anja Gallandro?" He asked and then laughed at the innocent face she was giving him.

"Only if you want to think about it in that sense," She said with a sly smile, casting him a seductive wink. "Something tells me you do."

"Well, I've only known you for about two standard hours, and already you're the most fun person to flirt with that I've ever come across."

"Good," She cooed, stroking her fingers down his sweaty bare back. Brodey shivered involuntarily from her touch, turning to face her with a wicked glint in his eyes.

"You do realize you're going to pay for that," He said coyly as he approached her at a rapid pace. Anja laughed, backing up as he came closer and grabbed both of her wrists. He was just about to reach out and tickle her when her legs suddenly gave way, sending them both into a huge puddle of engine oil from the spilled bucket she'd just tripped over.

"Ahhhh!!!" She shrieked, scooping up a handful of the oil and flinging it at Brodey. He laughed as she tried to pin him to the ground and drench him in the oil. She finally collapsed next to him, laughing uncontrollably. He pushed himself up onto one elbow, gazing absorbedly at her as he gently brushed a few strands of matted-down hair off of her face.

"Would you two just shut the hell up?" Corran cursed, poking his head around the ship to look scornfully at the two of them. "You're causing quite a racket and it's starting to upset people."

"Oh, bugger off Corran!" Brodey snapped back. "Nobody else is complaining besides you, and you know it!"

The jedi knight's face turned even sourer, if that was possible, and he left in a huff, leaving the two of them to lie gasping on the floor.

"I don't know what that guy's problem is," Brodey muttered, "But he's always been that way to me. It's sort of like he took one look at me, saw I was bad news, and then never looked again."

"Yeah, some people are like that," She said, picking herself up off the ground and extending him a hand. "I'm not one of them. I happen to find people who think they're the most righteous person in the galaxy completely nauseating."

"You like the scoundrels, eh?" He snickered, giving her a slight jab with his elbow.

"What do you think?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I think we need to find somewhere to get cleaned up," He declared. "I know just the place."

"You're not taking me back to see Jaina, are you?" She asked suspiciously as he led her back to the upper decks of Eclipse.

"Of course I am!" He cried, beaming widely at her. "Did you think I'd let you get away without saying hello to an old friend? Besides, I feel like I'm entitled to do laundry at her place. Don't ask, just trust me on this one."

"All right," She conceded, looking flustered as they continued along at his quick pace.

"Here we are," Brodey said, pushing the buzzer to Jaina's suite repeatedly.

"Who is it?" Jaina's voice asked through the speaker.

"It's just me," Brodey replied. "You'll never guess who the cat dragged in."

"Cat, I'd really love to know who you dragged in, but I'm kind of occupied at the moment."

"Jaina, dear, I think you need to let me in anyway. After the havoc my clothes have been through, all on your behalf, you owe me a few loads of laundry," Brodey said in a sing-song voice.

A few choice Corellian curse words came out of the speaker, followed by the loud stomp of footsteps rushing angrily toward the door. Jaina answered the door, wearing only her bathrobe, and her jaw nearly dropped to the floor in shock.

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