Chapter Twelve – Dilemmas

It had been a full week since Adra had spoken to Wedge. In that time, Tycho had first apologized to her about his part in getting Face drunk then had gone on to congratulate her about expecting a child. That didn't mean that all her problems were over. Quite the opposite, in fact. Currently she was thinking that anything would be better than expecting a kid. After she had finally been able to down something other than liquid the previous night, she wished fervently she hadn't bothered. The chrono read 0241 and she was rolling out of bed and making it to the 'fresher door.

Adra managed to get inside quick enough to make it to the toilet before she threw up. As she spit out the awful taste in her mouth, she felt Cloud Ritril's presence become cloaked in the Force. Tyria Tainer's was soon to follow. Adra sat back on her heels, letting her head lean on the wall behind her. After a moment, she braced her arms against the floor and stood up. With disgust, she brushed her teeth and then returned to attempting to get some sleep.

Obviously she was not to be allowed more sleep tonight. At 0258 she got up again and instead wriggled into a clean jumpsuit. She keyed the door open and saw Tyria Tainer pass. Her fellow slicer didn't even appear to notice her. Adra studied what she'd seen of Tyria's smile and then used to Force to dig deeper. A grin flashed on her face as she realized what Tyria was trying to keep secret. Time to have some fun.

* * * * *

Tyria Tainer walked off to her room, quietly replaying what had just happened. She'd woken up in the lounge to find out it was some time after 0200. Not only that, but she'd also found she was being 'watched over'. Cloud Ritril had said that he couldn't sleep and that was why he was there, but that was beside the point. He had talked to her and gotten her to admit her fears...and then he'd kissed her. Not only that, but she'd kissed him back.

In little less than an hour's time, she suddenly found herself going out with an explosives-loving mechanic. Not that that was bad. But hadn't she said all along that she wasn't going to get attached to anything because of Daala? Hadn't she said it to Adra point blank that it was better a woman with work than a woman in love?

She shook her head as she realized she was in front of her door. Her fingers nimbly rolled over the keys, punching a password she actually didn't have to hack. The door rolled back to reveal her room and she stepped inside, touching the controls once more to close the door. Her room was just as she remembered it. Probably because she was hardly ever in here to change anything. Wires in a variety of colors were littering her table and all the other flat surfaces had become the permanent resting place for dozens upon dozens of datacards. She cleared a path through the innumerous computer parts on the floor and finally got to the bedroom in her apartment.

The bed was, as she'd expected, covered. The night table held three datapads stacked on top of each other. Her pillow was home to various bits of hacking equipment. The bed itself was holding up under a mini computer panel she'd taken from an Imperial ship to figure out the wiring to, a pile of clean clothes, blaster packs, and various other technology bits than no one but Adra and she could figure out.

With a smile at all her stuff, Tyria moved the hacking equipment to a 'free' spot on her night table. The computer panel leant against the wall. The clothes and other technology bits found their ways into respective drawers. That left her bed perfectly clean and, for once, she wasn't upset that her data was unorganized. With a sigh she fell forward onto the bed, her head hitting the pillow, and then she was out for the night.

* * * * *

Adra's night had consisted of two things in total, with sleep as a very small side dish: throwing up and anticipation of throwing up. That was until 0300. She had then gone into the computer room and was still there, hacking away, when Nicola came in at 0700. One look at her friend told her that she too had had a rough night.  It almost seemed as if when one of them got sick, the other one was going to as well.

"Let me guess. 'Morning sickness'," Adra couldn't help but grin. Of course, she hadn't eaten anything since she'd last thrown up, but that still didn't mean she felt perfect.

Nicola grumbled darkly before answering. "Yeah, whatever. Did I mention that morning sickness is technically 'All-day sickness'?"

"No, but I figured it out."

Adra looked back at the computer's screen and sighed. She was starting to get impatient over retrying passwords. It made her a bit sad because three months ago, she would've not given a care over staying here for hours. Now she was as impatient as a sarlacc that had food dangling just above its reach. So instead she shut down the program and stood up, stretching slightly.

The pair went back into the hall and down to the lounge. One look around told Adra that she could have a rather considerable amount of fun very easily. Not to mention that it would be at someone else's expense. Adra glanced at Nicola to see that her friend calculating the same things that she was.

You thinking what I'm thinking? She asked tentatively.

You got that right, Computer Girl. I hope Kell doesn't have any explosives on him. With a grin, Nicola led the way over to where the Tainer siblings sat. Cloud was sitting on a couch near them and Adra immediately sensed the worry rolling off him in waves. It was really too bad that Ritril seemed to guess what they were doing.

Adra looked at Nicola, who nodded to her once, and then at Tyria and Kell. Giving them sickly-sweet smiles, both of them sat down across the table.

"So Tyria," Adra began, glancing once at Nicola. "Can we, say..."

As Adra's voice trailed, Nicola's picked up her friend's sentence. "Ask you about last night?"

She had to hand it to the girl; Tyria was really good at the acting thing. Even Cloud Ritril was managing to keep a sabacc face. But just because he had on a sabacc face didn't mean he was blank in the Force. Tyria, however, began to grin. Adra suddenly had a very deep sense of foreboding as she looked at her hacking partner.

"Sure, Adra," Tyria's grin was just a little to 'happy' for Adra's comfort. "But only if I get to tell everyone about your little...'dilemma'."

Nicola glanced at Adra and Adra was sure that her friend saw her face paling. Definitely not something she needed out and about in Wraith lounge until she said anything. Tyria seemed to have guessed that she had come to that conclusion. Tyria opened her mouth to speak once more but Kell got his say first.

"Wait, what's this about Adra having a little 'dilemma', Tyria?" Kell looked between Adra and his sister, obviously having no idea.

For a split-second, Adra actually thought Tyria was going to tell. But instead, she winked at Nicola and Adra before giving Kell something to go by.

"If you really want to know, Kell, I'd suggest getting Face really, really drunk."

Kell looked between Tyria and her gingerly once more before he cracked a grin. Quickly, he swung around in his chair and appeared to be scanning the room. Unfortunately for Adra, Face was present. And not only that, but Tyria had just told Kell to get Face really, really drunk if he wanted to know. Kell appeared to want to know. The worst part was that Kell knew Face well enough to actually get him that drunk.

"Hey Face! Ho-"

Kell didn't even get past his third word before Face was shaking his head exuberantly. "Absolutely not. I'm good, Kell, quite fine. I just got over my last hangover three days ago and after what Adra did to make it worse I don't feel like giving her the opportunity to be that mad at me again and repeat the torture."

Adra smiled with approval as Kell frowned. Face glanced over at her and she nodded once, making him grin. She pushed herself up from the table and went over to sit on the arm of the couch he was sitting on. Leaning over slightly, she whispered in his ear.

"Thanks, Face."

She felt an arm wrap around her waist and move her so that she was now sitting on her fiancé's lap. Turning to look at him, she raised an eyebrow, then listened to what he was whispering back.

"Not at all; besides, I didn't want you that mad at me again."

With a grin, she nodded, and then gave him a kiss. Speaking normally now, she replied. "I always knew you were a smart one, Face."

Face gave a very mock-dramatic grin as he nodded. Adra glanced over at Nicola to see her grinning back. Cloud Ritril was getting up from his seat and Tyria Tainer was following his 'lead', as it were. Kell was now immersed in from conversation- no doubt about explosives- with Ryok. Another typical morning at Wraith squadron headquarters. Now if only it could ditch the morning sickness.