Part 8: The First Lesson And A Tender Moment
In the crew area aboard The Moave Avenger, Arnold and Helga sat down at the round table across from one another preparing to eat some food that Sid 3PO prepared.
"Wow, 3PO, it looks really good, I'm impressed," Arnold said, complementing the droid on the fruit and vegetable salad he'd prepared for the organic lifeforms aboard.
"Oh thank you, Master Arnold," Sid 3PO replied happily. "I am programed for quite a number of tasks that help me to interact better with humans in..."
"Yeah, yeah," Helga said, impatiently. "We get the idea, goldenrod!"
Li-la Binks walked into the room, shaking her head. "The auto-pilot, she'sa on. I tells ya, this ship is ever-so old. The power cuplings, theysa all hokey!"
Arnold regarded this, then turned to Sid 3Po again. "Hey Sid, do you have any programs related to ship repair and maintance?"
"Why yes sir, it's second nature to me," Sid 3PO responded merrily. "Though I am usually an interpretor, and not a mechanic, I am quite capable of..."
"Okay, we get the idea," Helga said shortly. "So why don't you go put those programs to good use and fix this ship before we end up adrift and have to use you as spare parts!"
Sid 3PO shook his head as he left, "I'll just never understand human behavior."
Li-la Binks sits down between them. "Oh goody goody! Isa just lovesa fruit salad just ever-so much!" She began to prepare herself a plate.
"Helga, why do you always have to be so mean to people?" Arnold asked her.
"Huh?" She seemed confused by the question.
"I mean, the way you spoke to Sid just now, and to Chancellor Olga, I mean, she's your sister after all."
Helga scowled at him, "Hey, I thought you were supposed to be showing me how to use this Force thing, bucko!"
Arnold sighed, "Right."
Li-la Binks shot her long tongue out and captures a large peice of cut fruit from her plate, which momentarily distracts them. The both look at her, and she blushes, "Sorry."
"Well," Arnold began, "First you need to know exactly what The Force actually is. It's an energy field that surrounds and binds all living things..."
"Oh forget the science lesson," Helga said impatiently. "Just start by telling me how I did that thing back on Naboo?"
"Oh yeah, well when you were under stress, The Force within you was unleashed and you lashed out at the danger. You see, when someone who shares our ability to call upon The Force concentrates their thoughts, they can actually manipulate it and accomplish extrordinary things through it."
Again Li-la Binks lashes out with her tongue and again distracts them.
Helga frowned a moment and then turned the fork in her hand. "So, this thing can actually make me do all sorts of stuff, huh? Like what exactly?"
Arnold considered the question, "Well, the first thing it can do is give you more speed, make you faster with your reflexes."
She smiled, twirling the fork in her fingers, "You mean to say that I could react faster to something, even have an advantage in speed?"
He nodded, "Yes, you can even anticipate things, see them coming in your mind when you concentrate on something."
"Really?" Helga said, smiling slightly. "Well then..."
Li-la Binks lashes out with her long tongue again, but before she could detract it back into her mouth, Helga, moving really fast with her arm, drove the fork down on the table on the Gungan's tongue. Luckly, the fork only had two prongs, which were far enough apart not to pierce Li-la's tongue, but short enough to catch it on the table.
Arnold, despite being surprised and slightly appauled at the act, looked on wide-eyed and actually smiled slightly at the feat accomplished. "Wow! T-that was pretty good!"
Helga snorted, "Not really...I missed." She said that with such a strait face that Arnold, for a second, thought she was serious, until he saw her smile slightly and wink at him. He relaxed.
Li-la Binks was wide-eyed and nervous. Still holding the fork, Helga looked over at her and said, smiling wickedly, "Don't do that again! Got it?"
Li-la nodded and said, her caught tongue vibrating, "Eim eer-tho thorree!" (translation: 'I'm ever-so sorry!")
Helga pulled the fork from the table and Li-la grabbed her poor tongue and checked it for puncture holes.
Arnold nodded, "Not bad, for a first try."
"Thanks, football-head," Helga said, almsot sweetly.
Then they began eating.
After their meal, Arnold and Helga continued to sit at the table talking about various things. Li-la Binks had gone to help Sid 3PO fix the power cupplings. At first, Arnold ahd been reluctant to discuss more than the training, and Helga had been somewhat resistant and arrogant, but after a while they began to talk comfortably with each other...
"So..." Arnold said, going on with a story of one of his missions with his Jedi master. "After that failed, me and Master Stinky enter into some aggressive negotiations..."
Helga looked at him, confused, "'Aggressive negotiations'?"
Arnold smiled, "You know, with a lightsaber."
She blinked, then smiled at the term, "Oh yeah, of course."
Arnold notices her smile and stares at it, blinking. Helga looks at him and asks, "What is it? Why are you stareing at me like that?"
"Nothing, it's just...well, it's the firsttime I've seen you smile like that." He told her.
"So what's your point?" Helga asked, folding her arms.
"Well...I just think you look sort-of nice when you do," Arnold said, then blinked at what he'd just said.
Helga also blinked at that, unable to respond for the moment, totally at a loss for words.
Noticing this, Arnold looked alarmed, "Oh I-I'm sorry, Helga! I didn't mean to embarrass you, or anything..."
She shook her head and looked away. "No...no you didn't, it's jsut that...well nobody's ever really paid attention to me enough to notice anything little like that before, or give me any complements like that. I'm just not too used to them."
Arnold looked at her when she said that, she seemed so serious, and so sad as she said that. "I find that difficult to believe. I mean, what about your parents, or your sister?"
Helga let out a very bitter laugh. "Ha! My father disappeared three years ago and never came back. My mom, well she wouldn't notice me if I started laying golden eggs."
"Well," Arnold asked, "Your sister, Chancellor Olga, I mean, she seemed to show you alot of affection."
Helga looked at him angrily, "Olga, is a stuck-up, arrogant snob!" She stood up and paced angrily. "All my life, all she ever did was shove every accomplishment of hers under my nose, and my parents, well I'm expected to keep up with her just because I'm her little sister."
Arnold stood up and looked at her, a small thread of sympathy appeared on his face. "That doesn't sound very fair."
"It sure isn't, hair-boy!" She said, bitterly.
"People shouldn't be made to live up to anyone else, they have to walk their own paths," Arnold said to her. Helga stopped pacing and looked at him. "Everyone is different, and destiny has plans for each person."
"Please," Helga said, shortly. "Spare me the talk about the will of The Force and fate!"
Arnold sighed and shook his head, "Helga, the point is, I don't think you're so unimportant."
Helga looked at him, her large blue eyes wide and unblinking. "You don't?" She asked incrudiously.
"No, I mean everybody is important, in his, or her own way. You just have to find your own path and I promise you'll do good things. I just know it."
Helga studied the floor, smiling, then she looked up at Arnold and ndded, "I hope you're right about that."
He smiled abck at her warmly, "I know I am."
They both walked over to the nearby window and looked out at the starfield before them, both of them putting their hands on the window seal, their hands only a few inches apart.
"You know, I never really did thank you for saving my life back on Naboo," Helga said, turning to him.
Arnold shook his head, "You don't have to, I mean I was just doing my duty after all."
Helga sighed, "Still, I've been kind-of mean and arrogant to you, and you still went out of your way to help me with these powers too. I mean, I've never meet anyone like you before, and it's really hard for me to show my feelings..." She turned back to look out at the stars. "All my life, I've kept everything and everyone distant, so I'm not used to kindness, or showing it. I just don't want you to think that I'm some cold, uncaring person."
Arnold looked over at her and smiled warmly, reaching over and taking her left hand. "I don't think you're any of those things, Helga."
She turns back to look at him, smiling. They face each other for a long moment, still holding hands and smiling, as if lost in a trance. Then both of them leaned closer to each other, close their eyes, and then...
The door burst open.
"Weesa fixed it! Weesa fixed it!" Li-la Binks shouted, walking in to the room, followed by Sid 3PO.
"You will both be happy to know that the power cupplings have been restored to full working order," Sid 3PO said to them.
Arnold and Helga turn to look at them, the spell broken and released their hands. Helga walks slowly towards them, a meanacing scowl on her face. "Thank you, thank you very much!" She said, the sarcasm thick in her voice.
Li-la Binks, who knew that look all too well got nervous and began to back away. Sid 3PO, oblivious to the sarcasm, responded, as Li-la pulled him back into the doorway, "Oh thank you, madam! I am so happy to be of help."
Arnold blinked and said, embarrassed, "Um, maybe I should go check on the outopilot for a while." He leaves the room and Helga all alone.
Helga looked down a moment, and whispered to herself, "Cariminey! What was I doing?!"
Arnold, entering the cockpit, sat in the pilot's chair and whispered to himself, uncertain, "What was I doing?"
To Be Continued...
Hey, don't ya'll feel like choking Lila and Sid right now...he! he! Don't worry, more scenes, and more romance coming soon! Stay tuned...
In the crew area aboard The Moave Avenger, Arnold and Helga sat down at the round table across from one another preparing to eat some food that Sid 3PO prepared.
"Wow, 3PO, it looks really good, I'm impressed," Arnold said, complementing the droid on the fruit and vegetable salad he'd prepared for the organic lifeforms aboard.
"Oh thank you, Master Arnold," Sid 3PO replied happily. "I am programed for quite a number of tasks that help me to interact better with humans in..."
"Yeah, yeah," Helga said, impatiently. "We get the idea, goldenrod!"
Li-la Binks walked into the room, shaking her head. "The auto-pilot, she'sa on. I tells ya, this ship is ever-so old. The power cuplings, theysa all hokey!"
Arnold regarded this, then turned to Sid 3Po again. "Hey Sid, do you have any programs related to ship repair and maintance?"
"Why yes sir, it's second nature to me," Sid 3PO responded merrily. "Though I am usually an interpretor, and not a mechanic, I am quite capable of..."
"Okay, we get the idea," Helga said shortly. "So why don't you go put those programs to good use and fix this ship before we end up adrift and have to use you as spare parts!"
Sid 3PO shook his head as he left, "I'll just never understand human behavior."
Li-la Binks sits down between them. "Oh goody goody! Isa just lovesa fruit salad just ever-so much!" She began to prepare herself a plate.
"Helga, why do you always have to be so mean to people?" Arnold asked her.
"Huh?" She seemed confused by the question.
"I mean, the way you spoke to Sid just now, and to Chancellor Olga, I mean, she's your sister after all."
Helga scowled at him, "Hey, I thought you were supposed to be showing me how to use this Force thing, bucko!"
Arnold sighed, "Right."
Li-la Binks shot her long tongue out and captures a large peice of cut fruit from her plate, which momentarily distracts them. The both look at her, and she blushes, "Sorry."
"Well," Arnold began, "First you need to know exactly what The Force actually is. It's an energy field that surrounds and binds all living things..."
"Oh forget the science lesson," Helga said impatiently. "Just start by telling me how I did that thing back on Naboo?"
"Oh yeah, well when you were under stress, The Force within you was unleashed and you lashed out at the danger. You see, when someone who shares our ability to call upon The Force concentrates their thoughts, they can actually manipulate it and accomplish extrordinary things through it."
Again Li-la Binks lashes out with her tongue and again distracts them.
Helga frowned a moment and then turned the fork in her hand. "So, this thing can actually make me do all sorts of stuff, huh? Like what exactly?"
Arnold considered the question, "Well, the first thing it can do is give you more speed, make you faster with your reflexes."
She smiled, twirling the fork in her fingers, "You mean to say that I could react faster to something, even have an advantage in speed?"
He nodded, "Yes, you can even anticipate things, see them coming in your mind when you concentrate on something."
"Really?" Helga said, smiling slightly. "Well then..."
Li-la Binks lashes out with her long tongue again, but before she could detract it back into her mouth, Helga, moving really fast with her arm, drove the fork down on the table on the Gungan's tongue. Luckly, the fork only had two prongs, which were far enough apart not to pierce Li-la's tongue, but short enough to catch it on the table.
Arnold, despite being surprised and slightly appauled at the act, looked on wide-eyed and actually smiled slightly at the feat accomplished. "Wow! T-that was pretty good!"
Helga snorted, "Not really...I missed." She said that with such a strait face that Arnold, for a second, thought she was serious, until he saw her smile slightly and wink at him. He relaxed.
Li-la Binks was wide-eyed and nervous. Still holding the fork, Helga looked over at her and said, smiling wickedly, "Don't do that again! Got it?"
Li-la nodded and said, her caught tongue vibrating, "Eim eer-tho thorree!" (translation: 'I'm ever-so sorry!")
Helga pulled the fork from the table and Li-la grabbed her poor tongue and checked it for puncture holes.
Arnold nodded, "Not bad, for a first try."
"Thanks, football-head," Helga said, almsot sweetly.
Then they began eating.
After their meal, Arnold and Helga continued to sit at the table talking about various things. Li-la Binks had gone to help Sid 3PO fix the power cupplings. At first, Arnold ahd been reluctant to discuss more than the training, and Helga had been somewhat resistant and arrogant, but after a while they began to talk comfortably with each other...
"So..." Arnold said, going on with a story of one of his missions with his Jedi master. "After that failed, me and Master Stinky enter into some aggressive negotiations..."
Helga looked at him, confused, "'Aggressive negotiations'?"
Arnold smiled, "You know, with a lightsaber."
She blinked, then smiled at the term, "Oh yeah, of course."
Arnold notices her smile and stares at it, blinking. Helga looks at him and asks, "What is it? Why are you stareing at me like that?"
"Nothing, it's just...well, it's the firsttime I've seen you smile like that." He told her.
"So what's your point?" Helga asked, folding her arms.
"Well...I just think you look sort-of nice when you do," Arnold said, then blinked at what he'd just said.
Helga also blinked at that, unable to respond for the moment, totally at a loss for words.
Noticing this, Arnold looked alarmed, "Oh I-I'm sorry, Helga! I didn't mean to embarrass you, or anything..."
She shook her head and looked away. "No...no you didn't, it's jsut that...well nobody's ever really paid attention to me enough to notice anything little like that before, or give me any complements like that. I'm just not too used to them."
Arnold looked at her when she said that, she seemed so serious, and so sad as she said that. "I find that difficult to believe. I mean, what about your parents, or your sister?"
Helga let out a very bitter laugh. "Ha! My father disappeared three years ago and never came back. My mom, well she wouldn't notice me if I started laying golden eggs."
"Well," Arnold asked, "Your sister, Chancellor Olga, I mean, she seemed to show you alot of affection."
Helga looked at him angrily, "Olga, is a stuck-up, arrogant snob!" She stood up and paced angrily. "All my life, all she ever did was shove every accomplishment of hers under my nose, and my parents, well I'm expected to keep up with her just because I'm her little sister."
Arnold stood up and looked at her, a small thread of sympathy appeared on his face. "That doesn't sound very fair."
"It sure isn't, hair-boy!" She said, bitterly.
"People shouldn't be made to live up to anyone else, they have to walk their own paths," Arnold said to her. Helga stopped pacing and looked at him. "Everyone is different, and destiny has plans for each person."
"Please," Helga said, shortly. "Spare me the talk about the will of The Force and fate!"
Arnold sighed and shook his head, "Helga, the point is, I don't think you're so unimportant."
Helga looked at him, her large blue eyes wide and unblinking. "You don't?" She asked incrudiously.
"No, I mean everybody is important, in his, or her own way. You just have to find your own path and I promise you'll do good things. I just know it."
Helga studied the floor, smiling, then she looked up at Arnold and ndded, "I hope you're right about that."
He smiled abck at her warmly, "I know I am."
They both walked over to the nearby window and looked out at the starfield before them, both of them putting their hands on the window seal, their hands only a few inches apart.
"You know, I never really did thank you for saving my life back on Naboo," Helga said, turning to him.
Arnold shook his head, "You don't have to, I mean I was just doing my duty after all."
Helga sighed, "Still, I've been kind-of mean and arrogant to you, and you still went out of your way to help me with these powers too. I mean, I've never meet anyone like you before, and it's really hard for me to show my feelings..." She turned back to look out at the stars. "All my life, I've kept everything and everyone distant, so I'm not used to kindness, or showing it. I just don't want you to think that I'm some cold, uncaring person."
Arnold looked over at her and smiled warmly, reaching over and taking her left hand. "I don't think you're any of those things, Helga."
She turns back to look at him, smiling. They face each other for a long moment, still holding hands and smiling, as if lost in a trance. Then both of them leaned closer to each other, close their eyes, and then...
The door burst open.
"Weesa fixed it! Weesa fixed it!" Li-la Binks shouted, walking in to the room, followed by Sid 3PO.
"You will both be happy to know that the power cupplings have been restored to full working order," Sid 3PO said to them.
Arnold and Helga turn to look at them, the spell broken and released their hands. Helga walks slowly towards them, a meanacing scowl on her face. "Thank you, thank you very much!" She said, the sarcasm thick in her voice.
Li-la Binks, who knew that look all too well got nervous and began to back away. Sid 3PO, oblivious to the sarcasm, responded, as Li-la pulled him back into the doorway, "Oh thank you, madam! I am so happy to be of help."
Arnold blinked and said, embarrassed, "Um, maybe I should go check on the outopilot for a while." He leaves the room and Helga all alone.
Helga looked down a moment, and whispered to herself, "Cariminey! What was I doing?!"
Arnold, entering the cockpit, sat in the pilot's chair and whispered to himself, uncertain, "What was I doing?"
To Be Continued...
Hey, don't ya'll feel like choking Lila and Sid right now...he! he! Don't worry, more scenes, and more romance coming soon! Stay tuned...