Chapter 44 – Caught

Usually, speeder rides with Corso were a delightful opportunity for a bit of wriggly mischief. Nothing too mean, of course, and nothing that couldn't be indirectly denied with an innocently wide-eyed gaze when she looked at his reddened face and asked him if everything was all right.

But now, with the situation as it was, things were different. Vacy had nothing against a bit of fun here and there… well, just about anywhere, to be honest… but while flirting (and perhaps more than that) could certainly be an entertaining way to pass the time, she drew the line at being a thief. Well, at least, not that kind of thief, anyway, she amended. True, there was a bit of thrill to poaching someone who'd made promises to somebody else - an extra challenge to the flirtation, so to speak. But she'd never heard tell of it ending with anything other than pain and new enemies, and she had more than enough of both.

So when Corso nestled closer to her, she did her best to ignore it. The speeder wasn't big, after all, and perhaps he was off-balance and settling in. But when he tried it again a few moments later, she found herself getting a touch annoyed. First of all, she was the one driving. Granted, it wasn't like they were going to run into a tree or anything, and the endless rolling sand dunes would cushion their fall pretty well if she lost control. But beyond that, she was the one who was the irresponsible flirt, not him! And he was the one with a new girlfriend! What in blazes was he thinking?

It was when he nudged at her shoulder that she lost her temper. She cut the power and stepped down. Whirling to face him, she yanked off the bandanna that she'd tied around the lower half of her face. "What?" she burst out, glaring at him through her goggles. "What is so kriffing important that you have to pester me while I'm driving?"

He looked a bit surprised by her outburst, but nodded his head toward the southwest. "Um. That?"

She looked where he'd indicated and felt a sudden chill even in the middle of the Tatooine desert. A mountain of billowing sand stretched up from the ground to the sky, shifting and roiling furiously as it moved toward them.

Vacy tried to swallow past the tightness in her throat. "We'll never make it back to the outpost before it hits," she said quietly.

Corso looked around at the rocks and sand and the tiny scrub brushes that poked up stubbornly and provided no shelter whatsoever. "We've got a few minutes. We can dig in a bit, set up a windbreak. I'll put my back to the storm, and if you stay next to me, maybe…" His voice trailed off as he looked at her, and she knew it was a long shot.

"C'mon," she said, pulling the bandanna back up again and stepping up onto the speeder. "That cliff face up ahead - maybe there's a cavern or something. If it's deep enough, we should be protected."

He settled in behind her as she started the motor. "If it isn't, we're like to get buried."

She said nothing, but headed them toward the rocky outcropping anyway. He was right, and it wasn't a good plan, but it was the best one they had.

The wind had started to kick up around them, and the 'plinks' from small pebbles striking the speeder and Corso's armor were becoming more frequent, when finally Vacy spotted an opening in what was an otherwise unbroken stretch of sheer rock and moved toward it. She already had the engine at full throttle, and it was beginning to whine.

As the storm began to howl around them, she guided the vehicle through the wide mouth of the cavern. It didn't provide much cover, but she could see a bend up ahead as it narrowed. They jumped off the speeder, leaving it at the entrance, and hurried toward that curve, blasters drawn and ready.

However, it seemed that the rills and wraids preferred to bake out in the open. A few beetles skittered away from the crunch of their boots, but other than that, the cave was unoccupied.

Further in, the tunnel widened into a small open area. Dust and grit swirled around their ankles, but fortunately, they were far enough inside and sheltered by the alcove from the fury of the storm. Coughing, the two spacers brushed off as well as they could.

With a sigh of relief, Corso reached up to his headgear and deactivated the shield, then pulled the band from his forehead and shook out his dreadlocks as best he could. Vacy could see the beginnings of a tan line across his face, just above his brows, from where it always sat. "Guess this thing ain't designed to protect from particles that little." He slipped it back on, then rummaged around in his pouches for his tube of kolto gel, dabbing it at the corners of his eyes and along the edge of his mouth, where the skin had cracked. "But whew! Once you got about sixty bazillion of 'em, they kinda add up!"

Vacy pulled her goggles up, then reached back and untied the bandanna. As she lifted it from her face, she felt a sudden, sharp twinge of pain, and she hissed, grimacing a bit.

Corso looked over and frowned. "Oo, that looks like it smarts, Vee." He stepped closer and shook his head. "Doesn't seem serious, but - here." Squeezing out a bit of gel onto one finger, he touched it gently to the sore spot on her cheekbone.

She chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Thought I was supposed t'be the medic."

Wrinkling his nose at her in reply, he reached up and cupped her chin in his other hand. "Hold still." She felt her heartbeat quicken as he brushed the lotion over the wound. "There," he said finally, and his smile was soft. "You're always takin' care of everybody else. So who's supposed to take care of you?"

Her heart seemed to lift, somehow, and for a moment she wondered if maybe she wasn't wrong about… well, about everything. She took a breath. "Corso," she began.

But she was interrupted by a low, mocking laugh. "Well, well," came an unfamiliar voice. "What a touching moment."

Both spacers whirled, guns immediately drawn. A woman walked toward them, shrouded in a dark cloak. "I'm terribly sorry," she continued, her tone making it clear that she really wasn't sorry in the least, "but I'm afraid I simply must interrupt your little rendezvous."

Vacy's gaze darted to the woman's waist, but the cloak that was wrapped around her obscured any sign of armor or weapons. As she drew closer, she reached up and pulled the hood back, revealing the blood-red skin, chin tendrils, and golden eyes common among the sith.

Author's Note: Aw, come on, you didn't actually think I was gonna let them work things out, did you? Heh heh heh… well, not yet anyway! "The path of true love never did run smooth," or something like that.

I've changed some things around here; in-game, Vaverone Zare is a human. I chose to make her sith because… well, because why not? I don't know that I've written about one in Vacy's storyline yet, and it kind of felt like it was time. Zare's a lot of fun to write; she's an excellent foil for Nariel Pridence because they're both so absolutely sure of themselves - but in different ways!

Thanks so much for continuing to read. I've never written anything quite like this before, and I'm really excited to see it start moving toward its conclusion. Don't be a stranger - drop me a review or a PM to say hi :)