Chapter Two – Progress

She couldn't believe her luck sometimes. Some might consider her a thief and if you want to think like those people, then it was true. She liked to think of herself as an investor; taking what others didn't want and making use of it. That was, of course, beside the point. Thief or not it was just her luck that the situation that happened, actually happened to her. It wasn't all that bad at first, considering the fact that she understood spaceports only had a limited amount of space. She understood quite well. There were always more important people; and by that it's obvious that they had more money. Pay enough and anything can happen, especially in this galaxy. So the fact that her ship was moved from Theed to the Keren spaceport was understandable. A little irritating but still understandable considering the amount of time she'd spent in Theed. Thankfully she didn't have a shipment on board, she was thankful of that. But what happened next, was just ridiculous. Someone stole her land speeder. That, was something she couldn't understand. She was furious. She'd spent almost two thousand credits on it. She was hoping to be able to transport it with her on her ship so she wouldn't have to walk around anymore. That was the only reason she'd actually paid that much for it, because it was guaranteed to last, it was after all a Correllian imported mark two tri-engine land speeder. Those were pretty well built. But, of course, her luck always had something out for her. She wrapped her arms tighter around him. Well, it wasn't all bad. Maybe it actually was good luck. After all, this ride was way faster. And his skill at driving, it was phenomenal. She was impressed. He'd offered her a ride as soon as she started to curse her trouble.

"I can't believe this!" she yelled, kicking the dirt from the ground. "This is rotten luck!" She grabbed the back of her neck and looked upwards, hoping to relieve the stress building up. She looked behind her. "What?" she asked inquisitively as she glared at him. "Absolutely nothing," he chuckled. He gave another smile, he was always smiling she noticed. "But let's not worry about your bad luck. I can get us there faster." He said casually. She put her arms down, turning around to look at him. "What are you droning on about?" He started walking past her. "Just follow me, you'll see." She was watching him walk away, with a questioning look. She shrugged, and followed him. She might as well, there wasn't anything else she could do, and she lost almost two thousand credits after all. He stopped at the end of the parking garage and turned to her. "Listen, I'm going to have to insist you wear this." He held his helmet out in front of him towards her. One of her eyebrows rose. "Why? An imperial helmet isn't really my style." She scoffed. He only pushed the helmet into her chest. "Like I said, I have to insist." He let go of the helmet as she grabbed it reluctantly. He turned towards the garage and pushed the button, opening the door. Inside was a single speeder. Her eyes widened slightly. "You own a swoop?" she asked a little surprised. He smiled at her. "Hey, I'm a scout, remember? We've been upgraded a bit, sure speeder bikes are nice, pretty fast too, but these are the latest. Swoop bikes. Faster, lighter, they even have more pinpoint turning capabilities. Everything a scout needs." He climbed onto it, kicking down on the foot rest, causing the bike to power up, lifting slowly off the floor mounts it was suspended on. "Before you ask, I had that modified. I like the fact that I can turn this thing on." He laughed as she shook her head at him. "Well, I still don't understand why you gave me your helmet. Don't you need it to navigate?" she asked. "Well it helps, but I like driving this thing without it. And I'm not that bad of a driver. Plus, I'd rather you had it on for protection." He looked at her as he said it. She couldn't help it, the blushing just wouldn't quit. She quickly pulled the helmet over her face to hide it before he saw. "Fine," she said, climbing onto the swoop, "If you insist." He smiled to himself. He waited for her to put her arms around his waist. "Hold on, alright?" he told her, and pulled the throttle, flying forward out of the garage and out into the brush towards the direction of Keren.

"I've still yet to learn your name, you know." He called back behind him as he drove them forward on the swoop. She looked up a little, realizing she didn't even know his name either. Odd, through this entire time she never once thought to ask him his name. She was baffled, why hadn't she thought to ask? She wasn't that trusting. "The name's Veronica. Veronica Morningstar. I suppose you can call me a smuggler." She said through the helmet. He nodded, "Veronica? Well, that's quite an exotic name to me. It suits you. Mine's Myles Dreadlow. So you're a smuggler? That would explain your stubbornness." He joked. She hit him in the side, causing him to veer slightly to the left. "I'm not that stubborn." She argued. "I'd just rather be independent, that's all." Once again, he nodded. "Understandable. Well, I'm afraid you already know my occupation, so I can't really tell you that again." She laughed. "Right, your occupation, you mean saving women even if it costs you your job?" she laughed as she pulled closer to him, knowing full well what she was doing. He blushed, profusely, laughing nervously. "Ugh, ha, that's, that's not it. I mean, I couldn't just, you know, let them take you in for something you didn't do. Ha. Ha…" She laughed, loving how easy it was to make him nervous. "Well, the fact is, you didn't need to do it. But, you did. And for that I guess I have to thank you. So the least I can do is take you off this rock." He smiled to himself, "Well, thank you. Hold on a second we're almost there." He pushed down on another foot rest, causing the swoop to shift gears, increasing the speed. He instinctively pulled the throttle as soon as he shifted to maximize the power output. She laughed, "You really know how to drive this thing pretty well. Think you can pilot a ship? I could use a co-pilot." He laughed as well, shaking his head. "Well, that's the problem. I didn't really do too well in the piloting courses. Down here, on the ground, I'm fine." he shifted again, "But up there? Well, even in a simulator I didn't do too well. It's not my thing." He pulled to the right, missing a tree by an inch. "Well, you've got some great instincts, too bad you can't fly. I could use someone to fly the Pride." She said casually. "The Pride?" he asked questioningly. "The Wings of Pride; it's the name of my ship. I call her the Pride for short. She's a YT series light freighter." The pride could be felt dripping from her words, which in itself was ironic.

No sooner than she had finished explaining, Myles had quickly shifted again; the swoop slowed suddenly. They stopped in front of a gigantic building. "Keren Spaceport. Wasn't too long of a trip, eh?" he joked as Veronica had dismounted, taking the helmet off. She shoved it into his chest. "Not at all, but how the hell do you stand having that thing on for so long?" He shrugged as the bike slowly descended to the ground, turning off. "I guess I've gotten used to it." His gaze quickly shifted. "What's that?" he asked, getting off and walking over to the side of the building. Veronica followed him, not knowing what he was talking about. "It's just a junk pile, why are you so interested in that?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips in an annoyed way. Something in the pile moved, shifting some of the junk aside. "What the hell?" she asked, now interested. She leaned forward as to get a better view from behind Myles. Whatever was in the junk pile moving, quickly pushed out and made its way toward Veronica. It stopped in front of her feet and started to beep. Bending down in front of her, Myles started looking at the beeping object. "It's a droid." He said calmly, "A pretty beaten up mouse droid at that." It was true, the mouse droid had an entire side plate missing, with wires cut and laying out. It turned towards Myles, then quickly turned back to Veronica, and drove around her feet, and stopped between her legs. "It looks like it likes you." He laughed, teasing her. She glared at him, "Very funny, now come on, I have to go talk to the dock manager so we can get out of here." Myles looked up at her, "You go ahead, I'll meet you in the lounge. I'm going to try to get this little guy fixed up." He picked up the mouse droid, and stood up. "What good would a mouse droid be to us?" she asked. He scoffed, "Come on. It's an MSE-6 series repair droid. They're usually found on star destroyers. These little things are what keep those rust buckets flying, and if you ask me, they're the only thing." Veronica looked at him, then down at the mouse droid, which beeped twice. "I'm not much of a droid engineer Myles. Besides, that little guy can really fix a star destroyer?" she asked interrogatingly. "Well, ok, not only him. But, he could prove invaluable. I'm sure with a couple modifications we could have him do routine maintenance on your ship so you don't have to, and I can fix him. The academy taught us a little bit about droids. Besides, think of this as payment for my ticket as a passenger." He chuckled, and then smiled at her. The only thing she could do was shake her head. However she couldn't help but smile slightly. "Alright, I'll be back in twenty minutes hopefully; I'll meet you in the lounge. If you're not there, I'm leaving without you, got it?" Myles saluted her, standing tall and straight like an Imperial soldier would salute an officer. "Roger that!" he took off as soon as he finished saluting. She once again just shook her head; he really was an odd one. She turned and headed off into the spaceport.

As Myles was walking, the mouse droid in one hand, his helmet in the other; he couldn't help but think about the past couple of days. He chuckled to himself. Days, he thought, how can that short of time be enough to feel this comfortable with someone? He shook his head slowly as he walked. Not that I actually mind, he reminded himself, she's quite a lovely woman after all. I'm rather lucky to even have met her. And she's got a great personality. He rolled his eyes as he smiled to himself, still walking. Yeah, such a great personality she has. She's rough, hard to read, as stubborn as the moon is gray. But, I suppose that's her charm. He chuckled to himself. Yeah, that's definitely her charm. She's really an independent person; strong, capable, and very smart. He sighed. Everything I'm not. He remembered how easily he blushed as he was driving with her on the swoop. And I'm supposed to be a soldier. I get choked up because of a woman! His eyes lowered, watching his feet as he stepped. She's probably the closest thing to a friend I have though. And I'm not going to lose that. His gaze returned to a steady level, with a new sense of determination flickering in his eyes. I'm definitely not going to lose that. He stopped. To his left was a sign. It said 'Binary Emporium' written neatly in aurebesh. He walked in and saw a familiar face. "Welcome to Binary Emporium, I am C5-J3. May I be of service?" He smiled; Face wasn't really the right thing to call it. Face plate, maybe? "Hey C5, how's business?" he asked intently. The protocol droid raised its arms. "Oh! Colonel Dreadlow, a pleasure it is to see you here again." It bowed, stiffly. "May I interest you in any more modifications for your swoop?" Myles shook his head. "Thanks C5, not this time though. Actually, I was wondering if you'd had any spare parts for an MSE-6 series repair droid." As he spoke he placed the droid on the counter. C5 bent down to take a closer look. "Oh, I see an MSE-6 droid. It seems a little beaten up. I shall check the inventory manifest, one moment please." It stood up straight, and stopped. Whoever put C5 in charge of the store was smart. Having a droid was a smart idea for a salesman. They wouldn't accept bribes, could check the inventory in no time flat, and were a little easier to talk to than an actual human. "It seems you are in luck, Colonel. We have a fresh shipment of MSE-6 series parts. They were shipped to us a couple of days ago. Anything in particular you're interested in?" C5 asked Myles. He thought for a moment, "Well, I have a couple ideas. But for now, a ship interface card, security interface card, a blank interface card and a side panel would be perfect, if you have them." C5 turned around and headed to the back. "All four are available. One moment please." After about a minute, C5 returned with a small box. "Here you are Colonel. One ship interface card, one security interface card, one blank interface card and a side panel. That will be two hundred and sixty credits total." Myles nodded, and handed the droid his credit chip. The C5 scanned his card and handed it back. "Transaction completed. Would you like me to install them for you? Free of charge." Myles smiled. "That would be wonderful, thanks C5." After another moment, the mouse droid was on the counter looking more complete than it had only seconds ago. C5 looked at Myles. "This particular mouse droid's serial number is N109W." he said as he turned the mouse droid on. Myles looked at the mouse droid, as it turned to face him. "N109W, huh? That's too hard to remember, I'll just call you Nigel." The mouse droid beeped in compliance. Myles picked it up and laid it on the floor. "Thanks again C5, I appreciate it." C5 raised one of its arms to wave. "You are quite welcome Colonel, please come back soon." Myles walked out of the store, Nigel following him.

Veronica walked out of the office, one of her hands rubbing her neck. Jeez, that took longer than expected. She walked down to the lounge, as quickly as she could. I'm just glad it's all set, within the next half hour the ship will be fueled and ready to launch. Finally, we can get off this rock. As she got to the lounge, she didn't see Myles anywhere. She sighed. It figures he'd still be out and about. She laid on one of the couches, sprawled out. He's such an odd person. He's supposed to be a scout trooper, and yet he acts so care free. She breathed in deeply, exhaling slowly. It was a rare thing for her, to be able to relax. Hell, am I even supposed to be relaxing right now? Myles just took out four storm troopers. He's basically a traitor now, and me? I'm a smuggler; they'd have found that out sooner or later if I was caught. I'd probably be in even more trouble than him. She closed her eyes, thinking about the past few days. But, I guess I'll get to see tomorrow, because of him. She smiled slightly. I guess I owe him one. He did save my life. I still can't believe how well he fought. Sure, he's a trooper, but still. She laid there thinking about him. He's extremely well versed in combat, though I wouldn't have guessed it at first even if he is a trooper. Such a kindhearted spirit too. And understanding… she stopped. She shook her head. Why am I thinking about him this much? Alright, so he gets me, or at least understands my privacy, so what? Actually, he hasn't asked anything about me yet, just my name. She sighed. He was so odd to her; she'd never had experience with anyone quite like him before. Before too long, she slipped quietly to sleep.

Her eyes slowly opened. She yawned, still feeling groggy from sleeping. She jolted upwards, realizing now that she fell asleep in the lounge. Just how long was I sleeping for? She wondered. Suddenly, she looked around and realized she wasn't in the lounge. She was in her cabin on the Pride. She stood up and stretched. A puzzled look formed on her face. How did I get here? She pushed the controls to her cabin and the door opened. She started to walk towards the common area. Where the hell is Myles, anyway? The Pride's probably fueled by now. As she stepped into the common area, she looked to the left and saw someone lying down on the couch. Her heart raced, and her hand instinctively grabbed her blaster pistol, aiming at the person. She walked slowly over. After a minute, she realized it was Myles. What the hell? Did that moron carry me here? Just the thought of that made her blush. She closed her eyes angrily, and holstered her pistol. She opened her eyes, looked at Myles, and kicked him in the head. He flew upright, holding his head. "OW! WHAT THE HELL!?" he looked to his left and saw her. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR VERONICA?!" he yelled. She scoffed, "THAT was for not waking me up." she said as she folded her arms across her chest while shifting her weight to one side. Myles sighed. "Well, you were sleeping. I didn't have the heart to wake you up. And I figured sleeping out there wasn't the safest of places." He explained slowly, hoping not to irritate her anymore. She looked at him, analyzing him. Her expression softened, but she quickly turned around. "So where's your armor?" she said, changing the subject. "I didn't even realize who you were. I had my blaster aimed at you for a while, you know." He looked at her with wide eyes. "You did?!" he exclaimed. She turned around and sneered. "Almost blew your head right of." He paled. All she could do was laugh. "Don't worry, don't worry. The important thing is I didn't." He slowly got up and stretched. "Well, no harm no foul I guess. My armor's in one of your storage lockers, I hope you don't mind. I picked the empty one on the end, so I wouldn't intrude." She shrugged. "It's not a problem. Well, it's about time to leave. We should be fueled up by now." As soon as she said that, a mouse droid whizzed past her feet, turning into the maintenance crawl space. She blinked, as if she didn't believe what she just saw. "What. Was that?" she asked as she turned towards Myles, putting her hands on her hips. He just smiled at her. "Remember that broken mouse droid I found? Well, say hello to N109W. I named him Nigel." The droid came speeding out of the crawl space, past Veronica's feet again, and sped into another crawl space like a bullet. "What the hell is it doing?!" she yelled. He laughed. "I told it to do some minor repair work for you, it was a surprise. So, ugh, surprise?" She shook her head, but couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, thanks. Next time let me know first, will you?" Myles nodded, "Yeah, of course."