Extraordinaire

I wake slowly; a grin begins forming before my eyes can even focus. Stifling a yawn and stretching stiff muscles, I peer with growing interest at the naked body invading my space. "Do you ever sleep?"

Marjo chuckles and forces me over in order to crawl under the blanket. These bunks aren't exactly made for two people so the fit is tight forcing our bodies to be close. I like that. "Sure, when I'm not busy torturing you." Mmm, torture…

I grunt my objection yet shift in order to make room. "You're cold." Marjo wraps around me shivering. Great, now I'm cold. My eyes close, my grin remains as ideas of how to warm up dance behind my eyelids. "Where have you been?"

"Space walking, do you have any idea how fantastic it is? Well, that and freezing." Marjo nuzzles my neck and I instinctively tighten my grip and rub extremities. "There was no reason for it as far as I could tell, but someone swears it was necessary. I think someone is just trying to make me miserable." Even with my eyes closed, I know Marjo is pouting, I can hear it.

"Who would want to do that?" Our temperatures are at a mutual level of comfort and I can feel Marjo relax in my embrace. "And don't say the Jedi. I'm sure they have more important things to do than annoy you." I try to hide my amusement, eyeing Marjo through hooded eyes and laugh noting the look of mock hurt.

"You would doubt my word?" Marjo kisses my chest as sleep slowly takes over.

Watching Marjo sleep, my body stirs. This is insane. We've known each other for less than a week, there is no way I can feel so strongly about anyone in such a short time. My calloused finger, brushes along a full bottom lip that I have an unnatural urge to bite. Marjo's words come back to me, 'Okay, I lied, I bite.'

My body can attest to that claim. I look at my chest, noting the visible marks and grin. Marjo stirs, rolls over, back to my front and a grin of lust momentarily steals across my face. Conversations come to mind, jumbled and rushed. So much has happened and said in these few days and I can't imagine life without...

No, I can't think that way. We'll be on Coruscant and they'll leave, Marjo among them. Didn't Marjo say things were complicated and better left as is? Truth is rarely easy to take, this singular truth is a bitter pill to swallow. Wrapping my arm around Marjo, I settle back down and lay my head upon the pillow. I have another hour before I have to get ready for my shift and my eyes drift closed as a memory invades my dreams.

Teeth raked along my nipple and I inhaled sharply. Marjo's feral grin flashed up at me, eyes hooded and dark with desire, want, lust. I suddenly felt like prey and a shiver stole up my spine. I imagined Marjo descending upon me and feel the familiar twitch in my groin. 'Audacious.' I continue our silly game.

'Indomitable.'

'Amazing.'

Marjo's mouth opened to speak and closed with a troubled look that was hard to read. Damn, game over. I shifted the pillow under my head and looked up at the complicated person now sitting up, straddling me. 'No, I'm far from amazing. You're doing it again, Trask. You're overthinking things. I'm a soldier, like you: trained to follow orders, trained to kill. There is nothing amazing about-'

'Yes, there i-'

My words were stopped by Marjo's lips on mine. The kiss was so sudden and so filled with emotion I moaned giving access to my mouth. Marjo wasted no time to take advantage of this and soon our tongues danced. I wrapped an arm around Marjo's shoulders, a hand to the back of the head and pulled to deepen the kiss only stopping when my lungs screamed for respite. I felt as if I was drowning in Marjo and I didn't want it to stop.

'Do you want to know why I happen to be on this bucket?' I felt my head nod slowly. The intensity in Marjo's gaze had me questioning if I really wanted to know. Only it was too late to change my mind now. 'I was part of a strike team, things didn't work out the way it was supposed to and most of the team was wiped out. Only two out of five of us survived. I can't tell you where, I can't tell you why, that's top secret.

'I'm not a part of the Republic Army for a reason. If I were a soldier like you are, I'd have to follow the same rules you do, answer to too many people. We're an elite combat team that works outside the Army. This way we can go in and get the job done by any means possible.'

'You're a merc-' The words were out of my mouth before they even registered in my head and the look of annoyance and anger stopped me from completing the thought.

'No! A mercenary works for anyone with credits. I work only for the Republic and I am a soldier for the Republic.' Marjo manages to roll us over putting me on top. Fingers clinging to my shoulder, a hand pulling my head closer, our lips meet again. This kiss was desperate, searching, exploring almost yearning but for what I don't know. Marjo held me close, clinging to me when I heard words softly spoken, 'If you must label me, it would probably be more accurate to say I'm an assassin.'

Marjo's hold on me is gone and I'm painfully bereft, staring down at the face I could honestly say I'd stare at for the rest of my days. I understand now, the desperation, the yearning for acceptance. The grim tightening line that was once full luscious lips calls to me and I answer with a chaste kiss. 'I don't have to label you, and if I did it would be…' mine, 'extraordinaire.'

The alarm rudely pulls me from the dream, Marjo is draped over me, arm across my chest, leg wrapped around mine and I mentally curse the time. Reaching out, I hit the off switch before running fingers down silky smooth tanned skin, tracing muscles with fingertips until Marjo stirs.

I lift my head, my elbow supporting the weight and I look at Marjo more comfortably. I start again, outlining features; lips, nose, chin, neck, collarbone. Marjo stirs with a soft moan. "It's so weird. I can't get enough of you." Marjo rolls over, "From the moment we met, I had to have you. I had to be yours. There's nothing I won't do for you."

My hand glides over Marjo's form, touching every intimate inch, some places more than once with hands, with tongue, with lips and teeth. Marjo returns my passion ten fold, overwhelming my already emotional state. Passion is rampant until our sated bodies collapse, still intertwined. I cradle Marjo waiting for sleep to come. Once I hear soft breathing along with the feel of slow rhythmic rise and fall of Marjo's chest, I carefully extract my limbs and head to the 'fresher.

Humming to myself I shower quickly, allowing the water to wash away my doubts. Don't over think this; just take it a day at a time. I stare at my reflection noting bite marks across my chest. I run my fingers across them with a smirk tugging at my lips and a twitch of longing pulls at my groin. How am I going to let Marjo go?

I quickly dress, refusing to look at the bed even though I can hear Marjo's even breathing. My uniform freshly pressed, my pistol strapped to my thigh, my helm casually under my arm I stand over my bed looking at Marjo. I feel the familiar pull to protect Marjo but from what, I don't know. I gently kiss Marjo's forehead. "If someone wants to hurt you, they'll have to go through me first."

Marjo stirs and I make my way to the door quickly. If I don't there's no telling how long it will take before I can escape again. The thought makes me grin. I've been grinning a lot lately. Marjo's influence no doubt. I'm making my way to the mess hall when I'm face to face with the one person, the only person, on this ship that I have been avoiding. "Vesis…"

"Trask," Vesis falls into step with me oblivious of the direction we're heading. "You're avoiding me."

Yes, I am. "I've been busy." I round the corner minimally quickening my pace. Being tall has some advantages. I glance at Vesis noting two steps to my one. Really, some people simply don't see what is painfully obvious to everyone else.

"You're too busy for me but not too busy for that new bunk mate of yours." Vesis continues when I give an annoyed glance. "I've heard rumors, rumors about you… and that Stolar person." Vesis sounds slightly winded keeping pace with me and I hold back a smirk. I continue walking refusing to voice an opinion on any rumor. Let them talk, there is probably more truth to the rumors than they realize. "So they're true." Vesis reaches for me and I pull away, stopping momentarily to glare. "Trask, what about us?"

Blast it, here we go again. "Vesis, there is no 'us'." I sigh heavily staring into Vesis' accusing eyes. "There has never been an 'us', just you and your…" fantasies, "imagination."

"That isn't what you said before Stolar came along." I continue walking towards the mess hall although I doubt I can eat any more. Maybe I'll just grab a caffa. This whole notion of me and Vesis doesn't sit well with me. It is pure fabrication. I never agreed to any relations, we've never dated or kissed or- "Do you love this nerf-"

That's it, I lose it, lashing out, slamming Vesis to a wall with my forearm pressing across Vesis' throat, my right hand clenches into a fist and I startle us both with how angry I am. Vesis let's out a pathetic whimper, clawing at my arm and I back away. Where did this come from? I'm usually the last to lose my temper. My voice drops to a growl barely containing my rage. "You have no idea what kind of person-"

"Oh stars," Vesis' voice drops to a choked whisper, "you're in love? Under a week this Stolar has you-"

"Shh…" I turn my head listening intently to the engines. Vesis tries to speak but I hold a hand up to forestall more bickering. "Something's wrong with the engines, there's a whine, stress…" My head tilts as I struggle to listen to the subtle difference and my heart hammers in my chest. Something is wrong. "I have to get to engineering."

"Trask-" The ship pitches throwing us both to the floor as a far off noise in the engines twist in my gut.

Scrambling up, my eyes are wide and I help Vesis off the ground. "We stopped."

No sooner are the words out of my mouth, the general alarm sounds. Lights flash and orders are sent over the comm. "All hands to battle stations. All hands to battle stations!"

"Marjo!" I break into a run leaving Vesis trembling in the hall calling my name.