Chapter 9: Another New Friend

A Few Months Later

After heavy pay-outs from her successful jobs on Alderann, Tatooine and Yavin 4 her next assignment was Ord Mantell again. Hopefully he'll be there…We have so much to catch up on! Iz'phal thought happily to herself as she set the co-ordinates for take-off. Since their first meeting on Ord Mantell the Imperial soldier and the spacer had got on immediately. They had been regularly contacting each other, getting to know each better, seemingly becoming closer each time they met until they could call each other friends. It was a lovely feeling and she only hoped he was there, so she could visit him, with a bottle of his favourite Corellian brandy she knew he liked if she could find some. She and Quinn had gotten to know each other quite well and it made her safer in the galaxy to know she had another friend. One who would come running if she needed. Still the impending war on the planet unsettled her. It was very uncomfortable walking through the villages, seeing smoke and dust everywhere from cannon fire, not knowing when there would be peace again and Quinn was right. The planet wasn't safe, especially for people just to stop by as you would most likely get stabbed in the back or shot down but Iz'phal was streetwise and knew how to defend herself. She had also taken combat classes alongside the piloting, so she was a mean gunslinger and could handle herself now, as proven on trips to dark and dangerous worlds run by cartel crime lords and gangsters like Nar Shaddaa. She had reloaded her blaster cells before she'd left Alderann, a beautiful TC-2 model made of flic alloy with a firm grip. It wasn't much but it was light and in her hand was about as deadly as an assault cannon. As she made the landing cycle into the spaceport the docket was signed, and the packages delivered. Now to seek out her friend!

She wondered the streets and desolate lands of the lower sector of Ord Mantell for a good hour trying to find him but no such luck. She was beginning to think he was ignoring her or that he wasn't hear. Maybe I just missed him! Damn it! Malavai I wanted to tell you the story of the run in I had with the Alderannian nobles! It was so funny! Iz'phal whined playfully to herself as deciding she'd had enough of wondering around, guessing she could find him later she went to set her stuff up in her usual spot, plugging things in and having some food before taking a walk, minding the dangers as she went along. Quinn had warned her this planet was a death trap and not to go wondering about unnecessarily, but she waved away his concerning words, she was a strong girl and could look after herself. On her way through the village she knew little of the dangers under the streets themselves, bombs and mines which the Separatists had placed, hoping to catch some republic soldiers in their blasts. Iz'phal decided to stick to her present course, not to attract attention as she headed round the outskirts of Fort Garnik trying to find her friend. She still had no idea he was working for the Empire and that he was an Imperial but that was probably for the best. After all she'd seen the things the Empire had done in the galaxy and didn't support it one bit. Suddenly a beeping under her foot and Iz'phal's heart spiked. She'd set off one of the cleverly disguised mines on the walkway and she prepared herself to be blown to pieces by another mine on her when out of nowhere she was safe, having been tackled to the ground to get her to a safe distance, her head being kept down on the floor. A figure had seen the impending danger and leapt across the walkway, knocking her to the ground, shielding her with his arms. The rescue was so sudden that Iz'phal had the breath knocked out of her as she huddled against whoever had saved her, grateful for the instance and assume it was just republic army personnel but didn't account for the man he really was.

"You okay miss?" he asked kindly, Iz'phal still trembling in his hold from shock as she looked up from her position on the ground and if her heart could have smiled it would. She was looking into a pair of dark brown eyes which belonged to a man, couldn't have been older than his thirties with an attractive, well sculpted face, with long brown hair and olive coloured skin. She was still to stunned to respond, shaken by the incident, how near to her death she could have been. "A girl like you shouldn't be wondering these parts of Ord Mantell alone. You know you could have been killed!" He lost his temper slightly realising what would've happened to her had he not stepped in.

"I had no idea that…" Iz'phal began through a voice that was a mere tremble as he saw she was visibly shaking and knew he had to get her away from here before more of the damn killing machines went off.

"You really went through something didn't you…Well don't worry girl I'll look after you. Come on let's get out of here" her brown eyed rescuer prompted her as she nodded, anything to stop hearing the sound of explosions as he helped her to stand before supporting her the short walk to a small, yet cosy bunker on the edge of the town. Obviously where he spends his nights…Iz'phal thought, head and ears still ringing from the sounds of the explosions as he set her down on the portable mattress on the floor, before draping a blanket over her shoulders and poured her a soothing cup of tea as Iz'phal took it gratefully. She had no idea why he was being this nice to her, why he had saved her. Perhaps he's a fan of damsels in distress…Iz'phal thought curiously as he ruffled her lekku causing her to blush. What was it with her and encountering handsome men on all these planets. It was as if they all flocked to her when she made her presence known but Malavai Quinn was now one of her best friends and this new man seemed to be nice enough. She wondered why he was on Ord Mantell of all places?

"You didn't have to do this…Please don't feel like you have to go through all this trouble for me…I'm okay really" Iz'phal tried to brush away his concerns but he merely shot her a look as if she was brain dead, wanting her to be reasonable.

"Are you serious. Girl you couldn't been killed out there. You should know how dangerous Ord Mantell is. It's not the place for a lovely lady like you to be wondering around. Just so glad you're okay" he voiced his relief as again she blushed, making sure she was comfortable before he rummaged in the compartment next to her, obviously looking for something.

"Well what I meant to say earlier was thank you…for saving my life. You didn't need to do that sir…" Iz'phal insisted as she sipped her tea, the soothing warm liquid making her feel safe and cosy. He turned his gaze to her, a wide smile lighting up his face.

"Girl that's sweet but the sir thing isn't necessary. Name's Corso, Corso Riggs…Not been fond of it but hey I got to run with it. You have a name? Is it as it pretty as your face?" Corso asked as Iz'phal blushed bright red and nearly keeled over, but she held it together, a radiant smile lighting up her face, almost forgetting she'd nearly been blown up just a moment ago.

"You're a charmer aren't you…" Iz'phal beamed as they shook hands and their eyes met. "Iz'phal Trua. Courier and space captain, all goods in the galaxy delivered on time and in the best condition!" Corso approving immediately as he sat down beside her, his own mug in his hands, engaging her eye contact still concerned for her condition.

"Iz'phal huh? I'll be sure to remember that name. That's twi'lek isn't it?" he asked, Iz'phal nodding immediately finishing off the last of her tea as she stared out from the small holding across the village, trying to disperse any images from her mind of bombs catching innocent civilians off guard and other people's lives at risk. It made her heart hurt to think there was so much destruction in the galaxy, but she'd had a narrow escape. It's not everyday a handsome man swoops in to rescue you…This day turned out okay after all…

"I guess so…My mother would know…Anyway I mustn't take up anymore of your time Corso. I better get going. Thanks for the rescue" Iz'phal smiled as she tried to get up but he just refilled her tea and shook his head.

"Uh-uh Iz'phal girl you ain't going anywhere after what you've been through. You're perfectly safe here. I don't want you going out there and risking your neck again. Just rest here for tonight. I'll be here. Got some Bantha stew, you hungry? I have enough for two" Corso suggested kindly as Iz'phal knew as much as she needed to get back to her camp she could spend a night here, her stuff was all safe and besides it was lovely company and free food. Why is he so kind to me? Iz'phal though curiously as the twi'lek got settled in for the night, the girl and her rescuer getting to know each other, talking for hours over tea, then a delicious meal before a pleasant vintage was uncorked and they shared a couple of glasses. Iz'phal just kicked back and smiled. Near death then this…Not bad…

A few hours later Iz'phal had eaten enough Bantha stew to bloat her out for a week, it was delicious and homemade. The night sky was peppered with white specks, shimmering against the inky black backdrop as Iz'phal felt bad about asking for more alcohol but Corso obliged her by wanting her to stay comfortable as he uncorked the bottle and filled both their glasses. He'd been riveted by her stories. How she'd travelled the galaxy, made a living, had difficulty in her past and had a horrible break-up. She seemed to be coping with it all pretty well. After he'd cleaned away the cooking equipment and tidied the small holding he sat opposite her on a crate, crossing a leg over the other knee. The two were striking quite a profound bond already and Iz'phal wasn't surprised if this guy became her friend too. He was very likeable and would never talk about himself, always wanted to know more about the other person which was lovely.

"Sorry to hear you were treated badly. That guy sounds like a jerk Iz'phal, he doesn't deserve you. Pretty girl like you deserves a man that treats you like a princess…Trust me I know" he winked at her as she gushed, pushing away the memories of her and Alexia as she refused to visit that part of her life again. "What happened between you two if you don't mind me asking?" Corso questioned, realising that was a sensitive and personal question and perhaps he shouldn't have asked it. "Iz'phal I don't know what came over me. Sorry ignore that…" But Iz'phal just rose her face to the light of the small fire he'd lit and smiled warmly, the soft glow of the fire caressing her cheeks.

"Don't worry Corso it's fine. It's quite sad really. Thought he was the one for me but came back to find another woman with him. You know how that ends. He cheated on me! God damn son of a Hutt!" Iz'phal snapped crossly as she crossed her legs on the floor, feeling angry for letting his face creep into his mind as she downed her portion of brandy before asking for more, Corso immediately filling up her glass.

"Glad you didn't give him the time of day Iz'phal. Most girls would crawl back because they were desperate but hey you got loads going for you now right. You got plenty of work coming in, a loving family who want to see you and friends…You got it all going for you Iz'phal, trust me" Corso said a warm smile crossing his face as Iz'phal gazed over the flames to meet his eyes, feeling safe and secure.

"It's been an eventful day" Iz'phal sighed, swirling the contents in her glass before taking another sip "Yeah I got a few friends from Coruscant I keep in touch with. Does that include you?" The blue-skinned twi'lek beamed, arching an eyebrow in speculation as he nodded, the side bangs of his long brown hair falling over his ears.

"Course Iz'phal. Your great company, an ace pilot by the sounds of things, got brains and just about the prettiest twi'lek to come from Ryloth. Sure we can be friends…I'm just glad you're okay" Iz'phal again trying to control her blushing as she felt herself beginning to feel sleepy, the explosions seemingly dying down as the night wore on.

"Well if we're gonna be friends you can call me Izzy or Iz. No one calls me by my full name really. Thanks a bunch for the rescue today. I owe you my life" Iz'phal said, nothing but honesty in her words as he stood and stretched his arms over his head, admitting he was feeling tired himself.

"Aw don't be silly Iz. I had to save you. Wouldn't be a decent man if I didn't. Feel free to rest whenever you need. You're probably knackered with all that travelling you been doing" Corso guessed as Iz'phal nodded, the warmth and colour rising in her cheeks as he ruffled her lekku and placed a kiss on her forehead before getting ready for bed. A delicate smile curled the corners of her mouth as the sweetness of the kiss stunned her for a moment. Grinning from ear to ear she said goodnight to him before pulling the blanket over her shoulders and drifted off. Corso stayed awake for the duration of the night. He needed to for her protection and to make sure she was okay. If she was safe sleep could wait. Smiling as the young twi'lek woman slept he poured himself the last of the brandy and gazed at the horizon, not bothering to count the hours that slipped by.