Sharra squints out the viewport from her position in the pilot's lap.

"...big. You didn't say it was humungous."

"It's pretty big, yeah. They're housing the entire surviving population on this station. Everyone that wanted to return, anyway. Plus, all the... Whatever, they need for the reconstruction." 

"A mystery. Do you know anyone here; anyone that can help us resupply?"

"I know some people," he nods, "There's the guy who got me the job at Peragus, too. We can ask him if he's heard anything from the station." 

She leans back against his chest and stretches out her legs onto the now-locked console.

"Cool. Do you know how long we'll have to wait before we can disembark? I don't wanna stay here too long. The Hawk is still too recognisable for my liking."

"Depends on how busy it is today. Could be anywhere from fifteen minutes to a few hours, if security is feeling cranky enough. Probably half an hour, though." 

Little huff grumble.

"I guess we could play some pazaak."

He pulls his cards out of his jacket pocket, "Might be a bit challenging at this angle..."

"You're already cheating, you might as well see my cards too." Now where did she put her deck... she looks over their seat to the ground below.

He follows her gaze, "Did you drop them? The deck I gifted to you from my own stock? Did you drop them on the dirty cockpit floor?"

"Oh I'm sorry. Next time we fuck in the cockpit I'll make sure to place them very carefully in a sealed container on the other side of the room."

He taps her chin with his deck, "See that you do!" 

She shakes her head and kisses his smug face. "Republic Senate rules? Or are you keen to get me out of my shirt again so soon?"

"Hmm," he runs his hand up and then down her waist, "I'm pretty keen," he admits. 

"I've been getting better at reading you, maybe I'll even win this time."

"Guess I'll have to up the difficulty, then." He flips his cards so he can decide on his hand-

-but they are interrupted by a comm request.

"-damn, that's fast. T3, reroute it to the cockpit, would ya?" 

T3 beeps in the comms room behind them, and does as asked!

"Ebon Hawk, this is Citadel Station security. You're cleared to disembark, though we're going to need to see you at the sector seven security station before you go about your business. An officer will be by to escort you."

Sharra only pouts a little...

"Is that normal? Usually I'm able to do what I want the second I'm off a ship."

"Could be something irregular with the ship's records. Or maybe they heard from Peragus."

The station's usually pretty isolated, only really able to get messages if a ship physically brings them in through the asteroids, but maybe they'd got the place under control enough to get word to Citadel. 

He patches in to respond, "You got it, Citadel Security. We'll meet your officer in a few clicks, just gotta get things settled in here."

"Acknowledged." 

The comms disconnect.

Well then. Sharra hups out of her pilot's lap and streeeeeetches out her kinks. If she doesn't mention the concern, then nothing will go wrong!

"Have you ever had Uedan noodles? After this is settled we're finding a noodle stand and I'm having like five bowls."

"That tired of stew, huh?" He climbs out after her, stretching out his own back. The seats are pretty comfy, but they're not made of miracles. 

"Tired of the dehydrated protein chunks that I've been forced to use, yeah." Stretch stretch stretch, then leaning down to put on her boots. "I'll go ask Kreia if she wants to come with, though she seems pretty firmly entrenched in her little hidey-hole."

"Hey, maybe she'll wander off now we're here, go bother someone else," a man can dream. 

He pulls his own boots on once she's out of the way.

"I'll just go load up on some cred chits, why don't I." 

"I put my creds with yours," she tells him, finishing up and looking around for her jacket... did it get tossed somewhere during one of the games?

He reaches around one of the consoles to drag her jacket out and hand it to her.

"What would I do without you here to pick up after me?"

"You'd probably be penniless and nude," he nods, leading the way out of the cockpit to the central hub of the ship. From there they split off, him to the starboard, her to port. 

Where she pokes her head into the port dormitory! Is Kreia exactly where Sharra last left her, by chance?

Was she sitting in the middle of the room meditating, by chance? Because that's what she's doing now. She's even deep enough in it that she doesn't turn to regard Sharra when she enters. 

She was! Sharra wonders if she ever moves, she hasn't seen her outside the dorm in the three days since she first appeared. Ppprobably she did, while Sharra was sleeping? Or maybe she's a droid...

Sharra steps into the room properly and waits until she is acknowledged.

Kreia looks up after a few moments, tilting her head over her shoulder in Sharra's direction.

"You have need of me?" 

"We've been given clearance to disembark. Atton's a little suspicious of how quickly it happened, and we're getting an escort to security to have a chat. Hopefully it's nothing, but they might have heard something from Peragus, so my hopes aren't that high. What are your plans? You're welcome to accompany us."

"Hmm... I believe I will remain on-board the ship. Please do inform me once we are free to leave, as I do intend to seek out some supplies myself." 

"Sure. I can also pick up anything you need, but I understand wanting to get out yourself." She digs into her jacket pocket and hands her a comm. "I noticed you didn't have one, and I wasn't sure if you can reach me in the traditional sense."

She raises a hand over her shoulder to take the comm, "Yes, I would have some difficulty getting through those blocks of yours." 

Pass! "I've set it to the right frequency, and the code for the second frequency is tiebreaker."

She tucks it into her robes, "Very well. Remember to be wary of attempts at capture; that droid is not the only one who had interest in the bounty."

She almost says 'yes, master'. But catches herself. Ugh.

"I'll check in with you after the meeting with security," she says instead. And off she goes? Unless Kreia has anything else to say.

Kreia is returning to her meditation!

Atton meets her by the boarding ramp. He reaches out to offer her a credchit as she approaches, "About seven hundred on there, should be enough for whatever you wanna buy." He'll be handling refueling and the supply transactions. 

She takes the chit and disappears it into her jacket.

"Wish we had been able to reach someplace else. We're so exposed here, it's hardly a skip back to Peragus."

"Yeah. But, hey, the faster we deal with this and fuel up, the faster we get out of here," he points out. 

Sharra nods and takes his arm. "And noodles. And maybe some clothes and soap and some fresh food. More blankets..."

She shivers at the thought of going without some warm fucking blankets another night.

"Aw, I'll keep you warm," he wraps that arm around her instead as they make their way down the ramp. 

Isk is at the bottom of the ramp ahead of them, waiting for them to catch up. 

<Security outside airlock,> they say, turning their lens to look up at them. 

"Are you in their systems yet?" she asks them in Zaldyrian.

<Only in hangar,> they respond likewise, <Need access outside.>

"They must airlock their systems. Smart. No chatter?"

Negative boop.

Sigh. She presses her side firmer against Rand side and settles into a somewhat distant expression. He's the captain today, she's just the cute girlfriend in a short dress. No Jedi here!

Their roles picked out - he's channeling his usual almost-cocky sarcastic asshole vibe - they head out into the airlock, closing it behind them to release the door to the docks outside. 

For a given value of "outside", anyway. This part of the docking bay is mainly one long hallway studded by airlock doors leading into individual hangars. Theirs is just to the right of a stairway leading up to another level, on which they can hear the sound of impatient passengers awaiting their flights.

A man in a station security uniform is in fact waiting for them just outside their door, half-focused on something on a datapad while they approach. 

"Hey," Atton draws his attention, "You the officer?"

"Uh-" he looks up, "Oh, yeah." 

He straightens up, slipping his datapad away.

"Station's not too far from here, if you don't mind just following me?" 

Atton shrugs, squeezing Sharra's shoulder as he does, "Well, we're not going anywhere else til this gets sorted out," he sweeps out his other arm, "Lead the way."

Sharra takes a look around the hanger in a little wonder! "Is the rest of the station be as fancy as this?" she says in a slight accent.

"Uh! It's all pretty brand new! It's temporary, though, just as long as it takes to regreen the surface, you know?"

He leads them up the stairs and through the waiting area there, and then out into the main concourse.

"We'll take a transport up to the station," he says, pausing by a terminal to make the request, "No need to walk up all those stairs." 

She peeks at the terminal!! "Will we pay for it? I want noodles later."

"It's free! The republic is covering public transport on the station. Some other things, too." 

The transport appears quickly - it's a car with seating for eight, which is swiftly half-filled with other passengers as they get on. The transport travels in its own lane between other traffic, moving more swiftly than the others can because of it. 

"Huh. Generous of them." He hadn't heard that, actually. 

"Admiral Onasi was involved in a lot of the planning! He used to live here, you know? On Telos. His family's from here. He's put a lot of work into the project."

Isk, in the droid compartment at the back, grumbles beepily.

Sharra sits in Atton's lap, then turns to look at the other passengers.

"Hi! I'm Sharra. Do you know any good noodle places?"

She gets a few odd looks, but the teenaged boy in the row behind them lights up, "Yeah! My uncle owns a place in ward five! He makes the best glowblue noodles!"

Sharra bounces a little! "Yess. Send me a pin!"

He pulls out his datapad! 

"Link with me," he holds it out so she can form a shortwave connection. 

-Atton grabs her hips to make her stop... bouncing.

She links! And wiggles nstead.

"It's been so long since I had glowblue noodles. Years and years. Me and my boy were in near-servitude at a mining station where the droids tried to kill us all! And before that I was stuck on this rock called Verth 27I, which was maybe even worse than evil killer droids! My papa used to make them for me, does your uncle add Golden Lichen Tuile? My papa grew them special for."

"Oh wow, I've never even heard of that. I mean, I've only been to Riosa and Telos before, though. Maybe uncle will know about them?" He sends the address! "Tell him I sent you, okay? Oh- I'm Genth!" 

"Genth! I'm Sharra." She sends him 5 creds! "No one is gonna be creepy and gross and - did you know that a group of guys tried to sell me into slavery. My boy said it's 'coz I'm pretty and I'm really good with mechanics but it was. So scary. I'm so lucky - I was looking into the killer droids and I thought maybe it was coming from these droids that we found out in space on a derelict and I was poking them and I got them working! And then they told me that the other other droid was an assassin! A protocol droid. That has to be like. The most evil. Apart from a nanny droid, right? Because they're supposed to help you."

"-omf you said killer droids?! And- there were slavers?! Were you out in Hutt Territory?" 

"Not even! It was on Peragus! They were awful and they shot me! Look," she says, pulling her jacket down to show him scar. "With a mining laser. I'm so lucky my boy escaped from lock-up and saved me and the droids helped me escape on the derelict. They even put my name on it. I have a ship!!!"

"That's so coool! Can I see it? Is it fast?"

"She's a custom Dynamic-class," Atton interjects, "She's fast enough."

"He's the best pilot in the galaxy. He swooped in and got us out of there. I would have been so dead," she says, smiling down at him. Kisses!

He accepts kisses. 

The teenager makes a face and looks down at his datapad instead of watching them make out. 

This is fine, because they arrive at the security station shortly afterwards, and the officer with them starts chivvying them out of the transport. 

Sharra waves goodbye to Genth, promising to visit his uncle's shop and to message him later so he can look at her ship!

She receives enthusiastic waves in return! 

And then their officer is leading them up the stairs into a small waiting room above the landing pad. Inside, a droid secretary buzzes through to the office of the security head, opening the door for them to enter after receiving permission. 

Atton keeps an eye on all the officers they pass - not many, actually, just a human woman who passes them on her way down the stairs, their own officer, and a man working on something on a terminal in the waiting room - and any obvious exits. There aren't a lot of those, either. An unknown pair of doors, probably leading further inside, the door they came in through, and the office door. There are no windows. 

There's one window, in this office, but it's firmly held shut and likely made of duraplast, so not easy to bust out of. 

Also in this office is the security head himself, who is stood behind his desk to the side of his chair watching them enter the room. 

"About time you got here," he says, "Limber, you're dismissed," he adds to the officer who had escorted them. 

Limber dismisses himself from the room!

The Head of Security. Sharra takes in his very serious, very dour vibe and- she keeps playing and steps slightly behind Atton. She's very intimidated!

He waits until the door closes to turn his gaze properly on them- on her.

"Padawan Sharra Garon, was it?" 

Oh so a different game, then?

"...yes, sir."

He stares at her for a long moment...

"You know you're in a great deal of danger, Padawan Garon? Your image is all over the bounty boards, and with that Exchange bounty on Jedi scum are crawling out of the cracks and crevices and all the sith-spawning swamps in the galaxy to find you."

She wraps her arms around herself. "I don't know how they got that holo, my master -" she stops, and pushes forward with her words, with difficulty. "She said that she destroyed everything."

"Well, you'll be comforted to know it's the only image of you to be found anywhere on the 'net.

"Regardless, your altercation on Peragus station has left us with some questions, which need to be answered for the safety of the Peragus and Citadel. I'd like to offer you the Republic's protection, as well, but at the very least you will have to stay on Citadel Station until we've concluded our investigation."

"-wait- not that we don't appreciate the protection, but Sharra sent everything we found out about the whole situation on Peragus to Uthuar, the head mechanic, before we left. What do you need from us now?"

"Unfortunately, the head mechanic has been arrested for collusion with those thugs who attacked Padawan Garon. We have the information you provided, but we'll need more than just the word of your droids, given the holoimage and voiceprint evidence we have that he was involved."

"Uthuar had nothing to do with it! We have - the HK droid that was sabotaging everything, we did think it might have been impersonating someone - it got onto our ship. We could give it to you? The memory bank is still intact."

"Ah!" He comes around the desk, "Yes, let's have that brought down to the station right away. I take it you disabled it?" He looks between the two of them.

"-yeah, I took it out. It wasn't expecting me when it came after Sharra." 

"Mmhm," he opens the door for them, "Well, if you'll go down to the hangar with one of my officers and retrieve that droid, we can wrap this up as soon as we break into its memories." 

Sharra takes Rand's arm again.

"Is everyone alright? Before we left I lowered the settings on the droid's mining lasers so they couldn't kill anyone. I couldn't disable them entirely."

"There were no further casualties," he assures her, "You do good work; though the mining droids are still down, with both you and your former superior off the station."

He motions to the man at the console in the waiting room, "Take these two and their droid back down to their ship," he orders, "They need to fetch a disabled droid for one of our investigations." 

"Yes sir," the man steps up to them, "Docking Bay Seven?" 

Sharra sends off a quick message to Kreia.

"It's called the Ebon Hawk. We're thinking of changing that though," she says, looking to Stant for approval.

"That's a storied name," he says, some surprise showing in his expression, "You'd be wise to distance yourself from its past owners," he nods, shortly.

"I can show you to the licensing office after we're done this," the officer asks, adding, "Sir," as he leads them out of the station.

Sharra is gratefully lead. "Past owners? T7 didn't mention anyone..." This makes her nervous! What if someone tries to take Padawan Sharra Garon's shiny new ship?

"The Ebon Hawk? Yeah, it's pretty famous in some circles. It was before my time, you know? But it used to show up as a smuggling vessel here and there. At one point it was even owned by an Exchange boss!" 

Sharra looks up at Atton! Oh no!

He squeezes her, "Don't worry, baby, she's all yours now. In your name and everything. Anyone trying to take her from you will have to go through me first."

Relieved snuggles! She presses her cheek against his chest, but looks at the officer. "The chief mentioned Uthuar was on station?"

"Oh, yeah, the mechanic. Really didn't seem the type, you know? We've got him in custody up at the station, but if this droid of yours can clear him we'll move him to protective custody, let him see his wife, and all that." 

"You weren't letting his wife see him? Isn't that a breach of prisoner rights?" 

"Not for something this big. Those mining droids could have killed everyone on the station, and no one would have known until the next freighter came back without a shipment! The fuel from Peragus is what keeps this station running, you know."

"Can we see him? I could pass things along to Mettie and Chawroo. Calm her down some. I've heard horror stories about her temper."

"No kidding..." he glances over his shoulder as he taps in the request for transport at the landing pad console, "Poor Twelfour, she really lit into it." 

"Did she bring the kids? I think there's eighteen of them now."

"Uh- some of them? There were a couple teens, and she had a baby with her." 

"Can we see him?" Atton interjects, "You didn't answer that." 

"-after all of this is done, yeah, but not now."

The transport arrives, and they can climb in for the trip back to the hangars. 

Isk hoists themself in the droid compartment. 

And Sharra sits in her own seat this time! Mostly. She places her legs over Atton's lap.

"Stupid. Uthuar would never. He loves his job, and he hates people like Coorta. They've gotten into at least four tussles since I started working at the station."

"I guess it could just be a cover? But yeah, all the character investigation we've been doing, it really doesn't support him being the kinda man who'd do that." 

The transport lifts off, and they're on their way to the spaceport.

Well. At least they didn't end up spacing the HK-50 unit. And that it didn't see that it was Kreia that destroyed it, so she can hand it right over without messing with it first.

She rests her head against Atton's shoulder and waits.

He slings his arm over her shoulders, winding his fingers into her hair. 

The trip goes quietly from there, and soon enough they're disembarking at the spaceport pad. The officer leads them downstairs to the same hangar hall as before. Their airlock is right where it was, and they walk inside and switch the doors as normal. 

Then the door swings open, and. 

"...where the hells is our ship?" 

Sharra blinks.

Turns to look at the hanger's number.

It's the correct hangar! 

The officer is looking, too, "I- I don't- we need to go see the security droid-" he turns and rushes back into the airlock, barely waiting for them to join him before he switches the doors again. 

Isk attaches themself to the console inside the airlock, seeking the security feed. 

Atton is following! "Did you let our ship get stolen?! We were gone for thirty minutes!" 

Sharra opens her comm to both T3 and Kreia, switching to the second frequency. T3 has navigation locked down, nobody can leave the system without permission from him. And Kreia...

Is not answering. 

"Maybe it was moved- I don't know why they would try to do that, though- droid," he addresses the droid behind the security counter, "Has anyone entered Hangar Six in the past half hour?" 

"Yes, sir," says the droid, "Two citizens and an officer entered at 21:34. One citizen entered at 21:15." 

She.... tries to reach out to Kreia with her other? Does not have a panic attack.

She's not responding to that, either, assuming Sharra was even able to reach her.

The officer holds out a badge, "Give me the identity of the citizen who entered at 21:15."

"Identity unknown, officer." 

"Show the camera feed; whoever that is stole our ship!"

Of course it wouldn't work.

Sharra walks over to the terminal and glares down at it. "It's still in the system, probably still on the planet. My nav-droid wouldn't unlock it for anything."

"As you say, miss," the droid agrees, bringing up the security feed. 

In the blue of the holo, a hooded person enters the hangar and pauses at the bottom of the ramp. She turns to glance back at the airlock door - allowing them a brief glimpse of her face - before she steps up the ramp and disappears inside.

Soon after, the ship lifts off and out the hangar forceshield, vanishing from the cam's sight. 

Unhappy noises! Human female, no more than early twenties, though that might be wrong given that everything thinks she's that young...

"Do we have a vector?"

"The ship descended into the atmosphere, where the station's sensors lost track of it," the droid offers. "I'm afraid I can't help you any further." 

"I'm just going to go-" the officer pulls out his comm, "I'm going to update the chief," he says, stepping back from them. 

"So it's on the planet, and T3 won't let it leave the system. That's something, at least," Atton turns to her and- wraps an arm back around her shoulders, "Hey, we'll find it, Sharra." If nothing else, the old lady will get in contact eventually, surely?

- right. She buries her face against his chest and sniffles. "All our stuff was on there!"

She already tried to contact her, but maybe Atton and Isk can do a better job? Or... maybe they could try and reach out to her together. Atton and Sharra. No internal screaming, she promises.

"We've got credits, and security'll put us up while we track her down," or they better, "Hells, if they take too long that menace'll probably bring it back here." Is he talking about T3 or about Kreia? Who knows. 

Isk rolls up behind them, <Data acquired,> they beep, in the Zaldyrian binary code.

Snuggggggles. Sharra looks down at Isk. "Did you find it, T7? Maybe we should call the Republic!"

Negative boop. 

"T7 says they have not," the droid offers. 

"I'll take you back up to the security station," the officer says, rejoining them, "Chief Eonis will probably give you one of the apartments we keep, while we figure out how this happened." 

"I hope you're not going to get into trouble. And the HK droid was on the ship! We needed it to help Uthuar."

"I'll be fine, it's not like I was supposed to be watching it. You can talk to the chief about Uthuar, I guess? Maybe he'll let you see him."

Back up out of the hangar bay they go! 

<Have holo of HK-50 attack on T3-M4,> Isk offers, in galactic binary this time, <Maybe enough to let mechanic see wife.> 

Sharra relays their words! Padawan Sharra Garon can under galactic binary just fine.

"Is this a common problem? Ships being stolen. I didn't know there was so much crime on the station..."

"No! We haven't had any stolen ships in a few months, and the last one was involved in a criminal operation we cracked down on shortly after it happened. We'll have your ship tracked down soon, I'm sure of it." 

He calls the transport, and it's back to the station for the second time today.

"You can turn your droid's record into the chief," he adds, "Maybe something'll come of it."

Atton settles down with Sharra in his lap this time. The transport is a four-seater, and no one else climbs in. 

"Those apartments better be nice to make up for this," he grumbles.

"...will there be any compensation?"

"Uh... You'll have to take that up with the chief. And maybe Accounts. We'll cover your necessities while we're hosting you?" 

"But our ship got stolen under your watch! I'm sure we're entitled to way more. Don't you have insurance? Isn't the Republic taking care of everything?"

"I mean, insurance isn't really a station security issue- you can see if the ship's on any plans? But it's the Ebon Hawk, it probably isn't, who'd insure a ship like that?" 

"It was in your custody when it was stolen," Atton says, scowling at him, "We didn't lose it, you did." 

"I'm really, really not the officer to talk to about this! I'll put you in touch with our thefts office, okay? Or you can ask the chief to do that!"

Grumbles! She will. She looks down at Atton.

"Do you still have your cards? They're probably the most valuable thing we have..."

He pats his pocket, "Good thing we were playing before we left." 

"Maybe you could win us a new, better ship."

"And give up on the old girl?"

Padawan Sharra Garon sighs. "She is really great," she nods. "And the first ship that's really been mine. Ours."

"Right. If I win a ship off someone we'll just sell it, how about?"

She laughs! And kisses him. "Best of both worlds."

"Mhm," he smirks into her kiss.

And they arrive back at the station.

Once out of the car, the officer races ahead of them up the stairs, eager to give his report and escape this situation.

Sharra and Atton can give him a little time to give his panicked report while they finish their kisses.

They sure can! 

Atton helps them both over the side of the transport between kisses, and then leans up against the wall to give them more support.

Isk pauses at the bottom of the stairs to give them the most judgemental look a droid without humanoid arms can give.

Sharra is toooo busy to notice any judgement coming from anyone!

Atton's just going along with what she wants here! 

Also he's leaning in to whisper in her ear, "You wanna go with this protection thing, or split and find some other way off this station?" 

"I very much doubt they can do anything to help us, considering who was on the ship with it was stolen." She moves to kissing below his ear... with a little nibbles. "Stay around for as long as it takes us to find a lead? Mmm, and maybe to cash out any credits they throw our way."

"Mn... fine by me," he wraps his arms all the way around her, pulling her closer, "So long as we can get fresh food and they're not keeping us locked up. I've had enough cages for this year cycle."

She leans up high on her toes and runs her fingers through his hair.

"You really think they'll lock up poor Padawan Garon in a force-cage? But she's so young and helpless."

"Heh, yeah, but her scoundrel of a boyfriend they might, even if he does have a heart of gold."

Boyfriend.

Sharra pulls him in for another kiss, holding him tight and close and sending him all the love and amusement she's feeling right now. Things are what they are, with the ship and no contact from Kreia and T3 but — love. They will figure this out.

Course they will. They can get out of anything. Being slippery is their specialty. 

Isk grumbles to themself and turns to the stairs, using their thrusters to make their slow way up. 

Sharra lets them get a little ahead before she finally relents and follows.

Hopefully this was enough time for the officer to give his report?

Well, he's nowhere to be seen and Twelfour opens the office door for them as soon as they enter, so apparently?

Security Chief Eonis beckons them in from his desk once he spots them.

"I've made requests to the surface outposts for any sign of your ship, but I don't expect to hear from them today," he looks very irritated about this, "Atmospheric surveillance isn't actually their purpose, merely something that occurs alongside it. You'll be informed as soon as we know something."

He pushes a datapad across the desk towards them, "In the meantime, we are prepared to offer you accommodation in one of the unused apartments in Sector Seven, along with a credit account to make use of during your stay." 

Atton takes the datapad, handing it to Sharra as he watches the security chief, "And... compensation?"

"All of our things were onboard. Our clothes and money and even our T3 unit. Surely you have some sort of insurance to cover for situations like this?" She looks up to Atton. "Does your friend know any lawyers?"

"He might know a couple."

"You're right that it was our carelessness that lost your ship," he frowns, "I'll see what we can do for you. It could take me some time to pry anything out of Accounts, however."

He looks over to their T7 unit, "In the meantime, and speaking of droids: with that HK-50 missing, we won't be able to give any leniency to the man in our custody. I understand your T7 unit has some information which might change that?" 

Sharra nods. "We have some footage of the HK unit attacking my T3, and I could also go to medical and get scanned? My shoulder is still healing from where Coorta shot me." She stops and thinks about anything else they can give him... "I have a scan of HK from before everything started, but you might already have it, since we got it from the station before we left."

He nods, "Peragus sent along all the records they thought could aid our investigation." He turns to the droid, "You may access the port in in this room to upload your evidence. Should it prove the HK-50 was combat-capable and dangerous, we may lower Uthuar Weel's threat rating." 

Isk rolls over to the port in question to do just that!

He turns to Padawan Garon, "As for your injury, we already have plenty of evidence as to Coorta's involvement in the kidnapping plot. He and his co-conspirators are in lockup awaiting trial and sentencing. If you wish to provide medical with scans, however, I'm sure it would make the lawyers' jobs easier." 

"I will," she nods, and takes Atton's hand. "Are we able to get a carry permit for a blaster? And the ability to buy another? I don't have one, but Atton does and he's been teaching me how to use it."

He nods to the door, "Speak to A-2L4 at the desk, it will give you the forms. Don't kill anyone on my station," he adds, "But given the circumstances I won't begrudge you some self-defense." 

<Upload complete,> Isk beeps as they disconnect from the port, returning to wait at Sharra's side. 

"Right, we'll do that. That datapad have the apartment and account details?" He pulls Sharra's arm up to look at it, paging through the information provided on it.

Sharra watches him page, then looks up at the chief. "I'll give you our comm address, so you can update us whenever and not have to leave a message."

"Much obliged, just leave it with the droid." 

"Right. We'll hear from you when we hear from you, Chief." 

And they can leave now. 

And give all their details to Twelfour, and also ask them to please forward any updates on Uthuar Weel.

Twelfour assures them it will do so! And takes copies of their weapons permits, filing them as appropriate. It also adds the location of the medical facility to Sharra's map of the station, which has a convenient transport station attached. 

Isk leads the charge down the stairs, eager to get out of the security station where they tend to play dumb for safety reasons. They await their organic companions at the transport pad there, jacking into the terminal to call them a car. 

Sharra follows like the obedient organic she is! She even sits in her own seat this time.

"Medcentre then food? I really am starving, I could eat a whole shaak and then some."

"Sounds good to me. Thought you wanted noodles, though," he smirks down at her, slinging a more relaxed arm around her shoulder.

"Noodles and shaak." She takes his hand and plays with his fingers. "Do you want to call your friend when we get to the apartment? I'm sure he's worried." That way Isk can make a secure line.

"Sure, we can do that. Hey, you wanna order in or eat out?" 

She does not say the thing she immediately thinks of, she's sure Isk would shock her. Instead: "We can order in."

"I'll get that done while you're getting scans taken, then," he says, noting the medcenter up ahead on their right. He climbs out onto the pad ahead of her, unnecessarily helping her down once he's on solid ground, while Isk is lowered from the transport and rolls to the entrance impatiently.

Such a gentlemen, whoever said he was a scoundrel?? Sharra makes sure they keep up with Isk, so as to not further risk their ire.

"Add a couple bottles of kashyk too. And maybe some snacks..."

"You got it."

In they go, to be greeted by the receptionist and passed on into the center when they've explained their purpose here. Atton settles down in a seat inside Sharra's private room to make that order while they wait for a doctor, soliciting her opinions as he goes through the list of options. 

"The credit account's actually pretty nice," he comments, paging back to it to show her their balance, "We can go wild." 

She peeks! "He seemed like the type to not make excuses. Maybe he will, actually, be useful." She somehow doubts it though. "Go ahead a order what we need for the ship. We can hire a storage container to keep it all."

"Got it," he pulls up another page on the datapad, getting to work on those things he feels comfortable ordering over the 'net rather than in person.

<Doctor approaching,> Isk beeps, removing their arm from a port. 

Sharra stands! Oh - and hands Atton her jacket. She's instantly cold (and grumpy) but if it will help Uthuar..

Based on the doctor's reaction, it just might! 

"I'll just take some holos and scans, and then if you'd like I can requisition some scar-softener for you," he offers. He's holding a scanner of some kind in one hand, running it over the site of the laser wound.

She watches him work. "I heard chicks dig scars," she jokes.

"Maybe so, but a scar right here could affect your mobility, especially as you get older," he chides her.

"Hey, I promise I'll dig you with or without scars," Atton says, watching the scanner. 

Sharra laughs, though is careful not to move too much. "I'll get the cream, doc. My chick is apparently ambivalent."

Atton snorts, "Yeah, that's me. The chick."

"We'll, I'm glad to hear that he's supportive," the doctor says, wry. "I'll just go fetch that for you, shall I?" 

He sets the scanner down on the counter and leaves. 

Sharra kicks her feet while they wait! "At least now we know it's healing alright, thanks to your magic hands."

"That's a new use for them," he muses, wiggling his fingers at her.

<You two are disgusting,> Isk informs them, rolling out into the hall. 

Oh nooo. "I'm sorry, Isk!" she calls after them, totally unashamed or sorry. "They've hung around Jedi for too long. Though, hearing that Rhae was married..."

<They were also disgusting!> Isk beeps back, before shutting the door between them.

"...well, we've lost our nanny droid now," Atton stands, coming to lean against the med table.

- she reaches forward and pulls him close. And squeezes his ass.

"I'll apologise later. Maybe."

"Mm... maybe not," he wraps his arms around her waist, "We're all alone..." 

[link to smut end]

"Probably not for long," she says, hitching her thighs higher and pulling him between them. Her dress rides up indecently. "But you are the fastest pilot in the galaxy."

"Mm, I've got a way with the ladies," he agrees, sliding his hands up her skirt. 

"Mmmn," she slips down a hand between them, running her palm over his cock. "What kinda way? Maybe you could give me some tips."

"Nng," he kisses her, as his hands slip further up her skirt, "Just... pay very close attention," he mumbles into her lips. He pulls away, sliding down to his knees, positioned at the perfect height to bury his face into her skirt and press a wet kiss into the crease of her thigh.

Sharra squirms and holds tight to the edge of the table. Watches him and his lips. Hungry. Feels herself grow warm - hot. His breath on her thigh. The cold air totally forgotten.

"Have to be quick, remember. If you're good, I'll take care of you later."

"Nn-yeah, I got it."

He presses his nose into her skin, takes a deep, shuddering breath, tasting her on his tongue. Then he moves, mouthing at cloth-covered skin until he tastes her cock under his tongue, fever hot and flush. 

Fuck. Her eyes close and she gasps. Hand moves and takes tight hold of his hair.

She shivers at the feel of his tongue on her cock. Wet and warm and so so so good. He's so good. His pretty pretty mouth. She wants to bite. Bite and fuck and make him choke — she stays very still, instead, and brushes his hair out of his eyes.

"Good boy. Look so good on your knees."

"Mmnn," the moan is muffled in her panties, and any further sound halted as he wraps his mouth around the head of her cock. His hands slide further up, slipping into her underwear, and he pulls her open between his thumbs, slowly pressing just one inside her. Just up to the first knuckle, starting slow. 

So good. She's on her back now, knees still high, and fingers in his hair. Tight and pulling, rolling her hips, wanting moremoremore.

— distantly remembers she should be paying attention to anyone coming close but —

"Atton."

-okay, more then. All the way to the second knuckle, and then out, replacing it with his first two fingers, feeling her out and pressing deep and hooking-dragging-pressing. Meanwhile, his other hand pulls her panties down just enough to pull her cock out of them so he can really get his mouth around it. Around, and all the way down, far as he can, til her tip is brushing against the back of his throat and making him almost gag. 

Nnnah, her whole body is one big shiver and she whines — bites down on her hand to stop herself —

Taught him so good, takes her so well. So fucking hot. Hers. Her boy. Her Atton.

She rides his fingers, hips moving against him. Cock so hard and hot and thick in his mouth. Salt and sweat and something more.

He fights a shudder of his own at the feel of her pleasure, her praise, possessiveness. 

But- he gets control of himself fast, and pushes further, swallowing around her and humming between each one. His fingers are slow and insistent, in time with each swallow, and his other hand strays to her ass, massaging and pressing and almost pushing inside- 

— everything tightens and she tastes blood on her tongue, fuck she's —

so so so close, feels it coming, pulling his hair, fucking him harder faster

Cunt tight around his fingers and she's cumming, hot on his tongue — holds him down —

-he chokes- almost- relies on breathing techniques, every breath dragging in air that smells like her, tastes her and feels her come fill his throat, feels her shudder and clench wet and hot around his hand, surrounded and full of her, all her all Sharra so perfect, so right and strong and sharp, all for her-

— she pulls him up and is kissing him, swallowing him whole. In his head, on his tongue, so so so full of him and her and don't know where they begin or end.

Waves of pleasure rolling over them both.

Yeah. He loses himself in her, riding the waves of pleasure that pass from her to him and back again, his lips and tongue following where hers lead. 

Mmmmm. Feels so good and safe and curly. Shivers still rolling over her.

"You're getting really really good at that," she says, eventually.

"Practice makes perfect n'all," he mumbles into her neck. 

"My perfect pilot." She nuzzles his hair and squeezes him tight.

"Mmmmm," he presses kisses to her neck. 

There's a rapid tapping on the door. 

Wiggling! Sharra sits them back up and - reaches up to wipe at his face!

"-uh," he wipes at his own face with his tunic, trying to clean himself up before they're interrupted. He also reaches out to adjust her skirt, while they're at it. 

Another taptaptapping!

She fixes his hair, lastly, then pulls him around so he's leaning back against her and also conveniently covering her lap so she can make everything right.

There's a slower, firmer knock, higher on the door this time, and then it slides open to reveal the doctor. 

He looks between the two of them, for a moment, then... Shakes his head and approaches them, "Here we are," he offers Sharra a jar, "Spread enough to cover the scar with a thin layer every morning and night. You'll need to give it a few clicks to sink in, it can stain some fabrics," he warns. 

Isk moves in behind him, settling next to the door and pointing their lens directly at Atton's face.

...Atton is not intimidated by the droid. He looks away, taking the jar to hand up to Sharra, instead of watching back. 

Sharra has no idea whats going on with them, she's very innocent, very demure.

She takes the jar gratefully. "Thank you, doctor. Everything is good with the scans; sent off to Security?"

"Mmhmm. You two can get out of here now- oh, three," he adds, glancing down at the droid, "I'm sure you could all do with a meal or a charge." 

Isk whistles their agreement, rolling up to prod at Atton. 

"-ouch! Yeah, I get it!" He straightens up, wrapping an arm around Sharra to 'help' her down, "We're going, you menace, we're going!"

She is helped down! And somehow avoids being prodded too... which she decides to keep avoiding by running a little ahead and out of range, pulling Atton with her.

He's not going to complain about getting out of reach of Isk's prodding arms. He matches her pace, after a brief moment of readjusting. 

Isk brings up the rear, arms still out threateningly but fine to follow along behind if they're moving along. 

Soon enough they're out of the medcenter and back on a transport, this time headed to their newly acquired apartment! 

And they're very well behaved!!!

Sharra could perhaps use the fresher when they arrive.

She could! The fresher is its own room, along with a bedroom and a combined living-kitchen-dining area. The apartment is fully furnished, and their food is even waiting for them by the door when they arrive! 

Atton scoops it up, checking the temperature, "I'll stick it in the oven, keep it warm," he offers, as he keys open the apartment for them, "If you wanna take a shower." 

Isk rolls right in and finds the first port to plug into! Time to make sure this apartment is under their control. 

She peeks into the fresher and yesss.

"We've got water! If I had to take another sonic I was going to dive head first into the dark side, I swear." She quickly strips off her clothes and - peeks out into the main room. "You too, love. I know it's been longer since you had a proper shower."

"I'm not gonna argue," he agrees as he slides the takeaway into the oven. He crosses the room to join her, slipping into the fresher and starting to pull off his clothes too. 

"Oh hells yes," he says, nothing the machine next to the sink, "A clothes sonic!" He tosses his stuff in there, following it up with what she's dropped so far, "I swear there's still shit baked into my jacket from the mines."

Sharra is already under the water, and eying the biiig soaking tub along the wall.

"No more grease and lube over everything," she sighs.

He is also noting the big soaking tub! "Did they give us a luxe suite or something?" He approaches it, tapping at some buttons and checking temperatures, "What d'you say to dinner in the tub?" 

"...love of my life," she sighs to the tub. "We need to look for the Hawk - for Kreia, which unfortunately means that dinner will be followed up with a meditation session. For the both of us. The bath will have to wait."

".......ugh, fine. We'll have a bath after. As a reward. Better not to shove our luck in her face, anyway." He shuts the faucets off, coming to join her in the shower. 

"Poor baby," she says, as she gives him a kiss to make up for it.

And more, as a reward, for earlier. She did promise.

Yeah, she did! 

By the time their shower is done, he feels good and rewarded. And clean. Of course.

Their food is waiting for them in the oven, pleasantly warm and steamy. Isk looks up at them from the port as they enter, offering them a quick, <Apartment secure,> before returning to whatever they're doing on the 'net. 

Food. Mmmmnnmmnnn. She does a little happy food wiggle.

"Thank you, Isk," she says, with a mouth full of noodles. "'Preciate you." Food-food-food. "Mmafter this m'gonna teach Atton how to touch the Force. Thinking through him, we could reach Kreia."

<Bedroom has open space,> they advise.

"Gotta say, I'm not exactly eager to have that woman in my head." 

Hmmm, thinky slurp. "Maybe it's... we can shield you from it. Let me use the Force through you, inviting her into my head, instead."

"...don't love that idea either, but I guess I like it better. Sounds complicated, though." 

"Anything I want to hide... I could tuck them inside you. You'd protect me."

Still more complicated, but maybe worth it. It's something she would have been capable of, before.

"Well... I bet I'll be good at that. Protecting your mind, I mean." 

"I think so too. Your shields are already excellent and with our bond, they'll be even more powerful."

"D'you think... is it because I'm force-sensitive. Normal people can do it, sure, but I'm the best." 

"I think it plays a part, but not all of it. Maybe it is what makes you the best of the best. But I suspect that even without your sensitively, you would be on the same level. If a little below."

"Mm. If you say so." 

He goes back to his noodles.

Noodles and shaak! Sharra dishes out a portion to him, and opens them both a bottle of kashyk each. Then presses her side against his and really gets tucked into their food.

At this quick pace, they get through their food in record time. Atton takes their leftovers (there isn't much, but there's some) to the kitchen to pack them up and put them away, leaving Sharra free to go examine the bedroom. 

She examines. First noting the comfiness of the bed. Most important. Then looking for some extra blankets so she can throw them onto the ground so they have someplace slightly nice to sit.

The bed is about standard comfiness! Nicer than the mattresses on the Hawk, but not the height of luxury. There are extra blankets and pillows in one of the cupboards, which she can set out in front of the large window opposite the bed. Out the window is a panoramic view of the industrial station-scape, with hints of the planet below just visible between the massive plates.

Telos, or what she can see of it, is a shadowy expanse of tan and brown and black. Something about it feels familiar to her, in a way that goes beyond her previous brief visits to the planet and the new station above. 

Though not the level of devastation that was visited on Malachor V at the end of the Mandalorian War, Telos is a blasted wasteland as a result of another terrible war. The Sith fleet had rained fire down upon the surface, killing millions in a barrage that lasted hours.

Places of such great suffering carry an echo of that suffering. Though she may not be able to feel it herself, now, she knows this better than anyone. 

She wraps her arms tight around herself.

Alek did this. Rhae's Alek. The brave Jedi Knight that taught her so many things. Working her hard to perfect her dance. Calming her emotions, letting the Force carry them away. They were so similar, full of powerful feelings that made them stronger and yet more unstable. He'd sit with her for hours. Days. Guiding her.

She looks down at the ruins of Telos. At Malachor.

Through one of the cracks in the station grid, she can see a small patch of blue and green. Surrounded by a sea of wasteland, this little zone of reconstruction is bright and lush. A glimpse of new life, after the war. 

Sharra swallows hard and struggles not to cry. Laugh. Be overwhelmed with all her spinning, crazy emotions.

Atton enters behind her, and- pauses, in the doorway. 

"Hey."

She turns her head to look at him.

"Hey. Look," she laughs, while she cries. "S'green."

-he joins her at the window, wrapping an arm around her waist as he looks out on the station and the planet below. 

"...yeah. It's, uh. Really something, right?" 

She presses back against him and nods. Wiping her face.

"It's — I've never been this happy. With you. And. I don't deserve it. I've done so many terrible things, made the galaxy worse. But." She stares down at this small spot of green and blue. So small and surrounded by devastation... "There's life."

...he sets his chin on her head, tucking her into his body as they watch the planet. 

"Yeah," he sighs. "Life... goes on? Planets are pretty resilient. There's even living stuff on Malachor, you know?"

— she curls up in him.

"Really?" The echoes of pain and terror and horrifying death- she presses her mind deeper inside his. Muting. "What did you see?"

He takes her and wraps around her like a cloak, remembering- the landscape of the planet, and nothing else. 

"Plants, animals... Well, nothing I'd like to meet in a dark alley, but they were there. It was a sith planet before the battle, too. I guess whatever survived probably had to be stronger than normal animals. Whatever you think about Sith, you gotta admit they make tough monsters."

- she doesn't laugh. Well, only a little bit.

"The Mandolorians were terrified of it. The name Malachor was taboo. Wasn't even on any of their maps. Maybe that had something to do with it," she jokes, lightly.

"Pretty sure it did, yeah. There was an actual Sith Temple there, you know. Still is."

Huh. "Didn't know that." But it makes sense, in hindsight. She looks back down to the planet below. "Life goes on, huh?"

"Yep," he leans his cheek on her, "Whether you want it to or not."

Snuggle. "Wouldn't have met you, if it hadn't."

"So, worth it, right?" 

She turns into him and pulls his face against her.

"You're an idiot, Atton Rand. And you're mine. If I could turn back time, change everything... I don't know. But knowing that you would be here, being mine, it's worth everything. I've never loved anyone as much as I love you. Was always so afraid. I'm not afraid now."

He wants to avoid her eyes, but can't. 

"I..."

His hands clench, unclench. He manages to pull his gaze away, look down.

"...yeah."

"I'd've taken 'nice consolation prize', you know."

She laughs as she kisses him.

"That's your ass, actually." She squeezes said ass. "I'm vain like that."

He snorts, "Yeah, sure. I gotta be useful for something, right? Pilot and booty call, that's me." 

Future husband, she adds.

Another kiss. "Best booty call in the galaxy."

Kiss!

Kisses and snuggles.

Though eventually: "You're stalling."

"Yeah, maybe a little." 

"Me too," she admits. "I'm scared. Not of Kreia, or opening my thoughts to her, but of... well, you know the last time I was fully connected to the Force."

"Right. You sure you wanna do this? We can just wait for T3 to call, or the station security has any luck."

She shakes her head. "I don't want to do this, but we're going to. If T3 could have contacted us, he would have already, and do you really think station security is going to be able to handle whoever took the ship that had Kreia on it? This has to be connected to the people hunting us."

He sighs, "Fine, fine, be all sensible about it. How do we do this then?" He looks around, taking in all the pillows and blankets on the floor, "Or are we doing a slumber party instead?"

"Maybe later," she laughs, and pulls him down onto said pillows. "You probably already know how to meditate, to clear your mind of thoughts and feelings?"

He sits! "Sure, yeah. First step to filling your head is emptying it." 

"Good. Let's start with that." She crosses her legs and takes his hands in hers. "I'll follow your lead."

"Uh... sure," he crosses his legs too, "Okay, I'll just..."

He closes his eyes, settling into a slow pattern of breathing, easy as that. He has to stop himself from reaching for a distracting thought pattern, but that's not too hard - he does sometimes just think about nothing. 

Good.

She breathes with him, settles into the warm emptiness of his mind. A safe place. A place of his own.

But there is something, just beyond... brushing up against the confines of his mind. It's always been there. Reinforcing, strengthing. It's familiar...

She senses it, so he does too. He- flinches back from it, though. It's one thing to know he's force-sensitive, another to... 

She lets him take a breath.

Seperate from your fear. Your thoughts of pain and war. From hate.

He- breathes. Thinks of nothing. His mind is empty, waiting to be filled. All there is is her voice. No fear. No hate.

Think of what you felt when you felt the need to help me, to protect me.

He obeys, remembering- fear, again, but also, a kind of tenderness he- doesn't quite know how to categorize. A longing. A painful kind of determination. 

Open, Atton. Open yourself to me, to the Force, feel it flow through you. Over you. Inside.

Somehow, it's easy. Holding close to her, he reaches out, feeling something like layers of sheer silk brushing against skin as he- tentatively, so tentatively- touches that something beyond. 

It feels like breaking the surface of an ocean. Like escaping the atmosphere of a planet. It feels like breathing clean air, and suffocating on it- there's so much, all around them, and as they adjust they can make out not just that overwhelming sensation, but also individual threads, people, thinking and feeling and moving and living. They can feel the non-sapients, too, animals scurrying through small spaces in the habs, plants carefully rooted into boxes and crates throughout the station. It all breathes, all this life, all this movement, it creates a web of things-of-now, just as all the intentions and actions of that present come together to form an overall sense of things-to-come.

like she's drowning after an eternity without water

-he... turns, looks at her, and. 

A dark, empty hole. Devoid of life and love and — the Force. On the edges a terrible echo of slaughter. Pain. The antithesis of all that is good and solid and real.

So much pain and death. The constant horror and screaming —

screaming

can't move can't see waves of pain and betrayal she did this she ripped apart

He's inside her mind.

He can wall things out so can he wall things

In