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A Fall From Above	By : Poem Category: +G through L > Knights of the Old Republic Views: 25239 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, or any of it's characters. I make no money from writing this story.

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-revives-

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Rinna sat slumped in her chair, leaning against the table with a bored expression marring her proud face. Her vibroblade in hand, she twirled in nonchalantly back and forth, making lazy, intricate patterns in the air as she waited for the two to finish. She'd considered tossing the weapon between them, hoping maybe the flash of sharp steel would do something to deter the two idiots from talking any further. But she doubted at this point they would even notice.

They'd been at it for some twenty minutes now, which was a ridiculous amount of time for anyone to argue about something as simple as groceries by all accounts. She felt like she was watching an old married couple, bitching at each other for getting the wrong type of bread. “I can't eat this oatmeal crap, you old daft woman.” “Well, go buy it yourself, if you're gonna be picky.”

But then of course, it wasn't about the snacks the kid had bought. They had been thrown on the table and forgotten about forever ago. No, no, it seemed every argument Onasi and Mission had boiled down to her being a kid and him being old. So stupid. Both of them were right, both of them were wrong, and Jesus Christ, they needed to get the fuck over it by this point. Not that anything she said seemed to make a difference at this point.

“You think I need you? Fat Head? I got along just fine before you. Me and Z, we got a nice thing going. We don't need you and you're old whiskers messing it up.”

“Yeah? You seem to be doing just fine, running around in the sewers, getting into bar fights. What a class act you are.”

“And what are you? Some old washed up pilot bumbling his way through MY city, asking ME for MY help.”

“As I remember, Missy, it was you who came running to us, asking us for our help.”

“Only because they got Big Z!”

“And what could you do about it? You're nothing but a little brat without your big teddy bear. One day, he's not gonna be there, and you'll be dead because you're too stupid to stay out of a fight!”

“Shut up! I can take care of myself!”

“Sure you can. You keep thinking that, and you're gonna end up in a gutter somewhere. Or worse.”

“Hey,” Rinna snapped, her voice tired and out of patience. “Can we get back to . . . whatever we were doing before? And out of this toddler bitching? Please?”

“What we were doing before was trying to get some real food,” Onasi snapped back, turning to glance at Rinna before glaring back at Mission. “And all Miss Independent here brought us was junk.”

“It's good food! Just because it's not what YOU like, doesn't mean-”

“No one can live on this, kid! It's sugar and air! We need meat and bread. We need protein, calories, fats. You would know this if someone had ever taught you something besides tricks for street rats.”

“You calling me a street rat?” Mission was in the pilot's face now, her lips pulled back in a sneer, bright brown eyes flashing.

Onasi hadn't backed down from the girl's advance, instead standing stock straight, too tall for her to really look in his eyes. It did a good job of showing off the size difference between the two, a fact Rinna was sure he hadn't missed. “I'm just calling it like I see it, kid.”

“SHUT UP.”

It was Rinna's voice this time. The smuggler had been on her last thread of patience when these two started up again, and she was just about finished with their bullshit. If she had to hear any more of this same goddamn argument, she was going to rip her hair out and stuff it down their throats.

“If either of you says another word, I swear to god I'm grounding you to this room.”

Mission's look of indignation was sharp and clear on her face. “You can't do th-”

“Stuff it, Mission. You and Fluffy go back to Zelka and stock up on medpacs and stimulants. We're gonna need them. And swing by that supply lady's shop, and grab the thing Zaalbar wanted for his crossbow. I'll take the old man to get some food. Be back here at a reasonable time. We're hitting the Vulkar base first thing in the morning.” Rinna grabbed Onasi by the arm as she spoke, steering him towards the door. Before she left, she cast one last, scathing look at the child. “You can handle that, can't you?”

She just caught the look of rage on Mission's face before the door shut behind them.

“Goddamn children,” Rinna muttered. There was a headache starting behind her eyes, and each beat of her heart had her head pounding. She'd dealt with all kinds of people before, what with her years as a smuggler, running the black markets and all. Self-centered moguls, greedy officials, street thugs and brutal mercenaries. But none were ever so bad to her as the kids. Children in age from 8 to 18 got mixed up in all kinds of bad groups, and that gave them the shittiest behavior, a kind of arrogant, brash, know-it-all demeanor that had cost at least two of them a hard smack with her vibroblade. They were too young to realize that not only were they not as invincible as they had come to think of themselves, they were also no where near as smart.

But kids could learn. That was the great thing about them. They still had a buried potential in them, not yet burned out by age and apathy. Mission had just about every annoying trait thug kids tended to acquire. But there was a great sense of something worthwhile under all that. She was eager to learn, and listened when you showed her something new, as long as you treated her with respect. Of course, she expected a lot more respect than she was due, but that was part of the kid-thug thing, so she could only fault her so far. All in all, she would probably make an excellent apprentice, if Rinna ever got back into her business.

Onasi on the other hand . . .

Rinna cut her eyes at the pilot, who'd yanked his arm from her grasp the second the doors had closed behind them. He had such an aura of . . . pride around him. It wasn't the snooty kind of pride the officers liked to wear on their arm, displaying to the world that they were some paladin knight, a pure protector of peace that would never do anything wrong. His was a more sensible kind of pride. If something needed to be done, for the greater good, he was often right there, ready to face the problem and do what needed to be done. But it was never with greed, or selfishness, or a sense of pleasure. It was more like a duty he was marching through, something he took on with the utmost deference, like a good soldier. She had stolen, fought, and cheated her way through a lot of problems here on Taris. And though he had raised some concerns over the wisdom of some of her actions, he had supported the ultimate goal, and therefor her. It had truly taken her aback.

Actually, now that she stopped to think about it, it was really shocking everything the man had done for her. He had stayed behind on the Endar Spire to ensure she was safely off the ship. He had carried her to safety, finding the apartment and watching over her while she gained back her strength. He had followed behind her as she got into one problem after another, helping her fight when she was too proud to back down, helping her spy when they needed information, helping her cheat when they needed money. Hell, he had even stayed when she ripped a piece of chest out of a guy. She hadn't exactly been the pinnacle representation of the Corp's values. But he had stuck with her. Even after . . .

Rinna had slowed as she walked, allowing Onasi to take the lead as they made their way towards the elevator. Why had he stayed? It wasn't really a question she had pondered too much. After each little stint of wrong-doing, she was always grateful he was there. But she had never really wondered why. And that night after the Sith party had really been a testament to that. She had been high, sure, but she had basically forced him at first. Hell, she might even be considered a rapist by certain law. That thought sent a cold shiver down her spine. And yet, here he was, still right beside her where he'd always been. Why? She hadn't exactly endeared herself to him. And he certainly didn't seem happy to be with her. And yet he was here none-the-less.

So why? Was it still some officer code of conduct thing? Did he believe he could get to Bastilla faster and easier with her at his side? And if that was the case, did he plan on ditching her at the first opportunity after he found the Jedi? Her stomach did a strange little flip. That would have been her choice, if she she were in his shoes. She would see herself as too much of a danger to leave around such an important player in the Republic's war efforts. But then, if it was up to her, she would probably choose to execute the threat, and she couldn't really see the pilot doing that.

Whatever the outcome, it wasn't really that important. He wasn't like to cause her any harm. So either she continued working with him, or she got to go back to her old life. Neither was a particularly dull prospect.

It didn't take them long to get down to the cantina. It was busy today, some type of holiday on the planet that she'd never heard of, and they were able to slip into the crowd without any problem. Waitresses flitted here and there, bringing drinks and orders, and slipping nimbly out of the grasps of the more heady customers. Rinna managed to talk a couple out of their corner booth, and before long, her and Onasi were tucked out of the way, sipping on drinks and sampling the various appetizers the waitress had lain before them.

The atmosphere was intoxicating. Everybody seemed to be excited, ecstatic, hollering in some wordless exuberance about something she couldn't understand. There were a few off-worlders here and there, who looked about as clueless as they were about whatever was going on. But the spirit of the room was infectious, and most everyone was smiling one way or another. Rinna could already feel the muscles around her mouth pulling back in a grin.

This was her kind of setting. She could feel the anticipation for tomorrow, when they would break into the base, and steal back Gaddon's prototype. It was a shooting kind of excitement, eagerness, and a touch of fear that flavored the whole experience. And the festivities tonight only seemed to brighten that feeling, giving it new colors. It was the kind of party she used to hit before a big run, drinking with the boys, feeding on bravado and laughter. It made her feel a touch of nostalgia for the life she had lost when the Corp caught her. But mostly all she could feel was giddiness rising in her chest.

Rinna turned to the pilot, her eyes bright and lively. “They're wishing us luck,” she told him with a laugh, eying a couple stumbling their way around their table as they gave her cheeky grins. She grinned back at them, raising an eyebrow as the woman stumbled, and the man caught her by the ass.

“Well, we're going to need it,” came Onasi's reply, humorless, and more than a touch grim. Rinna turned back to him, her eyebrow still raised. He looked . . . broody, a scowl etched on his face as he picked apart a bit of meat, taking small bites around the massive bone of the odd creature. The smuggler could only roll her eyes and laugh. He was always so sure her plans were going to fail. No faith. No faith at all.

“Oh, calm down,” she snapped, snatching the bone from him. She cracked it in one sharp motion, sucking down the marrow with pleasure and tossing the shell back onto the plate. “I've made bigger raids before. And alone at that. With you there, what's there to fear?” She grinned playfully as she grabbed another bone off the plate.

Rinna saw the corners of his mouth twitch up in a smile, before he turned to look out at the party around them. “You really want to take Mission?” he asked.

“You don't?” she asked back, sitting back in her seat as she sucked on the bone.

“I don't know how much help she'll be. Really she's going to be more trouble than she's worth.”

“Look, she's helping us get into the base. And I doubt she'd be happy just sitting back and giving us directions. The kid wants to fight. Why stop her?”

“She's going to get herself killed.”

“She will if she doesn't learn how dangerous the world is, yeah.”

Onasi looked at her with a frown.

“And this is how you think we should teach her?”

“We? It's not our job to teach her jack. She should be learning from her parents, or that brother of hers. We're not taking over that position. Stop thinking of her like a kid, and start thinking of her like an . . . informer, I guess. A partner.”

“She is a kid. And she's going to get herself killed.”

“We'll be there to help her. Calm down, Carth, you're worried about nothing.”

The pilot jerked at that, his lips pursing together as he leaned back in his seat. He was silent for a moment, looking at her through narrowed eyes, before finally shrugging.

“Fine. If you think it's best.” Suddenly, he slipped from the booth, straightening his collar as he rose. “I'll be right back. I'm going to order another drink. Do you want anything?”

“Get me a cometduster.” She told him with a grin. She might as well get in on the electrifying air tonight. The pilot rolled his eyes, but she caught the hint of a smile as he turned and melted into the mass of people, heading back towards the main bar. Rinna watched him leave, before her eyes trailed down to glance at the booth he had just vacated. It felt odd to see it empty there, especially considering how full the room around her was. She had always had people with her at parties before, her crew or her friends, always people to surround her and lighten the mood, keep her talking, have some fun. Even in the Corps, she had found people who's company she enjoyed to sit with when she ate. She was never alone.

And yet now, she realized, all it took was for one man to walk away and she truly was utterly and completely alone in this room. She was impossibly far away from her former crew, her former friends, anyone she once knew. Most of her new acquaintances from the Endar Spire were dead or captured, and the only other people she knew on the planet were a 14-year-old girl and her pet wookie. Without Onasi, she was flying solo.

Why did that bother her? She had certainly been alone before. She'd run raids on her own, flew smuggling runs alone, fought alone. She'd spent almost a year without a friendly face once when she was running from a bounty. This wasn't really new to her. And yet, the empty seat across from her seemed more forlorn than it had any right to be, worn down blue leather, with a tear on one side, and a swathe of orange piled in the corner-.

Rinna leaned across the table, her bright eyes trying desperately to see if the patch of color was really what she thought it was. Onasi's jacket! He'd left it behind!

In a flash, Rinna had abandoned her comfy seat against the wall, slipping into the opposite bench and reaching out for the bright fabric. Onasi never went anywhere without that damn jacket. It was his signature piece, no matter what he was wearing. Like her own verizion vest Ako had stolen from her. And if it was anything like that, he'd have all kinds of things hidden in secret pockets.

Her fingers glided over the worn leather, her momentary melancholy forgotten. Deftly she felt the creases, searching for pockets. The obvious ones on the front offered nothing more than a battery pack and a small amount of credits. It wasn't until she had turned the coat inside out and started feeling about the inner wrappings that she found anything good.

The first hidden pocket she found held a small, ornate blade, obviously carved with great care and skill. It was small, but wickedly sharp, something she wouldn't be eager to deal with in close quarters. But the next pocket held more. A small flip badge, his pilot's license, and inside, a folded up picture.

The picture was worn and weathered, the creases showing the first signs of tears. He'd opened and folded it too many times, and the poor bit of fabric couldn't hold up. It was odd to find a true picture in this day and age. You didn't hear of anyone carrying them anymore when holograms were so much more convenient. Well, unless it was a shrine.

Rinna's heart raced in her chest as she realized what she was holding. A homage, a tribute to someone dead. That was really the only reason to have a paper picture these days. Who had Onasi lost? Her fingers shook as she started to peel the pieces apart, unfolding them delicately. There was a strange sort of excitement to the act. Onasi hadn't told her nearly anything about himself. And here she was about to get a great big piece of the pilot puzzle.

The sudden feeling of weight beside her brought a sharp gasp of surprise from the smuggler's lips. Her hand had slipped the contents of the pocket back into their appropriate place before she had even registered the action, but her heart was still in her throat.

“Shit, that was fast-”

Rinna turned, a grin washed across her face, ready to greet the pilot with a look of sincere innocence. But it wasn't the pilot's grizzled face she found. It was a young, unfamiliar face, bright eyes staring her down with a cocky kind of arrogance. Another figure stood just behind him, broad shouldered and casual, hands in his pockets as he grinned down at her. They both wore long dark jackets, and worn boots, nothing particularly detailed about the garb. Inconspicuous. Which was usually a sign of someone who didn't want to be noticed.

“Smugglers,” Rinna thought to herself, glancing between the two men with an easy smile. She was pretty sure she'd never met them before, but that didn't mean they didn't know her. She was a bit notorious back in the day. And that wasn't really a good thing now, when she wasn't really in any position to deal with this kind of problem.

Not that she was terribly worried. Smugglers could be difficult, but usually they wanted to keep to themselves rather than draw attention to their various shady dealings. If they could move through a planet without a single person recognizing them, they had done their jobs right. So it was unlikely they were going to cause a scene, here, in such a crowded place. Rinna gave them her pleasantest face as she turned to the man sitting next to her.

“Can I help you?” she asked, her voice coy, the words purred. She let her eyes travel as she spoke, making a show of looking him over. He certainly wasn't bad on the eyes. Probably used to the girls fawning over him. But even the most experienced player could still respond to some ego stroking, and it usually did help meetings go easier, so why not? She let her eyes linger a little too long on the open neck of his shirt, where it revealed a good portion of his collarbone, before looking him back in the eye.

He was smirking in that usual cocky young man way, his eyes lidded with pleasure as if he had found a particularly ripe fruit in his basket. And his own bright orbs were apparently not against wandering, trailing down her low cut top and lingering on her long legs, crossed under the table.

“Oh, yes, lovely, I think you can,” He purred back, his smile hooking in a crooked way. He had some accent she couldn't place at first. One of the core worlds, Coruscant maybe, or Corellia. There was even enough of a posh note in it to be Alderaan. Something classy at least. She would guess he was well born, too. Or at least had learned the high-born mannerisms. His friend, on the other hand, looked more like the brutes you found running guns for backwater planets like Desevro or Geonosis. They made for an odd mix, but one she knew would work well in their kind of business.

“Can I?” she asked, giving them a wry little laugh. “What with, I wonder? Obviously, something important enough to come barging over and invading my little party without an invitation.”

“I didn't think I needed one,” the young man responded, without so much as a moment's hesitation. “What with you looking around the room the way you were.”

“And what's that supposed to mean?”

“It means you want to get in on the party.” He leaned in close, an elbow on the table and a twinkle in his eye. “What's wrong. Is gramps holding you back?”

She laughed aloud at that, shaking her head and looking at him with a mischievous gleam. “He's not my babysitter. I just like his company.”

“Really? Then why aren't you in the thick of things? I think the old man doesn't like this kind of thing. Or you being in the middle of it, anyway. But you look like your own woman, someone who can make decisions for herself.”

Rinna was grinning from ear to ear as she realized what was happening.

“Oh, god, you're trying to sell me something, aren't you.”

The youth grinned back, a little laugh escaping his lips. “Well, that among other things. Certainly not the only reason we came over.”

“I should think not. I'm not really the sweetest mark in here right now.”

“No, but you are the finest.”

Rinna laughed again. “Maybe try to decide whether you're trying to sell me something, or hit on me, before you start the conversation. You know, put your efforts where they need to be.”

“Oh, I am,” he purred back, reaching a hand back to take something the larger man handed him.

“Your vibroblade,” he started, gesturing to the weapon strapped at her back as he pulled a small wrapped object into view. “It's a nice piece there. I used to have one that model. Usually reserved for captains in the corp.” He looked at her with a sharp eye. “But they can be a little shaky. I just so happen to have a vibration cell made by Kolvo right here. It's excellent quality-”

“And here I thought you were gonna try selling me some Slick.” Rinna rolled her eyes as she started to turn away from the men. “I've already got a vibration cell. And durasteel. And an EP. So unless you've got something real fancy in those leather pants, you can go bother someone else. Gramps'll be back in a second with my drink, and I'd like to enjoy it in piece.”

“What about cortosis-weave?”

Rinna stopped at that, her dark eyes snapping back to the pair. The grin was gone, replaced by a look of suspicion, and the first touch of real interest she had shown.

“You have some?” She asked, her voice even and low. While she had been content to simply humor the pair with snippets of feigned interested and a heavy layer of flirty, she hadn't truly thought to buy anything from them. They had a good amount of money where they were now, and they were pretty set for the raid tomorrow. There was no need to go spending credits just because a flashy set of teeth really wanted you to. But cortosis-weave was something else entirely. With that fitted to her blade, she could deflect the hardest hits, including those from a lightsaber. It was hard to come by, to say the least. And if they really did have some, there was no telling what other little treasures they might boast.

Rinna knew she was playing right into their hand. She didn't truly need the weave. It wasn't likely that she would be fighting any Jedi in the raid. But it was so hard to come by. And damn it all, if she wasn't curious now.

“Oh, yes. And much more besides.” The gleam in his eyes told her all she needed to know. He was eager to make a sale. And he knew he had her now. If she had the kind of money he was hoping she had, he could walk away from this happy as a fambaa in a swamp-wood. All he needed was to seal the deal.

“Would you like to take a look?” The young man was out of his seat and standing above her, one hand outstretched and a smile snaking its way across his face. Rinna hesitated, glancing back towards the main section of the bar, trying to find Onasi. It was harder than it should have been, what with him lacking his characteristic orange vest.

He would flip a lid if he got back and she was gone. She knew that. And yet . . . it wasn't like she was going to be gone very long. And what with how crowded the place was, it would probably still take him a few minutes before he got back. If she just took a quick peak, it shouldn't be a problem, should it?

Barely a moment had passed between him offering her his hand and her taking it. She would just go right quick. Just take a look at what they had, and then be back before Onasi ever knew the better. The young man pulled her easily to her feet, giving her a moment to collect herself before leading her towards a side entrance, out of the bar. Rinna made one last swift pass through the crowd with sharp eyes, hoping to see the pilot, before she turned quietly, and followed the pair out into the night.
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A Fall From Above