|
Dire Wolf
So who's ready to help me sock ol Adolf on the jaw?!
2,894 posts
49 likes
Have dakka will travel
|
|
last online May 6, 2020 18:55:51 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
May 27, 2009 2:15:11 GMT -5
Post by Dire Wolf on May 27, 2009 2:15:11 GMT -5
((OOC: takes place in the down time between the med ship raid and the main mission))
Crassus gave a tired sigh as he sat in the captain's chair of the Ascension, it was more than likely that he would burn for what he just ordered. Only the Republic would have someone grilled alive for doing something noble... sure, he went against orders and stopped en route to the mission. That action basically risked the entire operation, yes, but the little “assignment” was worth nothing compared to the life and well being of an actual person. You simply cannot lose your humanity while dealing with those who have, in fact, lost it... that is the point when you become no better than the very beings you are fighting to exterminate.
That fun little fact meant nothing to command, however, which is why Crass would leave that little detail out of his report. He would also have that meager fifteen to twenty minutes stricken from the record, it wasn't that he was trying to dodge punishment... okay it was... he just didn't feel like it was right to be punished for saving a few civilians. Crimson skinned fingers pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to quell the nasty headache that seemed to randomly stab at his mind, but the migrane refused to subside... or even diminish... especially after he closed his eyes. “Enough,” his thoughts accidentally rippled out to any Force sensitives within the area, “stop coddling the damned headache and walk it off. You have been through far worse than this to simply sit around and whine silently to yourself. Maybe the new promotion has already gotten to you?”
No.
Never.
Ever.
The Zeltron would rather die before he allowed himself to be your average stick-up-the-ass officer, he had always hated it when people like that were in command. It was never pleasant for the subordinates.... and honestly the man would loathe himself for turning into that kind of person. It just wasn't him. The man was so enthralled in his little musings that he barely noticed the shadow of his XO, who happened to be a Chiss, loom over his sitting form. Until she spoke that is, then she earned the man's attention. He opened his eyes slowly and looked up at the woman's blood red eyes, normally he would have been a little disturbed by them. There was just something... odd... about them. Relaxing maybe? No... they just reminded him of R-.... Rahja. Really? He shook his head slightly and refocused on the woman that stood before him.
“Sir, your shift is over. I can take over until we reach Subterrel.”
He gave her a friendly smile and a curt nod as he stood up, stretched, and looked back at her. He more than trusted this woman with his ship, she was both an old friend and proved herself time and again in naval combat. Not that they would run into any on the route to Subterrel of course, but it was always good to have your baby in the hands of someone competent. LtCdr Rakani more than fit this bill in Crass' eyes.
“The bridge is yours, Dani.”
The raven haired woman only gave him a nod and a “aye aye” as her commander walked by, stealing a minor glance at him before shaking her head and turning her attention back to the task at hand: sit and do absolutely nothing. Dani gave a little sigh... and caught herself wishing that things had worked out better between she and Crass, he was a different man back then after all. To say that he was... promiscuous... in his past would be an understatement. But now? Well... he was quite different.
After making his decent down the turbo lift he began to walk about the ship for awhile; simply thinking about the coming operation, musing to himself silently, and just plain old stretching those things that used to do him so well before he became an REMF. He was nearly at his stateroom when it hit him: He was stuck on this ship. He would never fly again. Ever. Not unless he got out of the military and flew civilian... and that idea did not please him one little bit.
He could feel the weight of the 'verse slowly bear down on him as he leaned his back against the wall, slowly sliding down it like a wet piece of bacon. It wasn't long before he was sitting down and just gazing off into empty space, feeling completely defeated.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
May 27, 2009 4:11:07 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on May 27, 2009 4:11:07 GMT -5
Rahja huffed, yawned, stretched, ached...oh yes, that's right, she'd been cut once while on that dratted tin can called a medical ship. She'd taken Sender to her quarters before returning to the med bay to get patched up, not that it took much, and now she was on her way back, heading to the mess hall. Oh yay, food from a jar. Yawning again, she paused as someone's thoughts came tapping at her mental walls. Sighing, she decided to humor her curiosity and listen in. Ah, so it was Crass. Shrugging, the chiss continued down the hall, Rah took the lift up toward the main crew decks.
As the doors dinged open, Rah stepped out to realize that she'd manged to get the wrong floor for the mess hall. These were the comfy staterooms for the officers and the higher ranking crew members. Oh yes, she was on the posh deck now. Snickering, she toyed with the idea of if there was such a deck...she'd die laughing if there was, though she knew enough to know better. Well, while she was here, she may as well look around a bit...not like it would do her much good though. At least she'd thought to change out of her armor and into something a bit more comfortable...not that anyone ELSE would consider a bodice comfortable.
As the black and red clad woman stalked down the halls, she turned more than a few heads. It wasn't that there was an over exposure of skin...far from it with the long sleeved and billowy black shirt, black pants and brown boots...but it was the black and red bodice, heavy chained silver and black necklace and her exotic chiss looks that caught both men and women's attentions. Some of the weaker willed officers and crew scurried around her, like they thought she was a sith or something. The thought nearly made Rah laugh...she might have if it hadn't been so close to the truth at one point in time. Others, the more brave souls, would stop to look at her, some even cat calling as she strode down the corridor.
As she'd moved along, at first it was just curiosity that moved the woman along, but now it was something more. The force pulled her this direction, and she wasn't one to ignore its calling. It wasn't until she saw a familiar form, slumped on the floor against the cold bulkhead, that she paused and tilted her head. What was Crass doing here, like this? She could almost feel the despair rolling off of him. Moving forward silently, she squatted down beside him before making a sound.
Crass? What in all the worlds is wrong?
|
|
|
|
|
Dire Wolf
So who's ready to help me sock ol Adolf on the jaw?!
2,894 posts
49 likes
Have dakka will travel
|
|
last online May 6, 2020 18:55:51 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
May 27, 2009 18:16:35 GMT -5
Post by Dire Wolf on May 27, 2009 18:16:35 GMT -5
The Zeltron could feel the weight of the galaxy press his down on his shoulders, he didn't bother to try and shrug off the herculean weight. His time flying, the only release from this flying coffin made of durasteel, ceramics, and computers, was now over. Never to return. Nothing but the fleeting ghost of a memory. That fact alone was enough to demolish the man's spirit, but coupled with the fact that he would likely never (or very rarely) leave the ship... that nearly killed him. He was a free spirit, not unlike Rahja, and to cage him up like that: it crushed him.
Crassus was so lost in his thought that his mind barely noticed the Chiss woman that walked up to him and squatted down, asking him what was wrong. What was wrong? He could no longer fly, the one thing that kept him in the Navy, and to add insult to injury they caged him up in a high-tech bath tub. It wouldn't have been so bad if they at least made him a flight instructor somewhere... but no. They put him in command of a ship. His brain took a few moments to register her words and when they finally did he averted his gaze up to the woman's blood red eyes. For some odd reason he found comfort in those orbs...
“Rah... do you remember when you first boarded the Aegis? The trapped feeling?”
In truth the question was more rhetorical than anything else... but he gave her enough time to respond nonetheless. The Zeltron man sighed as he averted his gaze from her and stared back off into the bulkhead, the despair was rolling off of him in waves by this point.
“My only release from that feeling was flying... and I won't be doing any of that any time soon. Nor will I be leaving the ship either, I doubt that I will even get the chance to do so on shore leaves...”
His voice trailed off as just sat there, his head resting lazily against the cold bulkhead of the corridor. Crass didn't think, he couldn't, at that moment he just existed. Nothing more. Nothing less. Again he lazily averted his gaze back up to the Chiss woman next to him, his eyes stopping for a brief second around the upper chest area before he allowed his gaze to meet hers.
Hopefully she didn't find this feeling of his silly... it sure didn't feel that way.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
May 28, 2009 5:33:55 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on May 28, 2009 5:33:55 GMT -5
Rah watched him carefully, the waves of his turbulent emotions not lost on her. That partially trained force ability picked up easily on his emotions before she shut them out, closing off her mind lest she be pulled down into his depression with him. That would do no one any good. As he looked up into her eyes, that rhetorical question ringing in her ears, the woman sighed and sat down beside him, her back also coming to rest against the chilly bulkhead as he continued on with his thoughts. A few of the crew slowed to look at the scene, and those blood red eyes would lock on them, staring them down until they moved on. What a day this was turning out to be...she was lucky she already had red eyes, it was near impossible to see the exhaustion in them like one could with 'normal' eyes...the redness that came into the whites of the eyes of others was lost in hers.
As he trailed off, she was silent for a long moment as she thought over just what the correct course of action might be. She didn't know Crass well enough to know just how to best make him feel better, but she would at least try. The raven haired sniper watched as his head rolled lazily to the side as his eyes traveled to her face...making a detour at her chest for a moment before moving on to their target. Even as she held his gaze, the exotic looking woman allowed one blue hand to come to rest on his shoulder.
Yes, Crass, I remember. I remember very well...it's the same one I still have to this very moment, but I know that I cannot allow it to get to me...to get into the way of what I can, or must, do.
Look, it isn't easy, any of this....not for me, not for you, not for any of the ground pounders we got cooped up on this tin can, but we don't let it get to us, and you can't let it get to you. Cras, do you understand me? You let this get to you, we're all dead. Crass, you're the best pilot here, you have the most experience, the most tactical knowledge....if you didn't you wouldn't be in this position.
Now, I need you to listen to me very carefully...
Even I know that these ships are equipped with a training simulator of some sort for the pilots. It isn't the best, and it's not the real thing, but it'll do you in a pinch. Everyone is allowed shore leave, even the captain and commander...it's illegal not to allow it, they don't want their officers going batty because of pressure...there's your chance to fly.
Rah was an expert at dealing with stress and stressful situations...she had to be. In her line of work, if she didn't she was liable to crack herself. The chiss may have been a maverick, a free spirit that didn't want to be chained to anything for longer than her whims urged, but she was good at her job and she knew how to get around tough obstacles in rather...creative....ways.
Crass, there's always, ALWAYS, a way around a problem. I'll help you best I can, but you gotta hold it together for this first few weeks.
Now, most people would have thought that she was blowing the whole thing out of proportion, she'd experienced otherwise. This...what she was witnessing...this was the warning sign. From here things could go two ways: 1) he could hold it together and after the initial "culture shock" of his change in position, or 2) it would simply be too much for the man and he would crack under the new stresses of command. Rah wasn't about to allow the second to come to fruition, despite the fact that he was already following that path.
|
|
|
|
|
Dire Wolf
So who's ready to help me sock ol Adolf on the jaw?!
2,894 posts
49 likes
Have dakka will travel
|
|
last online May 6, 2020 18:55:51 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
May 28, 2009 16:18:20 GMT -5
Post by Dire Wolf on May 28, 2009 16:18:20 GMT -5
((OOC: Yes, that is the Ballad of Serenity from Firefly))
One of those old songs that he used to listen to in flight school seemed to fill his head. He couldn't really stop it... and it cast him further down into a rut of depression.
“Take my love, take my land Take me where I cannot stand, I don't care, I'm still free, You can't take the sky from me...”
You could take the bird from the sky, but not the sky from the bird. It only left him with a sense of longing... one that could only be satisfied by jumping into one of those starfighters and taking a little joyride around the ship. Unfortunately that was too “risky” for a man of his “stature.”
That cerulean hand that came to rest on his shoulder did more than Rah could ever know. In truth her mere presence was a comfort to the Zeltron and that hand on his shoulder only amplified that feeling. Crassus kept his eyes fixed on the Chiss woman's blood red orbs as she spoke, listening (and thinking) about every word that she said. Yes, he did understand her... neither he, nor the crew, couldn't afford him to crack under pressure. Especially now. During an operation right smack in the middle of enemy territory. It would, in fact, be the death of every single person aboard that ship.
...you're the best pilot here...
“A pilot without his wings...”
He looked off into empty space as she said that he was the best pilot there, and he just couldn't seem to stop that nasty thought to creep into his head. Yes, he was a pilot without his wings... and no, there was nothing that he could do about it. So, why was he so damned persistent about being hung up on the little things like that? In truth, he didn't know. He did know one thing, however: He needed to pull himself together.
The Zeltron continued to gaze into Rah's eerie, yet comforting, crimson red eyes as she spoke. Crass seemed to forget about the little skill honing simulator that the Ascension housed. It was namely used by the pilots during long hyperspace transits when they couldn't go out and practice their skills together, but other than that it was a waste of space. While it would never quite be the same as flying out in the black the simulator would.
“I suppose that there is, Rah, they have a little simulation machine that pilots use during long transits.”
Crass looked down at the deck for a moment as he weighed the consequences of what he was about to ask. Or, to be more precise, not asking what he was about to ask the Chiss woman. It took a long moment for him to finally decide on an action, and when he did he locked his green gaze onto those blazing red orbs.
“Rah... seeing as you will be teaching me how to shield my mind... would you like to learn how to fly?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
May 29, 2009 18:56:50 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on May 29, 2009 18:56:50 GMT -5
Rah blinked as the song escaped his mind and wormed its way into hers. Passing it up, she had continued speaking. His next stray thought, however, garnered her full attention. She looked at him sternly and folded her arms across her chest. It was obvious that the chiss was far from amused at his line of thinking.
Crass, you are the only pilot here who has "wings" worth anything. You may not control them directly, but this ship is our home, and it is your wings. Without this ship, the other pilots ships mean NOTHING, our lives mean NOTHING, without this ship we wouldn't be existing. So if you ask me, your wings hold a lot more worth than you're giving them credit for.
Finally the mopey zeltron seemed to be snapping out of it, latching onto her idea of the simulator. At last...progress was being made. The woman gave a stout nod of approval just before his question reached her ears, causing her to blink over at him. To be honest, once she'd learned that she was being transferred off the Aegis, Rah had dismissed the promise, figuring never to see the man again, and after that....well, it had been forgotten in her mission and now all of this. To have him offer her flying lessons in return...she tilted her head slightly to get a different view of him, as if it would help her make her decision.
Well....I'd never thought of learning to fly before, honestly. I've not needed to...not really....but, it might be wise to know something about it. How would you teach me though? I never have time unless I'm on here. I was already informed by my CO that I would be given missions during the Ascension shore leaves.
|
|
|
|
|
Dire Wolf
So who's ready to help me sock ol Adolf on the jaw?!
2,894 posts
49 likes
Have dakka will travel
|
|
last online May 6, 2020 18:55:51 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
May 31, 2009 1:22:49 GMT -5
Post by Dire Wolf on May 31, 2009 1:22:49 GMT -5
Crass looked up and blinked at the Chiss woman that had obviously tried hard to get him out of his little slump. Not to say that he couldn't blame her... if he continued to feel that way it wouldn't be too good for the long term health of anyone aboard the ship. He said nothing to this, however, she was right. He was in command and they were technically “his” wings, despite the fact that he didn't do any of the flying.
The Zeltron offered up the ghost of a smirk at Rah's reaction to his offer to teach her how to fly. It was a good skill to have, piloting, most people tended not to bother with it because they believed that it was far too complex to learn. It wasn't. In truth, all that you really had to do for civilian piloting was press a few buttons here and there for hyperspace transits, keep an eye on the status lights, and all in all the ship won't spontaneously combust. As was the case with military starfighters... its just that you had to keep aerial maneuvers, gunnery, and strategy in mind on top of all the aforementioned things. Even then, you could be following all the rules and still get cooked. But then, that was why Crass was so good.
He didn't follow the rules.
“That simulator I told you about? It is hooked into the military cortex. I can upload any program, basic flight included, up onto it.... even though it the connection was more meant for long distance war games.”
Crass gave a little smirk, bending the rules was fun sometimes. Nope. He wasn't your average commander... he cared about the well being of his crew, especially Rah. No. Yes? But not in that way. Not yet anyways, she was a friend. Yes. A friend. The red hued man slowly got up out of his slumped position and turned around, extending his hand to help the pretty woman up. She was just that: Beautiful. Though he did have a few scars it honestly made her look more like the Warrior woman that she was.
“Wait a second... they assign you missions on shore leave?”
He stopped for a second, dumbfounded. The army brass must obviously didn't realize just how draining it was being stuck on a rusty tub for months on end. Then being asked to do a mission, probably one of the “need to know” variety... that is just asking for failure. Though she may not die the first time... it was only a matter of time before the strain got to her.
“Thats just not right. Rah, that mentality of theirs is setting you up for failure. Eventually. I know a few people in high places that owe me a few favors... I will have to call them in for you.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
May 31, 2009 3:25:41 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on May 31, 2009 3:25:41 GMT -5
A ghost of a smile etched its way onto her face as Crass FINALLY seemed to be snapping out of it. His words, however, made black eyebrows raise in disbelief and she chuckled sarcastically.
Wait...wait....who told WHO about the simulator? Hmph...either way...yes, I think it would be good to learn.
She gave a thoughtful look, red eyes looking at the floor for a moment as she pondered the idea. Rah sighed and looked up as him as he stood and offered a hand to her. Placing her smaller hand in his, the azure woman helped pull herself up. In the process she managed to somehow come a MIGHT closer to the zeltron than she'd intended. Calmly she took a step backward, muscles tensed under that azure skin of hers, but her mannerisms she kept strictly neutral. Rah didn't deign to speak again until Crass' green eyes met hers incredulously about her statement on her...line of work.
They assign me the jobs I need to do when they need to be done, if it's on shore leave then it's on shore leave. I've been doing this a long time Crass, you don't need to worry about me. Besides, I'm a big girl and I've been through more than you might think...I'm hardly the "dieing swan" here.
She stated with a light chuckle, then a heavier sigh.
Crass, you don't know my job, you don't know what I do or do not have to do, and you do not know how much of anything I can or cannot handle...so you let me keep my business to myself, and keep yourself out of it. It's not worth your life.
|
|
|
|
|
Dire Wolf
So who's ready to help me sock ol Adolf on the jaw?!
2,894 posts
49 likes
Have dakka will travel
|
|
last online May 6, 2020 18:55:51 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
May 31, 2009 20:55:50 GMT -5
Post by Dire Wolf on May 31, 2009 20:55:50 GMT -5
((>_< gorram absent mindless typing errors and peoplez not letting me fix. Lol xD))
Crass chuckled a bit as the Chiss woman called him out on the little simulator issue. She never “told” him about it, he knew about it long before she had even known that the ship existed, but Rah did remind him of it. An amused smirk contorted the side of his face as he helped her up, speaking simultaneously. Lighthearted tones were rampant in his voice, hopefully letting her know that not a word of the following statement was serious.
“Bah. You just reminded me of it.”
The Zeltron's heart began to race in his chest after the Chiss drew uncomfortably close as the process of helping her up was complete. The rippling muscles underneath that crimson skin of his clenched as she stepped back calmly. It took his heart a moment to slow to its regular pace, why? Did he not just meet her? Why did she garner such a reaction from him?
He listened to what she had to say, sure, she may not have been a “dieing swan,” but the fact of the matter was that stress got to everyone eventually. A shore leave was a perfect way to blow off steam, relieve stress, and all in all keep everyone alive during a combat operation. To have one Rah, a member of the crew, constantly on missions and never really blowing off steam. Well, to be honest it could put the entire operation in jeapordy. What if she made a mistake due to fatigue? The line of thought that her commanders had running through their mind was irresponsible.
Crassus wished that “operational security” was the reason why he was so concerned with her actions during the Ascension shore leaves. No. The concern that he had for her well being was not cold and based off of logic, but emotion. That fact dismayed him slightly. Normally he looked at a situation in a far different light, because a line of thought based off of one's emotions is generally always wrong.
“But I do worry for you, Rah.”
He just couldn't stop those seven words from bubbling out of his mouth for some odd reason, his eyes closed almost the instant that the last syllable left his mouth. Crass ran a hand through his short black hair as he attempted to recover a few moments later. He failed.
“I mean... erm... heh...”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Jun 1, 2009 1:29:29 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Jun 1, 2009 1:29:29 GMT -5
Hmph.
The slight ripple of his muscles caught her eye and the tense emotions surrounding him were palpable to the force user, causing her head to tilt to the side slightly. Could it be that he’d been just as uncomfortable about her being near to him as she had? No, most certainly not…at least not for the same reasons. No one could feel that way about her, and she certainly wouldn’t want them to. It was always better off for everyone involved if they just stayed away from her emotionally and physically…especially emotionally. She almost chuckled at the absurd thought. He was good looking, and kind, and one of the best guys she’d met in a very long time, and if she’d been in any other profession, any other person, any other time...she might have actually been able to see herself with th….NO! What a disgrace she was to his memory…Shelk would surely be rolling in his grave at that line of thought…besides…he was only speaking out of concern, nothing more.
It’s alright Crass…you don’t need to try and explain, your concern is the sign of a good Commander.
It was obvious, now, that Rah was either very clueless, or trying very hard to be ignorant of at least HER feelings for the man. She had brought up the shields around her mind, working to cut off her emotions, both from herself and him. It worked well enough…it really wasn’t difficult to become emotionless when one had the training for it: a twist of the mind here, a bolster of the shielding there, and an iron will, and there you had it…the recipe for a near emotionless (or completely emotionless if you were good enough) facade that even a zeltron would have difficulty getting through.
Commander or not, I know my limits better than you do...so as I said before, Crass, you don’t need to worry about me.
|
|
|
|
|
Dire Wolf
So who's ready to help me sock ol Adolf on the jaw?!
2,894 posts
49 likes
Have dakka will travel
|
|
last online May 6, 2020 18:55:51 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Jun 1, 2009 14:44:38 GMT -5
Post by Dire Wolf on Jun 1, 2009 14:44:38 GMT -5
Crass blinked as she replied to his little “but I do worry about you” comment and silently thanked the Force that she was oblivious to what he had really meant by that. Then almost instantly something peculiar happened: any emotions that he was feeling from her were quickly switched off. Normally he was very acute at sensing others' feelings, especially when they were so close, but Rah, Rah was currently emotionless. No one was ever emotionless. They always felt some kind of emotion, even if it was faint or just “blarg.” So this caused the Zeltron to wonder... why could he not sense a single thing from this woman?
Jedi Training.
That, he surmised, was the reason why he could now sense nothing from the Chiss woman who now stood before him. Jedi Training meant Mental Barriers. Mental Barriers meant the “emotionless” facade. So why in the 'verse would she put up mental barriers after he (accidentally) let slip the fact that he worried about her? He had all but discounted the notion that a woman such as her would (or ever could) feel anything towards him.
“Heh... yeah... sign of a good Commander.”
“... but that is not the case...”
His thoughts, unknown to him, betrayed his words yet again. The feelings that he felt for her were still far from love, they could best be described as a crush at best. Feelings that he, as a matter of fact, would have preferred her to not know about for fear that she would laugh, or just make fun of him in general. He doubted that she would do such a thing, but the man would still prefer that she didn't know that he had a minor infatuation for her.
“Eh... but I do.”
Again, he closed his eyes at the slip of his tongue. “Wow, Crass, she's gonna be laughing at how pathetic you are by the end of the day,” the self deprecating thought rolled out of his mind. He probably would have tried to find a way to suppress it if he only knew that his mind was broadcasting those thoughts for all force-sensitives to hear.
“Comon, we can talk about how much of a worry wort I can be on the way to the simulator.”
He couldn't help but give a little smirk as he slowly turned around and began to walk towards the simulator room. It was doubtful that he would find anyone there, and even if he did it probably wouldn't be too strange to see the Commander, a former pilot (and one of the best at that), inside to keep his skills sharp. Not that they had to be, of course, but they couldn't expect him to stay in the military for the rest of his life.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Jun 3, 2009 1:08:11 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Jun 3, 2009 1:08:11 GMT -5
A tired chuckle escaped the woman as Crass spoke, and thought, to her. She leaned against the cool bulkhead and sighed shaking her head, following after him slowly. She wasn't much one for talking, not often anyway, and only to certain people, but Crass had somehow slipped through the defenses of her tough outer shell with ease and was working on slithering his way through her second, slowly pealing away her defenses like the layers of an onion or the petals of a rose....though, the chiss hardly saw herself as being a rose of any kind. Onion was much more her personality.
Crass, your thoughts betray you. You're a fine Commander, and I'll not think any less of you for being modest and concerned about the entire situation.
Luckily for the zeltron, she had misinterpreted his thoughts and words again. His secret was still safe...for now. The sniper never did really think in terms of relationships or the hidden emotions or meanings attached to words...she tended to take them at face value, or search for hidden lies or hidden anything, but relationships? No, that never really occurred to her.
Look, worry wort or not, I just need you to keep yourself and your stress level down...understand?
|
|
|
|
|
Dire Wolf
So who's ready to help me sock ol Adolf on the jaw?!
2,894 posts
49 likes
Have dakka will travel
|
|
last online May 6, 2020 18:55:51 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Jun 3, 2009 3:09:28 GMT -5
Post by Dire Wolf on Jun 3, 2009 3:09:28 GMT -5
Crass silently blinked at himself as she replied to his thought. He had forgotten that every last one of those inner workings was not only read, but broadcast to the woman. “Thank the For-... damnit. Stop thinking. NO. STOP. THIN.KING,” those somewhat humorous thoughts bubbled out from the man as he (vainly) attempted to stop himself from passing thoughts on any matter at all. It took him but a few moments to clear his mind and elect to play along and not reveal his little crush on the cerulean woman. He gave out a little snicker at the trailing end of his reply and gave a little salute to boot.
“I know... I can be hypercritical of myself sometimes. Understood, ma'am.”
That was no lie, but it was also not the reason behind his thoughts. Those broadcast thoughts, which he thanked the Force that she misunderstood, would eventually lead to some pain for both of them. This problem needed to be remedied... but he knew that she was tired, so he elected not to ask her just yet. Maybe some other day.
He actually caught himself thinking about her... not sexually... but just being with her out in the world. Having fun, going places, hell... he even thought of how great it would be just to spend a lazy day watching nothing but crappy holo-vids with her. A wave of happiness washed over his mind, the likes of which he honestly hadn't had in a long time. “Bah. Never happen. She wouldn't want to be with a guy like you anyways, Crass. Not if she was sane anyhow,” the thoughts slowly slithered out towards any that were sensitive enough in the Force to hear. His words belied his thoughts, however. Crass gave a sad smile (it looked awful happy though), and spoke to her.
“Comon, you got some flyin' to do.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Jun 3, 2009 4:01:01 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Jun 3, 2009 4:01:01 GMT -5
A short chuckle escaped the woman at his thought while he tried to clear his mind. Another soft chuckle, oddly gentle coming from the warrior like woman, and she paused him by putting a hand on his shoulder.
Crass, the first trick to shielding your mind is to want to shield it. The second, clear your mind. Third, you must will your mind to be a wall, a shield, a barrier of whatever kind you wish it to be, but make it hard as diamonds or harder. Know it, feel it, be it and believe in it. Those things help...they're not perfect, but they will help.
Despite her instruction, that second series of thoughts, the images that flowed from his mind, and the words that followed, disturbed her. She didn't want to think that he was becoming attached to her, it would be...unhealthy...for him to become attached to her emotionally. A weary sigh escaped her as he spoke again, but it wasn't because of the thought of learning to fly. It was the danger that that thought of his held for him.
Crass, I can't today. I need rest. I used too much energy today and if you wish me to be able to preform my duties tomorrow then I must rest my mind and body.
With that she turned down the hall that led toward the lifts.
By the way Crass...it isn't you. I just don't trust myself around anyone. Best not to get close to me...it isn't worth your life.
|
|
|
|
|
Dire Wolf
So who's ready to help me sock ol Adolf on the jaw?!
2,894 posts
49 likes
Have dakka will travel
|
|
last online May 6, 2020 18:55:51 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Jun 3, 2009 4:15:20 GMT -5
Post by Dire Wolf on Jun 3, 2009 4:15:20 GMT -5
Crassus let out a long, deep, frusterated, and honestly... angry sigh as she turned away from him, probably the reaction to his thought. But it was not directed at her. No. It was directed at himself. He tried to clear his mind, do as she said... but failed. Miserably, and at the exact wrong moment. She was probably disgusted at the very thought of being with a man such as him... a Zeltron. Rah probably thought that he was trying to work some kind of angle, do something to get in her bedroom. That was far from the case. The case could not be further from that as a matter of fact.
“I'm sorry, Rah... yes, it probably is bett-...”
Then, a curious thing happened. She thought to him... saying that it wasn't him, but herself... that she couldn't trust herself around anyone. It was the final part of her statement that both distrubed, piqued the man's curiosity, and struck concern into the man's heart. He instantly followed her for those very reasons.
“Rah? Rah... wait. Why isn't it worth my life? I don't understand...”
He put his red tinted hand on her shoulder in an attempt to at the very least slow her down while they were talking.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Jun 3, 2009 13:28:39 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Jun 3, 2009 13:28:39 GMT -5
No pause was given at his words, or the sound or feel of him drawing near from behind her. Even as his hand came down on her shoulder she only barely slowed in her pace. Rah didn't expect him to understand and, in part, she didn't want him to understand. Understanding something like this meant knowing details...details that could get him hurt.
It's exactly as I said...what more is there to understand? I'm a dangerous person with a dangerous job, and a dangerous history...end of story.
She wasn't about to pull any punches, and her tone and words showed that. He was close, too close, closer than she wanted him to be for his own safety...and it wasn't physically. Rahja had a few rules, all of them very simple, and the top of her list of rules: don't let anyone get emotionally close to you, they end up hurt, dead, or worse. This rule was promptly followed by others such as keep your barriers up and aim twice, shoot once and other such things that were useful to the sniper, but that top rule was always at the front of her mind.
|
|
|
|
|
Dire Wolf
So who's ready to help me sock ol Adolf on the jaw?!
2,894 posts
49 likes
Have dakka will travel
|
|
last online May 6, 2020 18:55:51 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Jun 3, 2009 14:32:47 GMT -5
Post by Dire Wolf on Jun 3, 2009 14:32:47 GMT -5
Crassus continued to walk with the blue hued woman as she walked away, he wasn't about to give up. He wanted to know, why she believed that getting close to her could end up being his death. It would be worth it, in his mind, if he could have something... some kind of tie to this plane. Not hurt. Though, this was not the reason as to why he was doing what he was doing... to be honest in the years since his late love's death the Zeltron was little more than a husk, a husk that filled the void in its heart with woman. Or, to be more precise, filled up the void in women. It had been awhile since he had given up that life... yet he still believed that the emotion known as love was albeit lost to him.
Maybe it was, but then... why would he have such a crush on Rah, then? It wasn't physical. He didn't think it was anyways... mostly because he found himself far more interested in her than in her body. Though, he had to admit, her body was easy on the eyes.
“That doesn't tell me why getting close to you would only end up with me getting hurt or killed, Rahja. We are in the military... danger kinda comes in the job description.”
With that, he looked to his side to see a door to one of the many meeting rooms that the Ascension housed. It was not locked, meaning that it also was not in use. He promptly pulled her into the room and double-checked to make sure no-one else was around. He turned to Rahja after the door closed.
“Why do you think that my getting close to you will only end with pain and death?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Jun 3, 2009 20:49:12 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Jun 3, 2009 20:49:12 GMT -5
A low growl emitted from the slender blue throat of the chiss woman as Crass hounded her (no pun intended). Red eyes glowered at him as she halted her progress. Why the hell did he care so kriffing much anyway? She'd not done anything more than was warranted. Sure she'd helped him out when he'd crashed, but she'd been the closest one, and she hadn't been about to just let him die there...hell no...she'd not been raised that way, she'd been raised as a jedi. A light bristling of emotion radiated from her before she tamped it down again. Her mind, by this time, had formulated a fitting...if snappish...reply, and she'd taken the breath to tell him when she suddenly found herself being pulled into an empty meeting room. Again she bristled, nearly striking out at the man for his foolish actions, but she kept a tight reign on her actions. After this she would need to find a good empty training room, with lots of space to move.
Crass, this is more than the military. My part in the army has me constantly looking over my shoulder for reasons you wouldn't think would come with the territory. I deal in death, Crassus. I deliver it, and I live in close commune with it. My entire life is surrounded by it, past, present and future, and it follows me like a hungry dog.
Rah allowed the force to bubble up in her, both light and dark, and mix with her emotions, boil outward, curling away from her like a thick fog that clung to everything with a dark sense of mystery that could make a person's hairs stand on end. She was, at that moment, showing him one of the more deadly sides of her as she stepped around him only to move toward him once more and back him towards the wall. With a deft twist of her mind, she negated the light in her, drawing it in and hiding it from him like she would with any of her prey. Red eyes glowed a bloody color in the dimly lit room, the deaths of others that weighed her soul down palpable through the dark tendrils of the force that she exuded as she backed him all the way to the wall, pressing a hand against it so she was leaning there gazing at him darkly for a moment.
You get to close to me, Crass, and you risk becoming close friends with death, and not just others deaths, but your own. I have little care for my life, I've lived long enough in death's shadow to care little about his company, but you don't need to live like that, and you shouldn't.
If you're very smart, you'll avoid me like the curse that I am.
The woman had come perilously close to him, her face scant inches from his as she spoke. As those final thoughts left her mouth, Rahja withdrew that darkness, pulling it back into herself and hiding it once more, leaving nothing but the woman before him. She stood straight again, removing the had she had placed against the wall, and turning to moved towards the door again.
|
|
|
|
|
Dire Wolf
So who's ready to help me sock ol Adolf on the jaw?!
2,894 posts
49 likes
Have dakka will travel
|
|
last online May 6, 2020 18:55:51 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Jun 4, 2009 1:08:46 GMT -5
Post by Dire Wolf on Jun 4, 2009 1:08:46 GMT -5
Crass didn't need his race's emotional acuteness to see that she was bristling at him pulling her into the room, but he just couldn't have her thinking that getting close to her was dangerous. Well, it was if she was angry (like right now) but honestly, he didn't care. She could lash out at him and he wouldn't blame her... hell... he would probably give her the go-ahead to strike him again if she so desired. But she didn't. Instead, she spoke to him. He blinked in response. The Zeltron dealt in death, he just ordered the deaths of anywhere from 100-400 people (who were all aboard those corsair ships).
A certain kind of primal fear was instilled into his heart as she allowed both aspects of the Force to radiate out from her. He attempted to suppress them, but is was considerably hard when you had a warrior woman backing you into a wall with that “I am going to rip out your heart and hold it up to your face as it is still beating,” look. Then, he could sense the light side yank itself out of the feelings that he was receiving from the enraged Chiss woman. He, again, puts his hand on her shoulder in an effort to stop her as she walks off... that terrible aura of hers disappearing.
“Its my choice on how I chose to live, if that is in constant “fear” of death than so be it. Rahja, death will come to me when its my time. It doesn't matter how far or close I am from you, and nothing can hasten the process. And why do you believe yourself to be a curse?”
He blinked as she called herself a curse. This, for obvious reason, called for an explanation. The Zeltron man was concerned, to say the least, for her. To believe oneself as unapproachable because of some “curse” that one thought one was burdened with would be terrible.
“And why do you believe yourself to be a curse?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Jun 6, 2009 6:54:03 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Jun 6, 2009 6:54:03 GMT -5
She paused.
Not even bothering to face him, the chiss glared at the floor for a moment as she formulated her reply. Just how much was she willing to share with this man...one that she barely knew? It was a well known fact in the galaxy that chiss, in general, weren't the most outgoing of peoples. Most were introverted, isolationists except for when it came to another chiss. Rah wasn't much of an exception.
Yes, death comes to everyone...some when they least expect or deserve it.
As for why, Crass, I don't see how that's your business. I'll do my job regardless, so it matters little. Thank you for your concern, however.
The stoic woman was about to walk off again when something stopped her, a tug in the force that kept her planted. A slight dip of the head and a soft sigh was given to the incessant goading of the force at the back of her mind. Why was it willing her to tell him this personal information? What reason could there possibly be for it.
Still she didn't turn to face him.
Why am I a curse? I've been asking myself that same question since the time I was five. Every one I get close to dies, Crass. My family, my friends....even...everyone. Other than that nothing major, just...you know...
Her tone was growing sarcastic and acerbic now as she worked to shield those vulnerable emotions again.
...things like bad luck with getting a master, being shunned for it, being completely overlooked in the medcorps....then you can take into account how I learned how to be a sniper and why, and how I learned my various other....skills....
Or if you'd like to look at it from a different viewpoint...we could go off of the fact that I'm basically an assa....
Her mouth was talking now, she should probably see to that, and fast. It was bad enough she'd told him so much, but to tell him anything more about her feelings on her job as a sniper would only bring up her tasks for the Hounds and that was a dangerous subject best left untouched.
I've said enough. If that answer isn't sufficient for you, you can look up my profile in the Army data banks, and what isn't there is either in the public jedi archives or isn't written at all...and THAT part of my history is best left buried where it is.
The low, warning, tone of her voice made it abundantly clear that she wasn't going to divulge more of her past willingly.
|
|
|
|