Jedi and the Maverick (closed for LassardLost)

Davin lay on Aria's bed, the cool air of her ship washing over him, his cock hanging hard between his legs. It was an unusual situation, to say the least, made even more unusual by Aria's response. There was no doubt in Davin's mind that Aria had not interpreted his "punishment" in the same way he had, yet she still had the obvious playful - if intensely mischievous - air about her. Davin sighed, resigning himself to whatever would come his way and got off her bed to follow. He felt only marginally odd walking out of Aria's room into her ship in the nude, his long shaft bouncing with each step. Quite frankly the only one they had to "worry" about was Aria's droid, who Davin had already heard say, "Oh my!" as Aria had stepped out. Once Davin did, the poor protocol droid, who apparently was more taken aback by nude males than he was females, released a more emphatic, "Oh MY!" and shuffled off as fast as he could in the opposite direction of the two more lust-struck members of ship.

Aria still had her wide grin on her face, and walked swiftly into the cockpit, where she waited for Davin to follow. The moment he stepped into the room behind her, she grabbed him by the wrist and led him to the co-pilot's chair, where she pushed him gently down into the seat.

Still without a word, but with an expression that was caught somewhere between devious amusement and unbridled lust, she dropped down to her knees in front of him, pushed his legs open so she could shuffle between them, and immediately took his hardened cock deep into her mouth, her tongue lapping greedily at the length of his shaft while she sucked. She could taste her own juices on him, and she moaned, her hips moving in small circles of their own accord. She dug the fingers of one of her hands into his thigh while she lifted the other to toy with his balls, rolling them very gently between her fingers. It was a strange juxtaposition against the vigor with which she was sucking on him, as if she was trying to see how quickly she could make him cum again so soon after his previous orgasm.

Davin sighed with a slight moan and closed his eyes as Aria immediately began to work on him. Any sense of why it was so wrong that she, of all people, would be doing this to him vanished in the wake of her moist lips and tongue moving up and down his shaft. Her cool fingers lightly playing with his sack adding to the sensation, so intensely that he found himself gripping the co-pilot's chair. Moving his hips slightly but rhythmically, as if they were not even under his control. In fact they weren't. They way Aria was pleasuring him Davin had lost himself, barely aware of his movements. Another airy moan released, Davin rolled his head back, his jaw slack, his eyes barely open. Somewhere in the back of his mind he was screaming, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING... JEDI!?" but at this time, it was a voice in the distance. He started to feel himself ready cum, his fingers tightening around the arms of the chair.

Aria couldn't contain her grin. She could feel him hardening between her lips, his hips moving rhythmically as her skilled tongue worked his shaft. She continued to pleasure him for several more seconds. Then, just as he was about to explode, she abruptly pulled her head away and pushed herself to her feet, a wicked grin on her face.

Being careful not to touch his aching cock, she straddled his legs and wrapped her fingers around his wrists - a firm warning against him trying to finish the job himself. "I said I agreed to give you a blowjob every time you sat down. I didn't say a damn thing about finishing you," she explained, her tone thick with barely contained laughter. "After all, it wouldn't be much of a punishment otherwise, would it?"

Davin, who had been literally ready to explode into Aria's mouth, let out a prolonged moan, dripping with anguish. He hung his head down onto his chest and then looked up ar Aria, his eyes droopy with the opiate of desire, with a touch of disbelief, followed quickly by embarrassment. He knew he had this coming. He lead himself with his cock leading the way right into her trap.

Trying to muster a serious "don't you dare" look through his painfully unfulfilled lust, staring into Aria's eyes as they glimmered with sick delight, he spoke.

"Aria." He almost sounded drunk. His cock ached, pulsated, throbbed for release. "Don't pretend like you didn't love every second of what I did to you in your room," Davin tried weakly to move his hips upward, in an attempt to even just scrape his painful hard-on against some skin surface of Aria's. She held him down, laughing. Davin could have applied much more of his strength, even channel the Force, but his mind was so clouded with desire, he simply allowed himself to succumb to Aria's playful pinning. "This is gross injustice. You know how Jedi feel about injustice don't you?"

His words came out slowly, like he was trying to argue with somebody after their fifth drink at a cantina.

Aria laughed with pure delight as Davin struggled weakly against her. She knew damn well that he could lift her clear off his lap if he wanted to, but he either didn't want to, or he was too overcome by his need to actually realize it. She was glad for it, whatever it was - she was enjoying herself far too much.

"Don't pretend like you didn't love every second of what I did to you in your room."

Aria wiggled sensually in his lap, leaning toward him until her breasts were pressed against his chest. "Oh I did. But don't pretend like you aren't loving every second of this..." She listened to, then rolled her eyes at Davin's weak threat about injustice.

"Oh please. I know how the Jedi feel about smuggling too, and yet look where we are!" She shifted very slightly forward, but remained careful to avoid actually touching his cock. "I'm curious," she said conversationally, as if she wasn't currently pressing hot kisses all over his neck and shoulders. "How long could you stand it? How many times can I do this to you before you go insane?"

Between Aria’s wet and tantalizing kisses along his neck, the tingling that sensation sent down his spine, and his throbbing member that she had just abandoned between his legs, her question rang in his ears.

How long could you stand it? How many times can I do this to you before you go insane?

If Davin wanted to, he could switch his mind, change his perspective, get off the chair and return to his usual Jedi comportment. The problem was, Davin didn’t want to do that at all. But if he stayed in this place that Aria had him, he would be in too much of a compromised situation. In the middle of all this, as Davin allowed his lust for Aria to overwhelm him, he saw himself as if he was outside himself looking in. Who would he have ever allowed this to happen with, except one who he trusted deeply, wanted even?

“My boss is paying you… a pretty penny… ” Davin said between breaths. “You’re going to drive me insane right now… and you’ll lose it all…” Davin just wanted this to end. He needed to release, he wanted to fuck Aria so hard again that his whole body hurt. He fought the urge to push Aria back against her own chair and take her right then and there - no, no that would not be good at all. He had no choice. Davin groaned. “Oh come on, Aria, PLEASE. Can we just go back to your room and FUCK?” Davin squirmed beneath Aria again, moving his hands in vane up and down beneath her grip. “Forget your room, I promise I won’t go in there… again… just please… let’s just do it now on the floor… right here… please.” Davin was begging. But he didn’t quite care.

Aria giggled at his half threat before he broke down begging. "Davin," she murmured into his ear, "I'm impressed by your self-control." She shrugged, then wrapped her small fingers around the base of his shaft. She didn't move them - the only motion he got was what he could manage by jerking his hips. It was only minimal, what with her pinning his legs down with her weight, and she was certain that the friction was so limited that it really only teased him further, rather than granting any release.

She smiled at him, a sweet smile that was totally at odds with what she was doing - she was clearly trying to look innocent. "Most men would have thrown me to the ground and ravished me by now. You were kind enough to ask. But I suppose that's only fair, since you didn't ask before you tied me to my bed and toyed with me before."

She winked at him, chuckling. Then she removed her other hand from his wrist and slipped it between her legs, whimpering as she slipped one of her fingers into her wet slit. She leaned into him again, pumping her hips slowly as she fingered herself. "Come on, Davin, don't you wish this was your cock instead of my fingers?"

Even through his cloud of desire Davin acknowledged that it was nice of her to grant him that, "self-control" comment. He wouldn't exactly see himself as a paragon of self control like was supposed to be. But then again, he liked to believe he was one of the few Jedi who could break out of a situation like this immediately if need be, as opposed to avoiding such a situation altogether. But these thoughts were just a shadow in the back Davin's mind. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment as he felt Aria wrap her fingers around his shaft, and he immediately shifted his hips up and down as much as he could to get some kind of motion out of her. He wasn't able to get much satisfaction however, just more frustration. It built him up more, but he was unable to release. When Aria began sliding her fingers into her pussy Davin moaned loudly again, shaking his head as he looked at Aria in disbelief.
"You are... a piece of work... tell you what..." his eyes dropped to her fingers, a few drops of them making their way down and dripping off her knuckles on to the floor. He looked back up at Aria, her face something between a devil's grin and playful amusement, even as she pleasured herself. "You let me slide this cock into you right now... and I'll owe you two favors... any favors." As soon as the words left his mouth Davin was struck with trust and regret. Regret first, because he had, out of intense lust alone, offered to put himself into a compromised position before Aria - it was in fact his preferring a metaphorically compromised situation as opposed to the clearly physically compromised position he was currently in. But ultimately he knew, somehow, that whatever favor she would ask of him, he trusted that it wouldn't be anything damaging.

Really Davin? This is what you're going to do? Offer her two blank checks for a fuck?

The fact that his own internal answer was a clear YES! bothered him to no end. But he didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to think about anything - except ravishing Aria right now.

Aria laughed warmly at his offer of two favours. "Well, that is an interesting promise." She pushed herself to her feet and held her hands out to him. "I'll have to remember this. Deny Davin orgasm and apparently he'll do whatever I want," she teased.

Honestly, the thought of being able to ask him for something - anything - and being able to depend on him to do it was oddly comforting. Of course, that assumed he actually meant it, and that he wasn't talking about sexual favours. Not that she didn't want sexual favours, it was just... she had never really and truly been able to depend on anyone in her life. She was convinced that his promise was limited to sex, but somehow, she was actually a little saddened at the thought. Of course, she banished that line of thinking immediately. She didn't need him, she didn't need anyone, and she certainly wasn't weak enough to fall so hard for someone just because they offered her something (especially when it was something in exchange for sex). This was fun teasing - that was it. And she liked it that way, or so she tried to convince herself.

She pulled Davin to his feet and led him back into her bedroom - her bed was by far the largest and most comfortable available. She crawled up on to the bed, leaning back on her elbows, and opened her legs unabashedly to him. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

As Aria held her hands out to Davin, and he took them, he saw a playful, smart, independent and incredibly attractive woman. It was the first time he saw her, as if she had just come on to the ship. Davin just looked at her as she lead him, cock erect and bouncing in the cool air of the ship, from the co-pilot’s chair to her bedroom. Both of them were nude. Aria lay on the bed, her wickedly playful smile tantalizing Davin almost as much as her hands had done a moment ago, and Davin stood at its foot, looking at her.

Well? What are you waiting for?

Davin stood there for a moment wondering the same himself. She had offered herself to him not like some mercenary he had just met and was play-fucking with. She offered herself with trust. He simply couldn’t imagine her doing this with any of her other clientele – then again, he could have been totally wrong. Looks often deceived after all. Whatever the case, Davin would wait no longer. He locked gaze with Aria, his face intently serious, like a man set to a task he would not be deterred from under any circumstances, and pounced onto the bed and over Aria so that they were immediately face to face, his cock bouncing once against her pussy, its tip pressing up against her but not penetrating.

He looked quietly into her eyes for a moment, and saw perhaps the transient flame of the same thing that he had been feeling which he persistently denied within himself. He leaned in, and kissed Aria hard, and pushed his cock into her completely.

Moaning through his kiss, he had to separate from her to breathe out his sigh of relief as he plunged deep within her and began pumping inside her deliciously wet walls. But he dove back into her lips hard, kissing her ferociously. Then, as he began to quicken and harden his thrusts, Davin broke away from the kiss, looked at Aria and said, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I fucking love you right about now,” Davin laughed as the words came out. It was clear hyperbole, to express how desperate he had been for this.

Davin fucked Aria hard. With each thrust she moved underneath him – but she wasn’t one to lie there and take it. Her nails dug sharply into Davin’s back, and wrapping her legs around him she herself pushed back in rhythm. “If this- -is what- going on a mission- with you- is like – I’ll have to- sign up for- more.” He said between ragged breaths and thrusts.

Aria tried to laugh at his 'confession' of love, but at the same moment, his thrusting hit some place deep inside her that stole her breath away and made her cling to him with the same kind of desperation that she had made Davin feel only a few moments earlier. She returned his thrusts with equal measure, moaning each time he was buried into her.

She did manage a breathy giggle at Davin's comment about needing to work more jobs with her. "I... Can't say I would... Complain. Ah! For a member... Of a supposedly... Celibate order... You are an amazing fuck..." She groaned in utter pleasure and gripped him tighter. She couldn't believe how quickly she was reaching her peak again. She was more sensitive than she could ever remember being, and the pleasure wracking her was so perfectly intense that part of her wanted it never to end, even as the rest of her strove desperately for that peak of sensation.

“The celibate thing – it’s kind of – more of a – guideline.” Those were Davin’s last words as he firmly and suddenly ran his fingers through Aria’s hair, holding her head tight as he dove in again for a kiss. And with that kiss, with Davin having reached his peak, he pushed as deep inside as he could, as if he wanted to make sure that every bit of his seed stayed deep within this glorious specimen of a woman, and came. “OH FUCK!” He let out as his cock pumped stream after stream of hot white semen into Aria, their bodies completely joined, hips bucking and pleasure surging through them. Davin felt the most wonderful blast of sensation, an intensity he hadn’t felt ever before, as he felt Aria’s walls clench again and again against his cock even while he emptied into her. It was as if with each of her waves o orgasm she milked him for more of his seed, and with it, the waves of her pleasure turned into waves of his pleasure. And in the middle of this, Davin couldn’t help but notice, that when he heard Aria’s moans and other sounds of pleasure, he loved what he heard.

Aria couldn't help the cry that was ripped from her throat as Davin surged inside her and they started to cum together. The heat, his hardness, and the feeling of his cum pumping into her all drove her orgasm to heights she'd never experienced - more so even than after Davin had teased her so mercilessly earlier. Perhaps 'more' was the wrong word. It was different, less explosive (though no less intense) and certainly more intimate. And, when it was all over, she felt utterly and contentedly exhausted.

They came down from their highs together, breathing hard, with Davin's fingers still buried in her hair and Aria's hands still raking up and down his back. She had, while they were cumming, been rather harsh about it, more out of a need to express the intensity of what she was feeling than anything else. Now, though, her touch had lightened to something almost feather-like, soothing over the same scratches she had made earlier. Her mind was so rattled after that particular bout of mind-blowing sensation that she didn't even realize she was doing it.

She could feel Davin's exhaustion nearly matched hers - he slumped over her, much of his weight coming down to pin her to the bed. Neither of them seemed inclined to move.

Well, it wasn't as if they were snuggling, right? They weren't still pressed together out of some misguided desire for contact - it was simply that they were tired after such exertion. Right?

Aria comforted herself with that idea as they lay there together, a mess of tangled limbs and sheets. She didn't need to convince herself long. In her exhaustion, she was asleep within minutes.

Davin held her hands looking at them. These were the hands that he had grown to love, and yet it felt as if only recently. How could it be any other way? They had only just met, but he felt like he had known her for such a long time. Somehow he was certain of her love for him. Even if she hid it. He knew it was there, deep down. His heart flipped about in his chest, his stomach danced with butterflies.

Look at her.

He raised his eyes to meet hers, but there was something wrong. He couldn't see a part of her face. It was as if engulfed in darkness, yet it seemed like it could be something that he should be able to just reach out and wipe off. She looked at him confused, as if to ask him if there was something wrong. He could see in her eyes that she loved him. And he loved her.

"Don't you love me?" She asked. The sweet cadence of her words was twisted, mixed up with some deep, menacing voice.

"Of course, but..." your voice. What's wrong with your -

She screamed like a shrieking ghoul, "THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH IT!" Davin screamed in horror, covering his ears.

Her face twisted and turned into a whirlpool of darkness through which Davin traveled, sucked through it, a painful chill overcoming his very being. Before him was a valley of darkness. Thousands lay dead, their murderers legion, standing over them, black hooded figures - a maniacal cackle emanating from each one of them, thousands of them, at the same time.

There she stood, somehow next to each one of them, holding each one of their black-gloved hand. Davin felt sick at the sight of so many dead, but he steeled himself to look. And he steeled himself further to look from one of the dead to one of the murderers. She pulled back his hood.

It was Davin.

Davin gasped and choked as he saw each murderer, she by their side, revealed by her to be himself. But then suddenly he saw blood. It gushed out of her neck as a blade jutted raggedly through her throat out toward him. And she dropped, a wickedness even worse than just moments ago appearing in her eyes as she fell to her knees clutching her bleeding neck. As she fell, all the Davins next to her fell, vanishing into their black robes, until there was nothing but a sea of black cloth into which Davin drowned.

Davin shot up in bed gasping, his heart pounding. For a moment he didn't recognize his surroundings. As his breathing slowed, and he wiped the cold sweat off his brow, he remembered where he was. Aria's room. But she wasn't next to him anymore. And the familiar hum of the hyperspace drive no longer filled the air.

Davin sat for a moment holding his head in his hands, then rubbing his face he took a deep breath, collected his clothes and left Aria's room for his. When he entered his room, he took out his Jedi robes and examined one of the inner surfaces. A hidden pocket lay neatly stitched in the lining. From it he removed a small golden locket necklace. He opened it. And there she was again.

Aria woke slowly, coming out of her sleep groggy and very comfortable. She was naked, sticky and pleasantly warm... and then she realized that the last thing she remembered was falling asleep under Davin. She almost jerked into a sitting position, but held herself still. The last thing she wanted was to deal with the awkwardness of this particular morning after. How could she have let this happen? Had she really been so exhausted that she hadn't even had the energy to tell Davin to leave after their sex? And why the hell hadn't Davin left of his own accord?!

Of course, that little voice in the back of your head that seemed to deal in uncomfortable truths informed her that if she hadn't had the energy or desire to kick him out, why should she expect him to have the energy or desire to leave? She knew damn well that she'd never have allowed any of her previous lays into her bedroom, so why would it be such a stretch to sleep with the one guy with whom she was already breaking all of her rules?

Grumbling to herself, Aria extricated herself from the loop of Davin's arm around her waist and shivered against the suddenly cold air of the ship. She pulled on some clothes and escaped her room as quickly as possible - there was no way in hell she wanted to be present when Davin woke up. All that would lead to would be lots of sideways glances and stuttered explanations. Better just to pretend it never happened.

She collapsed into her pilot's chair in the cockpit and took stock of their progress. They'd be at Balmorra within the hour. She set about making a mental list of the things she'd need to do once they arrived. It wasn't long before the autopilot dropped the Shadow's Hand out of hyperspace, and looming before them was Balmorra.

The comm system crackled to life almost instantly. "State your business."

"I'm here on a RecServ job," Aria answered. "Captain Maverick of the Startouched."

There was a pause, and then, "You aren't expected by RecServ for three more days."

"I know, I made good time. Can I make port at the base while we wait?"

"No. There are no open civilian hangars. Maintain orbit for 24 hours - a hangar should be available after that."

Aria sighed heavily. She had known this was going to happen, but she liked to play her part convincingly. "Fine," she grumbled into the comm. "I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I'd like to get off this tincan."

There was no response, but she wasn't expecting one. In truth, Aria didn't mind staying on her ship for extended periods of time. It was her home - she liked it better than just about anywhere else in the galaxy. But it always did to be convincing when lying to the port authority. "Stay here my ass," Aria mumbled, rolling her eyes.

Outside, in the common area, she heard the sound of Davin padding across the room toward his room. She waited until she heard the door slide shut before she left the cockpit. She really was planning on pretending like nothing had happened. Certain now that Davin was gone, she took a quick shower and changed into some clean clothes - mostly leather, something to make her look tough. It was a common habit of hers when she was about to make a deal, even if she knew that it wasn't exactly necessary for this particular deal.

When she came out again, she glanced at Davin's door, which was still closed. For some reason, at that particular moment, a memory popped into her head. Davin, pinning her to the floor of the common room, fucking her, and complaining between laboured breaths that she never told him anything. It was, she had to admit, a fair complaint, and something inside her - something she didn't want to look to closely at - made her want to fix it. Instead of heading to the engine room, which was where she was originally going, she walked over to Davin's door and knocked. "Hey, Jedi. I have something to show you before we land. Get your ass out here."

As he stood in the small shower attached to the side of his modest quarters in the Shadow’s Hand, Davin’s thoughts focused. He was shaken. He wasn’t one to have dreams. He couldn’t remember the last time he had had one. Yet something about the whole experience seemed familiar to him. His mind probed the images he had seen a short while ago. Though the dream clearly seemed to imply a future – by sheer virtue of the fact that he had never previously seen or experienced such a horrendous scene - its main character, Padawan Taria, Davin’s lost love – was but a figment of his past. And certainly there was nothing at all ominous about her. She was, as Davin remembered her, a kind soul, with a deep compassion that seemed to rival that of some of her Masters’. In fact her compassion had almost been excessive to the point of being a weakness. If compassion prevents one from doing justice when it needs to be done, it is no compassion at all, she was told. It was one of the lessons she used to talk to Davin about all the time, because it was something her trainers used to drill into her specifically. The whole thing didn’t make sense, why would he have seen her, as if she had lead him to the Dark Side, responsible for all those deaths… and whose blade was it that killed her? Chills went through his spine as he recalled the images.

Stepping out of the shower he changed into Aria’s recommended “mercenary street clothes”. The hyperspace drive had halted probably for some time before Davin awoke, which meant they must be approaching a part of the universe that was strong with the Dark Side. It must have been that his dream was a result of this – influences of the Dark Side twisted up with his own memories. It was disconcerting, but it wasn’t something he couldn’t handle. Davin accepted it as part of the landscape, part of his mission. His explanation made sense to him, and he felt at peace.

A knock on the door. Hey, Jedi. I have something to show you before we land. Get your ass out here.”

Suddenly Davin was reminded of the last several hours of debauchery and… whatever that was they had done. For a moment his thoughts jumped to the most concerning possibility that he was actually developing “those kinds of feelings” for Aria, but when he heard her brisk knock and perfectly crass Aria-esque “Hey Jedi… get your ass out here,” he was reassured. This was what he was used to. This was what he was comfortable with.

He opened the door, content, and made sure to put on a cheeky smile that he knew would bother the hell out of Captain Maverick. "Yes, Cap'n?"

Yep. This was much, much better.

Aria glowered at him, acutely aware that his grin and the way he called her "Cap'n" was somehow intended to make fun of her. She considered, for a moment, going back on her plan. If he was going to be an ass, then she'd damn well keep him in the dark about her plans if she wanted. But then, she realized, that was too petty, even for her, so she rolled her eyes and motioned wordlessly for him to follow.

They walked together into the engine room, where J4 was already waiting for them. There was a panel that had been removed from the wall, revealing an enormous amount of computer hardware. It looked like it had once been quite prettily organized, with everything slid neatly into slots on the walls. Now, however, it was clear that Aria had made some after-market 'alterations' - a large portion of the hardware was attached to a spherical metal object, mounted in the center of the little computer closet. They were all attached to what were likely the slots they once fit into by a tangled mess of cables.

Aria grinned. "So, in light of keeping you informed about what my plans are since you were such a little bitch about it before, I present to you the nav-computer of the Shadow's Hand." She walked over to the orb and started detaching cables. "See, the port authority in Imperial Balmorra ordered us to stay in orbit for the next 24 hours, which leaves us with the perfect window to perform my little side smuggling operation with the weapons I picked up on Naboo. The nav computer contains a beacon that is usually used for ships to figure out where they are in relation to other beacons, but it can also be used by certain port authorities to figure out where the ship is." She finished pulling out the cables, and J4 lifted the whole thing as if it weighed as much as a pillow, and placed it carefully into what looked like an oil drum. "So the obvious solution here is to leave the nav computer orbiting for us, while we go to deliver the goods." She smiled with more than a little ego. "And this is why your master hired me, and not some other two-bit smuggler. I don't know of anyone else in the galaxy capable of flying a ship without a nav-computer in it." She motioned to J4, and walked out of the room. Once they were back in the common room, she smirked at Davin. "There. Happy?"

So, in light of keeping you informed about what my plans are since you were such a little bitch about it before, I present to you the nav-computer of the Shadow’s Hand.

Davin couldn’t help but smirking. He never thought that being called a “little bitch” would bring him so much comfort. With each passing snarky comment his concern about developing feelings for the Captain dissipated. He just responded with, “Hey thanks Cap’n, much obliged.” And gave a little, genuine, nod of appreciation.

Davin listened and watched carefully as Aria explained. It was a great idea, that no doubt many had thought of before – leave the customized nav computer floating in orbit to deceive anyone who might track the ship, giving the pilot freedom to move about unchecked. But Aria was right, he had actually never heard of anyone who flew completely without the aid of a nav computer. Some top notch pilots he had known were able to take a high level of control, but he had never heard of someone relinquishing their nav computer completely… especially for long treks to other planets.

And this is why your master hired me… Perhaps if it had been just twenty-four hours earlier, Davin would have objected to such a brazen claim – interstellar driving with a blindfold on. But he knew better. And he had a sense now that this hot little spark of a mercenary wouldn’t make false claims when it came to her skills. Whatever little he knew of her, her knew that much.

“I’m impressed Captain Maverick.” Was all he said. And he meant it. No snarky remark. No smirk. Just the truth. And it felt a little too good to Davin, saying it to Aria Maverick.

Aria grinned, pleased, for some reason, by the fact that she had impressed him. She brushed past him toward the cockpit and, on a whim, pinched his ass on the way by. She gave no outward indication of what she had done - no smirk, no wink. She just walked into the cockpit and sat down in her pilot's chair, and began to guide the Shadow's Hand slowly and cautiously through the field of satellites between them and the planet's surface.

It was slow going until they reached the atmosphere. The skies above Balmorra were full of satellites, both natural and otherwise. It was like flying through a minefield. The moment Davin opened his mouth to speak, Aria snapped at him to shut up. She loved her job, she loved flying these impossible feats, but she needed every iota of concentration she had to pull it off. Once they were out, however, Aria relaxed back into her chair and shot Davin a smirk.

"You can talk now, if you want."

She flew them across leagues of empty fields and forests, until they reached a high mountain range that ran as far as the eye could see in both directions. She guided the ship easily and quickly up over several peaks, and then dove down quite abruptly, into a narrow canyon that looked only barely wide enough to fit the Shadow's Hand. It was tight and dark for a split second and then, just as suddenly, they were in a large underground cavern that had been converted into a hangar.

Aria landed the ship with ease, and shot Davin a smile that said she was pleased with herself and how that went. "Welcome to Balmorra's Resistance Headquarters. Make sure you don't tell any Sith that we're here, hey?"

Davin stood in the common room after giving a surprised, “Hey!”, as Aria pinched his ass and walked on like she owned him. He narrowed his eyes at the presumptuous thing as she made her way to the cockpit and plopped herself onto her oversized chair. If he was honest with himself, he couldn’t deny he liked it. With a sigh he decided to quietly join her.

As Aria navigated for what seemed like forever through the various random objects in the surrounding space around Balmorra. Davin cringed and almost started advising her – if it could he called “advising” – three or four times, when he could have sworn she was going to slam them into the side of a large piece of ship debris. But she hushed him and he maintained his composure.

Once down on the surface she navigated completely away from the main city centers, which Davin noted immediately, and headed towards a beautiful mountain range. After the dive, and Davin’s heart pounding in his chest when they plunged into the dark crevice, they came through to the massive cavern.

An array of fighters and an assortment of other space-worthy vessels stood lining one wall, techs and other staff moving bustling about, repuslor-life based construction vehicles slid around the base of the cavern in different directions. This was an active resistance force. Davin was pleased, and made a note to relay this information to the council when he got back.

One humanoid dressed in a bright orange jumper suit held glowing green directional wands, and directed the Aria and the Shadow’s Hand to their intended halting point.

Aria’s smile of self-contentedness made Davin hold back his smirk.

Welcome to Balmorra’s Resistance Head Quarters. Make sure you don’t tell any Sith that we’re here, hey?

“I’ll do my best. How long have this resistance force been in the works? They look well out-fitted.” Suddenly Davin realized how much Aria could be an asset. As a neutral agent, a mercenary who simply went where the credit went – though she said she was not like those mercenaries – she probably had a lot of good intel. But that intel probably came at a price, and if the intel was a source of revenue for her, she likely would make that price either very high, or call it priceless and tell the inquirer to bug off.

“So what do you want me to do here? I’m wearing your street clothes. I’ll definitely have my light saber with me. What’s my ID? Brute dude #342?” Davin paused and smirked, “Personal play thing?” he chuckled, and pinched Aria on her ass as she got up from her chair.

Aria's lips turned up at the corners when Davin pinched her back. She turned around to face him, walking backwards out of the cockpit. "Here? You get the play the enviable part of Davin Graff, Jedi Knight." There was a flicker of something behind her eyes, something that looked like it could be concern. "These people could use any morale boost they can get."

The rebel base was well equipped, but all of their equipment was old and starting to break down. They had no access to new resources from the Republic since the blockade went up so, despite the fact that they had fighters and other spacecraft, they had no energy cells with which to power them. The great majority of their weaponry had failed or been lost with the injury or death of the rebel carrying it. They were always desperate for new weapons and repairs.

Aria hopped down onto the hangar floor out of the Shadow's Hand and, immediately, a voice called out her name. She turned, smiling wide, to see a young demihuman man striding toward her. He had an ancient looking rifle strapped to his back, some battle armor cobbled together from pieces of other armor, and the confident smile of a man who knew he was attractive. The moment he reached Aria, he caught her around the waist and kissed her thoroughly, earning several whoops and laughter from the others around the hangar.

"Naveen," Aria greeted in a faux-stern voice once they parted. "I'm adding that to your bill," she teased, chuckling.

Neveen grinned back at her. "Worth it," he answered, his voice light. It was immediately apparent to Davin that this man was a very good liar, but that he had no experience at all preventing his emotions from being broadcast to any trained Force Sensitive in the area. Aria's quip about the bill had sent a cascade of emotions through him that Davin would have been hard pressed not to feel - guilt, apprehension, and the kind of hope that a man in a hopeless situation feels.

Naveen, smiling nervously, pulled slightly away from Aria. "Anyway, about your money..."

Aria's expression fell immediately. "What do you mean, about my money?! Naveen, you know who I bought these from..."

Naveen winced. "The harvest this year was pretty bad. We had to buy most of our food..."

Aria took several steps back. "You don't have my money." She was pissed, that much was clear. It was funny how different Aria and Naveen were. Her expression was a storm of anger, but the Force around her was muted, carrying almost no emotion, while Naveen practically broadcast his emotions like a beacon.

Naveen shook his head. "We have plenty to barter with the people. I swear, we'll have it next time you come."

"Next time?!" Aria hissed. "The Republic isn't going to stand for the Treaty of Coruscant for much longer. When everything dissolves into war again, do you really think I'd be able to get here? There is no next time! And that slimy Hutt is going to kill me!"

"Come on, Aria, you can avoid him for a few months. I can get the money by the spring. Just give us the guns and I promise I can pay you back."

"Give you the guns? Are you fucking insane?! No! I need to find a buyer, NOW, or I'm going to get skinned alive!" Aria turned away from him, making to head back to the ship.

Naveen grabbed her arm. "If you leave with the guns, you're condemning us to die."

Aria scowled at him. "Oh, don't be so overdramatic."

"I'm not kidding, Aria. We have one working gun for every three fighting fit people here. The Empire is getting closer all the time. We need those weapons."

Aria opened her mouth to respond and, if the look on her face was any indication, her response was going to be negative. But then, interrupting her, a loud siren rang through the cavern. Everyone froze for a moment, and then burst into a flurry of activity.

Naveen shot Aria a meaningful look. "The Empire is coming," he said, his tone dark, his whole body radiating fear. With that, he ran off to join the group of people that had just entered the hangar. Several people had started bustling around the hangar and, as Aria noticed, only one in three of them had guns. A group of elderly people and children came into the hangar then, being led deeper into the mountains.

"Get them into the caves!" Naveen shouted. "We need all non-combatants out of the line of fire before the attack arrives! Let's go!"

Aria spat out a string of curses that would have made a sailor blush, and she turned to look into the cargo bay. "J4! Get the fucking weapons out and start handing them out." She cursed again, drawing her pistols one at a time to check them.

Naveen was looking at her, confused. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure you're still alive in four months' time to pay me," she growled in response.

Aria turned to look back into the cargo bay. "Jedi! Get your ass down here!"

Naveen gaped at her. "Jedi?!"

Aria laughed. "I'm full of surprises."

Davin watched Aria make her way down the ramp of the Shadow's Hand. He had a sense that he should hang back, so he did. He watched as Naveen came and grabbed her by the waist and kissed her. He immediately almost subconsciously buried the feelings that bubbled up within him when he saw that. Besides, resistance base or not, he was on Imperial planet. A planet that was just a hop, skip and a jump away from Korriban. Now was a time he needed control.

Naveen was an anxious and fearful person, and he felt the same anxiety and fear through much of the base. Keeping his senses focused on what was happening in front of him, he simultaneously reached out with the Force. People were starving here. They didn't have much with which to fight the Empire, and they hung on by a thread. He heard Aria raise her voice.

Of course, it was about money. But listening to her voice Davin didn't hear the sound of a coldhearted mercenary with no regard for the people she interacted with. For the first time, he heard her as another soul trying to make it through the universe. Her refusal to give the resistance the guns still didn't sit well with Davin, but he held himself back from interfering. It would likely jeopardize their journey into Korriban, the closer they got to there, the more he would need to rely on Captain Maverick. Until they actually got the planet. Then, he was supposed to know what to do.

The sirens went off. Davin immediately dialed down his Force sensitivity, for he knew the entire cavern system would be buzzing with abject fear.

"J4! Get the fucking weapons out and start handing them out!"

Davin, who upon hearing the sirens had automatically begun to reach for his light saber suddenly stopped. He looked at Aria from behind. She had told him that she wasn't like other mercenaries. She could've just as easily gotten back up into her ship and gotten out of there as fast as possible, taking her guns with her. She was choosing to stay and fight under the excuse that she was preserving her future income. Davin found himself wondering how often she must have said that, and of those times, how often it was really the entire truth.

J4 had lifted a crate already out of one if the hidden compartments when Aria had issued her command for Davin to "get his ass down there!" Some introduction that was, for a Jedi. But then again he supposed that these people were used to her.

Davin quickly reached out with the Force and pulled two blaster rifles from the crate that J4 had just opened. With one in each hand he walked down the ramp. In the clothes that Aria had picked out for him, walking down the ramp of the Shadows Hand dually armed, he didn't look much like a Jedi.

"Here." He said tossing one of them to Naveen, who caught it and almost dropped it out of shock. Then, he looked back up the ramp, extended his hand, and floated the crate of weapons straight out of the ship, settling it on the floor of the cavern.

Aria had said even before they were under attack that these people needed hope. Davin had felt that himself. But if he didn't look like a Jedi, he was going to damn well make sure that they knew he was one nevertheless.

Naveen got over his shock at the sight of Davin just as a buzz ran through the bay at the way he levitated the crate of weapons down to the hangar floor. Naveen started handing out the rifles - military grade assault weapons, the very kind that the Imperial soldiers would be using against them - while Aria paced back and forth, growling under her breath.

"Davin," she hissed, stopping next to him abruptly. She was tense, angry and maybe even a little afraid. "Tell me I'm not going soft. Tell me that this isn't going to get me killed." She shook her head, making a sharp, violent gesture towards the guns that J4 had started handing out. "These weapons belong to Vogga, the fucking Hutt warlord. That chipper little twi'lek who dropped them off on Naboo? She's known for scooping out and eating the eyeballs of the people who piss off her boss." She scrubbed her face with her hands. "Fuck. A year or two ago, I wouldn't have thought anything of leaving with the guns to find another buyer and save my own skin. When did I turn into this soft old lady? Because even if Vogga doesn't kill me, even if I do manage to pay him, I sure as hell won't have the money to eat afterwards." She started pacing again. "Damn it." She kicked the side of the ramp and then swore loudly, drawing the attention of several nearby people. "I'm so fucking stupid!"

The activity in the cavern was haphazard bordering on crazed. It gave more of a sense of terrorist firing randomly into a crowd of civilians who were in the middle of their shopping than a military response – since Davin reckoned many of those who had joined the resistance were not military to begin with, the picture fit. Davin closed his eyes and took a deep breath, clearing his sense.

“Davin, tell me I’m not going soft. Tell me that this isn’t going to get me killed...” Aria explained about the Hutt. Davin watched her carefully, listening to her every word, remaining completely silent and still, taking her in – not as a Force-adept, but rather as an intuitive person who had spent the last two days in close confines with this person.

“Aria,” he placed his hand on her shoulder, “you’re not that kind of mercenary remember? Even if this is not how you meant it when you said it to me, you’re doing the right thing. There’s no doubt about that.” He looked into her eyes to perhaps lend her some conviction on the issue through his own, but he knew that at a moment like this he wasn’t going to get a “Gee, I guess you’re right”. He removed his hand from her shoulder and looked down for a moment at his rifle, adjusting some settings on it as he continued to talk. “But whatever the case, right now, if you want to get paid in four months, or have the wherewithal to avoid that Hutt and his eyeball eating sidekick, you need to focus on the task at hand. Naveen!”

Naveen tossed a rifle to someone and turned to Davin. “Look at me and listen to me carefully,” Davin spoke sternly, urgently – but somehow still exuded a sense of calm, like a rock, steady, but severe. “If we came in through that crevice in the mountain the Empire can as well. And if they can, they will. They’ll bring in Assault Transports of some kind flanked by fighters through there. Some of them won’t make it through, and will come through that huge crack in your roof like a ball of flame, so step one - move everyone away from that line of fire. Step two. I saw several landspeeders you were using for transport. Get a tech in each of them, and have them strip all nav-computers in every ship out NOW. Place one nav-computer in each speeder and line the speeders over there, deeper into the cavern.”

Naveen started to object, “But why –“

“Do you have any basic fighters, and what about proton torpedos?” Davin interrupted him.

“We have five battered X-Wings that aren’t really space worthy, but they do have a couple of torpedoes each.” Naveen was wringing his hands, sweat poured down his brow.

“They don’t need to be space-worthy, just get them manned and have them repulsorlift up to either side of that roof entrance, but tell them NOT to arm their torpedoes until I give you the green. When I do, they’re to target one transport and one fighter with each torpedo. Do you understand what’s happening?”

Naveen nodded his head slowly, looking at Davin. He turned and started giving orders. Davin reached out with the Force and tried to spread a sense of calm in an area around him. Things seemed to move smoothly, and despite the alarm and all the commotion, the main area of the cavern that lay directly beneath the roof entry was completely cleared of any personnel quickly. Most of the armed resistance “troops” (i.e. farmers wearing hodge-podge armor, carrying their weapons awkwardly) were down on one far end of the cavern, close to the main ramp that lead out to the gate of the base, where the frontal land assault was soon anticipated. The civilians had been ushered out of the main cavern and into the deep caves under the mountain, and along the far back wall, several landspeeders stood hovering in place, unmanned, with small spherical nav-computers sitting in their back seat.

Davin, Aria, Naveen and a communications officer took cover behind a large shipping container, their eyes peeled, watching the roof. The sound of the sirens was beginning to be drowned out by the deep vibration and hum of ships approaching the mountain. They dropped bombs on the outside, causing dust and small rocks and debris to fall from the ceiling. More a scare tactic than anything – those fighter ordnances wouldn’t punch through the mountain. The distinct scream of TIE fighters slowly became louder, in addition to some other ships – likely the troop transports. Suddenly they heard a massive thud that echoed through the cavern, a screech of metal on rock, a cacophony of crash and boom as a flaming TIE fighter shot out of the roof entry way of the cavern, slamming into the ground and creating a massive plume of dust that made it hard to see anything.

Aria had half expected Davin to turn around and say, “See! Told you so!” But Davin kept his gaze fixed at the entry way through the cloud of dust.

Then they came. Several TIE fighters screamed into the cavern, their green blasters blazing into the cloud of dust, blindly. Behind them two Low Altitude Armored Troop transports came through, their own guns blazing – but all into the cloud of dust and smoke that their own fallen colleague had been responsible for. They swooped around and headed for the back wall, towards the row of nav-computer stocked landspeeders, thinking that their opponents with the real fire power lay there. Davin signaled the communications officer. “NOW!”

The comm officer buzzed in to the X-Wings that had been quietly waiting right by the entrance way in the roof, on either side of the massive crack. The Imperials had literally flown right by them, but because they hadn’t armed their torpedos, and because their nav-computers were out and they only used their repulsorlifts for levitation, they couldn’t have been seen on the incoming fighters’ monitors. A flurry of red shot out from the group of X-Wings towards the LAATi’s and the TIEs. Five of the TIE’s went down, one of them got knocked to the side by his counterpart and slammed into a troop carrier, causing it to go up in a ball of flame. The other troop carrier was trying to find a place to land in all the commotion, and one remaining TIE now circled back and headed straight for the five X-Wings.

Davin yelled towards the comm officer, “Tell the X-Wings to stand down!” He Force-jumped onto the top of the shipping container and reached out with the Force to the mind of the TIE fighter pilot who was sending his fighter screaming towards the X-Wings with Ion cannons blazing. One of the X-Wings got hit, and started spiraling down to the floor of the cavern. The TIE fighter stopped firing, swooped back around and headed straight for the troop carrier, which had just landed. A moment later the TIE slammed itself into the carrier, ending them both in flames. The X-Wing smashed into the ground, but thankfully, because it wasn’t travelling at highspeed (and in fact was simply hovering at the top of the cavern) it didn’t erupt into a ball of white flame. Davin sensed the pilot was injured, but okay. He jumped off the container, brushed himself off and picked up his rifle.

“So much for the pincer maneuver they had planned. Now for the hard part.” He looked at Aria and then up towards the ramp that lead to the main gate. He stared there for a moment, his eyes twitching, and then he looked back at Aria. His expression had changed from one of determination to something of a bit more concern. “There’s Sith out there.”