Jedi and the Maverick (closed for LassardLost)

The cantina was pretty full by the time Aria walked in. She favoured comfortable clothing. Today, it was a loose t-shirt and tight-fitting leather pants; a pretty common combination for her. She also wore the three staple items of clothing she was (almost) never found without: her well-worn leather knee-high boots, her equally-well-worn leather jacket, and her matching pair of blaster pistols, today strapped to her thighs.

She pushed her long black hair out of her face, wrinkling her nose at the smell of the place, and began to make her way through the crowd. As she passed the bar, a creature, who would have looked human were it not for the pig-like nose, swatted her ass and whistled. "Oh, honey, you here for some fun tonight?"

Aria turned slowly to face him, a sultry smirk on her lips. She walked towards him, hips swinging pleasingly, until she was standing directly in front of him. She put one hand on his knee and slid it up his leg until her hand was resting over the crotch of his pants. Then, quite abruptly, a small dagger popped out of her wrist, revealing at least her hand as mechanical. The tip was pressed uncomfortably against the creature's balls, making him squeal in surprise, pain, and fear.

"Touch me again," she murmured, "and I'll cut them off." Then, just as abruptly, the dagger disappeared back into her arm and she turned back around. She was about to disappear into the crowd, but one of the pig-man's friends had taken offense and grabbed her by the arm.

Aria reacted instantly, twisting out of his grip and drawing one of her pistols. It might have been a standard model once, but she had altered her weapons with so many after-market mods that they were barely recognizable any more. The barrel was pointed directly between the eyes of the second man, who froze.

"Don't. Just... Don't," Aria said, sounding more annoyed at the interruption than anything else. She cocked an eyebrow at him, as if daring him to move, and her iris dilated to an unnatural size; both of her eyes, in addition to her arm, were mechanical. They were blue, but were brighter than should have been humanly possible because of their alterations. Some found the effect striking. Others, disconcerting.

The man took a step back from her, defeat on his face, and she finished making her way across the cantina. People were giving her a wide berth now, which made it easier. She found the table she was looking for and noticed that her contact was already there. He was an older Arkanian, seated with an untouched drink in front of him and a rather serene expression on his face. What drew Aria's attention, however, was the lightsaber hanging from his belt. It didn't escape her notice that he had positioned himself at the table to hide it from most of the room. He wasn't wearing robes, either. He was here in secret, then. She didn't blame him. Half of the people in the cantina were the kind of people who could get more than a little skiddish around Jedi. Herself included. Still, this was a good job that paid well and (probably) wasn't illegal, which was always a nice perk. No sense turning it down just because her potential employer made her a bit uncomfortable.

She sat down across from the Jedi and raised her eyebrows. "We don't really get many of your type around here."

The Jedi smiled at her. "My type? You mean an Arkanian?"

Aria rolled her eyes. "No. But them too."

The Jedi held out a hand for her to shake, which she took. "Aria Maverick, I presume?"

"Captain Maverick," Aria corrected.

"Captain," the Jedi allowed, smiling. "I am here to hire you to take one of my students to a particular location and retrieve... an object of some value to the Order."

Aria frowned, thinking. "Why would you hire me for something like this? What's the catch?"

The Jedi seemed amused. "Do you always ask your clients this many questions?"

Aria didn't look as amused as the Jedi. "Only when my clients command their own armadas."

"Ah. Of course. But you see, this particular mission requires secrecy. Our armada is ill-suited in that regard."

"Hmph. What is this mission of yours?"

"We need you to bring one of our Knights to Korriban to retrieve a particular item. He will know how to find it when you arrive."

Aria laughed heartily, then pushed herself to her feet. "Oh. That's funny. Good luck with getting your pilot old man, because I'm sure as hell not her."

The Jedi frowned. "Why not? I was led to believe that you regularly smuggle goods into Imperial territory. Why is this job different?"

"Because smuggling stims into some backwater base for the junkie soldiers gets me a fine and costs me some bribes to stay out of prison if I get caught. Smuggling a Jedi Knight into the center of Sith power gets me executed on sight!" Aria hissed in response, glowering at him. She turned to walk away.

"I will pay you double your regular few up front."

Aria stopped and looked back over her shoulder at the Jedi. He wasn't kidding.

"And," he added, once he had her attention, "I will pay you that again when you return with both my student and the relic intact."

Aria sat down again, disbelief colouring her features. "You do know how much money that is, right?"

The Jedi nodded. "You will leave tomorrow. Where will my student meet you?"

Aria blinked at him. He hadn't even tried to haggle her down. What the hell was this relic, and why did the Jedi need it so bad? "Hangar 6C," she answered. "Have him being a credit chit with my payment."

This was the kind of money she'd be willing to die for. No question.

---

Aria spent the next day working on her ship. She was seated atop it, out of view of the hangar doors when her droid came tottering in, followed by a man in Jedi robes who hung back in the doorway while the droid made for the ship.

"Mistress!"

Aria's head appeared over the edge of the ship a moment later. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and there were goggles pushed up on her head. "J4, what did I tell you about calling me that?"

"Sorry, Captain," the droid responded. "Old habits. Your guest is here."

Aria stood, her bright blue eyes looking up at the door. She was wearing a tank-top, denim shorts and a bandana around her neck. She had a small blowtorch in one hand and was wearing a pair of massive, heavy leather gloves; the only protection she bothered with, as evidenced by the small but fresh burn on her left thigh. She was normally very pale, as befitting a spacer, but every inch of her skin was covered in oil, rust or dust, making her look several shades darker at the moment.

She climbed down off her ship, put the torch away, pulled on her jacket and crossed the hangar toward him. She was bare-foot, making her even shorter than she was normally. Once she reached him, she held out one of her hands, smirking up at him. He was at least a head taller than she.

"Money first, then we talk," she said, cutting off any greeting he had planned to offer her.

Davin Graff flung his dark green lightsaber into the air, spinning it out towards the mercenary, whose lower half then fell to the ground, followed by his upper half. The lightsaber returned to Davin’s hand gracefully and he swung around to face the others.

“Do you like the flank or the shank? I can do either, or both!” He quipped to his two opponents, smiling from ear to ear. His short, messy light brown hair matched his eyes, and he had a friendly, and quite handsome, face. His smile was warm, which when combined with his offer to slice his opponents in the manner of their choosing, added a certain horror to his words in the eyes of the two – now petrified – mercenaries. Master Tiderus glanced at him, but couldn’t afford to reprimand him in the middle of battle, so quickly returned his focus to the mercenaries; both of whom, rather wisely, chose to turn around and run.

Davin flipped his lightsaber backwards into his brown robes, turning it off as it turned towards his chest, and then slipped it onto his belt using the Force.

Master Tiderus, with his now gaze fixed on Davin, turned his lightsaber off in the more conventional, distinguished manner, turning it off and neatly placing it back in its holster.

He sighed. “Jedi Graff, your tone with the mercenaries was –“

“Appropriate?” Davin interrupted. “My apologies Master, but I don’t think they were focusing on my words as much as they were on the two parts of their esteemed colleague here.” Davin pushed the upper half of the mercenary off its lower half with his foot. Master Tiderus cringed.

“It is not befitting, is what I was going to say, of a Jedi. Which is what you are now.”

The two of them had started walking in tandem away from the area of their brief skirmish, heading back to their ship. Upon his Master’s reminding him of his newfound title, Davin smiled cheekily and nodded.

Master Tiderus sighed again. He had found himself doing a lot of sighing in the past two months since Davin's appointment to the Order. He had argued for Davin’s readiness with the Academy's Council for some time before they had agreed.

“Come on, Master Tiderus, who said you can’t have a little fun while upholding justice? Besides, they’re mercenaries. They care more for their money than they do their life. I don’t think we need to worry about hurting their feelings.”

“It’s not a matter of hurting their feelings Davin.” Another sigh. They had already had this conversation a dozen times, there was no use in having it again. Besides, part of Tiderus had always enjoyed Davin’s excursions of personality.

“Regardless, there’s another mission.” The two of them rounded the corner of a city block and came to a line of hangars. Their ship was in hangar two.

“Alright, where are we going next?” Davin eagerly inquired.

“We’re not going anywhere. This will be your first solo mission as a Jedi Knight.” Davin stopped in his tracks. Turning to face his Master, the smug look on his face was replaced with complete focus.

“What would you have me do, Master? I promise you I won’t fail you. Or the Council.”

Master Tiderus nodded slowly as he studied Davin’s sudden change in expression. This was why he had argued for his being given the title of Jedi Knight. It was in these moments, moments of perceived pressure, that Davin had shined, which was a crucial feature of any successful Jedi. Despite all his quirks, when something needed to get done, Davin always got it done. Master Tiderus was proud of this padawan of his.

“There is a Force relic of immense power. The Council needs you to retrieve it.”

“Alright, consider it done.”

“It’s not so simple. Due to its location, you will need to go in extremely surreptitiously, taking utmost care in not being discovered before your mission is complete. I will arrange a smuggler to take you in. That will be your best chance of remaining undetected.”

“Very well Master." Davin furrowed his brow slightly. "I trust that you feel that working with a mercenary is the best way for me to accomplish my mission?”

“Yes, it is, Jedi Graff. Otherwise I would not have mentioned it as such.”

Davin nodded, keeping quiet. Tiderus knew he wouldn’t be happy with the idea, but it was necessary.

“Once you get there, you will not have any way to communicate with us without being discovered, so you will need to rely completely on your training. Also, due to the nature of the place, it will only be by the Force that you will be able to find the Relic in question.” Tiderus paused. Davin was listening intently. “Davin,” he placed his hand on Davin’s shoulder. “This relic must not fall into the hands of the Sith. We do not believe they are aware of its presence yet, but that may soon change. You’ll need to find it fast, and bring it back in one piece.”

Davin nodded. “Yes, Master. I understand. May I ask where it is you believe this relic to be?”

“Korriban.”

~~~~~~~

Korriban.

Davin’s mind filled with questions even as he walked the streets of Kor, a port city on Ord Mantell. Master Tiderus had ultimately given him the coordinates of the hangar here – 6C – where he was to find the so-called “expert smuggler.” Whether he snuck illegal goods from once place to another or killed people for money didn’t matter to Davin. A mercenary was a mercenary. No higher purpose, no ideals. Just money. But that was at the bottom of the pile of his thoughts as he found his way to the hangar. How was a powerful Force relic on Korriban without the Sith – for now, apparently – knowing about it? What did this relic do exactly? Why was it so important to retrieve now? And lastly, but certainly not least – why on Tython was his Master sending him, a newly minted Jedi Knight in on this mission into the heart of the Sith Empire when there were undoubtedly much more adept Jedi than he available? Regardless of these queries, now was not the time for all of this. Davin had a mission to accomplish, and it was a formidable one. He would need all his wits about him, not a bunch of floating unanswered questions.

Clearing his mind he found his way to the gates of hangar 6C. A droid approached him.

“May I help you?” It politely asked. Davin was wearing khaki slacks and a black button-down shirt with the top button undone. He stood at about 5’10” and had a slender but solid frame. His sleeves were rolled up half way up his forearms, which themselves were well developed. He kept his lightsaber tucked away in a special side pocket he had had specially made, over his right hip. He had shiny black shoes to complete the civilian look.

“Probably not. Davin Graff. I’m here to see Aria Maverick. I know she’s inside.” He said dryly, looking past the droid.

“Ah yes, Sir Graff. Right this way.”

Davin followed the droid into the hangar. Before him stood a terribly old ship. From the top of it the the head of a woman popped out. She was younger. And he had a big pair of melding goggles sitting on her head. Davin squinted in her direction while she easily climbed off the ship, barefoot, and strode in his direction. As she approached him, Davin couldn’t help but notice that she was, actually, rather attractive.

She walked right up to him and looked him in the face, extending her hand with a smirk on her face that bugged the hell out of Davin.

Money first, then we talk.

Davin looked her up and down briefly, noting her grimy appearance and then – her stunning eyes – which he paused and looked into for a moment. Then he lazily looked past her to her ship.

“Well if you’re not going to talk until the money is in your hands," he said, walking by her, staring at the ship "what’s the point in shaking it?”

He seemed to grimace as he studied the old jalopy. “This, thing, is going to fly us real secret-like into Korriban huh?” He whistled in sarcastic amazement. As an after thought, his eyes darting from one unusual protrusion on the ship to another, he added blandly, “Davin Graff, Jedi Knight.”

He's snarky, Aria observed, surprised. I didn't think Jedi knew how to have a sense of humor.

Normally, she would have been pleased by this discovery, but since he had directed his snark at her beloved ship, she was just kind of annoyed.

"And this," she said, brushing past him to stand between him and the ship, "is why you need me. You haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about when it comes to ships." It wasn't a question. She crossed her arms. "This ship is about as powerful as most ships three and four times its size. And this is the kind of ship that no one notices. But apparently you expected to be smuggled into Imperial territory on a yacht." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Just remember. Your master had to be particularly convincing to get me to agree to this job, and if you antagonize me, I might just decide that it's not worth it and cancel the whole trip. I'm sure he'd be real pleased with you if I went back to him and told him the reason I backed out is because you annoy the hell out of me," she threatened, smiling sweetly.

She turned, ready to walk back onto her ship, but then she paused and looked back toward him, holding her hand out again. "And I wasn't looking to shake your hand. I was looking for payment. Now, are you going to give me my money or do you want to sit here arguing some more?"

Aria's mention of Tiderus drew Davin's attention from the ship to her. She knew how to go straight to the balls this one. Though he had to concede on this point, he certainly wasn't going to give the appearance that she really had him on this one.

"Fair enough," Davin fished around in his pocket, keeping his eyes locked with Aria's. She was actually even more attractive than he had thought, and her eyes... they couldn't have been real. And if they weren't, why? He took out a small green credit chit and tossed it in Aria's direction. She caught it with ease.

Davin noticed the ramp of the ship on the far end, and started walking towards it.

"Now that I've given you your money, does this necessarily mean we have to talk?" Davin said without looking back, turning to climb up the ramp. He paused there and looked at Aria.

"Does your ship have a name? Or should I just call it, 'Three-to-Four'?"

The mercenary was right. He couldn't afford to piss her off lest she refuse the mission. It was too important for that. But he couldn't just let her hold his leash like that so easily.

He added, "I do know a little something about ships you know. I noticed the Rydarian thrusters on the aft, and the Mon Calamar shield plating on the natural weak points of the hull. I'm sure you have other goodies as well. You're quite the handywoman."

And with that, he walked up the ramp and into the ship, though without taking the Captain's permission.

Aria listened to his mentioning the various after-market mods she'd made to her ship. She had to admit, she was impressed. It wasn't everyone who could pick that kind of thing up with just a quick glance.

But she wasn't going to tell him that, so she said, "Oh good, a client who knows just enough about ships to think himself an expert." She was muttering under her breath but made sure that she was speaking loud enough for him to hear her. Still, she was paid, and that made her happy. "She's called the Shadow's Hand," she answered, following him up the ramp into the ship.

The ramp led into hold, which was mostly empty, save for a couple of random boxes holding some of Aria's less-used personal effects. The hold, like the outside of the ship, was rather grimy and in apparently ill-repair. She actually put a surprising amount of effort to keep her ship looking like a rust-bucket while running perfectly in reality.

She caught up to Davin and slipped past him before he reached the sealed door leading into the rest of the ship. She stopped in front of the door and looked seriously at him. "Alright. Ground rules. First, you'll be relegated to the common living area and your own quarters when you're on the ship. If I catch you anywhere else, I'll dump you on the nearest abandoned planet and leave you there, got it? Second, do not bring anyone else into the ship. Third, if I am conducting business, do not interfere with me. Fourth, if someone other than you, I or J4 are in the cargo hold, don't open this door. Wait until they're gone or until I tell you that you're allowed to."

She didn't wait for him to agree. He either would listen to her or she really would dump him on some Force-forsaken desert planet to fend for himself. She turned around and opened the door into the rest of the ship. It was like walking from one world into another.

The inside of the rest of the ship was in good repair, not exactly fancy but clean and comfortable. The hallway from the hold led into a small room with a holo-deck in the center and a bunch of comfortable-looking chairs bolted to the floor around the outside. There was a shelf with glass doors on one wall holding various items of interest and holodisks. Underneath the decor, it was a plain, titanium-floored and -walled room, but most of the room had rugs layered over one another and there were a dozen or so pictures hanging on the walls.

There were four other doors in the room, excluding the one they had entered by. She pointed to one of them. "That leads to the washroom and the medbay. Those count as common living space for the purposes of my rules. I keep the meds locked up, so don't think you can steal any of it." She pointed to another door. "That door leads to your room. It should have everything you need." Then she pointed to the other two doors. "Those lead to my quarters and the cockpit. No going into either of them." With that, she walked toward the door to her room, but paused before she went inside. "Any questions?"

It became immediately apparent that Aria Maverick's ship was her absolute pride and joy. And she had put detailed thought into every nook and crevice of it. Listening to her rules as they stood in the cargo bay, Davin took in the surroundings. It literally looked like the cargo bay of a derelict ship that could have been found in a wreckage somewhere. As they walked through the bay doors and he saw the true living, functioning space of the ship, Davin took in his surroundings quickly. But more than that, he started eyeing Captain Maverick, figuring her out.

People like her, who live out of their ship, who pour themselves into it, almost always did so as an extension of them selves. If the Shadow's Hand's exterior was deliberately kept grimy, Davin wondered what Aria Maverick kept inside herself.

"Any questions?"

Davin leaned against the doorway that lead to the four rooms, he played with small piece of plastic he had found in the cargo bay.

"I'm sorry, did you say to not interfere with you while conducting business? The Jedi Order is paying you a pretty penny for this job. I imagine that conducting business shouldn't be on your agenda during this mission."

Aria began to retort but Davin cut her off. "I'm not quite done. Do you expect me to sit in a room playing Dejarik with your droid while you fly into the heart of the Sith homeworld? You can obviously take care of yourself, but you'd probably be better off with a Jedi Knight by your side in a place where everyone's first name is 'Darth'. You're going to need me up with you in the cockpit. I'll be deferential to your rules - if you ask me to leave, I'll leave. But don't cut me off from a place of strategic import."

Aria narrowed her eyes at him. "See, and this is why you need someone like me to get you to Korriban," she mumbled angrily after he complained about her 'conducting business.'

She listened to his comments about the cockpit which, she had to begrudgingly admit, were fair. Still, that he thought she had no experience dealing with Sith was laughable, but what did he know anyway? "Fine," she snapped. "You are permitted in the cockpit only when I'm there and don't touch anything. As for my conducting business... I'm going to need to call in some favours to get us in and out alive and unseen. This isn't going to be a direct flight to Korriban. Not unless you want an Imperial cruiser to blow us out of the sky the first moment we come out of hyperspace. So yes, don't interrupt me when I'm conducting business. And don't tell me how to do my job." She opened the door to her personal quarters and stepped inside. "I'm going to get cleaned up, then we can get started. You can ask J4 if you need anything."

The door slid shut behind her and, a moment later, there was the sound of water running. Aria shed her clothes and got into the shower, scrubbing the grime off of her skin. He was lucky she was getting paid as much as she was for this, or else she would have kicked him off her ship already. But... part of her admitted that she liked the idea of having a Jedi at her back going into a place like Korriban. There were few people more capable of dealing with the types of threats they were going to face, and he actually seemed genuinely eager to make sure that they not only succeeded, but that everyone got in and out in one piece. She didn't have to like him, but she knew intuitively that he wasn't going to stab her in the back. Jedi just didn't do that.

It had been far too long since she had taken on a client who hadn't made her feel like she needed to sleep with a gun under pillow.

Davin stood for a while staring at the door that Aria had just walked through. He heard the water running.

He mumbled "Mercenaries, what a miserable bunch", as he finally left the doorway and walked into his quarters.

The room was small, but Davin and did not need luxury. God knows he had spent more than his fair share living in squalid conditions before he had been excepted into the Academy. There was a bed, a side table and a small shelf built into the wall. Davin sat down on his bed to meditate.

He had never been one of those padawans who found it easy to meditate. Some of his classmates would spend hours on end in meditation, and it seemed to do them quite a bit of good. They ended up progressing much faster in their ability to control their feelings, and remain focused for prolonged periods of time. But Davin could never sit for more than half an hour, and so he would often underperform on the post meditation exercises.

On one occasion a group of them have been tasked with holding up a vehicle in the air using only the Force for as long as possible. All of the padawans who had been able to maintain the meditation for over an hour were able to complete the task for much longer periods of time. Davin focused hard but was only able to keep the vehicle in the air for a few minutes before tiring. Later that evening in the cadet hall, he was vigorously teased by some of his classmates for "not being able to keep it up for more than a few minutes at a time", making use of innuendo to further humiliate him in front of others. Davin had laughed, and retorted with his own insults, which hit the mark because the original offender took a swing at him. Davin in response hoisted the cadet along with some of his friends into the air using the Force, and kept them there hanging upside down for at least an hour. The two of them had gotten into trouble for their antics, but Davin's ability had not gone unnoticed by Master Tiderus.

Now, slated for his first solo and most challenging mission, having to bear partnership with a mercenary, he felt like he needed to meditate. It certainly was not by accident that Master Tiderus had chosen Davin for this mission, knowing full well that he would have to partner with somebody who cared for nothing other than a credit chit. Davin would have thought that a journey into Korriban would have been enough, let alone adding such a personal challenge. But then again, that was why Tiderus was a Master Davin was not.

Having spent about forty minutes clearing his mind, Davin was broken out of his quiet state state by the sound of the Shadow's Hand's engines starting up. His eyes shot open. "Here we go." He said to himself as he stepped out of his little room.

He found his way to the cockpit and found a very different - clean - looking Captain.

Davin decided he would do her a favor this one time and not rub her the wrong way intentionally, so he sat down quietly next to her in the co-pilots seat.

Aria was sitting in the pilot's seat when Davin came in and sat silently down. She was sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest. The chair was a very large, over-stuffed leather monstrosity that looked very comfortable but also made her look smaller than usual. She knew her size meant that she wasn't generally very intimidating which, in the kind of circles she frequented, meant that people often lacked respect for her (at least until she pulled a weapon on them); she was usually quite careful to make herself look taller than she was. The only reason she never cared how small her captain's chair made her look was because no one else was ever in the cockpit with her.

"First stop is in a sleazy port on Naboo. I have some friends there who owe me some favors, and I'm hoping they at least some of the information we'll need to get ourselves into Imperial space without drawing attention." She turned to look at him. "And, ah, we're going to need to get you some new clothes. You're asking to be mugged, dressed like that," she informed him.

She looked up him and down with a critical eye - dressed like some upstanding citizen the way he was, he looked more like a mark than a partner to her. But if she got him into something more appropriate, maybe some leather... She could see it now. She realized, quite abruptly, that he would be exactly her type if he didn't look so tight-laced and proper. She flushed, looking back at the console in front of her.

"The trip'll be a few days. We're gonna have to avoid the major hyperspace routes to stay under the radar. Wouldn't want some merchant blabbing to a Sith about seeing our ship deep in Republic space." She looked up at him again and stretched, extending her bare legs so that her feet could rest on the dash, her toes pointed. The ship lifted off and she guided it smoothly out of the atmosphere.

Once they were out into space, but before they entered hyperspace, Aria stopped to stare at the millions of stars visible in front of them. This was her home; she felt more comfortable with artificial gravity than real gravity, most of the time, and the hum of the engine over the utter silence of the stars was more comforting than any other sound in the galaxy. Her expression, usually guarded, turned serene for a moment as she felt that little knot of anxiety in her chest release as soon as they left the planet's gravity well.

Once the moment passed, however, she hit a lever and the ship jolted as it jumped into hyperspace. Then she reached up to a comm-mic and pressed the button. "J4? Can you get some food ready for me and the Jedi?" She hung the mic back up without waiting for a response and turned to look at Davin. "We have some time to kill." She paused, a mischievous smile spreading across her lips. "You know how to play Pazaak?"

Davin actually enjoyed the few moments of silence in the cockpit as they rose into the stars. He glanced at the diminutive-appearing form of his mercenary sitting in her chair. There was something odd about her - she clearly knew how to carry herself, yet here she was, this small little thing sitting in an over-sized captain's seat. Somehow it was contradictory. Davin supposed that wasn't all that surprising now that he thought about it. This was a person who lived in a ship and got paid for doing seedy things, she would be full of contradictions no doubt. Then again, anyone could be full of surprised.

Davin's musings were interrupted by Maverick's commentary on his clothing. He thought he had done a good job of disguising himself, but it sounded like where she was planning on taking him required something more... grimy. There was no need to protest. She obviously knew what need to be done in this regard, so he figured he might as well nod and remain quiet.

His eyes turned back towards the stars, but his mind wandered towards Korriban. He had learned much about the planet's history: the arrival of the exiled Jedi, their ascendance to becoming Dark Lords of the indigenous populations - the Sith - ultimately becoming synonymous with them. The Sith Academy that had been established by the Temple. Davin felt an electric chill run through his spine as he recalled the stories he had read of the types of things the Sith 'faculty' would make their students do - literally torturing and killing each other for a spot in the Academy. How many fallen Jedi had gone there in the hopes of becoming the next powerful Sith Lord?

Davin was shaken out of his reflections on the world of the Dark Side by the question:

You know how to play Pazaak?

"Pa-what?" was his instant response. Davin had played a few games with his friends at the academy, but "Pazaak" was not something he had heard of. He thought about tapping into Maverick's mind to steal the answer but didn't have any way of being a hundred percent sure that she wouldn't notice. She did seem pretty strong-minded after all. He decided against it.

"No, but do you realize that you have a very mischievous look in your eyes right now?" Davin sighed every so slightly. This was going to be a long trip. "Ok, tell me."

Aria laughed aloud at his comment about her mischievous look. "Ah, that's because Pazaak is always played by betting." She went rifling through a small box of random objects sitting next to the astronav computer and drew out a deck of cards. She pushed her chair around to face him and dealt out two hands. The game was pretty simple, with a concept rather similar to Blackjack but with the twist that you could play a card from your hand instead of drawing one from the deck in order to get to 21. It was immensely popular among those who frequented cantinas across the galaxy, especially among those who liked gambling.


Aria was watching Davin with a critical eye as she explained the rules. They played a practice hand, then Aria's mischievous smile returned. "Now the real fun begins. We agree on a bet to place for each hand." Her smile turned wicked. "Of course, it would feel a bit cheap of me to fleece my employer for all of his money so early in our mission, so we could make the bets more interesting. Maybe the loser of each hand takes a drink?" she asked. Her smile grew a little more. "Or maybe we could play strip Pazaak. If it doesn't offend your delicate Jedi sensibilities."

Davin looked at Aria and shook his head slowly. "You're something else you know that?"

He considered his options. At all costs he did not want to give any appearance of hesitation, trepidation. Davin knew that he was not adept at these kinds of card games, but that mattered little. He found himself reconsidering his previous stance on searching the captain's mind using the Force. She was right, he didn't want to bet money, because he would be accountable to the Order for that. And drinking at this time would be absolutely unexceptionable. Besides, he never drank anyway, especially now as a Jedi.

He had to admit, he found something deep inside himself becoming excited at the idea of seeing Captain Mavrick slowly strip before him. It would be a simple matter of either a Jedi mind trick or seeing her cards through her own eyes.

Davin smirked. "I've got nothing to hide beneath my clothes, do you under yours?" He picked up his hand.

The game started. It was Arias turn first. She looked at her cards. Davin reached out through the Force into her mind... Except he didn't. He held back a frown as he tried again. Aria shot an amused look at him as she put down her cards. Davin's heart picked up pace. Why couldn't he access her mind? He knew that she would be strong-willed, but for him to be able to have no access whatsoever? There was much more to this woman than Davin had previously imagined. His bemused facial expression fell.

Rhe problem he faced now, was that he, a Jedi, would have to start removing his clothes.

Frustration and an intense annoyance started to well up inside him, directed to the crafty little mercenary sitting before him, who, at this particular time, was looking at Davin and grinning devilishly from ear to ear.

Aria felt Davin's uncertain prodding against her mental defenses and barely held back a laugh. Normally, she would have been upset at someone trying to surreptitiously rifle through her thoughts, but that he was trying to do it solely in an effort to win at strip-Pazaak was very amusing.

She put her cards down in front of him and lifted an eyebrow, just barely able to prevent herself from cackling outright at the look of annoyance on his face. "Aww, is the little Jedi upset that he can't cheat at cards using his mind tricks?" she teased, leaning toward him.

She flipped a card from the deck onto the table for herself - a 2. She motioned for Davin to go, who turned over his card. This continued for a few rounds, each either flipping a card from the deck or placing one from their hands. Aria got a 10 on her second flip, so she drew from the deck again on her third and gaped at what she got: another 10.

"Fuck!" she growled, frowning at her cards. She'd lost - her total was more than 21. It was the only card she could have gotten that would have lost her the hand. She had figured the chances were slim enough, but it seemed that lady luck just wasn't on her side. She glowered up at Davin. "Oh, wipe that stupid grin off your face," she ordered.

As she spoke, she looked down at herself. She hadn't exactly been planning on playing strip-Pazaak with the Jedi, so she hadn't put on many layers. She was dressed in her equivalent of PJs - a tank-top and a pair of loose cotton shorts. Nothing else. At all. "Well," she mumbled to herself, "you should have thought of that before suggesting clothing as the bet." She striped off her shirt and threw it down on the floor. At least her hair was down, so much of it fell over her shoulders to cover much of the view of her naked chest and her pert, round breasts.

She looked up at Davin and smirked. "My eyes are up here, Jedi," she said, sounding more amused than accusatory - she hadn't really expected him to be looking anywhere else. She collected the cards and dealt them another hand. "Alright, you go first this time."

Davin couldn’t help but grin, revealing in his fortuitous victory. What was more, as Aria pulled her tank top up and over her head, he caught a view of her small round breasts. He averted his gaze but then looked again, this time her hair covering most of them, but the rest of her bare torso visible, and quite…

My eyes are up here, Jedi.

Davin’s eyes darted back up to meet Aria’s, his face feeling slightly warm with embarrassment. If Master Tiderus knew what he was doing right now… Davin shook the thought from his head.

Alright, you go first this time.

“Sure thing, Captain.” Davin taunted, smirking as he turned a card over from the deck. A four. Aria took her turn, and then Gavin his again. A ten. Should he hold? Continue? He looked up at Aria who seemed to have a smug look on her face despite the fact that she was topless. Davin felt irked - why on earth would she be smug right now? She was the one losing. Davin turned over the next card.

His face dropped. An eight. “Damn it.” He mumbled as Aria grinned from ear to ear, straightening her back and looking at him. Davin kept his eyes on his card for a moment, asking himself now what on earth he was doing on this ship with this mercenary, playing bloody strip Pazaak. This was not what being a Jedi Knight was supposed to be about.

Aria pretended to clear her throat. Davin looked at her and she nodded towards him, gesturing towards his shirt. With almost a snarl, Davin slowly stood up, and one by one unbuttoned his shirt. He wasn’t wearing anything underneath, so his bare chest, well-chiseled and firm, was now out in the cool air of the ship. He stripped his shirt off and let it fall on the floor, and sat back down on his chair. His shoulders were very well developed, and the muscles of his arms were defined, though not brutish. He looked at Aria who seemed to be looking at his body with an air of approval.

“There’s nothing you can buy here, Mercenary, get on with your turn.” Davin crossed his arms over his chest and decided he would take a look at Aria’s naked upper body as revenge for his losing this hand.

Aria pursed her lips at his little quip about there being nothing for her to buy. Well fine, if that was how he wanted to play it...

"Oh, don't flatter yourself Jedi," she answered quickly. "There's nothing there I'd ever want to pay for." Which wasn't really true. She certainly appreciated the view of the sculpted muscles of his torso, particularly the way the shifted under his skin as he moved.

Once she looked back up at his face, she realized that his gaze had dropped back down to her body. She smirked; some Jedi he was, not even bothering to be subtle about checking her out. She lifted her arms up over her head, stretching and arching. Well, if he wanted a view, she was going to give him one. Her cards were still in her hand. She twisted her wrist, basically showing him her cards, curious to see if he would actually notice them over the display she was giving him.

She lowered her arms a moment later, laughing internally at the look on Davin's face, and flipped a card. A ten. Then a 9. Then, with a wide grin, she put a 2 down out of her hand. "Beat that, Jedi boy."

This woman was well-versed in tit-for-tat. After Davin has "vengefully" gandered at her naked torso and she dropper her "nothing there I'd ever pay for" comment, she streched, clearly giving him a view of her breasts. Davin instinctually looked to the side, but then caught a glance of her as she did. He actually felt himself harden. Thankfully she started playing her turn again, and Davin had something to take his focus away from her nude body.

Davin's heart sank as she essentially one the hand.

Beat that, Jedi boy.

He didn't look at her, and decidedly kept his face as serene as possible. He was going to have to take off his pants. And then he would be sitting in front of Captain Maverick in nothing but his underwear.

His fist card had been a three. The next a nine. And now his last a five. He tossed his cards down on the table and looked at Aria.

"You can't be serious."

Aria simply chuckled, and mentioned again something about this Jedi "sensibiltiies" and how he had implied that that woudln't be a problem.

Keeping his gazed fixed firmly on Aria, he kicked off his shoes as well as his socks - he knew what a man looked like in his underwear and socks, and even in front of this woman he wasn't going to do that. He vigorously unbuckled his pants and dropped them, kicking them off his feet and pushing them to the side. He wore tight boxer-briefs, and his... outline was rather visible. If she was going to stretch her chest at him then he was not going to be abashed about his body either. Might as well use what he had. Davin knew he was well built. He had to be with all his physical training at the Academy. He took his seat and picked up his cards, sitting in nothing but his underwear, with the outline of his package clearly visible. He kept his gaze locked with Aria's as he picked up his cards.

"Still see nothing you'd buy? Not sure why you were the one who suggested we play strip Pazaak then. I can imagine it must get real lonely on this ship with just that droid. I guess I don't blame you. Your turn."

"Still see nothing you'd buy? Not sure why you were the one who suggested we play strip Pazaak then. I can imagine it must get real lonely on this ship with just that droid. I guess I don't blame you. Your turn."

Aria giggled, making no attempt to hide the way she ogled him and particularly that delicious little trail of hair from his belly button and down to the waistband of his underwear, pointing directly at that intriguing outline between his legs.

"I don't buy anything until I've seen all the merchandise," she answered, holding her cards up in a fan in front of her face. She was only making a show of trying to hide her wicked grin - she knew full well that her expression was visible enough for him to know exactly what it meant. "Thankfully we won't have long to wait until that happens."

She flipped over her first card. A five. Still grinning from ear to ear, she raked her gaze up his body until she finally met his eyes. Then she added, "I think you'd be surprised at the kind of company J4 can give me. Who says he doesn't have an entire subroutine dedicated to my personal... enjoyment?" She winked and flipped another card. A nine. "Besides," she added, "maybe I'm the kind of girl who keeps a different man in every port. Maybe I fucked someone in that very chair less than an hour before you showed up." She kept her tone teasing, so that he would have a hard time determining if she was telling the truth or just making fun of him. She flipped her third card. Another five. "That's 19. I'll hold. See if you can beat me." She chuckled, putting down her cards and pulling her hair back off her shoulders to give him a clearer view of her body. "How bad do you want to see me naked? Or how bad do you not want me to see you naked?"

The way the vixen turned his taunt back at him - he had to say that he admired her on-the-spot wit. Hearing tease him about her potential sexual exploits tantalized his lower self in a way that he hadn't experienced in some time, and in that moment, Davin wished he had been better at his meditative practices. But it was no use. He was growing hard beneath his tight boxer-briefs and he knew should would see him.

Well there was no use in crying over it. And two could play at this game.

Davin picked up a card. A seven. "Well I suppose then it wouldn't matter to you, based on your extensive sexual exploits, if another boy toy ends up naked on your co-pilot chair." Another card. A four. "Which means that if I lose, it's not big deal to you. But if I win," Davin looked at Aria's perfect breasts and then into her eyes and smirked. He picked up his card. Another seven. Eighteen.

"Damn it!"

Aria started laughing. Davin looked at his boxers and then up at Aria. He felt a warmth in his face. He glared at the little devil, bouncing in her chair in front of him. Her breasts bounced with her laughter, and she didn't care. But she knew he did. She starting motioning with her hands for him to remove his boxers.

Davin reminded himself he had nothing to hide, except the fact that a he had a hard on at this particular time. He kept his gaze fixed on hers, cursing himself for getting involved in this stupid game. How could he have known that she would have been so resistant to a Jedi mind trick? As he slowly removed his boxer-briefs, he made note to never under-estimate this woman again.

His cock bounced free, and stood erect. Thick, lengthy and veiny, it stood up like an impressive specimen of its own as his boxers fell to his ankles and he kicked them off. He stood with his hands on his hips, his entire well-sculpted masculine form before Aria.

"There. Are you happy now?" He said, looking at her. "You won."

At the tip of his cock, a little wetness glistened.

Aria looked him up and down, biting her lip and smiling devilishly. The kind of men she usually had sex with were the kind of men who spent their days drinking, playing cards, and shooting people with blasters. Not ugly, exactly, but Davin's naked body was a particular treat. She hadn't really expected to enjoy the stripping aspect of the game as much as she had, but then again, she had kind of expected him to say no to playing in the first place.

"Very happy," she chirped, pushing herself to her feet with that devilish smile still gracing her features. She took several steps toward him, until she was standing nearly toe to toe with him, the tip of his cock maybe a half-inch from brushing against her bare stomach. "So now the question becomes... what do I get as a reward, hm?"

In one swift and fluid move, she used one of her feet to swivel the co-pilot's chair around so that she could push him down into it. He sat down hard, clearly not expecting the shove she'd given his shoulders. Then, before he could stand again, she dropped to her knees in front of him and rested her hands on his thighs, looking up at him with an expression so innocent that it would make anyone suspicious.

Normally, she would have requested something for her own pleasure as a reward for winning but, for some reason, she felt like taking the Jedi into her mouth was a kind of victory all on its own. For the next few minutes, while she used her lips and tongue on him, she would own him, even if he didn't recognize that. It felt like something she could hold over him, and she wanted that for reasons she couldn't quite comprehend.

Saying nothing, but bearing a sultry smirk, she gently pushed his thighs apart and leaned forward. Her tongue poked out from between her pouty pink lips and she traced a trail up the underside of his cock until she reached the head, where she licked the few little drops of liquid off. She smiled at the sound of his breathing getting heavier, then she parted her lips and slid them down over his cock head, sucking gently.

She took her time, almost painfully so, licking and sucking her way down his whole length. She spent ages pleasuring each inch as she moved her head down slowly, lower and lower. She reached the threshold for her gag-reflex only about two inches from having engulfed his entire length, so she steeled herself against it and dropped her head down just that little bit further. She could feel his head pressing against the back of her throat and she made a small swallowing motion, then drew her head back up, sucking in breath and pleased that she hadn't gagged on his impressive length and girth. She brought her hand up to the base of his cock and began to massage the shaft while her mouth returned to the head to focus on the more sensitive nerves there.

Aria surprised herself as soon as she licked a little more of his leaking pre-cum by moaning at the taste of it. When had she gotten so turned on? She had been a little horny at the sight of him naked, certainly, but she realized now, quite abruptly, that she was wet. She continued her ministrations, but she lowered her free hand down to the button on her jeans, deftly popping it open and quickly sliding her hand down inside.

Her fingers slid easily over her slick lips, drawing another moan from her throat which she was certain Davin could feel with her mouth still working his cock the way it was. Her hips pumped a little as she made some lazy circles around her clit, then she plunged her fingers inside, making her mouth and hand on his cock grow a little more erratic.

When Aria pushed Davin back into the chair and kneeled at his feet Davin was enchanted. He immediately realized what was happening and a very strong voice inside him told him it should not transpire. That he was a Jedi. That this was wrong. The whole thing. His agreeing to play strip Pazaak. His under-estimating the captain. His stripping and going along with it. And now this. But he had not had this in so long... and if felt so incredibly wonderful as she licked him.

Davin closed his eyes in ecstasy as Aria tantalized his cock, her tongue wrapping around it and she taking it all the way in to her throat - then her moan; Davin grabbed the arm-rest of the chair as he felt her vibrations ripple through him, gasping and releasing a moan himself.

He couldn't help but move his hips slightly as Aria continued. No, no this is all wrong... but he simply could not resist. He could not desist. And he could not ask his assailant to do so either.

Then he saw her move her hand squirm down, her tongue along his shaft faltered, and her breath gave. She was enjoying it at least as much as he was. She started taking more ragged licks and even little soft bites of him as her moans got louder.

Before Davin realized what he was saying he ran his hands through the back of Aria's hair and blurted out, "Come on Aria, it's time you show me what you do to those guys you fucked in this chair.' It was as if he didn't even need to say it. Aria bounced up onto her feet and almost tore her pajamas off her and threw them across the room. She climbed onto the chair, holding Davin's chin in her hands and looking down into his eyes with ferocity. "That's Captain Maverick to you, Jedi." She spread her legs, held her lips apart with her fingers and slid down Davin's shaft. She started riding him like she owned his cock.

Aria, distracted as she was, took several seconds after she'd eased down onto his cock to even realize what he'd said. Honestly, she hadn't actually fucked anyone in the cockpit before. She really did have a rule where no one was allowed in there but her. She'd just said that to tease him.

She leaned forward, slipping her arms around his shoulders and pressing her chest against his. She lifted her hips slowly, moaning as his length slid partway out of her, and she sunk back down onto him, shutting her eyes to enjoy the pleasure of it. Seemed like fucking in the cockpit was going to have to become a habit, given how much she was enjoying herself.

Aria sat back a little and looked Davin in the eyes. She was riding him slowly, grinding her hips as she moved up and down to press his cock against her g-spot. She was gasping and moaning, but she refused to shut her eyes, instead adamantly holding his gaze. Jedi weren't really supposed to engage in random sex with near-strangers. Hell, they weren't really supposed to engage in relationships much at all. That she'd encouraged him to break the rules so easily was a point of pride for her. It made the sex that much better, knowing that she had done this to him so easily. She wanted to make him explode, and she wanted to make sure he couldn't forget, even for a moment, that she was the one doing it to him.

She tossed her head back, laughing breathlessly, when Davin shut his eyes, finally breaking their linked gaze with a groan. His hands were on her hips, trying to guide her movements and make her go faster, but she wasn't having any of it. She was going to ride him achingly slowly until she couldn't take it anymore. His hips were lifting off the chair to meet her slow, almost-lazy thrusts and she smirked at him. "Enjoying yourself, Jedi?" she asked, the word 'Jedi' trailing off into a lusty moan.

Davin felt a deep need within him as Aria rode him slowly. He had placed his hands on her hips, closed his eyes and allowed himself to feel wave after wave of pleasure surge through him as they fucked. He desperately wanted more, deeper, faster – but it became clear to him – and it should not have been any surprise whatsoever – that even in this intensely sensual situation, Aria wanted to be in charge. She didn’t speed up at his subtle behests, but she sure as hell looked like she was enjoying every achingly slow thrust she made down his cock.

Davin would have been wracked with guilt at breaking the Code of the Jedi within his first few months of having been Knighted, but his personality and attitude towards certain aspects of the Code had been in full disclosure to the Academy when they appointed him. It was in fact part of the reason they had been hesitant, and had required so much convincing at the hands of Master Tiderus. The last time Davin been with a woman was in his second to last year at the Academy. He and Rana Kryss, a cadet one year younger than him, had, after about two months of illicit electronic communications had snuck off into the city and found a seedy hotel to have their little tryst. Ultimately Rana had broken down out of guilt and told one of her Mentors and the two of them had been brought before the Academy’s Council. While Rana had hung her head in shame and conceded error, Davin puffed up his chest and “with all due respect” explained how having the relationship had strengthened him as a Jedi: it was true control to engage in a relationship and not allow it to cloud one’s mind, as opposed to block off the prospect of a relationship entirely and do the same. Because his exercises in the ensuing days showed no sign of deterioration (and after many hours of Academic Community Service), he was let off light.

As Aria rode him, as Davin enjoyed having her tight small body sliding up and down his, the feel of her soft skin, the sound of her moaning, the sight of her – as all these things tantalized Davin’s sensorium he, for a moment, attempted to reach out with the Force and move something in the cabin just behind the cockpit. He reached out, sensed a small tool sitting on the table, and Force-lifted it, his eyes closed, appearing as if he was simply enjoying his fuck (he was), and placed it quietly on the carpeted floor. He opened his eyes and smiled at Aria, content that he had succeeded in his little self-exercise. If they did this often, and something in Davin certainly hoped that they did, he would use the opportunity to focus his Force-powers even further.

Still smiling, looking at Aria with eyes that seemed like they would close out of intense pleasure any moment, he managed to poke at her, “You’re a good fuck, Captain Maverick,”

If she was going to ride him on her terms, there was no reason that he would give it to her totally free. Davin barely managed a smirk before releasing a loud moan and hanging his head back. He was getting close.

“You’re a good fuck, Captain Maverick.”

"I'll take that as a yes!" Aria laughed, moving her hips faster against him. Half the time (like now), she was certain they would get along famously, but then the other half the time she felt like wringing his neck. She wondered if that would continue for the entire mission. She hoped not. Sudden changes in opinion like that were exhausting. It also drove her to wonder what he would be like if he hadn't become a Jedi...

She felt his cock thickening inside her and realized he was close. She moaned softly and quite suddenly changed her pace, going from slow and teasing to hard and fast - rough enough that it almost hurt. Groaning with pleasure, she pressed her chest against his and started to kiss the column of his neck, nipping and biting gently enough that it wouldn't hurt - at least, not much - but hard enough to leave a mark.

She felt her desire coiling up tighter and tighter inside her and, a moment later, the coil snapped as she felt Davin go rigid beneath her and the first shot of his seed splash inside her. She bucked, throwing her head back with a long, loud moan, and let herself go. It had been too long since she had had a good fuck. Now, for Aria, too long constituted anything longer than a few days, but from the way she was reacting, one might think she hadn't experienced that kind of pleasure in years. She rode her orgasm as long as she could, sighing contentedly once she finally came down.

She opened her eyes and looked into Davin's, a smirk growing on her face. She looked at him in silence for a moment then, suddenly, surprising both herself and him, she kissed him. It wasn't long, just a quick peck and a small nibble of his bottom lip. Then she pulled away and stood, stretching the way one does after some satisfying exercise. "Thanks for the ride, Jedi," she purred, winking at him. Then she gathered her clothes and strode out of the cockpit and into her own room, leaving Davin in the cockpit alone.

She'd look back on this moment later and realize that she should have recognized then that he was something other than just a client she happened to have fucked during a job. He was the first person that she'd ever allowed into her cockpit and she had just left him alone there too, even if she had done so without realizing it. That she was relaxed enough to forget about being paranoid meant... well, she didn't know what it meant yet, but it meant something, that much was certain.

Davin sat dizzied in the co-pilots chair of the Shadow's Hand. As he had burst forth with all his heat and seed inside Aria Maverick, his hands gripping her back and a gasp escaping his mouth, he realized how incredible the whole episode had been. Though she irked him, both by her "profession" and her personality, there was something about her that rubbed him the right way - clearly.

Her carefree thanks before she pottered out of the cockpit made Davin smile through his heavy breaths, slowing steadily though they were. He mustered a nod, and licked his lips as he watched her tight ass maneuver out of the cramped room. Once out of view Davin got up and grabbed his own clothes. Stepping out of the cockpit he ran into J4, who simply stepped aside with an "Oh my." Davin noticed the titanowrench that he had picked up and dropped on the floor while he and Aria had had sex in the cockpit, a satisfied smirk spreading across his face as he walked into his quarters and into the small shower that was attached to it.

As he rinsed himself off and closed his eyes against the heat he thought about what this would mean for the mission going forward. This was clearly play, and meant nothing as to their actual relationship - of which, really, they had none. Still, as unconventional as Davin was at the Academy, having sex with a stranger, let alone a mercenary he was on a mission to Korriban with, was quite a bit out of his range. For a moment it concerned him - had he exhibited a weakness? Had he made a vital mistake? Davin brushed those ideas off. This was exactly the type of thing the Masters at the Academy made too much of a fuss about. This was nothing but fun. He still knew who he was. He still knew his mission. And he was going to complete this mission the way he, Davin Graff would.

Davin stepped out of the shower feeling good. Though there was the tiniest feeling in him that told him that Aria Maverick could become something more than a mercenary on a mission, it was easy for Davin to brush the absurd thought aside. He would never fall for someone whose allegiance could be bought by the highest bidder. He had seen what that could mean, how that could pan out - and he wasn't going to put himself in such a compromised position like that.

As the last though flashed through Davin's mind, he suddenly realized: he had no other change of clothes. He worn the civvies he had boarded the Shadow's Hand with, and his small bag contained his Jedi robes as well as some other very Jedi-appearing clothing - but nothing he could wear at whatever seedy spaceport they were heading to now. Cursing and slamming his fist down on his bedside table, with a towel wrapped around his waist, Davin realized that his thinking had, after all, been compromised. He had allowed it to happen. And now, he was going to have to actually turn to the Captain.

Sighing, he stepped through his door, his bare chest open, and just as he did, Aria walked through hers. They stood directly in front of each other, and Aria immediately beamed. He knew she realized what was happening even before he said anything.

Davin still tried to save face. "You had mentioned that my prior clothes wouldn't work where we were going..."

Aria looked him up and down, standing as he was in the doorway of his room. Damn. He was really good-looking. She counted herself lucky that he was the one she was talking on this mission instead of, say, his master.

"You had mentioned that my prior clothes wouldn't work where we were going..."

She attempted to contain her laughter, but it didn't work and it kind of came out as a snort, which did make her laugh. As she stood just outside her own room, giggling gleefully, she considered whether or not she should tease him. "Aw, forget to pack a change of clothes?" she asked, her tone taunting. She didn't mean anything by it, honestly; it was just the way she interacted with people. It didn't exactly earn her many friends.

She disappeared back inside her room for a moment, then returned with an armful of clothing. She crossed the room and dropped the bundle into Davin's arms. "This should do for a little while. We can get you some more clothes once we land." She took a step back and looked him up and down again, this time more critically.

The clothes had belonged to a man she had agreed to partner with on a big job. Turned out that the asshole was planning on betraying her. He had planned to kill her and take all the profits for himself. She'd left him on the ruined world of Taris. Naked. Hence why she still had one of his outfits. It would probably fit a bit too small for Davin - he was broader in the shoulder and certainly more muscular than that low-life scumbag had been - but he'd have to make do until they reached Naboo and could buy him some clothes that fit properly.

Aria turned on her heel and made for the cockpit again, throwing a glance over her shoulder at him as she went. "Give your other clothes to J4. He can wash them for you. We have a while yet before we make it to Naboo. Might be a good time to catch some shut-eye." She stepped into the cockpit then, the door whooshing shut behind her. It smelled like sex in here. She smiled, inhaling. Then she scooped up a blanket out of the drawer against the back wall, curled up in the pilot's chair and then fell promptly asleep herself.