The First Run

Aittera may as well have been in orbit long before the Devious Hope's cargo bay was brimming with the combination of legal machine parts and illegal supplies they were to deliver to Iabfra. It had been a week (only a week?) of the kind of happiness that she would have scoffed utter disbelief about before. Every kiss, every moment spent tangled in bedsheets or wrapped in Kol's arms, every conversation, all of it...it wasn't just perfect. It was right.

Somewhere along the way, she had left cynicism and caution behind, and they had fallen so perfectly in sync with each other that sometimes, it was hard to know where one of them left off and the other began. As much as Aittera had resisted the desire to throw everything she was - heart and soul - into a relationship with someone like Kol Arren (but truly, was there anyone like him in all the universe?), it never came to making a decision of any kind. She was his long before she ever acknowledged it, and as soon as she got out of her own way, she forgot all of the reasons she had for holding back.

The briefing with Jean Schramme had been almost too entertaining when she'd introduced Kol, who had left behind his Sith robes in favor of a more spacer-like jacket, shirt, and sturdy trousers. Aittera had to keep from laughing outright when Kol had insisted that he stop referring to him with the awkward "my lord", and the poor mercenary soldier switched to an equally awkward "Kol" that made him seem just as uncomfortable. By the time they left, though, she had the impression that he might have won her old friend over, at least in the sense that Jean had perhaps realized that Kol had her best interests at heart, which would mean that he would do everything he could to ensure this would be a successful run.

Jean had warned them that random searches were being conducted, so they took the order to move to coordinates where they could be boarded in stride. For one sticky moment, Aittera worried when one of the creeps in the security detail took an unhealthy interest in her, sure she could actually feel Kol preparing to lunge at the smelly thug, but in the end, he'd managed to maintain enough control to let her flirt her way through the situation. Really, really bad flirting at that. Sheesh, give a big dummy with muscles a little smile, and he thought was the Force's gift. Uggh.

Once they'd returned to Nar Shaddaa successful, she left word for Jean that they were ready whenever needed for another run.

And then, no one heard from them for a few days while they let the universe fall away again.


(( Added to Aittera and the Dark Lord ))