STAR WARS: Fugitive

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

I wonder if I’ll ever get out of this, thought the Zeltron to himself. He had spent what felt like hours resting in his rack, trying to recuperate his strength. This whole thing was wrong from the start; I wasn’t supposed to get this far into this mess. He had his own secret in all of the recent events, and he managed to keep it to himself so far. Now everything was so dangerously out of alignment with his original plans that it no longer mattered. He felt a fear slowly seeping into his mind of being alienated in more ways than one.

“Are you awake?” asked Thera, poking her head into the berthing area. “I could sense your turmoil, and I thought I’d come check on you. Is everything okay?”

“Uh, no different than before; I’m okay, really,” he said.

“Oh,” she replied dropping her gaze, “I guess I’ll be going, then.”

“No, wait!” he almost yelled, “You... you’re welcome to stay for awhile.” As tumultuous and hopeless as he felt in his mind, seeing her felt like a warm, welcome change.

“Okay,” she smiled, and stepped in. She wore her green bodysuit, which seemed to fit her snuggly, but not too tight, covering everything but her hands and head, the neckline cut like a blouse. He gazed at her as she climbed into Peri’s empty rack across from his. She settled into a relaxed position and lay peacefully, staring at the overhead panel.

The Zeltron sighed, smiling, “I know my thoughts betray me, but has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?”

“I remember my father telling me once, before he died,” she said.

“You seem pretty haunted by his death,” he said.

“I’m haunted by many things.”

He felt a wave of emotions ebb through her. She sighed, and then shifted onto her side and propped her head into her hand, meeting his eyes. “What haunts you?” she asked.

Betrayal, dying, running for my life, and, these days, living, he thought. “Too many things,” he said, taking his turn to stare at his overhead panel. “I really just want a way out of all of this, I guess,” he added.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly.

He looked at her and grinned, emanating pheromones, “I know. I could let you make it up to me. You could come away with me, whenever you finish whatever business you have on Roon.”

She smiled back at him, “And where would we go? We would need to hide!”

“I know a good place in Hutt Space, low key, home of runaways and some other influences we could easily avoid.”

She chuckled in amusement, “And does this ‘home of runaways’ have a name, mister ‘Hey, You’?” she asked.

He radiated more pheromones, and put on a mock hurt look, “I can’t tell you now, in case you turn me down!”

“Is that how this game works?” she asked, still smiling, blinking her eyes slowly.

“I’ll just have to think on that awhile, then,” she said, sitting herself up. She slid off the rack, and then perched on the edge of the Zeltron’s rack. He felt his heart race as she ran her hand across his chest and bent over him, holding her head centimeters from his and whispered, “In the meantime, here’s something for you to think on.” She tilted her head, rested her hand on his cheek and kissed him.

He wanted to hold her closer, but he didn’t have the strength, and he couldn’t figure out what the loud beeping noise was. He relished her lips against his, but the beeping noise got louder and distracting. Make it stop, he shouted in his thoughts.