STAR WARS: Fugitive

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Timing..., thought the Zeltron as he slipped his shirt over his head, and pulled it over his torso to where A’pratti’ka’s blues hands lingered over his abdomen muscles. He felt his body emitting more pheromones in response to her touch.

“I’m sorry we didn’t have more time,” he said. “I would have loved to see how far we could go.”

She brought her chest flush with his and slipped her arms around his waist as he slipped into his cloak and then rested his hands on her hips. “I may have had to disappoint you,” she replied with an easy grin. “There’s not a male alive who has gone all the way with me.”

He smiled back with a chuckle, and then bent forward to kiss her forehead. “You sure seem to find your way around,” he said.

“I’ve come a long way,” she replied, relaxing her embrace. “Let’s just say,” she continued, turning away from him and reaching her arm out as her cloak floated through the air toward her open hand until she could grasp it, “that it’s an occupational hazard, because I venture to be thorough and efficient, at everything.”

She cocked her head back and sent him a smile and a wink over her shoulder. “I was really looking forward to it as well.”

“Perhaps another time, then,” he said, sending back his own wink.

“Another time....” she echoed.

The Zeltron sighed, knowing he needed to hurry; Peri never wasted much time when he was in one of his moods. Times like this actually made him more efficient with whatever he was doing.

“So long, blue babe!” he called out as he set a strong pace toward Peri’s ship.

She didn’t turn back to watch him leave, but maintained her gaze away from him as she eased into her own cloak, setting it how she liked it, loosely draped over her shoulders, wide around the back of her neck.

When she knew Peri was out of ear shot, she called out, “Lurking in shadows?”

“I did not wish to disrupt your salacious salutation,” replied Thera’s voice dryly.

“Oh don’t kid yourself; there was nothing in that at all. Show yourself.”

Thera stepped from behind a junky, rusted-out heap of what looked like it may have once been a luxury passenger liner. Gosell followed behind her.

“Well, then,” said Thera, “since nothing is done, let us go see what we can do with your ship.”

A’pratti’ka nodded to her, “let us go.”

Thera and Gosell followed as she led the way back to her commandeered Fury-class interceptor. She had procured it from its previous owner, Darth Cunan, since she had conveniently decapitated him. She also killed all of the remaining sentient beings onboard as she knew their loyalty would be unreliable, leaving only the labor and utility droids to help with piloting the ship and effecting repairs. She left them with instructions to repair her stabilizer foil that was damaged during the earlier dog fight with Peri’s ship, after managing to land without crashing.

A’pratti’ka led them back to the edge of the mogo farm and directed Thera and Gosell to wait for her.

“I don’t understand,” remarked Gosell, confused.

“I have some unfinished business to ensure security against pursuers,” replied A’pratti’ka. “Thera, did you take proper damage controls in your interactions with the farmers?”