"He really likes you." Mando pointed out as he watched me feeding him and making small goofy faces at him to get him to smile.
"I like him too, he's a cute little monkey." I smiled at Sprocket.
"I really think you should take something in return for helping us."
"I told you, I didn't do this for money." I replied glanced at him and then offered Sprocket another bite and he took it as he watched us as though he could understand what we were talking about and chewed slowly moving his eyes between us.
"You said that, but I still feel like I should give you something for the time you put in to help us." He spoke. I glanced at him again.
"It was my time to waste. I could've said no, easily, but I didn't and here we are." I looked at Sprocket and smiled. "Waiting for the ship to get fixed." I talked a few pitches higher as I talked to him and gave him the last bite. "Is your belly full yet?" I asked him in a calmer voice. He just squeaked a bit and stood up walked toward me and holding out his arms for me to pick him up. I did and cuddled him in my arms. I patted his back as though he was a baby and in some ways he's was. I felt even though he was a 50 year old creature he was still a small child that needed affection and protection. His head turned toward Mando and make a soft cooing noise. "Here, you want to go see Mando?" I tried to hand him to Mando, but he dug his nails into my sweater as though he didn't want to go, so I just sighed and looked at Mando. "I guess I'll hold onto him for a little while." I told him as I stood up and headed back into the control room where I sat down in my chair and held Sprocket as he finally let go of my sweater. "He's a stubborn man isn't he?" I asked Sprocket as he cooed. "That's what I thought."
Back in the lounge Mando was still sitting at the table when he finally stood up and started toward the control room.
"It would be best if you left her alone for the time being." Temen spoke toward him, he must have woken up when we had been talking. Mando stopped and looked at him. "I do not know your situation or where you are from, but I do know Tye, she is a very kind hearted person who does things because they are right, not for profit." He added giving him a smile as he stood up. "That is why I am with her, because she helps those who need it, as she has done this for me many times over." He stopped in front of him. "You can trust her to...have your back as she would say." He added another smile and moved away from Mando after patting his arm. He headed toward his seat and sat down to meditate. "If you will excuse me, I must contact my people now, there is something important I must speak to them about." He smiled, took a deep breath and closed his eyes as a blue haze engulfed him sparkling with white glitter. Mando watched then took a glanced toward the control room before he headed out of the ship and back over toward his.
While in the control room, I was giving another cookie to Sprocket as he sat on my belly because I had my feet propped up on the control table. I was still looking over the loads and still moving a few into the saved spot for Lane to look at later. I was busy checking out a load when I heard a loud beeping, it startled me as I looked over to see Sprocket had flipped a switch on the control table, I reached over and flipped it back. "Let's not play with those, they make too much noise." I told him, then handed him a cookie, "Here, let's keep those digits busy shall we?" He took it and put it into his mouth and chewed. I grinned at him. "I think you and Rassen have something in common, you're both bottomless pits." I smiled at Sprocket giving him another cookie as I also popped one into my mouth. "I think this should be the last on though, I don't want you to get sick eating too much." I closed the bag and tossed it onto the control table. "Want a drink?" I offered him my cup, he took it and slurped it down. I chuckled at the sounds he was making. I took the cup back and set it back down on the edge of the control table. He was chirping as I did. "You drank it all little man." I lifted it up to show him. "See?" He made a soft sound like he was upset that he had drank it all. "I can get you some more here in a little bit okay?" I told him reassuring him. He looked happy again. I went back to looking at the board in my hand, he glanced around and reached over to press a button that switched the lights off in the control room. The pad in my hand illumined us as I glanced around at the dark room and looked over at him as he switched it back on glancing around as the lights came back on. I watched as he reached for another and flipped the toggle that made the ship sound like it was releasing pressure. "Are you having fun?" I asked him then reached over and flipped the switch back. "You stop touching buttons." I told him in a baby voice then tickled his belly hearing him squeal with laughter. "Those are my buttons." I told him in the same voice and gave him another tickle on his belly. He squealed again with laughter. "Here, you want to play with some buttons?" I picked him up and set him in front of the navigation table. "Play with these right here." I pointed to the row of buttons along the top of the table that I knew he couldn't accidentally turn off something important, or lock doors that I couldn't unlock or even dumped the fuel which would be bad. I pressed one to show him the 3D image that popped up showing the planet we were on. It slowly rotated in place as Sprocket watched it. He reached down and pressed another button, showing another planet in the same solar system, his eyes were wide with excitement as he pressed another button showing another planet that slowly rotated and also showed the moons that the planet had.
"Tye?" I heard my com fuzz on with Lane's voice.
"What?" I answered, making a face toward Sprocket, then watched him press another button.
"What are you doing right at this moment?" She asked.
"Playing with Sprocket."
"He woke up, that's wonderful to hear, give him a cuddle from Auntie Lane."
"So what do you want?" I asked her, as I pressed one of the buttons and watched his face light up when a new yellow planet popped up in place of the previous one.
"How would feel if I told you that you're not going to believe who I'm looking at right now." She said. I wasn't really interested in what she was doing, I was enjoying myself pressing buttons with Sprocket and watching his eyes light up at each new planet that came into view. "Did you hear me? You're really not interested in whom I'm looking at?"
"Yo momma?" I joked looking at Sprocket and smiling
"Charming, Yo momma jokes, you're such a child." She told me. "Grow up." I chuckled a bit then took a deep un-concerning breath.
"If it doesn't affect our situation right at this moment, then I really don't care." I told her, then wrinkled my nose at Sprocket.
"Well, this time you really should," She told me. "But I'll give you a couple of hints first and see if you can guess for yourself." She said. "Let's see, who had long dark hair, dreamy violet eyes, strong features and was absolutely drop dead gorgeous." She spoke as I listened, then thought of only one person that fit that description, but it couldn't be him, he died. But I sighed again and played along.
"Lord Clario?" I joked.
"Bingo." She said and I could feel her smile. But that got my attention as shook my head.
"What? No, no way. That's not possible, he's dead." I told her. "We blew up his ship remember."
"I do remember, and he's not dead, he's sitting a couple of tables away from me talking to two gents in armor that reminds me of Mando's except theirs are all white, I don't like theirs as much. Mando's is far cooler. But they do have these cool snub nose rifles, I really want one of those." She added "I've never seen those guys before." She went quiet for a few seconds.
"Armor that's all white? I don't recall seeing any armor like that." I repeated. I shook my head thinking I'd never seen that either. "Maybe you ought to get outta there and not stick around." I told her. "Before he recognizes you."
"I don't think he's remembers me, he's looked at me a couple of times, but nothing." I heard her sigh. "Anyway I thought you should know that he's here, alive and looking rather dashing as always, He still awfully cute even for a bad guy." She told me in a low whisper as though she was covering her mouth as she spoke.
"Are you positive it's really him?" I asked her hoping she was just kidding and was going to say it at any time now.
"It's him alright, I'd recognize that gorgeous man from anywhere." She reminded me, I sighed recalling that he was a very attractive man, that's why he fooled a lot of people. His ability to charm someone kept him hidden while he was able to infiltrate areas within the palace on Zoe. I still couldn't believe he was alive and he's on the same planet that we were on at this very moment. If things couldn't get any worse, they will soon.
"Well, why don't you get your ass back to the ship. We won't be here long enough for him to even know we're here." I told her. "But if he sees you, he might do something and if he's hanging around guys with white uniforms, who knows what they could do."
"No, I'm staying here, I'm still enjoying myself. I'll come back later." She replied. "I honestly don't think we have anything to worry about, it's been what? Five or six years since we last saw him. I doubt he even remembers us."
"You're taking a huge risk here girl." I told her looking at Sprocket. "We have other people to think about. We don't need to bring anyone else into our problems. You really should come back, like right now."
"I'll finish my drink and come back then." She told me. "Don't be a nag." I heard the com shut off before I could protest more. I reached up and hit the com on my neck.
"Lane?" She ignored me. "Lane, I know you can hear me." Still silence. "You better answer me." I stated, but nothing. I grumbled angrily, but then looked at Sprocket who was pressing another button as a greenish planet came into view. "God, I really hate that girl." I told Sprocket as though he would answer me, he turned to face me. "You think I should go get her before she gets herself in trouble?" I asked Sprocket hoping he would say something, like nope let her suffer for her own stupidly. But he didn't say anything as he pressed another button, where another greenish planet came into view. I looked at it not recognizing it at all, but not really paying attention to it either. "As much as I want leave her there, let those guys in white armor take her away and be rid of her, But I can't. She better consider herself lucky." I spoke.
A/N Another quick chapter. Hope you're liking it.