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Author	Topic: Party Girl (Legacy Origin challenge) Complete - Author's thanks!
THE_PIED_PIPER Title: Chapter Rep Knoxville, TN Registered: Jun '06	Date Posted: 7/4 5:07pm Subject: RE: Party Girl (Legacy comics "Origin" challenge) Ch. 1 6/30 - Thanks! - Date Edited: 7/4 5:30pm (1 edits total) Edited By: THE_PIED_PIPER
	I'm back. Great insite into Deliah and her origins. Since she was introduced in Legacy 0, I've wanted to know more about Zeltrons and their planet. I think it's great that she is apprenticing herself to her father's old master as a mechanic. Nice to see that dynamic with someone who isn't a Force user. And his attitude towards taking an apprentice at his age especially a female is intrigueing and I can't wait to see how it plays out. And nice description about a half-human and half-Zeltron mix on biologics. I had wondered about that. I guess it would make for a nice natural suntan. Great work! Piper -----signature----- "I'm going to be like Leia." - Me at age four "You're the Yen to my Yang." - My husband Roan Fel's badassery knows no bounds! Jagged Fel
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Jedi Trace Title: • SouthEast RSA • Fan Fiction Manager Registered: Dec '99	Date Posted: 7/6 6:27pm Subject: RE: Party Girl (Legacy comics "Origin" challenge) Ch. 1 6/30 - Thanks! - Date Edited: 7/6 6:31pm (2 edits total) Edited By: Jedi Trace
	ginchy: Thank you, gal! You’re too sweet! (And I hear ya on the finishing first thing. I'm glad this one was short. I'm not sure I could manage a long fic, LOL.) princess_of_naboo: Will do! furrylittlebantha: Aw, thank you! I feel like I barely do these characters justice compared to the awesomeness that is Legacy comics, and I appreciate such a compliment very much. Myriad_Daydreams: Thank you, chica! I’ll add you to the list. Gabri: Thank you soooo much for the kind words. I always feel like my OCs are lacking, so it’s a thrill to hear that they’re believable and that this invention of Dee’s story rings authentic. whew! More thanks for the speedy/helpful beta! Here – I made you brownies: THE_PIED_PIPER: Thank you very much! I’m right there with you in wanting to know much more about Deliah – especially how a girl described as the partying type ended up being an uber-talented mechanic on the Mynock. Jaxan was fun to create – I’m glad you’re enjoying him. And nice description about a half-human and half-Zeltron mix on biologics. Ah, you caught me. I have no idea if Humans and Zeltrons can have offspring or not, but diehard Cade/Deliah shipper than I am, I just had to play around with the idea. (Not that I actually expect to ever see a pink-skinned, blond-haired, green-eyed, pheromone-secreting, Force-wielding Skywalker…but a fangirl can hope, right? ) -----signature----- Captain of the Cade Brigade “Light, dark – They are just directions. Do not be fooled that you stand on anything other than your own two feet.” ~ Shaak Ti, The Force Unleashed The Society for Girls Who Like Things that Go Boom
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Jedi Trace Title: • SouthEast RSA • Fan Fiction Manager Registered: Dec '99	Date Posted: 7/6 6:46pm Subject: RE: Party Girl (Legacy comics "Origin" challenge) Ch. 1 6/30 - Thanks! - Date Edited: 7/6 6:50pm (2 edits total) Edited By: Jedi Trace
	Part 2 Jaxan and I got off to a rocky start. The next morning, I’d no sooner walked into the garage when Jaxan pointed a greasy wrench at me. “You can’t dress like that here.” Dress like what? I was wearing what I always wore: pants, short top with detached sleeves, belt, boots… Jaxan slid out from under the belly of a transmission and stood in front of me. “Remember what I said about the clients that come in here? You aren’t on Zeltros, girl. You can’t have your…” He waved his hand vaguely at my chest, stumbling for the right words. “Your…breasts…hanging out like that.” I looked down. Were they? Sure, there was cleavage showing, but the important parts were covered. “This is the only kind of clothes I have.” And they were perfectly respectable, thank you. I propped my hands on my hips to say so when Jaxan rolled his eyes and plucked a fasten-up jacket from a hook on the wall. “Cover up, then. At least while you’re working.” I put the jacket on but he needn’t have worried. He didn’t let me interact with the clients. At all. I saw them look in my direction, sure, but Jaxan always found something for me to work on in the back while he conducted business. “You don’t have to coddle me, you know,” I said one day, irritated by his over-protectiveness. He just looked at me. “If you think that, then you’ve never seen your dad get angry.” Turns out, he just didn’t want them coming after me if I kriffed up the job. He was a good teacher. Patient and smart. I could see some of my dad in him. Or did I see him in my dad? Either way, he was easy to work with and I followed him around, awed like some dumb-struck kitling over the magic he could work with his hands and tools. After the first week, we fell into something of a routine. Work, meals, chores around the shop. And we talked. He already knew my family, but I found out that he was a widower. His wife had died years ago in a speeder accident. As far as I could tell, he wasn’t seeing anyone and had been mostly alone until I’d come to live with him. I’d been there a month before he finally let me accept a work order and he hovered over my shoulder the whole time. The customer was a male Ryn named Karson. He was a little rough around the edges, with frayed clothes and an impressive scar on his cheek, but he was nice enough. He brought in a small freighter with a blown field generator. Said he’d done it trying to escape Black Sun, but I’d learned from Jaxan that we didn’t care how the ships got slagged, as long as the owners paid for the repairs. Jaxan warned me that clients would give all kinds of sob stories about how they’d been persecuted and needed a discount to get their ship fixed so they could go feed the homeless with their tricked-out illegal weapons systems and sawed-off blasters. Right. Karson sat on a bench in the garage and watched me work. Jaxan didn’t normally allow that kind of thing, but Karson had marched right in like he owned the place. “You must be new,” he said to my feet sticking out from under his ship. I didn’t bother to slide out, so I answered the hydraulic piston over my head. “Yep.” “Glad to see the old man have some company.” I poked my head out that time, scooting my goggles down on my nose. “Jaxan? You know him?” “Oh, yeah,” he said with a grin. “I been coming here for years. Jaxan’s always taken good care of me.” As if on cue, Jaxan appeared. “If you’re gonna hang around, Karson, at least make yourself useful and get us some caf. I gotta teach Deliah here how to fix this temperamental murglak of a ship of yours.” Jaxan slid under the ship with me, bringing his favorite hydrospanner. “Decent fellow, Karson,” he said. “Don’t know who taught him how to fly, though. He brings this ship in every three months with something new busted. Hand me the torch gun.” “Sounds like he’s in the wrong profession.” I held up a length of soldering wire while Jaxan ignited the torch gun and fused a piece of ruptured hull. “He’s a Ryn,” he answered over the roar of the gun. “Are any of them in the right profession?” He had a point. Karson came back balancing three cups of caf and Jaxan shut down the torch. “Son, I don’t know how you managed to fly with this hole in your ship, but this is gonna take a couple of days.” “S’okay,” I heard him answer. Jaxan wiggled out from our spot and motioned me to follow. I wasn’t a big fan of caf, but I sipped it anyway. “Got any plans tonight?” Jaxan asked, leaning against a storage locker. Karson shrugged. “Thought I might hit the club.” “The club, eh?” Jaxan put down his cup and wiped his hands again. “How about you take Deliah with you?” “Excuse me?” And, no, I didn’t say ‘sir’ that time. Jaxan looked at me, but spoke to Karson. “She’s been cooped up with me here long enough. She needs to get out.” He regarded me with a half-knowing smile. Had I been playing the music in my room too loud? I always closed the door… I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off. “You’re a young woman and you’ve been working hard. You deserve a break. Go. Have fun.” Quieter, he said, “It’s okay. I trust him.” There was no arguing after that. Karson showed up one hour after quitting time dressed in what were probably his best clothes. I was wearing one of my favorite outfits: brightly-striped blue and yellow pants with a matching top and fringe-laden brown boots. The local night strip was only a few blocks away and we set out on foot. It was a mild night with a warm breeze that wrapped around us in gentle waves as we walked. Karson glanced at me awkwardly, as if he wasn’t quite accustomed to being in the company of a woman he didn’t know or hadn’t paid for. “Where are you from?” he asked, breaking the silence. Was he serious? He was shorter than me and I looked down at him. My pink skin and red hair weren’t a dead giveaway? “Well,” he stammered at the look on my face. “Zeltros, obviously, but what region? Some friends and I were there last year. Didn’t want to leave.” Typical tourists. “Western region,” I said, answering his question. “Near the city of Marstan.” We stopped at an intersection and waited for the signal to cross. I could see multi-colored lights up ahead, flashing in tempo with the alluring beat of dance music. “So.” Jaxan glanced over at me. “That hormone thing. How does it work?” “Pheromones,” I corrected him. “What do you mean, ‘how does it work’? You didn’t figure it out while you were there?” I shot him a sideways teasing grin. He blushed. Or, I think he blushed. Hard to say with a Ryn, but he’d be a rare one to have visited my home planet and not have figured out the allure of the place. “I mean,” he waved his hand, trying to choose words. “Can you control it? The way people feel around you and all.” Weird question. I thought about it for a minute. “It’s not like Jedi and those mind tricks, no.” We paused at another intersection where the streets were just starting to get crowded and already-inebriated party-goers stumbled messily down side alleys. Amateurs. “So you can’t make me do something against my will?” he pressed. “No, I can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do.” We crossed and had to slow down in the jostling crowd. “But you can make me swoon?” His eyes had a mischievous sparkle in them, like he was suddenly having a little too much fun with this game of multiple questions. I leaned close, turning it on just a little. “Oh, yeah.” My lips were almost touching his ear as I lowered my voice. “I can make you swoon, darlin’.” He staggered back, not quite glassy-eyed, but close. His eyes roved over me as if he was seeing me for the first time, his gaze uncomfortably tainted with desire. He blinked and shook his head. “Damn.” We reached the main drag and I stopped, absorbing the atmosphere and waiting for Karson to recover. Neon lights flashed up and down the strip and music spilled from open doors and windows, clashing and blending in the intoxicating beat of night life. Party-goers mingled and jostled from bar to bar, adorned with various souvenirs and holding their little disposable cups over the crowd in an attempt not to spill whatever potion they had purchased. Karson appeared at my elbow, clear-eyed again. “You could have warned me,” he said, only half-frowning. “True,” I answered casually. But that wouldn’t have been as much fun. I raised my voice over the noise. “Where to?” He nodded to the left and took my arm. “This way.” Weaving through the crowd, he led me almost to the end of the street. We stopped across from what was one of the biggest clubs I’d seen, even by Zeltros’ standards. A huge sign flashed across the length of the roof: PARTY GIRLS. “Here?” Not that it didn’t look like a nice place, but the line of patrons waiting to get in was wrapped around the building and half-way down the street. “Yeah,” Karson answered. “Hottest club in town.” “Obviously. Got a plan for getting in this week?” He took my arm again and we made our way across the street. “They know me.” I wasn’t trying to be skeptical, but I had my doubts. Karson didn’t strike me as the playing type but, sure enough, we were waved right in after a brief show of buddy-boy greetings with the door man. Who knew. The interior was just as flashy as the outside with surprisingly high-end furnishings and décor for a mid-level Coruscant dive. We were greeted by a smiling green Twi’lek who showed us to a table opposite the biggest bar I’d ever seen. No joke. The bar stretched almost wall-to-wall and was deep enough for a Jawa to lay across it and not touch the barkeep or the patrons. Gaming tables and sports screens surrounded the perimeter, but most of the focus seemed to be on the bar. I quickly found out why. The barkeep, a male humanoid with orange spiked hair, picked up a microphone and crooned in an over-blown dramatic voice: “Are you Ready! To! Party!?!” The crowd went wild with anticipation that buffeted my senses to the point that I was buzzed just from hearing them. Bad part about being empathic. There was a band at the far end and they cranked up with a pounding tune. From doors at each side of the bar, females of various species entered the room and strutted up on to the bar. They were all dressed alike – high heels, short skirts, and tight tops with the words “Party Girls” splashed across their breasts in brightly-colored letters. Human, Twi’lek, Zeltron, Falleen…they all oozed sex or the promise of it as they danced on the wide bar and tantalized patrons into spending even more credits for watered-down drinks and the honor of watching them gyrate seductively. I looked around for a serving droid. Come to find out, there were no serving droids here. After the first song, most of the dancing girls came down from the bar and started waiting tables. A red-haired human came to our table and smiled at me, almost predatorily. “Hello, there.” She leaned across the table, propping on her wrists and all but spilling out of her top. “Haven’t seen you around.” “New in town.” “I get off at two,” she purred. I leaned into Karson, draping my arms over his shoulders. “Sorry, hon’, but I’m with him.” Pouting just a little, she took our drink orders and pranced away. Karson looked at me, frowning. “Deliah, this isn’t -” “I know,” I cut him off and instantly felt his discomfort. He put his hand on my arm and turned me to face him. “What I mean, is…you’re a pretty girl and all, but you’re not my type.” Right away, I knew what his ‘type’ was and I placed my hand on his reassuringly. “’s okay, Karson. She’s not my type, either.” I swear he breathed an actual sigh of relief. “C’mon.” I pulled him to his feet. “Let’s dance.” The music was loud and pounding – the perfect kind to lose yourself in. Sights and smells of passion and abandon swirled around us and I leaned my head back, drowning in the carnal pulse. Jaxan had been right. It was good to get out. Good to release and feel something other than oil and engine metal. We got home late, or early, depending on who you asked. The shop was dark except for a single light in the office. I went to turn it off and stopped dead in my tracks. “Karson!” He came running and I was already kneeling over Jaxan's body when he arrived. "Help me!" I called, checking for a pulse. The vein in his neck throbbed under my finger and he was breathing. There were no blaster marks or blood... It was a moment before I realized that Karson hadn't moved, but remained standing in the doorway, perfectly calm. "It's all right, Deliah," he said. Wordlessly, he moved across the room as if his feet were heavier than they had been just two minutes ago. Squatting beside the desk, he picked up an empty liquor bottle. In my rush to tend to Jaxan, I hadn't seen it there. "He sometimes drinks too much," Karson explained, sounding tired and sad. "Usually after he's lost a lot of money at the sabacc tables. Bit of a gambling problem, I'm afraid." I looked down at Jaxan and tried to imagine him doing something that stupid. "Are you sure?" Karson tossed the empty bottle in the trash. "You never wondered why a fixer like him doesn't have a bigger shop? Or better tools? Or any other hired hands?" Guess I hadn't. Blowing all your money on sabacc and booze would explain it, though. "Go on." Karson bent down and slipped his arm carefully under Jaxan's shoulder. "He wouldn't want you to see him like this. I'll get him to bed." I offered to help, but Karson insisted that he could handle it and I left with one last glance back. There was something gentle and protective in the way that Karson lifted the barely-conscious man to his feet. My buzz from the club was gone and I went to bed trying very hard to picture how someone with so much potential to get rich could throw it away like that. (to be continued) -----signature----- Captain of the Cade Brigade “Light, dark – They are just directions. Do not be fooled that you stand on anything other than your own two feet.” ~ Shaak Ti, The Force Unleashed The Society for Girls Who Like Things that Go Boom
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princess_of_naboo Registered: Nov '00	Date Posted: 7/6 7:09pm Subject: RE: Party Girl (Legacy comics "Origin" challenge) Ch. 2 posted 7/6
	Such an amazing story. I can hardly wait for more. -----signature----- Reports from the Corellian Conflict - updated 11/22 http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/24309725 Princess of Naboo's Drabbles - Wk 7: Han; Wk 8: Tenel Ka http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/244319
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karebear214 Registered: Sep '02	Date Posted: 7/7 6:39am Subject: RE: Party Girl (Legacy comics "Origin" challenge) Ch. 2 posted 7/6
	Wow. Love how you keep on letting us see more and more of these characters in a very believable way. Nicely done. And the "hormone thing"... too funny. -----signature----- “It is magic. The magic of the human heart, focused and made manifest by technology. Every day you here create greater miracles than a burning bush." - Babylon 5
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VaderLVR64 Title: Fan Fic Manager in Combat Boots Registered: Feb '04	Date Posted: 7/7 6:50am Subject: RE: Party Girl (Legacy comics "Origin" challenge) Ch. 2 posted 7/6
	“So.” Jaxan glanced over at me. “That hormone thing. How does it work?” “Pheromones,” I corrected him. “What do you mean, ‘how does it work’? You didn’t figure it out while you were there?” I shot him a sideways teasing grin. He blushed. Or, I think he blushed. Hard to say with a Ryn, but he’d be a rare one to have visited my home planet and not have figured out the allure of the place. “I mean,” he waved his hand, trying to choose words. “Can you control it? The way people feel around you and all.” Weird question. I thought about it for a minute. “It’s not like Jedi and those mind tricks, no.” Hilarious! LOVING this story! -----signature----- If you have to choose between tears and laughter, remember that laughter burns more calories. Proud New Army Mom - off to bootcamp!
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Golden_Jedi Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 7/7 7:24am Subject: RE: Party Girl (Legacy comics "Origin" challenge) Ch. 2 posted 7/6
	Wonderful story! So vivid! Put me on the PM list, please? -----signature----- The country is that place where chickens walk around uncooked - Julio Cortázar Unexpected Blossom http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/28693266 Sailing Little Boats http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/28747916
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Jag4Me Title: Bet Your Knowledge and Man Bites Dog Hostess Registered: Jan '08	Date Posted: 7/7 10:43am Subject: RE: Party Girl (Legacy comics "Origin" challenge) Ch. 2 posted 7/6
	You paint the scenes so well! Great update! -----signature----- "Your new nickname, especially in the TIS circle, is the Stoner." - Trika_Kenobi "All biologists know that the peacock with the most extravagant tail wins the peahen." Archy McNally
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divapilot Registered: Nov '05	Date Posted: 7/7 10:59am Subject: RE: Party Girl (Legacy comics "Origin" challenge) Ch. 2 posted 7/6
	Fantastic, girl! So they went to a GFFA coyote bar, huh? And you had me going there with Jaxan. Nicely done, with some subtle moments there that I really liked. Looking forward to more! -----signature----- Never tell me the odds. AKL "Beyond the Wall" http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/28964433/p1/?6 The Society for Girls Who Like Things that Go Boom. (M. Corde, Pres.) "This is your badness level." ~ Lilo!
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Jade_Pilot Registered: Dec '05	Date Posted: 7/7 12:17pm Subject: RE: Party Girl (Legacy comics "Origin" challenge) Ch. 2 posted 7/6
	Oustanding! Better and better, girl! I'm so intrigued about Deliah's species and you've done a great job of depicting her character. Just love it. Bravo! -----signature----- I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult. - Rita Rudner
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TNPredsFan Title: FF Chapter Rep Memphis, TN Registered: Nov '04	Date Posted: 7/7 6:45pm Subject: RE: Party Girl (Legacy comics "Origin" challenge) Ch. 2 posted 7/6
	You posted the next chapter a day early! Hmph, I knew you were sneaky. We paused at another intersection where the streets were just starting to get crowded and already-inebriated party-goers stumbled messily down side alleys. Amateurs. I leaned close, turning it on just a little. “Oh, yeah.” My lips were almost touching his ear as I lowered my voice. “I can make you swoon, darlin." I loved that line. I can totally picture Blue saying this. Another great update. You rock, my friend. -----signature----- "I hate it when people I hate make sense." - Jarael, KotOR "In...women courage is often mistaken for insanity. " - Iron Jawed Angels
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RebelGrrl Registered: Jan '06	Date Posted: 7/8 1:51pm Subject: RE: Party Girl (Legacy comics "Origin" challenge) Ch. 2 posted 7/6
	I liked your explanation of how Zeltron pheromones are not mind-control. I bet 'Jedi mind-control' is the most common rumor out there about the Jedi. The pheromones are like... influence, not control. I also liked how subtle the subtext was. Well, except for the flirty dancer/waitress, but the rest was pretty subtle. -----signature----- Well-behaved women seldom make history. You can't fix stupid and you can't reason with crazy. Happiness is a warm Hoojib!
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Jedi Trace Title: • SouthEast RSA • Fan Fiction Manager Registered: Dec '99	Date Posted: 7/13 8:21pm Subject: RE: Party Girl (Legacy comics "Origin" challenge) Ch. 2 posted 7/6
	princess_of_naboo: Thanks! I hope you continue to enjoy. karebear: Thank you so much! Poor Karson kinda fails at the small talk, doesn’t he? Gotta love those gruffy, adorkable types, LOL. VaderLVR: Thank you! I’m so glad you’re enjoying it! Golden_Jedi: Thank you very much! I’ll add you to the list. Jag4Me: Thank you! I appreciate that. diva: Oh, I am so busted. Yep – the bar is a shameless rip of Coyote Ugly. (We went to the one on Beale Street recently and I couldn’t resist. ) Thank you so much, my friend! Jade_Pilot: Oh, wow. Thank you, lady!! Here’s a link about Deliah’s species, if you’re interested. I, too, think it’s a fascinating culture and Deliah has quickly become one of my favorite gals in the GFFA. TNPredsFan: Yeah….sorry. With my crazy, swing-shift schedule, I realized that I couldn’t commit to a designated day of posting. Thanks for reading, my friend! RebelGrrl: Thank you! I think I re-wrote that scene five times trying to get, as you said, influence, but not mind control. A fine line there, LOL. As skittish as Syn is about Jedi mind tricks, I imagine that Deliah’s ‘persuasions’ couldn’t be TOO manipulative. -----signature----- Captain of the Cade Brigade “Light, dark – They are just directions. Do not be fooled that you stand on anything other than your own two feet.” ~ Shaak Ti, The Force Unleashed The Society for Girls Who Like Things that Go Boom
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Jedi Trace Title: • SouthEast RSA • Fan Fiction Manager Registered: Dec '99	Date Posted: 7/13 8:24pm Subject: RE: Party Girl (Legacy comics "Origin" challenge) Ch. 2 posted 7/6 - Date Edited: 7/14 12:21am (3 edits total) Edited By: Jedi Trace
	Part 3 -one year later- It was mid-day and the speaker monitor in the garage crackled to life with the sound of pounding from the reception area, like someone was beating on the desk. Elbow-deep in the guts of a Corellian YT-2400 freighter, I cauterized the drive engine wires and dropped to the floor. I’d learned the hard way, after an explosion and subsequent lecture from Jaxan, never to leave live wires unattended when I went to answer the front door. The banging got louder. “I’m coming!” I yelled, wiping my hands on a grease rag. I expected a crowd to be making all the ruckus, but it was only one client – a male Feeorin with a pocked face and a big stick. He didn’t waste time on pleasantries. “My ship ready, girl?” It was his ship I’d been working on before he interrupted me, but I didn’t tell him that. “No.” I planted my hands on the desk. “I said a week and it’ll be a week.” He leaned forward, reaching casually for the front of my work jacket. “I thought you might be a little faster than that.” His breath reeked from the rotting teeth behind his sneer. “You see, I’ve got a lady friend waiting for me and I’m getting lonely. Maybe you can keep me company, since you ain’t fixed my ship yet.” “How about this, lover.” I leaned close, pulling a Merr-Sonn hold-out blaster from my pocket, and planted it firmly in his chest. “Maybe you should get your hands off me before I blast the only part of you that your lady friend might be interested in.” His eyes went wide with surprise. What kind of idiot did he think I was? “Boss man know how you treat your clients?” he growled. “Boss man taught me how to treat my clients,” I snapped back, retracting the blaster. “Now, get out. And I’m charging you extra for wasting my time.” The door clanged shut behind him and I pocketed the blaster, clicking on the safety. “That’s my girl,” said a voice from behind. I recognized it and turned around, smiling. “You could get yourself shot creeping up on a girl without warning.” Karson stood in the doorway, a look of mischief playing across his lips. “It might be worth it for a show like that.” He pushed away from the wall and dropped into a chair that squeaked in protest. “How ya been, Dee?” “Been good. What you doing sneaking in here after being gone half a year?” He shrugged. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he looked self-conscious. “Found a friend and got a little busy,” he said, shifting awkwardly. Yep. I called it. “Jaxan letting you work up front, now?” he asked. No, the change of subject wasn’t obvious at all. “Deliah does everything around here,” Jaxan answered, toweling his face as he walked in and patted me on the shoulder with an approving nod. “In fact, she’s taking over next week so I can sit in a wading pool on the roof and sip fruity drinks.” I hit him with my grease rag. “What happened to you?” “Minor altercation with the lubricant hose. Needs a new spigot.” “I’ll get a new one tomorrow.” His head was smattered with clumps of lube, making glossy streaks in his hair. “Although, this is a good look for you,” I said, wiping his braid with the towel. “All shiny. Have you ever thought about coloring-” The front door opened with a clatter and a huge male Tof entered followed by a posse of equally large thugs. I felt Jaxan’s fear before I saw it in his clenched jaw. “Get in the garage. Both of you,” he ordered, just low enough for us to hear. “I’ll handle this.” Karson grabbed my wrist and pulled me down the hall, although he kept looking back. “What’s going on?” I whispered. “Bad news.” He closed the garage door behind us and locked it. “Bad, bad business.” ~~ It must have been very bad news because I found Jaxan half-drunk in the office that night. I had not seen him drink since that first night after Party Girls, but I knew he hadn't stopped. He just hid it from me, drinking when I was out for the night or in bed. I'd find the empty bottles in the trash bin when he wasn't careful enough to take them outside and his eyes would be glassy and red the next day. I never said anything. What could* I say? He was a grown man and I wasn't his keeper; but I’d have helped him, if I could. Kicked back in his chair with his feet up on the desk, he held up a half-empty bottle of Whyren's Reserve and motioned me into the office. "Have some." He wasn't quite slurring, but his hands trembled as he poured me a glass. "Sit." I sat in the only other chair in the room as he took a long swig and tilted his head to the side, watching the blank wall above his feet with a curious fascination. "I have a son," he said, finally. "Did I ever tell you that?" "No, you didn't." I don’t know if it was the liquor or what, but this unexpected candor was a little unnerving. "Yes, a good boy...good boy." He set his glass down with a shaky clank. "Won't have anything to do with his old man these days, though. Probably for the best." I didn’t usually get bursts of emotion from Jaxan, but a wave of sadness leaked from him and spilled into the room. Sadness and…regret. “I left him this,” he said, motioning vaguely to the office walls. “All this and he won’t want it. Won’t want his Pa’s dirty old shop…” The air was thick with his pain and I spoke gently, projecting feelings of comfort. "Where is he now?" Jaxan rubbed a rough hand over his tired face. "Don't know for sure. Last I heard, he was piloting a tourist pleasure yacht on Zeltros. It's the one place in the galaxy he knows I won't go to find him. Not since Gennie..." His voice trailed off and he sank lower into his chair, almost smiling. Maybe if I could keep him talking, I wouldn't have to carry him to his room later. “Gennie?” His lazy grin turned wistful. "My wife. My Gennie. She was an incredible woman. Smart. Sassy. Full-blooded, like you, with the prettiest red skin." His head fell forward and I couldn't tell if he was falling asleep or remembering or both. I took a sip in the silence and he pulled his head up, slowly...reluctantly. "Gil - that's my son - blamed me when she died. She was out shopping and Gil said I should have been with her. Should have protected her." He reached for his glass with a desperate gesture and knocked it off the desk, splashing whiskey all over his pants. That was my cue. “C’mon, Jaxan.” I stood and took his hand, pulling him to his feet. He didn’t resist, which was a good thing since he was bigger than me. We made it to the door of his bedroom and he wouldn’t let me go any farther. “You’re a good kid, Dee,” he said, slurring just a little as he leaned against the doorframe. “Tell your Dad and your Ma that I said so.” Startled, I answered, “Thank you…sir,” but the door was already closing. ~~ Our lubrication hose must have been older than I thought because I had to go to three different parts stores to find the right size spigot. A new hose would have been cheaper, I thought ruefully as I rounded the corner to Jaxan’s shop. The smell of smoke hit me just before I got to the demolished front door. I looked in long enough to see that the reception area had been completely trashed before sprinting around to the back entrance. Smoke poured from the garage and my heart jumped into my throat. I looked around, but didn’t see anyone suspicious and made my way back to the front, more cautious this time. Picking through the remains of the front room and kitchen, I heard noise coming from the office. My weapons were upstairs, but there was a blaster hidden in the’ fresher and I pried it from its spot making as little noise as possible. It was small, only big enough to do damage at point-blank range, but it was better than nothing and I tucked it into the top of my boot. I wanted to call out to Jaxan, but I couldn’t risk blowing what little element of surprise I had. The damage was too messy to have been a professional job, unless destroying the shop had been part of the hit. Sliding carefully down the hallway, I reached the office door and peered into the room slowly. “Jaxan!”* The cry fell from my mouth before I could stop it. He was sitting on the floor, propped against the wall, and blood was everywhere. Karking everywhere. I ran to him, not even bothering or caring to see if anyone else was in the room. “Behind -” he whispered to me. It was a wet sound from bloody lips. “Behind you…” The ugliest voice I’d ever heard rumbled behind me, making every hair on my body spring to life. “There you are, girly.” I turned just enough to look over my shoulder. It was the Tof who’d come in the shop yesterday, the one who’d spooked Jaxan so bad. He was leaning against the far wall, blaster in hand, looking arrogant and superior. “Your employer owes me money. A great deal of money, but he seems to have forgotten where he put it.” Jaxan shuffled and I knelt beside him, careful not to make any sudden moves. His eyes had gone dim. It was his blood all over the walls. He tried to reach for me, his hand twitching uselessly at his side, and his lips moved several times before any sound came out. “Ru-” he gasped. “Run.” I grabbed his clammy hand and watched in horror as the light left his eyes…and he was gone. He was gone and I couldn’t breathe. “So, I’m thinking,” the voice grated behind me again, “that maybe you know where the money is. Should I have let him live long enough to cut you and make him talk? Or should I just hurt you now?” A cold calm settled over me. The energy that my race put into passion could also be put into anger. No, he would not be cutting me or hurting me. Not today. I stood slowly with my hands held up in a position of surrender. “I don’t know anything about no money. I just fix things. Old man’s business was his own.” “That how it is?” he asked. “Yeah.” I faced him. “That’s how it is.” He sneered down at me and I wondered, briefly, where the rest of his men were. There was no way he’d done all this damage on his own. “Gimme the gun,” he said, pointing to my boot. Shoulda known he’d see the gun. It was now or never. I took a few steps forward, closing the distance between us. He didn’t react. Stupid man, not to be wary just because a girl was walking toward him. “This gun?” I asked, reaching down into my boot. He didn’t get to answer. I drew the blaster, planted it under his chin and pulled the trigger. It happened so fast, his face didn’t even register surprise before it was blown off his body. I didn’t wait for his body to fall. I didn’t stay and take his weapons or credits or wait for his men to come charging into the office. I did what Jaxan had told me to do. I turned and ran. If the Tof’s thugs heard the blast or came after me, I didn’t see them. I just ran and ran until my lungs ached and tears streamed down my face and I had to stop and slide down an alley wall before I got sick. The cold ground was wet and I waited for shouts or the pounding of boots - for blaster fire and pain or something to cut through the fog. I waited and heard only the sound of my own breathing as the fog closed in and the alley faded to black. ~~ It was dark when the world came back into focus, although focus was probably the wrong word. Blur was more like it. I must have commed Karson because he showed up and wrapped me in a blanket. It was a brown blanket and smelled musty and it was warm. It had to be warm because I was cold and wet and covered in blood. His eyes were shiny. Were Ryn eyes always that shiny? And they were dripping water. Didn’t know Ryn eyes did that… ~~ “You can’t go back,” a voice was saying and I looked up from my cup of caf. I was in Karson’s ship and he’d let me use his fresher to wash. I was wearing what was probably one of his shirts. “Deliah? Did you hear me?” he asked, leaning across the small table. “I heard you.” My voice sounded like it was coming from somewhere far away. “I can’t go back.” “Not even for your things. They might be watching and they’ll kill you.” I nodded. “What about -” I couldn’t say it. “He’s still there.” Karson took my hand, kneading it gently. “I called emergency services. And I’ll try to track down his son.” For some reason, I thought that might not be a good idea, but I didn’t have a better one. I shivered and regretted the caf as my stomach turned. Karson came and sat beside me with another brown blanket. He wrapped it around my shoulders and he didn’t pull away when I leaned against him. The blanket smelled like grease. It smelled good – like Jaxan and the place I’d started to call home - and I shivered and pressed it against my face. Karson pulled me closer and I lowered my head into his lap. I closed my eyes and saw blood. Blood and Jaxan’s weathered face and his white hair clumped with stuff worse than blood. Tears soaked into Karson’s pants and he didn’t complain. (to be continued) -----signature----- Captain of the Cade Brigade “Light, dark – They are just directions. Do not be fooled that you stand on anything other than your own two feet.” ~ Shaak Ti, The Force Unleashed The Society for Girls Who Like Things that Go Boom
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princess_of_naboo Registered: Nov '00	Date Posted: 7/13 8:41pm Subject: RE: Party Girl (Legacy comics "Origin" challenge) Ch. 3 posted 7/13
	Whoa... I'm still in shock over that update. I can't image what happens next. -----signature----- Reports from the Corellian Conflict - updated 11/22 http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/24309725 Princess of Naboo's Drabbles - Wk 7: Han; Wk 8: Tenel Ka http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/244319
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