Credit Where Credit's Due (Closed)

[guyloveshotstories]

Thoughts told me to say, "Let's not waste any more time." That felt like an insult. That what we are doing at this very moment was just wasting time, after we praised Sera for all of her hard work. No. Instead I looked over at Gra'tia. Since this was her mission, she would be the one to make the choice on what to do next.

"Is there anything else that we need to do before we depart?" speaking in a firm tone. Both hands on my hips. Inside I was ready to go. The thrill of the mission and to get back into space behind the controls of the now spruced up Outlander brought a smile to my face and an eagerness in my feet.

 

[Poprockz]

"I don't have anything I need to do other than to grab my things, and I already have our mission orders memorized," Gra'tia replied. "If you get on and get her warmed up, I can be back in ten minutes for departure." There wasn't much in her room. A few body suits, some candy, and some armor-polish. That was about it.

 

[guyloveshotstories]

"Okay then. Let's get going!" eagerly jumping up and going for the starboard ramp. "Thanks again, Sera," I said then climbed on board. Stepping into the cockpit, pausing to feel the interior. Even had that clean smell to it. Ah. A fine job. Taking the pilot's seat and turning on its axis to the console, I started pressing buttons.

The engine slowly turned over, and hummed to life. It generated power that lit up the console. All the blinky and steady lights of blue, green, yellow and red. The chirp of the main computer and the clicks of the NAVI-COM. Everything was green across the board. Fuel topped off. Cannons ready. Missile tubes loaded. The Mandalorians were even nice enough to fill up the water in the dispenser for showers and drinking.

Awfully nice of these Mandalorians. Perhaps I should come back with something as a tribute to their hard work. That's if we survive this mission. Pushing that thought aside I looked about the cockpit again and held my smile. It's like she was brand new.

 

[Poprockz]

Gra’tia nodded and jogged away to grab her things. On the way out, she ran into Zinter. Not literally, but he was blocking her path in the hallway.

“You’re blocking the hallway.” She said.

“I know- that was my intention.” He replied.

“Look,” Z’inter sighed and scratched his neck under his helmet. “I’m sorry for how aggressively I’ve been acting, but I hope you know that I’ll be holding out hope that you change your mind. You need a real man, not some slimy smuggler who doesn’t know a blaster from his backside.”

The woman looked at him for a moment before snorting, “the day I let someone tell me what I need without caring about what I want, is the day that I piss in the sacred waters and jump head-first into a sorlac pit. I will put this plainly: I find you lacking.”

With that, she shoved her way past him and continued on her merry way. She eventually made it back to the ship, dropping her bag off in her quarters before heading to the bridge.

“Here are the coordinates,” she said, handing him a piece of paper.

 

[guyloveshotstories]

"Okay then" I replied taking the paper in hand and twisting in the seat. Facing the NAVI-COMPUTER and glancing at the paper I input the coordinates.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

"And input..." pressing the calculation button and leaning back. The machine required a moment to process the litany of things it needed to, course, speed, route, objects we stood to encounter. About a minute later it spat out that the route was set. On the console it read, 'Two rotations.'

"Remind me, on the way back, we should get something nice for Sera. She did a great job fixing her up," speaking not in jest. Deeply I appreciated this. My baby was in need of some tender loving care.

Two days. That should be enough time to plan everything, I thought. "Okay. We got our coordinates and our route. Now let's get going! Strap yourself in, Gra'tia!" smiling to her as my fingers went over the console, flipping and pressing. The engine's noise intensified. "Ramps closed. Clear the pad! I got green across the board." Then looking over at Gra'tia, "Ready?"

 

[Poprockz]

She had nodded at his suggestion of getting a gift. Honestly, Sera had gone above and beyond what she had been required to do, so she too agreed that the mechanic was deserving of some tangible appreciation. Compliments were great, but it was always better to take the time and care to reward extra effort.

Ah yes, her co-pilot chair. Well, technically it wasn't hers but it felt like it sometimes. Gra'tia sat down and put on the seatbelt straps, looking forward to being on another mission again. It was nice to rest, but getting back out to do her part for the cause filled her with determination and excitement.

"I'm ready when you are, pilot," she answered with a playful edge to her voice.

 

[guyloveshotstories]

Holding onto my smile, "Here we go!" pulling gently back on the yoke and adding power to the thrusters. Up we went. Just as soon as the legs left the surface I pressed a button and they retracted into the ship, with a loud mechanical knock. Up and up we went.

That sudden pull on your body going up, followed by the moment of weightlessness when the ship clears the surroundings and comes into a hover. The computer chirped. "Okay. We are set! NAVI-COMPUTER has the route calculated.

Reaching out for the throttle, just before my fingers touched it, they contracted. Lowering my arm I turned a glance at Gra'tia. My co-pilot. "Go ahead and pull the throttle, co-pilot" warmly speaking to her.

 

[Poprockz]

Gra'tia smiled to herself under her helmet and reached out, laying her hand on the throttle before pulling it back as he had commanded. The ship started to truly soar, flying forward with speed and confidence. There was something very exciting about taking off this time, not the horrible bowel-shaking take-off they had when they were at that god-forsaken ocean planet.

"I have a good feeling about this trip," she commented, flexing her fingers on the throttle before gripping it again.

 

[guyloveshotstories]

The rush pushed me back into the seat. One hand loosely holding onto the yoke. The other curled back onto my lap. My smile widened even further until my cheeks ached. A fast ship and a hot woman. What else could I want? More! Don't get greedy.

"So do I!" I said, raising my voice above the whine of the engine. We pierced the clouds then found the bright blue sky. That gradually faded away to reveal the inky blackness of space followed by the reveal of thousands of twinkling stars.

Once we cleared the atmosphere, I nodded to Gra'tia once more, "Go ahead. Take us into hyperspace!"

 

[Poprockz]

She flipped a few switches before taking the hyperspace throttle in hand and activating it by pushing it forward. The stars started to become streaks of light as they zoomed through space at speeds their ancestors wouldn’t believe. Once they were jumping, the hum of the spacecraft became more stable and rhythmic.

“There we go. Did it say two rotations?” She asked conversationally.

 

[guyloveshotstories]

Taking a glance at the NAVI-COMPUTER, "That's what the machine says," folding my arms across my lap and leaning back against the rigid seat back. "Most of the time it's accurate," before pursing my lips.

Giving Gra'tia another look, the hot memories flowed back. Now that we had privacy, and could see her, most of her, the emotions flowed together. That of lust and devotion.

The need to focus in the task, to complete the mission and get the reward, and putting together everything that happened between us back with her people.

Seeing her in the light, all wrapped up, I tried to picture her face behind the helmet with what she described, including the dual eye colors. After a moment my head turned away, to avoid leering.

 

[Poprockz]

That got a little chuckle from her. Most of the time, huh? Well, she supposed sometimes that was the best one could hope for. Machines were supposed to be infallible, but obviously they could be just as flawed as humans could.

Gra'tia could feel his eyes on her, but she didn't turn her head, curious about what he might do or say. When he didn't reveal anything of what he had been thinking, it was her turn to turn her helmet to the side to look at him. "Credit for your thoughts?" she asked curiously.

 

[guyloveshotstories]

"Hmm? Oh, nothing. Just thinking..." a glance down at my fingers. Twiddling them, I found, was a good way to stimulate the mind. "We have a long ways to go. Maybe we should start planning on what to do when we get there," trying to speak in a casual voice.

I didn't want to let her see that I now had the urge again to bang her, now that we are alone. It wouldn't be right. It would look like it was the only thing I saw her as, a piece of meat. She wasn't. It was hard to see her differently after what we did, and what I wanted to do again.

That's why I was trying to avoid looking at her again, but I had to. She could see me, and study my face.

 

[Poprockz]

"That would be fairly simple," she explained. "When we get there, I will exit the ship in my suit and fly to one of the exhaust pipes. I will infiltrate the prison, grab the prisoner, and give you a signal. We'll be coming out hot, so we may need you to fly by with the dock open."

"There was an original plan, but it changed once you were recognized as an ally that I vouch for. Your participation will streamline this rescue considerably." She nodded in a satisfied way, unaware of what Redar's true thoughts were.

 

[guyloveshotstories]

Simple enough. This is good. Simple plans means fewer chances for things to go wrong. Two questions I had, one was important to me as the captain of the ship, "Do you know what sort of defenses we are in for?" giving her another glance. This baby just got also spruced up, and I hoped to not have it ruined so soon. The second one was more personal. Now that we are alone, I felt at ease in asking, in the hope of gaining some more pertinent information. "Who is this prisoner exactly?"

The deflector shields would absorb a good deal. If there are fighters, then we would face the same kind of trouble against Sigrun. Speaking of which, she said they would be coming out hot. These new missiles would certainly do a number on anyone foolish enough to clash against the Outlander.

 

[Poprockz]

"Hm, well it's a prison space-port, so it will have high security. Likely they have cannons and possibly even tracking missiles. You shouldn't have to get close enough to trigger them though. I'm going to have a scrambler on my suit, so they won't see something as small as I am going in and out. My suit has a sealing function and I can attach oxygen canisters to my back, so I won't suffocate or freeze." Gra'tia explained.

"As for who we're rescuing, it's Shah'lynn Kreze. I may have mentioned her before, but she's a stealth agent who is invaluable to Mandalore. Normally, it would be unthinkable that she would be caught, but it seems that a trap was set for her, and it was coordinated by someone on the inside. We've since found and dealt with the traitor, but now we have to make sure to retrieve her." She paused and sighed heavily. "She is two years my senior, and she has taught me a thing or two about how to diminish my presence."

"I fear the state we may find her in." There was concern in her voice at that last statement. The imperials weren't known for their plush accommodations or 5-star service. It would be a win for her if they found the woman without her mind having been broken by the various machines and interrogation tactics they employed.

 

[guyloveshotstories]

Taking in everything Gra'tia was saying, the defenses of the place would be formidible. It was the description of Kreze that, for some reason, was gnawing at me. Gra'tia described her, yes. My brain was trying to fit every shred of information into a solid image. Sitting at my captain's chair, lightly plucking at my lower lip, deep in thought.

Gra'tia had things well in hand. That's good. Simple plans are the best plans. All I had to do was sit and wait for the signal to swoop in. Outlander didn't have a cloaking device. That would mean I would need to find a place to lay low. If this place is as formidable as Gra'tia is saying, and I have no reason to doubt her, then there's bound to be active patrols away from the base.

"When you get Kreze out of there, I'll have the medical droid on standby," thumbing over my shoulder at the cockpit door. That was the first thing that came out of my mouth. She was also right about the Imps and their 'accommodations.' Though I feared the worse, as strong as Mandalorians our, I felt that Kreze would not be in the best shape. The thought of the unknown that may have a decisive factor on the outcome of the mission. If I voiced my opinion, I felt, it may be challenging the integrity of Gra'tia and her people as a whole.

 

[Poprockz]

She nodded seriously, “that would be best, yes. It would be regrettable to the cause if she has been broken or mind-wiped, but more than that… I hold out hope that there is enough of her left to enjoy the rest of her years in peace, otherwise.”

Gra’tia was quiet, the thought being a sobering one. It was never easy seeing another person come back as a shell of their former selves, and she couldn’t fathom how anyone could have the stomach to use a device so inherently evil. At the end of the day, one’s mind and memories were all they had; to diminish these was a very cruel form of murder.

 

[guyloveshotstories]

Mind-wiped. Something the Imps could do. Though I have not seen it done myself. Heard many a story of people being wiped. The Imps felt this prisoner couldn't be killed, but couldn't be kept alive. They do the next best thing, wipe their minds and turn them into almost zombies. Being that are alive but lacking in brain function. As far as I knew, there was no cure for it. Other than, maybe, a mercy killing.

I didn't say that to Gra'tia. Kreze meant a lot to her. Even though I have not met this Kreze yet, it was my hope as well that she gets to live out her life in peace. That was riding on the pair of us.

Negative talk tends to mire the thoughts of an upcoming mission. Instead we should think of some happy thoughts! "Tell me some more of Kreze. What is she like?"

 

[Poprockz]

The woman raised her head and smiled to herself. "She's very sweet. You would be hard-pressed to find a kinder person. One of the reasons she became one of our stealth operatives was because she disliked killing and preferred to get in and out of a place without being seen. It helps that she's a small woman, very lithe. I've seen her fit into vents you wouldn't believe." There was a chuckle before she added, "some pipes too."

 

[guyloveshotstories]

Buckling my eyesbrows and looking over at Gra'tia, trying hard not to leer again, a lithe Mandalorian? Now I must see this woman. Was she even clad in her armor doing all this? If so, that would mean the woman is made out of gel to move around so easily in such tight passages.

Again my eyes looked over at Gra'tia. Comparing her to Kreze was really unfair. Gra'tia was virtually the opposite of Kreze. The woman could still fight and get herself out of trouble, while Kreze avoided it. Kind of that ying-yang thing that I have heard some colonists say. Don't know who either of those are. But a duality. It told me that Mandalorians are a flexible people. Their mindset changes but also so do their bodies.

Also 'sweet'? Once more my mind was trying to picture this. The Mandalorians I have met were stoic and hard and many of them sexy. Then there's Kreze. The more I thought about it, the more I convinced myself, you will not only go through with this operation, you will rescue Kreze, just to see for yourself if the stories about her are true!

 

[Poprockz]

Gra'tia could guess what he might be thinking: how could there be a stealthy Mandalorian? "She wears different armor than we normally do. Her Beskar is hidden in small plates all over her fabric bodysuit so that it doesn't make noise when she moves. She has a traditional helmet that she wears when she's not on missions, but she also has a combination helmet made with that same fabric and beskar mix."

 

[guyloveshotstories]

"That I have to see for myself," speaking with a chuckle. Throughly impressed the Mandalorians could develop such technology. It exceeded my knowledge. Probably for the Imps, too. "Your people are very well adaptive, Gra'tia. I must say, I am impressed. Where, or how would be the better word, come up with this sort of technology?"

The NAVI-COMPUTER beeped once. Drawing my attention away for just a moment. It was nothing. Just conducting another calculation. It was always on and 'adjusting' our course as everything around us kept moving.

 

[Poprockz]

She shrugged, “those questions are for someone far more skilled than I- probably for one of the armorers or something. I'm just here to do what jobs most don't want to do." The warrior glanced at the NAVI as well for a moment before looking back to him. His side-profile was just as attractive as his direct gaze, she thought to herself. He didn't even have to try, really. She wondered if some people sought him out not only for his work ethic, but also for his company.

 

[guyloveshotstories]

"Well, I'm glad that you are the one on this mission. I'm sure that your people feel the same way if they tasked you to do it," leaning foward slightly and rolling my shoulders back. Feeling the muscles tigthen then release. "If things were different, and I was stuck with that other guy, Z'inter, one of us, probably, wouldn't be coming back from this mission, and it wouldn't be because of the Imps!" cracking a smirk and gesturing with another extended thumb over my shoulder.

That name brought back another flash, a memory for me. I didn't want to bring it up. Talking about someone else like Z'inter, would sour the mood. I couldn't help but shake my head, and change my thoughts to something else. Now I felt compelled to look at Gra'tia.

Taking a breath and rolling my head her way, try as I might, my eyes looked first at her helmet then fell to her shoulders. The gentle swell of her chest and the wrapping over her catsuit underneath. That's when I had to look away.

Don't get excited. It was just a look, man! Control yourself! You can't get a stiffy everything you look at a woman! You're on a mission! Conduct yourself as such!

The voice of my teacher rang in my ear. He would remind me who he was with a slap to the back of my head. Then he would give his verbal lesson. Wrapping it up with another slap to make sure that it was remembered.