Flirtatiously

"Would you believe me if I told you I saw a pretty girl and just had to get her number?" you say with a smirk.

She actually laughs out loud. With the looming threat of danger no longer hanging over your heads, she found it much easier to relax in your presence.

"No probably not. Just tell the truth."

"Alright. I've been searching for others like me. Not Jedi, not Sith, but others. The **** led me here to Taris, and now I can see why."

She snorts at your answer.

"To do what, exactly? Recruit me? What, are you in with Skywalker or something? Because he already asked me about a month ago. I appreciate the thought but I'm not interested in joining your little cult. Sure I want off this planet, but I'm far from ****."

BB-8 chitters something akin to laughter as you raise a brow.

"Who said it was a cult?"

"Don't play dumb," she says with a snort. "You lure me in with false promises of riches, glory, adventure, maybe even offer to complete my training and go on a grand crusade against the Evil Empire, then when I let my guard down and relax, next thing I know you slap a collar on me to serve your every sexual whim. No thanks."

Rey on a leash and dressed in a metal bikini... there's a thought. You don't voice as such.

"That's... incredibly sardonic of you."

Rey gives a shrug.

"I'm just realistic. Living on Taris for the past eight years will do that to a girl. Never judge a book by it's cover and everyone has an ulterior motive."

"Like Cyrus?" you offer.

"Yeah... like Cyrus..." she sighs tiredly.

"What's his deal anyway?" you venture. "And why would he want that little guy?"

You point towards BB to make your point, drawing a nervous hum from the oddly timid droid.

"BeeBee's not supposed to be here. Apparently he and his owner got separated and he's carrying something important for the New Republic, something the Remnant is willing to pay a small fortune for. Though what it is exactly he hasn't told me, even after nagging at me for over two weeks to get off this rock," she explains, shooting him a look.

Said droid makes a loud, distorted tone as if mimicking blowing a raspberry and rolls away into an adjacent room, leaving you alone with his current caretaker.

"A lot of attitude in that one," you comment. "Astromechs tend to mimic their owners from time to time, especially if they have complimentary personalities."

"You don't know the half of it. At least he's made himself pretty useful with salvage. I thought I was a decent enough gear head, but he can fix just about everything. It'll be sad to watch him go."

"No plans to go with him?"

She gives another sigh.

"I have no idea. I'm not exactly eager to go to the New Republic and the Remnant is most definitely out. Once I find a ship, I'll probably just stick to the outer rim. Easier to keep my head down that way. By the way... I'm sorry. For how I acted earlier today."

"Don't worry about it," you say waving her off. "It was the heat of the moment and you were under stress. No harm done."

"Still doesn't make it right, and I really am grateful to you for saving my life. So... if you want you can stay here for the night. Don't give me that look, it's not like I'm inviting you into my bed."

"Damn..." you say with a smirk. "So close. But can you blame a guy for trying?"

"Yes," she answers flatly. "Besides, the Taris undercity is not where you want to be at night. The place is crawling with rakghouls, and I'm pretty sure you know what those are."

The name sends a shiver down your spine. Ravenous, mindless, Sith mutants from ancient times carrying a highly contagious pathogen that could be transmitted by fluid contact, most commonly through their bites and claws. Anyone afflicted with disease would turn into one of those monsters unless given a vaccine within 48 hours. God powers or not, you were far from eager to encounter a rakghoul in the flesh.

"Yeah, those I'm familiar with. Not a fan," you admit.

"No one is. Well, some of the more sadistic pirates are, but they're sick."

"On that note... I've been meaning to ask. Why Taris of all places? You could've gone anywhere but you still picked Taris."

She gives a longer sigh.

"You... might want to sit down for this one. It's a bit of a long story."

"Well then... may I?" you ask, nodding to the foot of the bed.

She pauses for a moment in thought, then obliges by moving her legs. You join her, sitting on the thin mattress with your back against the wall while she takes a few seconds to take off her boots and get more comfortable.

"Taris wasn't my choice. It was my old master. Master Raine Zaffre. He found me when I was ten. My **** sensitivity manifested shortly before that, and the wrong eyes and ears found out. He saved me from the Empire's Inquisitors when they came for me."

"And your parents?" you ask.

"Gone. They died trying to protect me them. We were core side back then, on Corellia, so it was easy for the Empire to find **** Sensitives when they were deep in their territory. Master Zaffre had been traveling much the same way I assume you are now, looking for others he could train to be the next generation of Jedi Knights. Getting off world was no picnic, but once we managed to get to Hyperspace, we were as good as gone. We bounced around from planet to planet after that, never staying in one place for too long since the Inquisitors were constantly hunting for us, but it wasn't a bad way to live. I wouldn't mind living like that again, minus Vader's lapdogs nipping at my heels of course. But as all things do, our luck eventually ran out. I was thirteen by then, and a run in with a bounty hunter on Saleucami showed us just how close we were to being caught. We were chased here to Taris and shot down."

She pauses in her story, throat tight and eyes glistening ever so slightly. She blinks the mist away as quickly as it came.

"Those first few months were the roughest. Finding shelter, food, clean water, and those... damn rakghouls..."

She gives a shudder, one you involuntarily share.

"At any rate, the Inquisitors that followed us here were either eaten or gave up. They figured if they were given so much trouble with the local wildlife, well... a teenaged padawan and her elderly master had no hope of surviving. I suppose we should be lucky. Not even Vader came to check on their work."

"Sure showed them," you compliment, offering a smile that she returns.

"Sure did. Well... sort of..." she trails off.

"What happened to him?" you ask, voice low and considerate.

"Cyrus..." she said with venom. "He... persuaded Master Zaffre to help with an infestation near Chekof Outpost. That was over a year ago."

A silence falls between the two of you, and you could feel the despair creeping over her. She cared for her master a great deal, it seemed.

"I want to leave, trust me I do," she said suddenly, looking you in the eye.

She was crying, silently so, but still crying.

"But I can't. Not yet. He was like a father to me after mine was taken away. I can't leave. Not until I figure out what happened to him."

You felt a pang in your heart at her words. Silently, you let yourself slip into the embrace of the **** and begin searching the planet for any significant **** signatures, but to no avail. The settlers were easy to see, as was the brighter spot that was Rey. Even the rakghouls were simple to pick out, little specks of darkness that they were. Hard not to find them considering how many there were across the planet. Their presence choked Taris like a plague, writhing and undulating in endless waves, most asleep but many were actively waking up and going on the prowl for fresh meat. You weren't even sure how they could sustain such numbers with so few hosts to go around. Did they breed naturally? You didn't think they could, and just as quickly as it came, you banished that thought of Rakghoul mating rituals from your mind.

"The nearest settlement to us... is that Chekof Outpost?" you ask.

Rey shakes her head as she wipes her eyes.

"Chekof is about a few hours east of us by speeder. I actually wish that infestation was closer, then I could go looking for him myself."

"Well then," you announce, clapping your hands together and startling her from her reverie. "It looks like the next course of action is obvious."

"Ok, now you lost me."

"I'm going to help you find your Master."

Rey looks at you as if you've grown a second head.

"What? Do you know what you're offering?" she ask, incredulous. "Do you have even the slightest idea how to find him?"

"Of course not," you say confidently. "But I know who does. Your old buddy Cyrus."

This time Rey doesn't hold back a snort of derision.

"Ok, now you're insane. You literally just watched as his goons tried to kidnap me, the same goons who are currently being devoured without a trace by wandering rakghouls after, might I add, we caved their little faces in. In what Galaxy do you think you could possibly get that kind of information out of Cyrus? As if he would just give that up willingly? Did you already forget he's trying to collect on the bounty on Jedi?"

"I have a way with words. What's wrong? I thought you wanted answers?"

"That's not..." she protests, catching herself midway. "It's not that I don't want answers, but forgive me if I'm skeptical of your plan."

"Do you have any better ideas?"

"... no," she admits, relenting.

"That settles it then," you say with a smile.

"Just... answer me this. Why? Why are you so insistent on helping me?"

"Do you want the short answer or the long answer?"

"I don't know. Both?"

It was your turn to laugh.

"Well, the long answer... if he's gone, then you get your closure as well as a little payback to the one who put him up to his ****. And if he's alive, then obviously you get him back, and I'm not the only one undertaking what some would call some damn fool's idealistic crusade. It's like you've reminded me, the Galaxy is far from the relatively safe place it once was for Jedi. Building something new for Sensitives like us will be an uphill battle, and talented as I am, I'd like all the help I can get. Either way, you'll be getting off this rock and Beebee can be taken back to the New Republic where he belongs."

"Ok fine. And the short answer?"

"You're pretty and I like you."

Disbelief settles over Rey's face, as if she was trying yet couldn't believe the words that just came out of your mouth. All you knew for certain was the faint coloring of a blush on her cheeks, and the slight up-twitching of her mouth into a smile.

"What?"

"I also want to squeeze your butt."

And just like that, the tension was broken as she busts out laughing, a laughter you found contagious and soon enough, you were there along with her. It was in this moment you realized just how ridiculous this whole experience seemed. You not only created the Star Wars Universe but also re-wrote its history, then placed yourself into its history and not only rescued but actively flirted with arguably one of the most hated characters in that Universe, and you were enjoying every second of it. The two of you went on talking after that over some modest rations she had stashed away, sharing stories from your pasts and the training you've been through, well at least her training considering you were never trained in the **** a day in your life. But even still, you were able to draw enough parallels from your old life in martial arts and spirituality that you could build a passable story.

By now the sun was setting, the glowing twilight shining through the long since broken window and bringing with it a cool breeze that lulled the senses, bringing an oasis of calm in the tiny apartment in stark contrast to the wild and unforgiving wilderness below. More importantly, you were both back in her bed and this time she comfortably left her feet in your lap while she tinkered at her now disassembled staff, revealing the hidden double bladed lightsaber within.

"Clever," you comment as you watched her work.

"Clever how?" she hums while staying focused.

"You use a dual blade, but you built it into a normal staff. You can hide your weapon and still keep your skills sharp. It's clever."

She smiles softly at the compliment.

"It was Master Zaffre's idea after I had built it. He'd been on the run from the Empire for years before he found me, so he taught me a few things about keeping a low profile."

She doesn't elaborate, instead refocusing on her work under the light of her bedside lamp, and this time you choose not to disturb her. You'd also noticed how she hadn't bothered to redress herself properly this entire time, leaving her smooth and toned abdomen exposed for you to see. You weren't sure if she'd done that on purpose or had simply forgotten to cover up, but you were far from complaining. Your eyes wander downwards, along the firm yet hidden muscles of her thighs to her hardened calves twitching ever so slightly, until they came to rest upon her dainty feet. Whether or not she noticed your staring, she gave no indication, too focused on her work. She'd crossed them at the ankles, and they shifted and swayed to a rhythm unknown to your ears.

An idea soon comes to mind, yet you hesitated. She'd either really like it or throw you out, you weren't sure, but the temptation was growing by the second, along with a certain something else you'd hope she wouldn't catch. Not yet at least. You wanted to squeeze her butt for sure, among other things, so maybe you could start with her feet?