Fic: "If You Call" (2/? J/Z AU; sequel to "Fast As I Can")
I lied! Or, I cut the post in half (conveniently, up to the part I had already gone through), and decided to post right away.
Part One
x-x-x
When Raven and Hrul returned to their ship, Zekk was not surprised that they had decided to stay docked. “Just until we find another job,” Raven added. “Scooti hasn’t visited the jails yet, I see. I’m sure she’ll make up for lost time.”
Hrul snorted, and headed into the ship. “How do we know she hasn’t already set it up?” he rumbled.
Raven grinned before turning back to Zekk. “By the way, that cantina Scooti was raving about-people have been disappearing faster’n usual. Best not go back anytime soon.”
Somehow, Zekk was not surprised by any of it. Not even a bit.
x-x-x
Zekk was even less surprised when, the next day, a small figure barrelled him into a back alley. Even once he was in the alley, Jaina kept pushing until they were halfway down the side street before she dragged him into a doorway. “You kriffing son of a Sith-” she reared up.
He decided it was in his best interests to cut her off. She looked even angrier than he had expected. “You’re alright. I mean, what are you doing here?”
Jaina focused on him her blackest glare. “Fake amnesia,” she said, “will not get you out of this. What the kriff do you think I’m doing here? What are you doing here? Or in that bar, for kriff’s sake? A death wish isn’t any more acceptable than amnesia, Zekk.”
Apparently, she wasn’t going to take the bait for distraction. Zekk tried again; he had hoped for more time to prepare, and even the past night hadn’t filled his ideal quota. “The ship’s mechanic-Scooti-wanted to go. Probably for the trouble. I was keeping an eye out for her. What’s so bad about it?”
Jaina’s mouth tightened across her face; Jedi Knight Solo, who had fought on Quec’slig, and lost a war. “Stay away from there, Zekk. That whole neighbourhood. You have no idea-”
“Well, obviously not, Miss Cryptic,” he snapped, taking the offensive. “I grew up on Coruscant. I’m not easy prey.”
Jaina’s expression, if anything, only got darker, sterner. Her face was almost unfamiliar to him, no ready sign of his friend to be found. For the first time, he seriously wondered what, exactly, he had done to Jaina with his disappearance. “There are some-many-things that you aren’t ready to fight, Zekk, and this is one of them. Don’t walk into that bar again, do you understand me? I might not be able to drag you out alive.”
At least they weren’t talking about six months ago anymore, Zekk thought, but he felt a chill. “Raven said people have been disappearing,” he said, watching the Jedi carefully. He noticed more than he wanted to. “You and Kyp are here to stop them?”
Jaina ignored his question. “Did she say anything else?” It sounded like a reflex. “How’d she find out?”
Zekk shook his head, then looked away. “She only said that she heard people were disappearing. ‘Faster than usual.’” He hesitated. “I could ask around.”
“No.” Jaina’s reply was both immediate and sharp. “Absolutely not.”
He reared back a bit at the command. “Excuse me?”
“Stay the kriff out of anything to do with this, Zekk.”
“I’m not a kid-”
“But I’m a kriffing Jedi Knight,” she snapped, getting uncomfortably close. “This is my mission, and I know a sith of a lot more about this than you can even imagine, and you are not getting in the way.” She couldn’t hold it back any longer. “And why the sith hells did you just take off like that, you stupid kriffer?”
Jaina looked ready to punch him, and Zekk took an instinctive step back. “I took a co-piloting job,” he said. “They shipped out quick.”
Jaina sneered, reflecting his disgust. “Right, too quick to say anything. You stupid- Stay the hells out of that cantna, Zekk. I’m not feeling very knight-in-shining-robes for you at the moment.” She pushed past him, and was swallowed by the crowd before he had stepped back into the alley.
He couldn’t be sure, but-had her eyes been too shiny?
“Kriff.”
x-x-x
Scooti probably thought he was in permanent buzz-kill mode, and she gave him the finger when he tried to cut her browsing short. He decided to defy Hrul and leave her alone. Arguing with Jaina had put a roadblock on his best attempts at denial. His best bet at distraction, he decided, was to stick his nose in the part she had warned him out of.
Raven was playing cards with Hrul when Zekk returned to the Hawk. Zekk pulled up a chair and started without delay. “Raven, what exactly did you hear about the Dustbowl?”
“Don’t even think it,” she warned Hrul. She glanced at Zekk. “Scooti didn’t bring it up again, did she? Hrul’ll rattle some sense into her, if needs be.”
“No, but it’s Mos Eisley. ‘It’s dangerous’ isn’t really a surprise, except that anyone felt the need to say it.”
Raven shrugged, but wasn’t casual. “I mentioned it to our employer’n he got mighty jumpy. Said people were disappearin’, not like usual, an’ I’d best see my crew stayed outta it.”
“He didn’t say anything else?”
Hrul was trying to stare Raven down, but he grunted a reminder. “That Jedi.”
Raven was smirking at Hrul, though her voice was graver. “Right, the man said even a Jedi had gone missin’. An’ magic folk-people who knew things, that sort. An’ if they can’t stop it, well, the rest of us better keep a sharp eye about. Read ‘em and weep, Hrul.” Raven displayed her cards with feigned boredom.
Hrul growled profanities that Zekk would have been physically unable to repeat. The conversation was finished. Zekk headed for his own room, considering the bare information he had. If a Jedi had in fact disappeared, then that immediately explained Jaina and Kyp’s presence on a world outside of the New Republic’s jurisdiction. But the others-Zekk wondered if there was any design to who was disappearing, if it included Jedi and “people who knew things.” If so, then Jaina had obviously overreacted; he didn’t fit the profile of the disappeared, and she didn’t know Coruscant’s undercity the way Zekk did.
But it was more than that, too, Zekk admitted. Besides his pride, Zekk remembered Brakiss, and how he had never heard anything about the mad old man after his escape.
He remembered the waiting, and Jaina after Quec’slig, too, but that went without saying. Despite their argument earlier-and perhaps because of it, and his better understanding-six months later, Zekk finally felt ready to finish whatever they had started.
In defiance of Jaina-hammered good sense, Zekk would definitely return to the Dustbowl that night.
Part Three
Cut!lyrics from I'll Believe You When by matchbox twenty. & Please R&R! :D
Part One
x-x-x
When Raven and Hrul returned to their ship, Zekk was not surprised that they had decided to stay docked. “Just until we find another job,” Raven added. “Scooti hasn’t visited the jails yet, I see. I’m sure she’ll make up for lost time.”
Hrul snorted, and headed into the ship. “How do we know she hasn’t already set it up?” he rumbled.
Raven grinned before turning back to Zekk. “By the way, that cantina Scooti was raving about-people have been disappearing faster’n usual. Best not go back anytime soon.”
Somehow, Zekk was not surprised by any of it. Not even a bit.
x-x-x
Zekk was even less surprised when, the next day, a small figure barrelled him into a back alley. Even once he was in the alley, Jaina kept pushing until they were halfway down the side street before she dragged him into a doorway. “You kriffing son of a Sith-” she reared up.
He decided it was in his best interests to cut her off. She looked even angrier than he had expected. “You’re alright. I mean, what are you doing here?”
Jaina focused on him her blackest glare. “Fake amnesia,” she said, “will not get you out of this. What the kriff do you think I’m doing here? What are you doing here? Or in that bar, for kriff’s sake? A death wish isn’t any more acceptable than amnesia, Zekk.”
Apparently, she wasn’t going to take the bait for distraction. Zekk tried again; he had hoped for more time to prepare, and even the past night hadn’t filled his ideal quota. “The ship’s mechanic-Scooti-wanted to go. Probably for the trouble. I was keeping an eye out for her. What’s so bad about it?”
Jaina’s mouth tightened across her face; Jedi Knight Solo, who had fought on Quec’slig, and lost a war. “Stay away from there, Zekk. That whole neighbourhood. You have no idea-”
“Well, obviously not, Miss Cryptic,” he snapped, taking the offensive. “I grew up on Coruscant. I’m not easy prey.”
Jaina’s expression, if anything, only got darker, sterner. Her face was almost unfamiliar to him, no ready sign of his friend to be found. For the first time, he seriously wondered what, exactly, he had done to Jaina with his disappearance. “There are some-many-things that you aren’t ready to fight, Zekk, and this is one of them. Don’t walk into that bar again, do you understand me? I might not be able to drag you out alive.”
At least they weren’t talking about six months ago anymore, Zekk thought, but he felt a chill. “Raven said people have been disappearing,” he said, watching the Jedi carefully. He noticed more than he wanted to. “You and Kyp are here to stop them?”
Jaina ignored his question. “Did she say anything else?” It sounded like a reflex. “How’d she find out?”
Zekk shook his head, then looked away. “She only said that she heard people were disappearing. ‘Faster than usual.’” He hesitated. “I could ask around.”
“No.” Jaina’s reply was both immediate and sharp. “Absolutely not.”
He reared back a bit at the command. “Excuse me?”
“Stay the kriff out of anything to do with this, Zekk.”
“I’m not a kid-”
“But I’m a kriffing Jedi Knight,” she snapped, getting uncomfortably close. “This is my mission, and I know a sith of a lot more about this than you can even imagine, and you are not getting in the way.” She couldn’t hold it back any longer. “And why the sith hells did you just take off like that, you stupid kriffer?”
Jaina looked ready to punch him, and Zekk took an instinctive step back. “I took a co-piloting job,” he said. “They shipped out quick.”
Jaina sneered, reflecting his disgust. “Right, too quick to say anything. You stupid- Stay the hells out of that cantna, Zekk. I’m not feeling very knight-in-shining-robes for you at the moment.” She pushed past him, and was swallowed by the crowd before he had stepped back into the alley.
He couldn’t be sure, but-had her eyes been too shiny?
“Kriff.”
x-x-x
Scooti probably thought he was in permanent buzz-kill mode, and she gave him the finger when he tried to cut her browsing short. He decided to defy Hrul and leave her alone. Arguing with Jaina had put a roadblock on his best attempts at denial. His best bet at distraction, he decided, was to stick his nose in the part she had warned him out of.
Raven was playing cards with Hrul when Zekk returned to the Hawk. Zekk pulled up a chair and started without delay. “Raven, what exactly did you hear about the Dustbowl?”
“Don’t even think it,” she warned Hrul. She glanced at Zekk. “Scooti didn’t bring it up again, did she? Hrul’ll rattle some sense into her, if needs be.”
“No, but it’s Mos Eisley. ‘It’s dangerous’ isn’t really a surprise, except that anyone felt the need to say it.”
Raven shrugged, but wasn’t casual. “I mentioned it to our employer’n he got mighty jumpy. Said people were disappearin’, not like usual, an’ I’d best see my crew stayed outta it.”
“He didn’t say anything else?”
Hrul was trying to stare Raven down, but he grunted a reminder. “That Jedi.”
Raven was smirking at Hrul, though her voice was graver. “Right, the man said even a Jedi had gone missin’. An’ magic folk-people who knew things, that sort. An’ if they can’t stop it, well, the rest of us better keep a sharp eye about. Read ‘em and weep, Hrul.” Raven displayed her cards with feigned boredom.
Hrul growled profanities that Zekk would have been physically unable to repeat. The conversation was finished. Zekk headed for his own room, considering the bare information he had. If a Jedi had in fact disappeared, then that immediately explained Jaina and Kyp’s presence on a world outside of the New Republic’s jurisdiction. But the others-Zekk wondered if there was any design to who was disappearing, if it included Jedi and “people who knew things.” If so, then Jaina had obviously overreacted; he didn’t fit the profile of the disappeared, and she didn’t know Coruscant’s undercity the way Zekk did.
But it was more than that, too, Zekk admitted. Besides his pride, Zekk remembered Brakiss, and how he had never heard anything about the mad old man after his escape.
He remembered the waiting, and Jaina after Quec’slig, too, but that went without saying. Despite their argument earlier-and perhaps because of it, and his better understanding-six months later, Zekk finally felt ready to finish whatever they had started.
In defiance of Jaina-hammered good sense, Zekk would definitely return to the Dustbowl that night.
Part Three
Cut!lyrics from I'll Believe You When by matchbox twenty. & Please R&R! :D