Fic: "If You Call" (5/? J/Z AU; sequel to FaIC)
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four
x-x-x
Zekk’s room was dark when he returned. The rest of the ship was silent, and almost as dark-he had let the sleep cycle lights lead him through the familiar walkways. The others were either asleep, or enjoying Mos Eisley’s nightlife and the crew’s open schedule. Raven ran a tight ship until she found herself between jobs, and then she took her time making a new schedule. They could easily be in Mos Eisley for a few weeks before Raven contracted work again.
Zekk found his bunk by touch and sat down, not bothering with the lights. He had planned to comm Peckhum about Jaina, but it would be as early on Coruscant as it was late for Zekk.
He was tired, but did not start preparing for sleep. His eyes were adjusting to the dark as best they could, aided by his familiarity with the small room. His desk; drawers; the small sink and mirror; the gadgets and tools spread across any available flat surface; a few datapads with information on piloting, mechanics, and one on Outer Rim government. His new life, contained in the belly of a ship, surrounded by crewmembers. A whole new life for an orphan scavenger, now flying across the galaxy.
He closed his eyes. He hadn’t worked this hard for anything besides survival in years, and it had paid off even with his co-workers, who were beginning to accept him. Trust was a rare commodity amongst smugglers, even with co-pilots who could hardly claim ignorance if boarded. The crew was less careful and suspicious by far than they had been when Zekk had started. They weren’t friends, but Scooti let him tag along, and Hrul helped him with repairs.
It wasn’t enough, Zekk admitted in the dark. There was something missing, and he hadn’t been able to see it until tonight. Irony was a kriffer.
“Well, then,” he muttered. “Time to get to work.”
x-x-x
Peckhum always looked older as a holo, but Zekk had learned to stop asking about the spacer’s health after the second tirade. He saved his scrutiny instead for Coruscant layovers. When Zekk finally asked about Jaina, however, Peckhum’s expression was mischievous enough for a much younger man. “Haven’t seen her in a month, because she’s on a mission,” Peckhum gossiped. “Somewhere on the Outer Rim. She looked-”
“I just ran into her, actually.” Zekk suspected that his expression was as rueful as his voice, but he couldn’t quite control either. “On Tatooine.”
Peckhum looked almost too gleeful, as if he had arranged the awkward encounter himself. “Did you?” he crowed. “How’d it go?”
Zekk didn’t have the heart to tease the old spacer about a holo-film reunion. “Well, she didn’t hit me,” he said. “Although she could be saving up. She really wasn’t too happy about me.”
“Told you to talk before leaving, didn’t I?” Peckhum sounded surprisingly unconcerned. “How’d it go?”
“Besides the part where she yelled at me and probably hates me?”
Peckhum pshawed. “Hell hath no fury, my boy, but that girl no more hates you than she ever did.”
“Well, I sort of inserted myself into her mission, despite her threats, so she’s probably changed her mind.”
Finally, Peckhum’s smug grin subsided. “Your girl didn’t talk about the job much before she left, but she said it was dangerous.”
“I’ll be fine, Peckhum.”
Zekk’s guardian wasn’t completely reassured. “You couldn’t have just bought her flowers, taken her out for dinner? Girls like that stuff. Jaina’s a girl. Sort of.”
“I think she’d prefer a new tool box over a garden, actually. But I’m trying to help.” Zekk became more serious. “Not just for her, either. The mission-it’s bad news. It wouldn’t be right, not doing anything to help.”
“It means you can’t distract her,” Peckhum said, sounding disappointed. “But being a hero could work out, too. Remember: play to your strengths, remind her why she fell for you in the first place.”
Zekk paused, but forced the words out. “Did she?”
Peckhum looked torn between exclaiming his jubilation, and slamming his head against a wall several times. “Uhnk,” he said instead. And then, “Duh?”
Zekk smiled crookedly. “I think there’s quite a bit of Jaina I missed,” he conceded.
“That’ll happen when you close your eyes,” Peckhum agreed. “Does this mean you’re finished being an idiot?”
The younger man snorted. “I can’t make any guarantees.
“Good stars, boy, you better. Even Jaina won’t wait around forever.” Peckhum waved a hand dismissively. “Now, we’ve got to hash out your game plan.”
Zekk grinned. “You’re taking over, are you?”
“The last time you had your big chance, you split over a tabloid. You need all the hope you can get.”
Zekk shook his head, and glanced at his chrono. “Later, Casanova. I have to meet Jaina.”
“Excellent. You should kiss her,” Peckhum ordered. “You’ve got too many crossed wires already; can’t go wrong with bold statements at this point.”
“Sure, that’ll go over great,” Zekk agreed. “Right up until she kicks my ass into next week.”
Peckhum groaned in protest. “At least buy her flowers. And change your shirt. Who ever told you that you could pull off the slob look, anyway?”
Zekk glanced down at his repair clothes. “The-since when do you know anything about fashion?”
“Mique and I were talking about it. Wear that black tunic of yours, the one with green trim.”
“It’s the middle of the day,” Zekk said, taken aback. “You did hear me say this is Tatooine, right?”
“Jaina said it brings out your eyes. And pull your hair back, for stars’ sake. And I’ll comm Jaina later.”
Zekk had been about to laugh, but the sound quickly died in his throat. “Don’t you dare, old man. I mean it,” he stressed, seeing Peckhum’s protest. “Don’t even think of it, not even for engine advice.”
“I’ll save it for an extreme case,” Peckhum conceded reluctantly.
“For the extreme case where you want me to not talk to you for months?” Zekk warned. “I have to get going-”
“Right, right, move along. Don’t forget about the flowers.”
“I’ll think about it,” Zekk lied.
“I know you’re lying. Might be getting old, but I can still see you just fine, boy.”
“Try not to let your imagination run away with you, old man,” Zekk warned. “She’s only talking to me so I won’t get shot. Or at least, so she doesn’t miss an opening to get more information for her mission.”
Unexpectedly, this subdued Peckhum’s glee, if just for the moment. “Zekk, there was something up when she left. More than it’s being dangerous. She was hard about it. It ain’t just work for her.”
Zekk paused, thinking about how Jaina really could pick them, but gave Peckhum a grim smile. “It isn’t ‘just work’ for anyone with half a moral code, Peckhum, I can tell you that much.”
“Be careful.” Peckhum missed a beat. “You look ridiculous swathed in bandages and bacta. Not the way to win a girl back at all.”
“Hilarious. Wonderful. I’ve created a monster,” Zekk muttered. “I’ll talk to you later, Peckhum.”
The holo blue flickered and faded for a moment. “Comm me back, tell me how it goes.”
Zekk smiled and nodded, flicking off his holo-comm. It was entirely possible, Zekk realized, that he would never hear the end of this, and even Peckhum’s ghost wouldn’t let him forget it.
“Just get the girl to stop hating you first,” he reminded himself. “Deal with everything else after that. Just deal with Jaina Solo’s temper, and then it’s all downhill from there.”
x-x-x
Part Six
If everyone just listened to Peckhum, this story would have been a lot shorter ;P Cut!lyrics from Today by Joshua Radin.
Please R&R :D
x-x-x
Zekk’s room was dark when he returned. The rest of the ship was silent, and almost as dark-he had let the sleep cycle lights lead him through the familiar walkways. The others were either asleep, or enjoying Mos Eisley’s nightlife and the crew’s open schedule. Raven ran a tight ship until she found herself between jobs, and then she took her time making a new schedule. They could easily be in Mos Eisley for a few weeks before Raven contracted work again.
Zekk found his bunk by touch and sat down, not bothering with the lights. He had planned to comm Peckhum about Jaina, but it would be as early on Coruscant as it was late for Zekk.
He was tired, but did not start preparing for sleep. His eyes were adjusting to the dark as best they could, aided by his familiarity with the small room. His desk; drawers; the small sink and mirror; the gadgets and tools spread across any available flat surface; a few datapads with information on piloting, mechanics, and one on Outer Rim government. His new life, contained in the belly of a ship, surrounded by crewmembers. A whole new life for an orphan scavenger, now flying across the galaxy.
He closed his eyes. He hadn’t worked this hard for anything besides survival in years, and it had paid off even with his co-workers, who were beginning to accept him. Trust was a rare commodity amongst smugglers, even with co-pilots who could hardly claim ignorance if boarded. The crew was less careful and suspicious by far than they had been when Zekk had started. They weren’t friends, but Scooti let him tag along, and Hrul helped him with repairs.
It wasn’t enough, Zekk admitted in the dark. There was something missing, and he hadn’t been able to see it until tonight. Irony was a kriffer.
“Well, then,” he muttered. “Time to get to work.”
x-x-x
Peckhum always looked older as a holo, but Zekk had learned to stop asking about the spacer’s health after the second tirade. He saved his scrutiny instead for Coruscant layovers. When Zekk finally asked about Jaina, however, Peckhum’s expression was mischievous enough for a much younger man. “Haven’t seen her in a month, because she’s on a mission,” Peckhum gossiped. “Somewhere on the Outer Rim. She looked-”
“I just ran into her, actually.” Zekk suspected that his expression was as rueful as his voice, but he couldn’t quite control either. “On Tatooine.”
Peckhum looked almost too gleeful, as if he had arranged the awkward encounter himself. “Did you?” he crowed. “How’d it go?”
Zekk didn’t have the heart to tease the old spacer about a holo-film reunion. “Well, she didn’t hit me,” he said. “Although she could be saving up. She really wasn’t too happy about me.”
“Told you to talk before leaving, didn’t I?” Peckhum sounded surprisingly unconcerned. “How’d it go?”
“Besides the part where she yelled at me and probably hates me?”
Peckhum pshawed. “Hell hath no fury, my boy, but that girl no more hates you than she ever did.”
“Well, I sort of inserted myself into her mission, despite her threats, so she’s probably changed her mind.”
Finally, Peckhum’s smug grin subsided. “Your girl didn’t talk about the job much before she left, but she said it was dangerous.”
“I’ll be fine, Peckhum.”
Zekk’s guardian wasn’t completely reassured. “You couldn’t have just bought her flowers, taken her out for dinner? Girls like that stuff. Jaina’s a girl. Sort of.”
“I think she’d prefer a new tool box over a garden, actually. But I’m trying to help.” Zekk became more serious. “Not just for her, either. The mission-it’s bad news. It wouldn’t be right, not doing anything to help.”
“It means you can’t distract her,” Peckhum said, sounding disappointed. “But being a hero could work out, too. Remember: play to your strengths, remind her why she fell for you in the first place.”
Zekk paused, but forced the words out. “Did she?”
Peckhum looked torn between exclaiming his jubilation, and slamming his head against a wall several times. “Uhnk,” he said instead. And then, “Duh?”
Zekk smiled crookedly. “I think there’s quite a bit of Jaina I missed,” he conceded.
“That’ll happen when you close your eyes,” Peckhum agreed. “Does this mean you’re finished being an idiot?”
The younger man snorted. “I can’t make any guarantees.
“Good stars, boy, you better. Even Jaina won’t wait around forever.” Peckhum waved a hand dismissively. “Now, we’ve got to hash out your game plan.”
Zekk grinned. “You’re taking over, are you?”
“The last time you had your big chance, you split over a tabloid. You need all the hope you can get.”
Zekk shook his head, and glanced at his chrono. “Later, Casanova. I have to meet Jaina.”
“Excellent. You should kiss her,” Peckhum ordered. “You’ve got too many crossed wires already; can’t go wrong with bold statements at this point.”
“Sure, that’ll go over great,” Zekk agreed. “Right up until she kicks my ass into next week.”
Peckhum groaned in protest. “At least buy her flowers. And change your shirt. Who ever told you that you could pull off the slob look, anyway?”
Zekk glanced down at his repair clothes. “The-since when do you know anything about fashion?”
“Mique and I were talking about it. Wear that black tunic of yours, the one with green trim.”
“It’s the middle of the day,” Zekk said, taken aback. “You did hear me say this is Tatooine, right?”
“Jaina said it brings out your eyes. And pull your hair back, for stars’ sake. And I’ll comm Jaina later.”
Zekk had been about to laugh, but the sound quickly died in his throat. “Don’t you dare, old man. I mean it,” he stressed, seeing Peckhum’s protest. “Don’t even think of it, not even for engine advice.”
“I’ll save it for an extreme case,” Peckhum conceded reluctantly.
“For the extreme case where you want me to not talk to you for months?” Zekk warned. “I have to get going-”
“Right, right, move along. Don’t forget about the flowers.”
“I’ll think about it,” Zekk lied.
“I know you’re lying. Might be getting old, but I can still see you just fine, boy.”
“Try not to let your imagination run away with you, old man,” Zekk warned. “She’s only talking to me so I won’t get shot. Or at least, so she doesn’t miss an opening to get more information for her mission.”
Unexpectedly, this subdued Peckhum’s glee, if just for the moment. “Zekk, there was something up when she left. More than it’s being dangerous. She was hard about it. It ain’t just work for her.”
Zekk paused, thinking about how Jaina really could pick them, but gave Peckhum a grim smile. “It isn’t ‘just work’ for anyone with half a moral code, Peckhum, I can tell you that much.”
“Be careful.” Peckhum missed a beat. “You look ridiculous swathed in bandages and bacta. Not the way to win a girl back at all.”
“Hilarious. Wonderful. I’ve created a monster,” Zekk muttered. “I’ll talk to you later, Peckhum.”
The holo blue flickered and faded for a moment. “Comm me back, tell me how it goes.”
Zekk smiled and nodded, flicking off his holo-comm. It was entirely possible, Zekk realized, that he would never hear the end of this, and even Peckhum’s ghost wouldn’t let him forget it.
“Just get the girl to stop hating you first,” he reminded himself. “Deal with everything else after that. Just deal with Jaina Solo’s temper, and then it’s all downhill from there.”
x-x-x
Part Six
If everyone just listened to Peckhum, this story would have been a lot shorter ;P Cut!lyrics from Today by Joshua Radin.
Please R&R :D