Evaar'la Burc'yan

[Nephill Kilner]

The Oyu'baat, Mandalore - 1200 hours

Eight hours since that debacle last night.

And that time had done Neph right. After a lengthy shower and a medication-aided night of deep sleep, he was refreshed.

When the Mandalorian Protector walked down into the tapcaf to meet Zara for their brunch, he looked like a different man. He stood tall and proud, his face clearly handsome - the scar that marked his face only seemed to enhance that. A slight, confident smile adorned his features. His hair was groomed back smartly. And his reputation and visible accolades, which apart from the jaig eyes seemed to be purely word of mouth.

Several of the other Mandalorians gave him nods of respect as he entered, and Neph approached a few to exchange greetings and the customary wrist handshake. After all of that, he quickly locates Zara and slides into the bar. All traces of the alcohol and faint dirty smell he had exuded last night was gone, replaced with only the smell of masculine, refreshing aftershave. His five o clock shadow has been shaved off, making him look even more youthful.

"Vaartur, Zar'ika," he said with a warm smile, addressing her as if he had known her all her life, sliding into the booth where Zara was sitting - not the same one from last night, though. Suddenly, his brow furrowed. "I hope I'm not too late..."

 

[Nike]

Zara sat alone in a booth, her buy'ce on the table beside her. A few who recognized her from the night before greeted her, but she only smiled slightly and gave them a nod. She was quiet, more reserved than they remembered and dark circles under her eyes stood out on her pale skin like old blood stains. They left her alone, and she was glad.

On the inside, something seemed to be buzzing inside her, though it might have been the second stimcaf she held in her hand. Her eyes darted around the room every few minutes, looking for him, before settling back on the tabletop. She closed her eyes. The night, morning, before played behind her eyelids. The shattered glass, the slur of his voice, the moment of terror as his head fell back and he shook. She opened her eyes and saw that her hand had balled up into a fist. So she still wanted to hit him. Good.

A voice came from beside her and she responded before registering what it said. "Sorry, vod, but I'm wait--Oh." She looked at the man sitting across from her, her brow raised and her head cocked. His eyes were brighter, he was clean shaven, he even smelled better. Hard to believe it was the same man she found drinking himself to death only a few hours ago. Neph.

"You." She narrowed her eyes and sat up straighter. "So you didn't die in your sleep. Jate. We need to talk." She had practiced this in her head for over an hour, but the words seemed to get stuck in her throat. She took a sip of caf, coughed into her elbow, and tried again. "I have questions."

 

[Nephill Kilner]

Nephill laughed goodnaturedly at her, clearly trying to suppress it but failing. It was hard to even be mad at the man, as it was an action so full of pure joy, trying to bring it down would have been a crime.

"Not this time. I'm still oyayc. Udesii! Let me order lor'vram before you gut me," he said with a wide smile as a waiter droid appeared. The Mandalorian ordered a cup of caf, hawk eggs and spiced bacon.

"You look terrible. I'm sorry to have you look so bad on my accord," he said, serious but with that bubbling joviality just underneath. Again, he delivered the jab in a very joking, light manner. "You'll let me buy you food right?" He paused to let her order before continuing.

"Now. What troubles you cyar'ika?" he asked, the term of affection again delivered noncommitedly and innocently, saying it but not leaving it so direct as to be awkward.

As she began to answer, the droid returned with the steaming food and cups in hand. Service, it seemed, was fast. Neph inserted a few cash creds into the droid's money slot and began to dig in, tearing the food apart energetically like a true Mando'ad, as if he had just spent the last few weeks eating only rations, as he listened to her talk.

 

[Nike]

Zara took a sip of her caf to hide her slight smile. Apparently the man only had two switches, suicidally depressed or psychotically optimistic. By the time she set the cup back on the table, her face had gone completely still. Unreadable, she hoped.

"Do I?" she asked, without much interest. Personally appearance was rarely something she thought about. She ran her fingers through her short hair, pulling out the tangles. Taking her helmet, she studied herself in the visor's reflection and shrugged. "I've looked worse. You look dralshy'a, burc'ya. I'm glad one of us slept." She lifted the corner of her mouth to let him know she was joking. Mostly. When the droid came by, she held up a hand. "I'm not hungry," she said, though she considered ordering another caf.

Cyar'ika. Zara rolled her eyes. As he dug into his food, she leaned back with her arms crossed over her chest. The first question was out her mouth before she really thought about it. "How often does...last night...happen?" She asked, slowly, being sure to keep the same composed face.

 

[Nephill Kilner]

As soon as he heard the question, and coupled with her earlier eye-rolling, Neph sighed in his head. He could hardly blame her, but at the same time he wouldn't make any exceptions. If this got any worse, he would have to take his leave. Hastily.

He sat up straight and wiped his mouth, swallowing a hearty mouthful of eggs. "Not very often. More before. This is the first time in about two months. And for a man who used to do that every night, that's something. I got...carried away last night. I'm ashamed you had to see that...but at the same time, I'm even more determined to ensure that won't ever happen again. I'm better then that now." He said this very seriously, honesty showing through, along with determination.

"But you have to understand something. When a man has seen, and done, the things I did, and gotten nothing out of life for it, it leaves him down. But I have no excuse for it. It is unbecoming of a warrior to feel like such. Although I do believe our culture could be more accommodating for such thinking. Training is nothing like the real deal. I know I wasn't real for that osik."

Finally, a semblance from the previous night showed through as his eyes resumed that familiar distance, as he saw in some far away distant place in his mind's eye the images of all the men he had killed, and the sounds of all of his comrades as they had died. It was only a few moments, and then he returned, the intensity reappearing in his dark pupils. He scooped up another mouthful of steaming eggs and swallowed enthusiastically.

 

[Nike]

Zara listened quietly. As he spoke, the story played across his face like a holodrama, and she knew he was telling the truth. The pain was tangible. She knew what that felt like. Her hand stretched across the table, as if to reached out and comfort him, but she stopped before they touch.

"I think I do understand. At least, a little bit." She paused for a moment, chewing softly on her lower lip. His words didn't convince her that another drunken binge wouldn't happen. "How can I help?"

 

[Nephill Kilner]

Neph noted her body language. So. She really did care. He had to appreciate that, even if it was misguided.

"It's not your place. Don't worry about me. It comes with the job. You'll see soon enough. Everyone deals with it; it's just that not many others have experienced the complete destruction of ones aliit. I still have no excuse for my actions in the past years, but I also have decided to move on. It was a lesson learned. And every day, that lesson is going to be reinforced," he said firmly and seriously. He let the words sink in for a few moments before briskly changing the topic, and atmosphere of the conversation, to a lighter mood.

"But moving on. Enough about me and my problems. What are you up to here in Keldabe, Zar'ika?" he asked, taking a long draw on the cup of caf, wincing a bit at the temperature of the steaming beverage.

 

[Nike]

Before Neph was finished speaking, Zara had leaned foreword with her fist tapping against her lips. She glared at him through narrowed eyes. Even the part about loosing his clan hardly penetrated the anger that built inside her chest. But her expression remained smooth, her voice was soft and cool, and her eyes never wavered from his, even though she wondered if he could hear her heart beating in her throat. "Nayce. You don't get to change the subject, 'cyar'ika'" And it wasn't just because the thought of talking about herself made her nervous. She pushed on. "Not my place? I'll tell you what my place is. Standing beside you and the other Protectors." She could feel her voice getting louder, more passionate, so she took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders before continuing.

"You're my brother. Someday, I may need to know that you have my back. If you want me to keep this a secret, you better give me a damn. good. reason." With the last three words, she jabbed her finger at him on every syllable. Finally, she crossed her arms and leaned back again, a bit of pride in keeping her cool coming out as the slightest curve to her mouth. "So start talking."

 

[Nephill Kilner]

As soon as Zara began her rant, the anger began to build, erasing his bemused expression and hardening it. For just a second, as his anger peaked, his face contorted into something completely unrecognizable - a face of pure hatred, suitable for a demon. But suddenly, it disappeared, seamlessly flowing back into a passive expression. That look of fury transcended expectations, and one almost wanted to overlook it and pretend they had never seen it.

Every word had erked the hardened Mandalorian. In fact, any other and he would have slammed them with a powerful right hook, damned the consequences. But Zara was special. He just couldn't do it. And not because of her gender, but something about her. Aware of it or not, Neph had formed a bond with her, borne of the shared experience of the previous night.

So for the first time in his life, Nephill actually tried to explain. The words are unfamiliar and hard to grasp. "I...." his voice trailed off and died. "Look. To be honest, I just got my life together. I spent the last few years plying my trade for creds, taking contracts. Burning those creds every night in clubs on alcohol and fast women. I recently came to my senses and joined the Protectors. Given me a purpose in life. I just couldn't handle it before, what - ..... what happened. Last night, it really was an anomaly, I swear it. I've been sober as a stone the last few weeks. But last night, I couldn't handle it. So much was running through my head...and so much on my mind. I'm just on such much pressure...I have to continue my clan's line. I'm the only one left. And I'm still haunted by my war ghosts. But I'm going to get over it. I know it," he said, his voice uncertain and hesitant but firm by the end.

"The Protectors are my way to succeed. That's why you must keep this between us. If word got out...they know how I used to be. It would jeopardize my reputation - it's hanging on a knife's edge already. I need this. Otherwise I will have nothing," he said, hesitantly trying to take her hands in his to emphasize his point, while staring into her eyes. He let his emotion creep into his voice. He could only hope she would understand.

 

[Nike]

Zara found it difficult to look in him in the eyes as he spoke. A flush crept up her neck and a knot twisted itself inside her stomach. She had expected him to fight, defend himself, maybe even hit her. But instead he spoke to her honestly, pleadingly. She almost felt...ashamed. As if she had somehow manipulated him into sharing something personal with a practical stranger.

Finally, after he had taken her hand, Zara looked up from the table and met his eyes, then quickly glanced away again. Sharing emotions was rarely something she did, and to be on the receiving end was almost as uncomfortable. Slowly, she met his eyes and studied the scar running across his face, and thought about the jaig eyes on his helmet. She didn't allow herself to vulnerable, yet he did. Maybe there was something admirable about that.

"I...uh...Okay." Speaking made her face burn brighter. A thousand questions about him ran through her mind, but she couldn't bring herself to ask. "J-just, if you ever think you can't handle it again, call me." She looked at her hand still resting in his and gently ran her thumb over his. "Okay, ori'vod?" she asked softly, still looking at their hands.

Remembering something, Zara pulled her hand away and stood up abruptly. Then, she reached across the table and punched Neph's shoulder as hard as she could. "That was for last night." She flashed a small smile as she rubbed her knuckles. "Don't do it again."

 

[Nephill Kilner]

"You got it, vod," Nephill replied with a wry grin. He spied the punch coming before it did, but allowed it to land, letting out a chuckle as he rocked back from the mock force of the blow.

"Alright, alright. Now that we've got that settled, now can you tell me what you're doing in Keldabe Zar'ika?" he asked, before proceeding to devour the rest of his plate in several enormous bites. He appeared to be absolutely ravenous, and she no doubt wondered if he was going to lick the plate by the way he was staring at its greasy surface.

Instead, he waved the waiter droid over and ordered a fresh fruit juice, handing over the empty plate for cleaning. He appeared decidedly enthused about the caf, leaving the steaming beverage by itself in the corner of the table. His breakfast was too salty for him to drink a steaming stimulant to quench his thirst.

 

[Nike]

Zara sighed and shifted in her seat, ruffling her hair with her hand. She didn't want to talk about herself. She hated the thought of it. But after everything before, it didn't feel as if she could refuse. "Briikasak. A break from training." She shrugged and took a sip of her now cooled caf. "I thought it might be nice to see the city. I haven't been here since I was fifteen." The corner of her mouth lifted as she looked around the Oyu'baat. "I like it here. It feels warm, friendly. Like home."

As the server came by, Zara handed off her cup and ordered a shig instead of a caf for a small change of pace. "How about you, vod? What brought you here? Wanted to see the city lights?"

 

[Nephill Kilner]

Neph nodded in understanding to her explanation. He chuckled before replying, "I wish. Here to get some parts and supplies for the ranch. Visit the oyu'baat. Restock up on tihaar." He stopped, his joviality sobering. He quickly moved on. "The parts shop is supposed to have my supplies ready for pickup today. I'm going to get all that loaded onto my ship and get back to the ranch later today."

He paused again, draining the glass of fruit juice and leaving a tip for the waiter droid.l "I'm due to leave now. You're welcome to come along if you can," he said, his voice conveying something mixed. On one hand, it seemed he was earnest to be on his way. On the other, it seemed he desired her companionship. "If I can pull you away from the glorious city lights," he added with a wry grin.

 

[Nike]

The corner of Zara's mouth shifted down when Neph mentioned the tihaar, but she seemed to wipe the frown away with the back of her hand and forced a polite smile. After another quick glance around the tapcaf, she looked at Neph and her smile warmed. "If you want me to come." She added a noncommittal shrug, as if she didn't care either way. "I grew up in a city. Lights pretty much look the same everywhere."

Getting to her feet, Zara grabbed her helmet off the table and put it on. She felt braver with her buy'ce on, stronger. She grinned broadly, comforted that Neph couldn't see her expression. "Where to, alor? I'll help you load up your ship."

 

[Nephill Kilner]

"This way," he said with a wry grin.

He led the way out of the Oyu'baat into the warming Mandalore midday. The walk was about five blocks down to the hangar bay where the Bui'tsad II was berthed. Nephill elected to go without his buy'ce, enjoying the feel of the sun on his face and preferring to express his good mood to any passerby that he was acquainted with. The owner of the hangar bay knew him by sight, and Neph introduced Zara as "An exceptional member of the Protectors" and then led the two on their way.

In Berth #5 was the Stathas-class Adaptive Gunship Bui'tsad II. It was currently configured in its "natural" form without mimicking any particular model. However, the ship is freshly new without any carbon scoring or blast marks. From the variety of attachments and the sheer nature of the ship, it is clear Neph spent a pretty penny on the ship. The fact that he secured such an exclusive version of the ship also tells of his connections with MandalMotors.

Beside the ship is a stack of ten large crates that had been delivered in the morning. Neph presented the ship with a grand wave and a smile. "The Bui'tsad II, at your service. Now if you could just help me haul these here crates into the cargo hold, we'll be good to go."

Neph walks up to the landing ramp, entering in a few codes and bioinformatics information before the landing ramp deploys. Inside are two repuslorlifts, which Neph brings out. Besides the crates is a loading cargo arm, as the crates each weight about half a ton. Neph shows Zara how to operate the cargo arm, and then leads the way inside to the cargo hold. The interior of the ship is sleek and without flaw, lacking any of the infirmities of a heavily customized ship. All modifications were done by professionals who had the good circumstance to use the best parts and take their time. It is clear that Neph is very proud of the ship - to him it is representative of his years of success and of his "new life."

OOC: Ship is under Possessions: http://www.thestarwarsrp.com/forum/showthread.php?44859-Nephill-Kilner

 

[Nike]

Zara followed Neph with the slightest skip in her step. She liked being out, not on any sort of business, and with a friend. Head cocked, she looked at Neph, staring unabashedly from behind her visor. They were friends, right? She figured, after that morning, they had to be. Besides, she didn't think she could ever see him worst than that, and that seemed to be a pretty good place to start a friendship.

As they passed the hanger owner, Zara gave him a slight nod then tried to jab her elbow into Neph's side. "You don't need to do that. Talk me up. I don't need it." Her tone was harsher than she meant it to be, so she quickly added, "Besides. We've just met. I could be a coward for all you know." She tried to speak lightly and gave an awkward chuckle. "I mean, I'm not. But...Uh. Nevermind." No, that didn't make it better. Her face turned red and she followed half a step behind the other, exceedingly grateful for her helmet.


Walking up to the ship, Zara immediately noticed how...clean it was. She ran a hand over hull, studying the smooth surface. Ships, she thought with some disdain, like armor, were supposed to be somewhat dinged up and scratched. It showed character, life. She followed him inside and looked around. The interior was just as shiny as the outside, though, she supposed everything started out new at some point. It probably didn't help that she didn't like any ship very much. Neph's pride was obvious, so she faked enthusiasm for his sake. "Pretty. Hasn't seen much action, yet, has she?" Zara asked, trying to keep her voice as friendly as possible and without the awkwardness of before. "She seemed ready for it, though."

 

[Nephill Kilner]

Neph smoothly acknowledged her statement and played off her brief rambling. She would have it her way.

The Mandalorian could see her masked, but yet decided unenthused response. His excitement dulled, but still remained present. "Fresh she is. Perfect for vode in occupations like ours...she can mimic other ships in fact. And got a few turbolasers. Largest ship I've ever flow, that's for sure." He paused, and appeared to contemplated something of old. "But never mind all that. Let's get the cargo loaded and then we can be off," he said with an easy smile.

Neph got to work, and within minutes had half of the crates secured and stowed. His loyal astromech droid, Cyur'ika, powered up the ship and began warming the engines suddenly, catching even Nephill offguard - and he was aware of his presence in the cockpit. "That's Cyur'ika. He's with the pilot droid in the cockpit. This baby is so big I had to hire some help," he said with a grin, sealing up the cargo bay and closing the landing ramp as they all prepared to take off.

Neph led the way to the cockpit, which had all the trappings of the latest technology, with holographic HUD displays running smooth with zero software glitches. The Mando had suffered through so many long years of running with subpar technology that he felt a mini rush every time he stepped into this cockpit. He felt like a fighter jockey.

His astromech droid trundled an indignant phrase at the Mandalorian, twisting and focusing its optical unit on Zara. "Oh yes. Cyur'ika, mean Zar'ika. She's a...friend," he said distractedly, settling into the pilot's seat and running through his checklist. A humanoid pilot droid twisted around, its blue eyes also focusing on Zara, and lightened in a friendly gesture. "I am PG-9, advanced piloting unit, at your service," he said in an even, friendly baritone before twisting back around and punching furiously at his co-pilot's station.

"Take a seat, you have a pick," he said, referring to two open consoles, both unassigned to any particular task but containing menus for all of the ship's functions. "Most of the ship is slave circuited. Otherwise I would have to have more crew members."

 

[Nike]

"Mimic ships?" Zara repeated, her head cocked. Just about everything else flew over her head, but that she could get excited about. Stealth, not fire power, is what had kept her alive over the years, and it was something she respected. "I'd like to see that sometime." She helped him load the rest of the cargo, studying the boxes with mild curiosity. She supposed she'd find out what was in them soon enough.

The cockpit looked shiny, and Zara found herself somewhat impressed by the technology, even if she wasn't sure what most of it was. "Uh...Su'cuy," she said, giving the pilot a small wave and Cyurika a rap on the head. Her own droid usually only greeted with with a low sigh and nothing else, though CT-0Y had plenty of reasons to hate its master.

Looking at the consoles Neph gestured to, Zara made a face beneath her helmet. "You...uh...Okay." She shut her mouth and sat at the closest one to Neph. You really don't want me to touch anything, she had started to say. There was a reason she hated ships, she didn't know anything about them. But, she supposed she could fake it. Or something. She looked at the screen, her hand hovering over the controls. "Um. What do I press?"

 

[Nephill Kilner]

"Well if you run with me long enough, we'll be sure to run into enough trouble to warrant me using that feature," he said in an offhanded way. He ran threw the pre-flight check efficiently, and as Zara asked her last question he was powering the engines up to flight speed.

"You can just watch," he said with a goodnatured chuckle, the ship's engines thrusting against the ground and pushing the ship up into the air with a jolt. The astromech gave a whistle bloop as the ship elevated to thirty feet in one and a half seconds.

Neph had a grin plastered on his face as he punched the throttle forward, and the ship began to build speed fast. Neph set the ship on a comfortable 20 degree angle up to gain altitude, as Keldabe whirred past them in a blur. Neph pushed the ship hard, and the G's began to press against them uncomfortable. He let the feeling last for no less than ten seconds before leveling the ship out from its upward vector and revert to a more constant speed.

"That was fun," he said with a wry grin, turning around to gauge how Zara felt about their takeoff. Ranch isn't too far, and at this speed, it'll be a short ride."

The Mandalorian turned his rotatable chair around to face Zara, relaxing into its comfort padding and staring at her benignly, waiting for her to initiate conversation - he wanted her to direct the conversation, as she seemed more comfortable doing that then answering his questions. He wanted this to go in the right direction...

 

[Nike]

A little dejected, Zara sat in her seat with her arms folded tightly over her chest. It was for the best she kept away from the fancy tech, but she still felt like a child who had been told to sit on her hands and wait. Her soured mood didn't last long though, any negative feelings seemed to be literally blown away by the force of the ship surging forward. When they had settled at a more comfortable speed, she turned to Neph and let out a short laugh. Her voice gave away the grin hidden behind her helmet as she leaned back in her seat. "It was fun." She paused, thinking, and added, "You should teach me sometime. How to fly. I don't know how."

From behind the visor, Zara felt comfortable with studying the other cabur's face more intently than before. She supposed he was handsome, in the hardy, Mando way, complete with a prominent scar. She found herself tracing on her own face where the scar cut under his eye. "That looks like it hurt. How'd it happen?"