Ask The Hideaway

[Bast Emblai]

The struggle was short lived, and the now-disheveled aggressor was forcibly bent over the speeder hood while he was searched. His eyes were burning with fury, but his words were an innocence plea. Unfortunately, he would likely be cleared within a few days, or at the least bailed with his enormous amount of funds. Bast gave a nod to her partner for dealing with the senator, or at least the man she assumed to be Marty Balzeek based on his attire and course of action. It was a wise decision on multiple fronts, firstly because if another altercation would occur, he would have a better chance of winning, and secondly because Raya needed to talk. It wasn’t always the case, but Bast had found talking woman-to-woman with her clients often revealed more than was originally told. Corran had finished reciting his arrest speech and was fishing an identification card from the man’s pocket. Seeing him squirm in the discomfort of his accusation tempted her to smirk, but she resisted, ashamed at taking pleasure at the Senator’s humiliation.

The now-slightly emptier speeder took a roundabout way back to the main streets in an attempt to throw off any visual tracking done by Senator Balzeek. The vehicle was not truly less occupied, but Bast felt alone without her partner. The feeling was not worrisome or wishful, but an observation of fact. For a joint mission, they were truly separated for the first time. Of course Corran could handle himself, but she liked to be there for her team physically rather than over comm. Backup was rather difficult to provide from several blocks away, after all. Glancing into the rear view, Bast broke the silence. “What’s going on. You cannot keep us in the dark anymore for both you and your child’s safety.” The female Sector Ranger did her best to make her voice gentle, caring. Now that the threat was under control, hopefully she would find the strength to talk freely.

“He said he’d kill us both if I didn’t give up Tynir. He... he came to my house and searched because he didn’t believe me when I said I dropped the kid on the streets. I just couldn’t give him up.“ Raya’s voice broke, shifting from weak and reedy to more confident. “I would die before I left my child. I don’t care if I lose my job. I told you where I hid Tynir because I thought you could keep him safe. I ran because he deserved a better mother and I knew you could be one, or at least find him one. If I stayed, I knew I couldn’t bear to see you take him “

Bast chewed her lip. She hadn’t been expecting a full confession. Apparently, something inside the young mother had finally clicked, let loose the torrent of emotion and fear and pain she’d been holding. If only Corran were here, he would know what to say. He was good with people in that way. “We were never going to take custody of the infant.” The sentence sounded cold to Bast’s own ears and she winced, trying again. “Of Tynir. You are not a bad mother for wanting to give the best life to your child. In this case, that best life is with you.” But who was she to lecture on motherhood? She the woman who could never bare children, had never raised any. The words of reassurance felt fake and forced. Bast hated herself for being jealous of the woman in the back seat over something neither woman had any control of. She was a Ranger. She had no time for children. She had no support structure, nay what she’d made for herself. Her world would be a cruel one to drag a child into. Children had never entered her mind before, yet here she was, unable to escape from instinct.

The seconds dragged on, and the humid air in the speeder was thick and hard to breathe. It was a relief for the detective to step out into the open, leading the way back to apartment fourty-two. Once inside, the woman perched on one of the chairs, releasing a long sigh while Raya was in another room, tucking away the infant, A few moments later, after she had collected herself, she switched her comm to the male ranger’s frequency. “At rendezvous location, arrived safely. Over.“

@TerranSteel

 

[Corran Velt]

Corran watched the rear tail-lights of the speeder until they turned out of view. Even then, his eyes lingered where the vehicle was last seen. It wasn't the first time the pair had been separated on a mission. Bast was capable of taking care of herself; she was formidable. They sometimes went weeks without seeing one another. That didn't change how the male Ranger felt. He disliked them being apart. A quick exhale through the nostrils was all the venting the young man allowed himself. Corran tugged on the arm of his captive, "Let's move along, Senator."

The walk through the back alleyways was short and eventually the two men were standing on a curb near a semi-busy street. Pedestrians gave them space but whispered too each other in gossip. Some speeders noticeably slowed down to gawk at a man in cuffs being held by the arm of a law enforcement officer. Corran felt indifferent to the public eye, as he often did on duty, but a part of him hoped the Senator's voters would recognize him. Over the comm, the Ranger called into the local authorities and gave their location to the nearest intersection. Eventually a squad-speeder would arrive and take the suspect out of his hands. The rest would be to get Bast's written testimony of events, supply his, and the courts would handle the rest. For good or ill.

A bustling city street provided the ambiance of the two men standing on the curb. Not a word had been exchanged between them since leaving the alley. There wasn't much that needed to be said on the part of the male Ranger. That didn't stop Senator Balzeek from finally breaking the silence. "I was just attempting to calm down a distraught citizen, you know." A voice of reason and empathy, trying to hide selfish motives. Corran acted as if he didn't hear anything.
"That child in the car. I shudder to think how in danger it would have been if I hadn't been there." Gaslighting of events.
"The real ones at fault will be served justice. I understand the position you are in, Sector Ranger." A veiled threat.

Mercifully, the local law enforcement arrived after taking their sweet time. They were also quite delicate with the Senator. Corran supplied his testimony of events and handed off the code to the cuffs. If they were lucky, he'd be in lock-up for at least 24 hours. Bail was undoubtably on the way, but maybe the news reporters and paparazzi would sink their teeth into the story too. At least the Corran's part was done. Now to hail a ride. The commlink chirped as the young Ranger flagged down an taxi. "Acknowledged. Suspect in local custody. Be there soon. Over and out." A bit of relief released the unease that had built up. Bast and Raya made it back safely.

Back to where it all started. The same drab hallway leading up to Apartment forty-two. A sturdy knock would alert those inside of his arrival. If Bast opened the door, she would be greeted by a somewhat breathless Corran. It would seem he was in a bit of a hurry to get here, even though there was no need to rush. A rare expression of relief and joy would appear on his face with genuine smile. With a quick tug of the jacket and a hand through his hair to compose himself, the Ranger would finally greet his partner, "H-hey. Is everything alright still?"

@Kestrel

 

[Bast Emblai]

So lost in typing up a report of events, was she, that Bast jumped slightly at the sound of a loud knock. A quick glance to the couch confirmed Raya was still seated there, wrapped in a blanket, reading the holomagazine. The woman seemed so engrossed in the latest gossip, so calm, that Bast hesitated to disturb her. However, the Sector Ranger motioned for the other woman to remain quiet and out of sight, just in case. The detective was still on edge after the sudden turn of events of Riidle.

Cautiously cracking open the door, the first sight that caught Bast’s attention was her partner’s blue eyes, contrasted with a slightly flushed face. He seemed to be breathing hard, but the smile on his face was an immediate indication everything was okay on his end. The woman couldn’t help but return his smile with a relieved grin. She felt ridiculously grateful to see him. Likely, she told herself, it was just adrenaline. What had the young man been doing, though? Had he run back for her? It felt suddenly as if the Ranger’s heart had skipped a beat. She was exhausted. That had to be it. “All’s well. I think we are done here.”

At the sound of the familiar voice, Raya had crept into view behind the doorway. She countenance flashed between nervous, regretful, and relieved. “Thank you.” And with that, she slipped away once more. Sighing deeply, Bast grabbed her bag and left, side by side with her partner.

———

“I finished my section of the report.” The two were sitting in the back of a fairly nice speeder with padded leather seats. A layer of transparent, but slightly scuffed duraplast seperated the Weequay driver from the Ranger’s, but the woman’s tone was still low. She rubbed her face and combed a hand through the top of her hair, absentmindedly tucking back flyaways. “Were you able to bring the senator in?” Once again, the words that left her mouth were not truly the ones she wanted to say. She was stalling, and it was painfully obvious. Finally, the words came. “Thank you for... for listening back there. You did the right thing, taking over. I wasn’t ready, and I don’t know why myself. Something with the child just... threw me off. I am not making excuses, but I am apologizing.” If there was one thing Bast detested, it was being a liability, emotionally or physically. Admitting the fact was almost equally as difficult.

@TerranSteel

 

[Corran Velt]

Gentle finger taps onto a portable datapad had been the center of Corran’s attention for the most of the speeder ride. There was a lot of recounting of the incident that needed to be recorded while the event was still fresh in memory. Anything unclear or untrue would be ripped to shreds by Senator Balzeek’s lawyers, so the male Ranger was taking extra care in how he worded things or represented events. Despite the chaos of the day, Raya had seemed more at ease for the brief moment he saw her back at Apartment Forty-Two. Even if the Senator would post bail the next day, the councilwoman had a night of peace. The two Rangers had given her that much, at least.

When Bast announced she had finished her part of the report, the blond youth didn’t look away from the task at his fingertips and his eyes stayed glued to the blue screen. He did take a moment to reply though without pulling his stare away from the datapad. “No fair, Ranger Emblai. You had a head start.” His voice was dryly sarcastic with a small hint of teasing humor. She did start before him, but Bast was faster in getting her work done than the young man. It was a little ironic, considered Corran had the reputation of being the paperwork kath hound.

“I turned the Senator over to local law enforcement,” the young man replied in the same distant, dry tone as before, “Where our temporary jurisdiction ends, theirs’ begins.” It was clear he wasn’t necessarily happy about it, but resigned to it. The report that drew all his attention would have all the precise details as they happened, if she was curious. The male Ranger didn’t want to recount them back to her if he could help it. She’d been through a lot today. They both had.

The tapping ceased. Corran’s face contorted like they had passed roadkill and he got a good look at it. It was clear he had heard something he believed to be preposterous. "Apologizing?" The young man tasted the word in his mouth. A grimace followed. Bast's partner turned to finally face her head on. "Apologizing for what? You were good out there! You protected the baby, found the runaway mother, took down the Senator without any help, and then topped it off by finishing your report early!" Corran's voice rose to a crescendo before he closed his eyes and sighed lightly. He shouldn't have let himself get so worked up. He leaned over, holding himself upright with one hand pressed into the middle seat between them. Blue eyes opened again, but instead of an unhappy look, his features were more calm. "You did more than good today. You were... incredible. For once, I wish you could see what I see." The tone of the male Ranger was quiet, sincere, and honest. Like someone trying to explain a complex topic. A silence filled the backseat of the speeder. Slowly, Corran leaned back to his side of the speeder and removed his hand from the middle seat. An imprint of his hand lingered until it was filled up by the padding. His eyes slowly drifted down to the datapad in his lap. A small breath slipped past his lips, "You're a good Ranger, Bast. Always have been."

@Kestrel

 

[Bast Emblai]

Under typical circumstances, Corran’s ridiculously contorted face of disbelief would have made the woman sitting beside him chuckle lightly. At the moment, however, she was too emotionally drained to display any amusement. Besides, while his reaction was comically animated, it was an adverse reaction. Should she have stayed quiet? Bast’s intent had never been to upset her partner. Dry mirth from the earlier banter sunk quickly to concern in the pit of her stomach. Old fears rushed back; fears she had fought just to talk to anyone about anything remotely personal.

"Apologizing?" His tone cut, words laced with anger and frustration. The voice got higher and louder, finally coming to a break, at which point she flinched at his intensity. The man was a stark contrast to her typically laid-back, mellow partner. Conflicting desires to argue and to cry with relief overwhelmed her. Instead, Bast settled for staring, wide eyed, brows furrowed, body tense. A small part of her wanted to think he was right, but the rest were ferociously second guessing her every move. Feeling helpless, she glanced at the driver, hoping he had heard nothing. Mercifully, slow bluegrass was blasting in his compartment, and the weequay showed no indication of disruption.

Having composed himself once more, Corran looked directly at her. Slowly, he leaned in, propping himself upright with an arm between them. The female Ranger neither leaned back or forward. She just waited frozen, watching his lips form words, as if that would help her understand them better. While his escalating emotion had felt like a slap, the quiet sincerity cut right to her core. ‘I wish you could see what I see’. What did he think he saw? His blue eyes were not fixed on a hero, but an imperfect woman who couldn’t get a hold on herself. Did he see the limp, skeleton of a body he had to evacuate? Her jealousy of Raya? She saw those things, and they were ugly and personal.


Her partner backed off with a small sigh, eyes returning to his datapad. Bast’s hand brushed the indentation left by Corran’s. It was still warm. She didn’t know what to say in response to his kind words, but she could say what she knew to be true. “You’re a good Ranger, Corran. But you’re an even better man.”


@TerranSteel