The Spectre glided into the hangar on it's repulsor lifts in a swirl of snow. It gently eased to the deck without the slightest jostle. Raezyr turned to Dianna. "That easy enough for you, boss lady?" he asked with a grin. The red haired woman gave him a playful slug in the shoulder.
The occupants of the modified freighter stood at the top of the loading ramp waiting for it to lower. Below stood Dek and Teera who had come out to meet them. "Good news, Captain," Dek said as Dianna led the the others down the ramp.
"Let me guess, the deposit came through as planned?" she asked with a grin. She didn't stop to talk, and the young slicer and the blue Twi'lek fell in beside her.
"It did indeed, Captain," Teera replied. "After paying the last of our outstanding debt, I sent payments to get the supplies we had on held order as well."
"Good job." Dianna commented, still smiling. "Enough business for now though. Let's celebrate a mission going off without a real hitch for once. Running weapons to Alderaan, no less."
"Maybe we should do more of the less enviable runs in the future?" Dek asked, half joking.
"You may actually have a point." Dianna conceded. "Our most dangerous mission was actually primarily successful if it weren't for a few bad eggs." She realized what she'd said after it was already out of her mouth, and she quickly added. "But enough about business. Please tell me some food's hot in the cafeteria, before Trych starts nibbling on our extremities."
Teera shook her head.
"Alright, everyone go put something more comfortable on, order everyone on duty to put systems on maximum automation and join us. We're going to do a hand made meal as a group."
As Trychon turned down the hall towards their room, Raezyr continued to follow Dianna. Depending on the situation, he used both quarters and had clothes in both. Dianna stopped and turned around, holding her hand up to his chest.
"Not this time, big guy." She scolded him, before winking to assure him that she wasn't still mad. "I have to get ready for the party."
Raezyr headed back down the hall to find his brother half dressed in their quarters, tinkering with his datapad which was a common enough sight.
"Quit playing and get ready. I'm hungry."
"Something's wrong. I can't get into the computer system on THX." Trychon frowned, not looking up from his miniature screen.
Raezyr gave off a hearty laugh. "I've seen you look less frustrated cracking Republic encryptions."
Trychon countered with a smile, still not looking up. "Everyone looks less frustrated cracking Republic encryptions than they would cracking mine." He paused, tapping rapidly on his pad. "Seriously though, this is weird and probably a bad sign." There was several moments of silence as Raezyr began getting prepared, finding something casual yet nice to wear. Finally, Trychon spoke up. "Ok, this is definitely bad."
"Yeah, I get it. You forgot your passkeys and that's bad."
"Shut up for a second and listen. I'm in. The system actively fought back against me even after I found a way in, but that's not the oddest thing. It's bad, but I don't know if it's related to this."
"What is it already? Out with it." His younger brother growled, beginning to lose his patience and anxious to get to the cafeteria.
"I've got Mannix's readings here, and everything looks good. Better than we could have reasonably expected. Yet for some reason, the expected finish date on his recovery is now listed as 'indeterminate'."
Raezyr's attention was finally caught. "What?!"
"I don't have the slightest clue what that means, but we're definitely going to have to make a trip out there."
Dianna wasn't going to be happy. "You want to tell Di?" He asked his older brother, half curious, half pleading.
"How about you tell her next time I'm in a different system? I say we wait it out for at least a few days and see if the readings make more sense and then figure it out."
-------------------
As they arrived in the cafeteria, the crew was already joking with each other and sharing humorous stories from their varied pasts. Trychon joined Teera and a few other staffers he didn't know in the kitchen and began looking through the storage cabinets for something to contribute to their rare meal. He found some bethnik noodles and began scrounging to find the right ingredients for a decent cream sauce. He had gathered nearly everything he needed, and figured he would would be able to make a fair approximation when he felt something hit him on his backside.
He turned around to see Teera's lekku whipping around her head, as she'd obviously just spun quickly. She began to whistle a tune to put on an air of feigned innocence, and she giggled when he finally turned back to get a pot to cook his dish.
Raezyr helped bring in tankards and glasses as well as various bottles of spirits and basic ales. As he was pouring drinks for the group, an idea struck him and he excused himself and jogged out of the room.
He returned fifteen minutes later with a few cases in a Force grip following closely behind. He began unloading the more exotic ales that he and his brother usually saved for slightly more special occasions such as this one.
As he opened a bottle to pour for himself he caught sight of Dianna, who must have arrived while he was retrieving the drinks from the Jet Razor. After catching the bottle he nearly dropped, his eyes scanned her from head to toe. She'd put her hair up in an elaborate core-system style, showing her neck as it led to her nearly bare shoulders. Her shimmering blue dress hung lightly from the thin straps on her shoulders, gently flowing over her form. There was no frills or styling to interrupt the contour of the fabric caressing her curves, until a slit formed halfway down her thigh and continued to tease looks at her smooth legs all the way down to the floor.
He watched her as she laughed at Delki and Bleetz's comedic antics juggling fruit, and the smile on her face was the most sincere he'd seen her share publicly since he'd met her. Clearly, the chance to relax and spend some downtime with her crew absent the stresses that had been on her was exactly what she had been needing and it only made her more gorgeous.
Trychon walked over, removing an apron covered in handprints that looked too small to be his own. He grabbed the ale from Raezyr's hand, opening it with his bare hands. "What's that Raez? You think that girl over on the other side of the room is cute? Why, yes... I do believe you should go talk to her..."
Without a word, he walked over to Dianna and embraced her from behind while kissing her on the cheek. Whatever he whispered in her ear made her smile again.
Trychon smiled as he took a long drink from his tankard, and caught a wink from Teera who was also watching the happy couple's brief embrace.
"Alright everyone!" He yelled loud enough to be heard over the crowd noise. "Dinner should be about ready! Someone come help me carry everything from the kitchen!"
Rhox entered the party as though she had been waiting to be called. She was wearing a similar dress to Dianna's in a darker shade and with a belt hung over her hip. Trychon watched her walk by for a moment, but knew better than to let her see him do so.
The next several hours were spent with everyone telling countless tales. Some were of mischief, others of blunders, many stories were of both. They took turns telling about each others' follies, and even Trychon and Raezyr joined in, though hiding a lot of the details that they couldn't or wouldn't share.
The only person in the entire room who did not share stories or have stories about her being told was Rhox, who sat at the end of the table, quietly smiling when it was appropriate. Once or twice, Trychon raised a drink from across the room through the Force and set it in front of her to keep her engaged. She didn't say anything, but even she seemed more and more relaxed as time went on.
As various lips around the table began to split into yawns with increasing frequency, Dianna was the first to stand up and dismiss herself. She grabbed Raezyr by the hand and led him off. Rhox stood up no more than a minute later and headed to her room as well.
As the crowd dwindled slowly, Teera's looks in Trychon's direction became increasingly obvious with her flirtations intentions, until finally she walked behind him and gave him a brief backrub. She slid her hands over his shoulders softly as she pulled away and said goodnight.
The Sith followed her out the door.
-------------------
Raezyr walked into the room, stripped off his shirt and plopped back onto the bed. Dianna came in behind him, closed and locked the door. "You're not leaving that shirt there, are you?" she asked, indicating his tunic lying on the floor.
"I'll get it in the morning, babe," he said with a grin. "You know I'm good for it."
She turned to the mirror and removed her earrings. Her reflection smiled at the big man with the scar. "Don't forget it," she said, and knew he wouldn't.
As she reached behind her back to undo the hidden magnetic clasps on the back of her dress, Raezyr came off the bed in one swift movement catching her arms with his hands and trapping her arms behind her head. She wiggled her arms, trying half-heartedly to escape. "Raez...," she said in a half annoyed tone.
He spun her around, still holding her arms trapped behind her head and pulled her close. She parted her lips, waiting for his mouth to close against hers. She didn't have to wait long. They kissed long and deep before he finally removed the dress completely, holding his bare chest close to hers.
He swept her legs up and carried her across the room, laying her gently down on the bed. She pulled him on top of her as he kissed her again. Gently, she pushed him back to look into his eyes. Raezyr brushed a strand of red hair from her face.
"I love you, Raez," Dianna breathed quietly.
He reached over and switched off the lights. He looked at her through the gentle glow of the nighttime illuminator. "I know," he replied. He pulled her body close to his and for a few hours, they spent a lifetime together.
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