Chapter Text
Ch. 1
Imogen sighed as she stepped out from under an awning into the blistering heat of the two suns, ignoring the hustle and bustle of other travellers going about their business. Keeping her head down and trying to focus on not tripping over her own feet, Imogen followed the flow of the crowd, heading in the general direction of one of the many watering holes that littered this part of the star port. She had been on this planet for less than a day and already… She missed the ordered quiet of her duties in the archive. As stifling as the dark, near silent corridors where… It certainly beat the crush of life she found herself in now.
The orders had come down a few days before, leaving her with little time to do anything but hand her duties off to her replacement and gather what belongings she thought might be useful in the greater galaxy before being shunted out onto the next off world transport. The trip had been comfortable enough and her first view of open space had been breathtaking but… Imogen knew enough to know that this wasn’t meant to be anything resembling fun. Her orders where… confusing to say the least and while the pursuit of greater knowledge might have been an intriguing task for some, she wasn’t suited for such things. No, this felt like a punishment and despite the others trying to assure her of the honor of being chosen, Imogen knew from experience what this-
A shoulder bumping into her drew her out of her wandering thoughts and Imogen started to babble an apology before she felt a hand groping along her belt and instinctively swatted at it. “Knock it off!” She said, her voice coming out raspy from lack of use and as she silently wished she could retreat from whoever this was, a chuckle erupted from behind her.
“Damn, you looked like you were lightyears away.” The voice was followed by a hand on her shoulder and Imogen turned to see a tall twi’lek standing there, a broad smile on her pale green face. “You look like you aren’t supposed to be here.” Imogen blinked up at her but before she could reply, another person bumped into her from behind, driving her forward into the twi’lek as they grumbled about her blocking the path. The twi’lek chuckled again as she steadied her with the hand on her shoulder before she started to pull Imogen away from the main path. “C’mon, I’ll buy you a drink.” They were already moving as Imogen tried to stammer out an excuse, the twi’leks hand hot against her shoulder even through her clothes but the words died on her tongue as they stepped through the door of one of the seedier establishments. The yet unnamed twi’lek led her through like she knew the place well and before she could register what was happening, Imogen found herself sat on a suspiciously sticky bench seat tucked back in the corner as the twi’lek hurried over to the bar. As Imogen tried to get her racing thoughts into some kind of usable order, the twi’lek came back over, setting two frosted glasses down and sliding one over to her as she took a seat.
“Sorry again for trying to filch you.” The twi’lek said, raising her own glass and taking a sip. “You looked like an easy mark but that’s mostly the whole, ‘spaced out traveller doesn’t know where she’s going’ thing. Might want to pay more attention in places like this. Pretty girl like you might wind up in unsavory places if you aren’t.” Imogen blinked at her again before shaking her head.
“I was just thinkin’.” Imogen said and she hesitantly reached for the glass, unable to bite back the little sigh that escaped her at how blessedly cool it was. She took a cautious sip before looking at the twi’lek again. “You normally grab travelers off the street?” The twi’lek chuckled and shook her head.
“It’s a hobby.” She said, flashing Imogen a surprisingly friendly smile. “I’ve met some of my closest friends that way. Anyway new friend, what brings you to Mos Eisley?” Imogen stared at her for a moment before she shook her head and took another drink.
“I’m tryin’ to get out to the outer rim.” Imogen said quietly, trying to keep her voice steady. “I’m uh, lookin’ for somethin’.” The twi’lek stared at her for a moment before gesturing around with her free hand.
“You made it out here dollface. What’re you looking for? Maybe I can-,”
“I gotta get out farther than this.” Imogen cut in, the twi’leks eyes widening a little at the interruption. “An’ I gotta find a ship to take me. I was lookin’ when you grabbed me.” The twi’lek stared at her for a moment before she nodded and took another drink.
“Are you only going one place or is this like a pilgrimage situation?” She asked and Imogen sighed. “‘Cause I know a ship that might be interested so long as it’s interesting.” Imogen blinked at her before she sighed.
“Might be as simple as one. Might be longer. I won’t know until I find what I’m lookin’ for.” Imogen said slowly and the twi’lek nodded. “You know a ship?”
“Indeed I do.” The twi’lek said, a grin spreading across her face. “Set to take off in about twelve hours too so if you wanted a ride, you’d have to decide quick.” Imogen stared at her for a moment, her eyes narrowing suspiciously as she took another drink.
“What’s the catch?” Imogen asked. “This seems awful convenient and you’ll have to forgive my suspicion but… What’s the cost?” The twi’lek smiled at her before setting her glass down, her free hand coming down to rest against the table top.
“Hundred credits for every month on board.” The twi’lek said. “And that covers food too.” Imogen’s eyes narrowed even further and when she sighed, the twi’lek continued, “Sounds too good to be true right? There are some conditions.” ‘I knew it.’ Imogen thought as she took another drink. Outwardly, she nodded.
“What kind of conditions?” Imogen asked and the twi’lek nodded.
“Think of it as a working vacation.” The twi’lek said, one end of her lekku twitching a little but Imogen ignored it. “You might be asked to do little odd jobs around the ship. For instance, we all take turns cooking and everyone keeps their own stuff clean. You could get a reduced rate too if you wanted to help with the ship’s actual work.”
“Might as well join the crew then.” Imogen said, exasperation creeping into her tone but the twi’leks grin spread a little further.
“An excellent idea!” She said, smacking her hand on the table top and downing the rest of her drink. “Couldn’t have suggested anything better myself and lucky you, we have an opening. Do you have everything or do you need to grab your stuff?”
“Now wait a minute.” Imogen said quickly, holding up one hand to stop the excitable woman. “I ain’t agreed to anything yet. How do I know that you aren’t gonna drag me into an alley and sell my organs?” The twi’lek blinked at her for a moment before she laughed.
“Organ trade?” She laughed, drawing looks from the scattered customers around them. “Please, that’s so last century. Honey, if I wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t have brought you somewhere so public.” Imogen blinked at her again and sighed but the twi’lek continued before she could reply, “Listen, it’s a good deal and a hell of a lot better than you’re going to get. Especially if you don’t know exactly where you’re going. There’s even a chance in it for you to make some money too so it’s a win-win all around. What do you say?” Imogen stared at her for a long moment before she sighed.
“Would I have a private room or is this a bunk bed situation?” Imogen asked and the twi’lek laughed.
“You’d have your own space.” The twi’lek said, her smile not fading. “Unless you just want to share with someone else. I mean,” She wiggled her eyebrows. “I wouldn’t say no if you wanted some company.” Imogen stared at her, her eyes going wide as the implication of her words sank in and she shook her head no quickly, trying to ignore the heat rising to her cheeks.
“No ah, no thank you.” Imogen said, taking a hasty drink to cure her suddenly dry mouth. “I’m ah… I don’t do um have-,”
“I get it.” The twi’lek said, waving her words away with one hand. “I was just joking anyway. Oh this is going to be fun! You’re so easy to mess with.” Imogen shot her a look before shaking her head.
“I uh, don’t get out much.” Imogen mumbled, sighing again when the twi’lek chuckled. “So, if I’m coming with you, what do I call you?” The twi’lek blinked at her and shook her head.
“You can call me Fearne,” She said, extending one green tinted hand across the table. “And you?” Imogen shook her hand and nodded a little.
“Imogen.” She said as she let her hand go and she gestured to the bag still on her back. “And I don’t have to get my stuff. I got it all with me. Where’s this ship at? Do I pay you now or once we get there?”
“Once we get there.” The newly named Fearne said with a smile as she gestured at Imogen’s cup. “Finish that and we can get going. We’re out on the outskirts of town so it’s a bit of a walk from here.” Imogen nodded, already in the process of downing the rest of her drink and by the time she sat it down, Fearne had finished hers.
As they left the bar and Fearne led them down a path away from the bulk of the crowd, Imogen couldn’t help but hope her mission wouldn’t be over before it truly got started. As they walked along, she sighed and the twi’lek looked over at her. “Got any weapons on you?” Imogen blinked at her, stepping around a lumbering cargo droid as they went before shaking her head no.
“Not even a blaster.” Imogen said, guilt welling up in her at the knowledge of the lightsaber buried at the bottom of her pack. “I’ve got a knife,” She gestured to the sheath strapped around her thigh. “But that’s mostly for food.” Fearne stared at her as they kept walking before she shook her head.
“Well that’s stupid.” Fearne said bluntly as she led them around a group of people. “Especially coming out to a place like this. You got a death wish or something?” Imogen blinked at her, caught off guard by the question for a moment before she shook her head no.
“No I just… Didn’t expect trouble.” Imogen said lamely and Fearne snorted. “I was told this would be easy.” Fearne snickered as she shook her head.
“No job is ever as easy as they say it’s going to be.” Feane said, ducking under an awning and Imogen couldn’t help but sigh at the brief relief from the suns. “It makes more sense to be over prepared than to find yourself in a situation where it’ll kill you. No worries though, we’ll get you sorted out if you want.” Imogen blinked up at her before she nodded a little before turning her attention to where she was putting her feet. They had moved out of the main thoroughfare now and Imogen breathed out a sigh as the sounds of the crowd faded behind them.
The walk was as long as Fearne had said it would be and nearly forty five minutes later, they had left the clustered buildings of the city center behind and Imogen couldn’t help but glance around as people still milled around. Tattered awnings covered the spaces between buildings, make-shift stalls lining the edges of the narrowing streets and Imogen couldn’t help but sigh.
“Not too much further now.” Fearne said, getting her attention as a pack of children ran by chattering in a language that Imogen didn’t understand. A hot hand on her wrist drug her attention back to the other woman and Imogen tried not to jolt at the contact. “I need you to focus alright? This isn’t the kind of place where you want to mentally check out, ok?” Imogen stared up at her before she nodded and shook her wrist free.
“Sorry.” Imogen muttered. “I’ve ah, never really been around this many people before.” Fearne nodded but stepped back to fall into step with her, glancing around them every few feet as they went. Imogen followed alongside her, trying to keep her senses focused on the path ahead of them instead of getting distracted by the unobstructed life happening around her and it largely worked until they stepped past what looked to be the last rows of buildings into a wide open area. Ships of all makes sat in an uneven line, all in the process of being loaded or unloaded and as Fearne led them towards a battered looking ship at the end of the line, a shiver spread across her mind and Imogen gasped as she realized what it was. She glanced around as they neared the line of ships, the shiver spreading down her spine as they got closer but before Imogen could try and work out what it was, a loud crash got her attention and her head whipped in the direction it had come from. Loud voices registered in her ears then and she winced but didn’t look away.
“...An’ stay gone you fuckin’ rat!” A man shouted as he aimed a kick at something or someone laying in the broken wreckage of what had been a crate. His foot must have connected with whatever he was aiming for and when a pained cry reached her ears, Imogen felt herself moving. Ignoring Fearne asking where she was going, Imogen walked with a single minded determination towards where the confrontation was taking place. As she got closer, she saw the pitifully thin form of a woman attempting to crawl out of the broken crate. There was blood running down her pale face and the sight of the red against the stark pallor of her skin ignited something in Imogen that she couldn’t ignore.
“Hey!” Imogen called, getting the man’s attention. He was human, she saw though she ignored it as large, dark eyes turned to her. That same shiver crossed her mind again and Imogen could practically feel the fear radiating from the other woman. “What’s your problem?”
“My problem?” The human spat as he stalked forward, his eyes never leaving the woman. “This fuckin’ horned rat keeps trying to get on my ship. Probably tryin’ to steal shit too. What’s it to you?” He looked up at Imogen then before stepping closer to the woman. Imogen hurried forward before she could think about it, putting herself between them as Fearne hurried over.
“She’s leaving.” Imogen said, crossing her arms across her chest. “You’ve made your point now, get over it.” The man huffed but took a step back as Fearne came over to join her. “Why don’t you go on back to your ship an’ we’ll handle it.” The man stared at her for a moment before he spat on the ground and turned away, grumbling under his breath about thieving busybodies. Once he was out of sight, Imogen turned to the woman who was staring up at her now with those large, dark eyes. She was trembling now, dark hair stuck to her face in places in drying blood and Imogen could just barely see the nubby points of several horns poking through. “You’re ok.” Imogen said gently as she knelt down next to her. “Can you talk?” The woman stared at her for a moment before she nodded slowly.
“Th-thank you.” The woman said and Imogen couldn’t help but smile at the rich sound of her voice. She sat up a little more then, wincing as one hand came up to cradle the side that had been kicked. A worried look crossed her face then and she stammered, “I-I can’t pay you for it.” Imogen blinked at her before shaking her head.
“I wouldn’t ask you too.” Imogen said, shifting to rest her hands against her knees. Fearne came over then too and eyed the woman on the ground.
“You a stowaway?” Fearne asked, getting the woman’s attention and she nodded reluctantly. “Dangerous hobby, especially when you pick assholes. Did he hurt you real bad?”
“I… I don’t think so.” The woman said, wincing as she prodded at her side. Imogen glanced over at Fearne then and before she could talk herself out of it, she blurted,
“Come with us.” The woman turned to her, a curious look on her pale face and Imogen nodded a little. “You’re obviously trying to get out of here. Why not come with us?” She glanced up at Fearne then who simply shrugged.
“We’ve got the space.” Fearne said, earning her a smile from Imogen. “One quick question though. Can either of you cook?” Imogen made a face but to her surprise, the woman nodded.
“I’m… I can cook.” The woman said quietly, prodding at her side again. “I… I can mend clothing too if-if that would be useful. I-I won’t take up much space either, I promise.”
“Taking you on as a full time cook saves the rest of us the headache and gets you a whole room.” Fearne said, turning a surprisingly soft smile down at the woman. “But first, we got to get you off the ground. Imogen, want to help her up?” Imogen was already standing up as she spoke and with a soft smile, she extended a hand to help the woman up. The woman stared at it for a moment before slowly taking it and Imogen had to bite back a gasp as something akin to a shock rippled up her arm. Falling back on her training to keep from reacting, Imogen carefully helped the woman to her feet and steadied her when she wobbled with a hand on her elbow. Dark eyes met hers then and for a moment she simply stared until Fearne cleared her throat. Imogen glanced over and sighed at the look on Fearne’s face as the twi’lek jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “Ships this way. What’s your name stowaway?” The woman looked over at her and Imogen forced down the feeling of missing her eyes on her.
“Laudna.” The strange woman said after a moment. “You can… You can call me Laudna. I… Thank you.” Fearne nodded before turning to continue leading them towards the ship and Imogen looked over at Laudna. The woman was a little taller than she was, and as Imogen stared a quiet, traitorous voice in the back of her mind commented on how pretty she was despite the dried blood and grime on her face.
Shaking her head, Imogen gestured in the direction Fearne had gone and said, “We should ah, follow her.” Laudna stared at her for a moment before she nodded slightly and together, they slowly walked after the other woman. They had made it less than a dozen feet before Laudna wobbled again and Imogen, acting on some instinct that she didn’t fully understand, closed the space between them and steadied Laudna with an arm around her waist. “I got you.” Imogen muttered, keeping her eyes on the back of Fearne’s head and ignoring the heat that rushed to her cheeks. Laudna tensed at the contact but relaxed a little as they walked on and they saw Fearne stop in front of the open ramp of the last ship in the row, chattering happily with someone they couldn’t see. As they approached, Imogen caught sight of a small, human looking man standing at the top of the ramp and he eyed them both as they approached.
“Imogen and Laudna, this is Orym,” Fearne said, gesturing to the little man. “Pilot and chief of security. Orym, these are Imogen and Laudna. Laudna’s agreed to come on as our new cook and Imogen is well… A general helper.” To their surprise, Orym rolled his eyes and a little smile spread across his face.
“Calling me the chief of security makes it sound like it’s more than me.” Orym said, turning a fond smile at Fearne before glancing at them. “That’ll fill the last two rooms too. Ashton managed to find a boarder too but these two can go on the crew side.” Fearne nodded, a little smile spreading across her face as she turned to them.
“Well ladies, welcome to the Mister.” Fearne said, waving them up the ramp. “Let’s get Laudna to medical. Letter’s will patch her up in a jif.” Imogen nodded but as she helped her new companion up into the ship, she couldn’t help but sight, hoping that regardless of how much of a bad idea this felt like, that it would be the right one.
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Laudna winced as she was helped up the ramp into a strange ship but even as pain radiated from her left side, she tried to ignore it. She had been hit harder before and while it would never be a pleasant experience, she could take it. Unfortunately for her, that left her attention to wander and it seemed determined to latch onto the strange woman at her side. She hadn’t expected help, not in a place like this and when the woman appeared, she couldn’t help but fear the worst. But her worries had been for naught as the woman, Imogen had stepped in and stopped a few hits from becoming a proper beating and then… Asked her to come with them, going so far as to support her on the way when her battered, malnourished body threatened to give out.
“Not much further to medical.” The voice of the twi’lek said from behind them and she heard Imogen mutter something in reply as they reached a set of sliding doors. The room was bright when they stepped into it and Laudna felt her eyes go wide at the sight of a medical droid rolling over to them. It wasn’t a model she was familiar with, its chassis painted a bright, friendly yellow with several slashes of green across his chest.
“Oh dear.” A surprisingly friendly voice came from the droid and she felt her support falter a little as it rolled closer. “Oh dear, you’re in a state. Up on the table then.” One metallic hand reached out and clunked against a barely padded bench and Laudna couldn’t help but sigh. She met Imogen’s eyes again as the shorter woman helped her up onto it and despite the pain she couldn’t help but notice the rosy tint to the other woman’s cheeks. Tearing her eyes away from the woman who had saved her, Laudna glanced around the room and felt a lance of panic shoot through her at the sight of a slightly outdated bacta tank in the corner of the room.
“Not in there.” She said suddenly, pointing at the tank. The droid looked over at her, a concerned expression forming on his metallic face somehow and he shook his head.
“We don’t know if we’re going to need that yet.” The droid said and Laudna nodded. To her surprise, Imogen shifted over to stand near her and despite thinking she might have left to get settled, Laudna couldn’t help but be thankful that she was there. “Why don’t you tell me what happened?” Laudna stared at it for a moment before she shook her head.
“Just a bit of a misunderstanding.” Laudna started but Imogen scoffed.
“Some asshole kicked the shit out of her doc.” Imogen said, getting the droid’s attention and a soft whirring noise came from the droid. “I saw at least one but I know she got tossed through a crate first.” Laudna blinked at her, feeling the unusual thump of her twin hearts beating a little faster at the look on the other woman’s face and she looked away.
“It isn’t that bad.” Laudna said quietly, focusing her attention on her bare feet and not looking up at either of them. “I… Have a fairly high pain tolerance.” The room was quiet for a moment before she looked up, glancing at the droid through the fall of her hair. “What can… um… What are you called?” The droid looked at her for a moment before its eyes glowed a little brighter.
“I’m Fresh Cut Grass!” It said in an oddly cheerful voice and Laudna couldn’t help the little smile that spread across her face. “Medical Droid at your service but you can call me Letters. I know my name’s a mouthful.” Laudna smiled a little and nodded as the droid rolled a little closer. “Now, we just need to run a scan. Close your eyes for me.” Laudna stared at him for a moment before she closed her eyes and a moment later, she heard a quiet beep. “And we’re done. You’ve got some pretty deep bruising but nothing’s broken. Also, you’re dangerously underweight for your height so no skipping any meals at all. I’ll be keeping an eye on that too and if you’d like, we can monitor your weight gain until you’re back in the healthy range.” Laudna opened her eyes but before she could say anything, the same twi’lek as before poked her head through the open door.
“Anything broken?” She asked as Letters turned to her and Laudna couldn’t help but glance over at her. “Any super big things we need to worry about?”
“Nothing’s broken.” Letter’s repeated. “She’ll need to take it easy for a week or so but the bruises should heal on their own. The biggest issue is that she’s malnourished and as a Zabrak, she’s going to need a fairly high protein diet. Has the mess shopping been done yet, Fearne?” The twi’lek shook her head no as she leaned against the door frame.
“I was going to send Orym and Chet out to do that before we leave.” The newly named Fearne said and to Laudna’s surprise, the droid bobbed his head.
“Make sure they get enough protein this time,” Letters said and Laudna couldn’t help but blurt,
“I’ve never heard a droid talk like you.” Letters turned to her and his eyes flashed in a way that she couldn’t help but think was blinking. “Sorry.”
“You’re fine.” Letters said, patting her hand with his metallic one. “I’m kind of a one of a kind.”
“Yes you are.” Fearne said, the smile not fading from her face and the droid's eyes glowed brighter. She glanced over at Imogen and Laudna then and motioned for them to follow her. “Come on ladies, I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.” Laudna nodded and got off the bench with a sigh. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Imogen’s hand come up, seemingly ready to steady her if need be and she couldn’t help but smile.
“I’m alright now.” Laudna said quietly, turning to glance at Imogen. “Thank you.” Imogen stared at her for a moment before she nodded and stepped back to give her space. Fearne seemed to be watching them and she smiled when Laudna looked over at her.
“The cooks room is off the galley.” Fearne said as she stepped back out of the door to let them out. She glanced over at Imogen then and her smile shifted in a way Laudna didn’t quite understand. “The other free room is a few doors down from the common room. There are standard hygiene stations in all of the quarters so make yourselves at home.”
“Really?” Imogen asked as they followed the hallway around to an open area. “What kind of ship is this?” Fearne turned to her with a smile and shrugged her shoulders.
“A nice one.” She said and her smile spread into a grin when Imogen huffed. “Are you into starships Imogen? ‘Cause if you want the particulars, you’d be better off asking Orym.” Imogen stared at her for a moment and Laudna couldn’t help the little smile that spread across her face. The hallway opened out into a large enough area, several battered chairs clustered around a table that seemed to be held together more with tape and hope than any type of joinery. To her surprise, the scattered remains of a card game was strewn across the table top along with a collection of glasses. More things were scattered around the general area and to her surprise, there was a threadbare rug laying under it all. Fearne stopped and gestured around. “This is the common area. Everyone is welcome here as long as you can all get along. It’s the safest place to find most of the crew outside of working time.” She gestured to an arched doorway and gestured for Laudna to go ahead. “The galley is through here.” Laudna nodded and hurried past her as best as she could, aware of the sound of the other two following her.
The ship's galley was larger than she had expected it to be and through the collection of hanging pots and pans, Laudna couldn’t help but hum at the amount of available work space. Most of it was currently littered with an assortment of things but as she looked around she could see various places for things to be stored and she smiled when she saw the conservator tucked into the corner.
“Would this work?” Fearne asked, drawing Laudna’s attention over to where she and Imogen stood in the doorway. Laudna glanced around again and nodded.
“I might have to rearrange a few things.” Laudna said hesitantly but Fearne simply nodded. “But it’s lovely, truly.” Fearne nodded again and pointed to a door near the back of the room.
“Cook’s room is back there.” Fearne said, walking over to lean against the central work area. “It’s a bit cramped, sorry about that and I’m pretty sure our last cook left a few things behind but it’s clean. Don’t worry about cooking tonight.” When Laudna turned to her with a curious look, Fearne smiled. “You got banged up pretty good. If Letters says you need to take it easy then take it easy. I’ll have the boys grab take out when they're done shopping. Speaking of, is there any meat you prefer or is it more of a whatever you can get kind of thing?” Laudna blinked at her, trying to remember the last time anyone asked about her preferences and she felt embarrassment rising in her.
“You don’t have to get anything special for me.” Laudna said quietly, fighting the urge to wrap her arms around herself. “I… I don’t need a special diet-,”
“You’re wrong.” Fearne cut in gently as she straightened up and looked over at her. “I heard Letters and you aren’t the first zabrak I’ve ever known. Bad shit happens to y’all when you aren’t eating right and you already look like a good shove would break you in half. So, is there anything you really like or will you eat anything?” Laudna stared at her for a moment before she sighed.
“I’ll eat just about anything.” Laudna mumbled and Fearne nodded before slapping her hand on the counter top.
“We’ll leave you to get settled then and no worries, one of us will come get you when the food gets here.” Laudna nodded and glanced over at Imogen as the twi’lek turned to leave. The other woman was glancing around the galley now and briefly met her eyes before turning to follow Fearne out of the room, leaving Laudna alone.
Taking a breath, Laudna turned towards the door to her new quarters and crept close, jolting a little when the door hissed open. The room itself was fairly basic; A sloppily made bunk pushed into one corner with a small table next to it, the top littered with a stack of books, magazines and to her surprise, several spools of thread. A narrow door on the far back wall led into what she discovered to be a compact but efficient hygiene set up and she couldn’t help but sigh at the sight of it. There were several spaces built into the walls for storing clothes or other belongings and it was as cramped as Fearne had said but…
As she glanced around the room, Laudna couldn’t have stopped the smile that spread across her face if she tried. Turning to the control panel for the door, Laudna closed it before stripping off her tattered clothes and making her way into the bathing area, intent on washing the dust of this god awful planet off of her before settling in for what would hopefully be a much needed, relaxing rest.
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Imogen followed Fearne further down the hallway, trying not to look at the several closed doors they passed before Fearne came to a stop in front of another one. “This is you.” Fearne said, tapping the controls to open the door. Imogen nodded and stepped past her, glancing around the room with a nod.
“This works for me.” Imogen said, turning to face her new… Acquaintance. “Thank you for ah, grabbin’ me.” Fearne nodded before leaning against the door frame, a little smile spreading across her face.
“So are you going to be a passenger or crew?” Fearne asked and Imogen sighed. “I need to know what to tell the others.” Imogen stared at her for a moment, remembering her telling Orym that she was the new ‘general helper’ and she sighed.
“What kind of business do you do?” Imogen asked, shrugging her bag off and laying it on the bed. “‘Cause I’ll be honest… I don’t have much experience doing a lot.” Fearne nodded, her smile not fading.
“Yeah I get the whole ‘really sheltered’ vibe from you.” Fearne said and Imogen huffed. “It’s not a big deal. We mostly transport things. Goods, people. Occasionally animals but those are rare jobs. We also occasionally transport things that it’s best just to take their money and not ask questions. Largely what you’d be doing is helping loading and unloading. Our work takes us all around the outer rim too so it’ll get you to where you need to go. Where is that anyway? I don’t think you’ve mentioned, other than it being further out than this dustball.” Imogen looked up at her for a moment before she shook her head.
“I’m uh,” Imogen started, swallowing against her suddenly dry mouth. “I’ve got to ah, track down a piece of information for my uh, boss. Bosses. I’ve got a couple of leads but…” She shrugged, heat spreading up her cheeks. “I still gotta look some stuff over before I know where to start.” Fearne stared at her for a moment before stepping into the room and hitting the controls to close the door. Imogen couldn’t stop the tension that filled her as the twi’lek stepped closer to her.
“You don’t carry any weapons.” Fearne said bluntly. “None that I can see anyway. You’ve never been around people and you don’t know where you’re going… Imogen are you…” She paused and Imogen felt her heart thump hard enough that she heard it in her ears as Fearne leaned in closer. Fuck, not three days out of the archives and she’s already been found out and- Fearne was talking again, “Are you a runaway?” Imogen blinked up at her before leaning back to put some space between them.
“Am I what?” Imogen asked before Fearne’s words dawned on her. “No! Not a runaway. Just a… Just a scholar sent to find some rare old bit of lore for a buncha jumped up assholes who couldn’t or wouldn’t do it themselves.” Fearne stared at her for a moment before she stepped back.
“I feel like there’s more to it than that,” Fearne said, shaking her head. “But I suppose you’re entitled to your secrets. Just as long as it doesn’t put the rest of us in danger, alright?” Imogen stared at her for a moment before she nodded and Fearne smiled at her. “Now, crew or passenger?” Imogen stared at her for a moment before she sighed.
“Crew.” Imogen finally said, earning her a chuckle from the other woman. “Making some money could be nice even if I’m not real sure what I’ll do with it.”
“Excellent!” Fearne said, clapping her hands a few times before backing up to open the door. “I’ll tell the others and no worries. If you don’t know what to do with money, we’ll teach you. This is going to be great.” Imogen nodded but Fearne turned to leave before she could reply, leaving her alone in her new quarters as the door hissed closed behind her. Turning to her bunk, Imogen walked over and sat down on the edge before digging the data pad out of her bag and powering it on. As she settled in to reread the information she had been given for what felt like the hundredth time, Imogen couldn’t help but sigh and hope that this wasn’t going to be as much of a waste of time as she feared it would be.