[MillietheWarrior]

Fianna groaned and rolled over in the bed, smashing her pillow down over her head.

The next time Idris wanted to go on an ‘adventure’ she was going to shove his ‘adventure’ where the sun didn’t shine. “This is why I hate flying,” she groaned, feeling her stomach churn as the ship lurched through hyperspace. With the kids out of the nest, so to speak, and Fi and Idris being left with nothing much to do, Idris had suggested she try something new for once. It was the stupidest idea he’d ever had, and the stupidest one she’d ever agreed to. But damn it, she couldn’t resist these ridiculous puppy dog eyes of his, and when he’d waved the little toy dinosaur that had almost literally brought them together, at her, she just couldn’t say no. The ship lurched again, and Fi nearly lost her lunch. Or what was left of it. “Maybe saying no would’ve been the wiser choice.

With a low, annoyed grumble, she sat up on the bed, her hair rumpled and her face a mix between nauseous and anxious as the ship lurched again. It was doing that an awful lot lately. It had taken a lot of begging, pleading, and puppy dog eyes on Idris’ part to get her to step foot on the ship, much less take a trip with him, and the fact that Lady Vianne was continually making sounds that Fi didn’t think constituted ‘normal,’ was not helping her situation at the moment at all. Running a hand through her pale blue hair, Fianna lifted herself from the cot, feeling like a slob in her bright blue pajama bottoms and white tank top as she shuffled, barefoot, from their sleeping quarters. She managed not to squeak in dismay as the ship gave a particularly hard lurch and slammed her into a wall. “Stupid ship,” she muttered.

“Stupid space. Stupid flying. Stupid Fianna for agreeing to all this,” she growled, making her way to the cockpit where she found Idris studiously at the controls; in Hyperspace, however, it wasn’t necessary to steer the ships, so Fianna wondered if he was in here just go get away from her queasiness. He’d dealt with plenty of morning sickness when she was pregnant, so maybe he had an idea of what she’d be like when she got sick; he was gettin’ out while the gettin’ was good. Fianna stepped up behind his chair, leaning forward to let her head knock against his, burying her face in the back of his head and inhaling his crisp, clean scent.

“You know,” she began slowly, keeping her eyes closed tightly; she hated seeing the stars flashing past; it reminded her she was NOT on solid ground and that if something were to happen, there’d be nothing she could do about it. Flying still scared the bejeezus out of her, but she was putting up with it for Idris’ sake. “The ship has been making some really strange noises lately. Is everything okay?” She lightly ran a hand through his hair, frowning against the back of his head. “Sometimes I wonder how in the world I let you talk me into this. Silver tongued idiot,” she teased, her voice light and sweet, though she still kept her eyes tightly shut. “And I wish you’d tell me where we’re going…”

[Jessari]

The silver-haired Echani leaned over the control panel, frowning at the readouts. With a frustrated sigh, he leaned back in his chair, rubbed his hands over his face, then sat forward in his chair again as if hoping something would have changed in the two seconds he'd looked away. Not a chance.

With all the kids on their own, and Idris himself often being taken away from home with his work, he'd begun worrying about Fianna rattling around in that empty, lonely house all by herself. Then an idea had struck him: since they'd never actually had a honeymoon, why not take her on one now? Since he had his own ship, and his recent hunts had payed off rather well, he was financially set to take her to an exotic location where they could enjoy themselves.

It had taken a lot of convincing (Idris wasn't completely sure Fi had ever forgiven Lady Vianne for taking him away from her so often), but he'd finally gotten her to agree to come with him to an undisclosed location. The original destination had been Naboo, a peaceful planet with plenty of beautiful, unpolluted beaches. Although the planet was breathtaking, it was far enough away from the Core planets that it wasn't crowded with tourists. He'd arranged to rent a room in the capital city of Theed, figuring that on the days they didn't feel like beach-hopping, Fi would have a blast shopping at the many quaint stores in the marketing district. Fi would love it, he was sure.

His fingers tapped out an anxious staccato on the dash. Unless some miracle happened, it was looking like they wouldn't even make it out of the next system. Idris closed his own eyes as Fi approached, keeping his face forward to hide the worry for at least a few more minutes. She was absolutely going to kill him when she found out. Reaching up to twist his finger in a bit the dark hair that had fallen across his cheek as she leaned forward, he put as much lightness as he could afford into his voice as he said, "I'm still not telling you, Fi. Umm...and how annoyed would you be with me if I said we might have to make a pit stop for repairs?"

[MillietheWarrior]

Fi stiffened almost instantly. Her voice was quiet when she spoke, and she managed to open her eyes to lean over him on her tiptoes and stare into his eyes. “I’m sorry…what was that?” she asked, her eyes narrowing dangerously. “Repairs? Didn’t you think to do that before we left?”

She withdrew her arms from around him, but remained immobile; he still had her hair in his hands after all. “Idris…Don’t make me regret agreeing to this, please. You know how hard it is being up here in the first place. But the idea that something could go wrong is terrifying.”

She bopped him on the shoulder suddenly, and growled in annoyance. “Maybe telling me now would be a good idea. what’s wrong with the ship, where are we going and what is going to happen because-” The ship made another fearful lurch, and Fi was thrown forward, nearly tumbling over the pilot’s chair into Idris’ lap. She grasped his shoulders with claw like fingers, her knuckles and face turning a matching shade of white.

“What was that?” she asked, her voice trembling as badly as her legs suddenly were. “We’re going to die, aren’t we?” she squeaked, shaking him lightly. “Put the ship down, Idris. I don’t care where. Put it down on solid land because I am NOT dying in space!”

[Jessari]

Idris released Fianna's hair as Lady Vianne gave another stomach-clenching lurch, his hands moving across the control panel at lightning speed. "Well, here's the thing. I think where we were headed is quickly becoming a moot point." As much as he'd love to deny it, Lady Vianne wasn't exactly a brand new ship. She was older than he was, and despite the periodic repairs and tedious care he'd taken of her, she was beginning to show her age.

He grimaced. "I hate to say it, but it's the hyperdrive." Eyes still on the control panel, he waved a hand encouragingly at the co-pilot's chair. "You might want to buckle in. If I'm judging it right, we've got a few minutes left before we have to pull out into normal space." I hope, he silently added. If he could squeeze just a bit more out of the ship, it would put them in range of a small, backwater planet that he'd visited a few times before. If the hyperdrive quit on them too soon, it could be several days before they reached the planet. The ship's common room was stocked with rations, but it wasn't exactly his idea of fun.

The planet wasn't much in the way of civilization, really just an outpost for various smugglers and others who needed a place where the law wouldn't be breathing down their necks, but it was home to several top-of-the-line mechanics. They'd be pricier than he'd like, Idris knew, but they'd be able to get the job done right.

"There's a planet nearby," he said, reaching over to rest a comforting hand on Fi's arm. "It's not going to be quite what I had in mind, but we'll be able to get the repairs done there." Idris shrugged, his silver eyes wide and his expression contrite. "I'm sorry, Fi. This wasn't supposed to happen, but it won't be too bad. At the worst, we'll have to find a place to stay for a day or two while the hyperdrive is being worked on, but we'll be fine. Getting to the planet is no problem. You're not going to die in space, I promise."

[MillietheWarrior]

Fi lurched forward with the ship, and resisted shooting the tiny plastic dinosaur sitting inconspicuously on the console an accusing look. This is all your fault! she crowed in her mind, glaring angrily at the unsuspecting toy. -you and your stupid sentimental value. But really, Fi knew, she had no one to blame but herself for agreeing to all this. Well, Idris was partially to blame since he hadn’t gotten the ship checked properly before they left, but Fianna didn’t want to make things worse for him than they were. Sure, she was angry, upset, and absolutely terrified, but she didn’t really blame Idris for all this. He did the best he could with what he had, and it was the thought that counted, really.

“The hyper drive?” she repeated, before she practically tore herself away from him and flung her body into the co-pilot’s chair (once Talyc’s pride and joy) to buckle the belt safely across her stomach. She was briefly reminded of the first terrifying time she’d gone up in the ship, and it brought a smile to her face unbidden when she remembered the colorful birds, the handsome [pilot, and the very lovely day they’d spent on the strange moon. Idris’ hand on her arm startled her out of her memories, and she turned to fix him with a terrified glance. Despite her absolute fear of flying, she was far more frightened of landing on an unknown planet that, knowing Idris, would probably be rougher than a Bantha’s backside. Fi had absolutely no idea how right she was as she felt the ship suddenly lurch out of hyperspace and the stars ceased their flashing past the viewport.

“I take it we’re out of hyperspace,” Fi managed in a small, tight voice, her fingers grasping the edges of the seat with a white knuckled death grip. “Idris, is this place safe?” She turned to fix him with a shaky stare, her face pale as she tried to keep herself from imaging the worst situation or getting sick form the constant unwanted noises and lurches the ship kept making. She could see the planet in the viewport; large, red, and most likely covered with a vast majority of desert, if the looks were anything to go by. “It looks like it’s covered with desert. Are you sure this is a good place to land…?” she asked, even as the ship began steering towards the planet.

[Jessari]

Although they were far from being where he wanted to be, Idris was grateful that they'd made it this far. He really should've stopped at the first sign of trouble, back where there was a chance of taking refuge at a planet that at had at least one legitimate government. But no, he had to go and push things, thinking all he had to do was ask, and Lady Vianne would comply. Asking hadn't worked, and neither had begging and pleading. It was weird, he knew, but he felt a little betrayed by the ship he had flown and loved for so long.

When they dropped out of hyperspace, a little sigh of relief puffed through his lips. Not too close, and not too far. It was like Lady Vianne was tossing him a bone. I won't take you to Naboo, but neither will I make you drift in space for a week. "Don't be so quick to judge, Fi. Just because the planet is a little unsightly doesn't mean everyone who lives there is going to be terrible....only some of them are," he teased, shooting her a quick, sideways grin as he angled the ship towards the planet.

He was silent for a moment, listening to the rhythm of Lady Vianne's engines. Once they'd left hyperspace, the terrible jerking had ceased, but something still felt a little offbeat. Or maybe that was just him being paranoid. The important thing was that she was responding to his commands, just as she always did. "I should probably warn you," he began, his eyes fixed on the planet that loomed up to meet them, "that this place isn't exactly going to be filled with your kind of people. There aren't many law-abiding citizens here because there is no law. People behave themselves for the most part, but they do tend to be a little rough around the edges." He shrugged, a corner of his mouth curling in a wry smile. "It's not like we have any other choice at the moment, though. Without hyperdrive, it could take months to reach the next inhabited system. We're a little off the beaten track here."

[MillietheWarrior]

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Fianna grumbled dryly. “What was that about ‘not everyone who lives here will be terrible’? ‘Cuz that sounded a little suspicious to me.” She arched an eyebrow at him, unbuckling the belt when she deemed it safe. They were already entering the atmosphere, so she left him to his controls to scuttle back to the cabin and practically glue herself to the bed as she felt the ship slow and jostle in the beginning of it’s landing. She pressed a hand over her stomach and then over her mouth; yeah, she hated flying, but she hated landing even more. And taking off. And pretty much everything about being up in the air and NOT on solider ground. Idris knew she hated flying, and Fi was content that he knew.

Whenever she felt frightened or sick, she just retreated to the cabin, and he didn’t ask questions. He might make sure she was all right, but for the most part, he seemed sympathetic to her plight, and maybe a little bit upset by it. The ship shuddered heavily, and Fi gripped the sheets between her fingers, staring resolutely at the wall as it touched down on solid ground. She’d need to get dressed, she decided, if she was going to leave the ship with Idris. Once she was sure the ship wouldn’t be going anywhere, she uncurled herself form the bed and moved over towards the collapsible closet, pulling out a pair of dark pants, a shirt with a vest, and a pair of dark brown boots.

She threw her pajamas back on the bed as she slipped on the new clothes and laced up the boots and rolled the pant legs down over them, before hopping back to the cockpit. She seemed less morose and a lot brighter now that they weren’t floating in the air; bad things seemed a lot worse when you were somewhere you didn’t necessarily want to be.  She huffed as she stopped just short of his chair, hands resting on her hips. “All right. Let’s go meet these terrible people. How much money do we have? Can we even afford the parts we need?” She scooted forward, peering at him over the chair curiously.


(OK...So I was totally distracted by The Office while I was writing this...Hope it makes sense. XD Feel free to borrow Fi for whatever time jump they may need. X3)

[Jessari]

"Hey," Idris cried in mock-offense, "that smarts, Fi! You know, I've had to tiptoe around a few laws and downright ignore others in my line of work. I also seem to recall someone calling me a scoundrel fairly often throughout the years, and yet that same person has stuck with me through it all. Have you really been thinking I was that terrible this whole time?" He almost pointed out that they might run into a Mandalorian or two down there, but considering her only experience with Mandos had been with Talyc, it probably wouldn't have been quite the spirit-booster as he'd intended.

* * * * * *

A few hours later, they'd had the pleasure (or not) of meeting half the mechanics in the city. Idris sighed as they walked, mentally subtracting the lowest fee they'd been quoted from his savings; while they were by no means broke, the cost of parts and labor had cut a big chunk out of his account. "Ya know, we should've brought the kids here when they were younger," he commented lightly as their footsteps kicked up small puffs of dust. "We could've told them this was the galaxy's largest sandbox. They would've gotten a kick out of it." His eyes went distant as he remembered when his children were small enough to enjoy such things. Although he loved them to death, he sometimes wished he could've frozen them in that 'small child' stage.

"So, Fi," he continued in an off-handed manner as if he were discussing the weather, "have you ever thought about having more? Kids, I mean." It might not have been the best time or place to ask her if she wanted to procreate with the man who'd dragged her away from her home only to shipwreck her in a grimy dustbowl of a planet, but it was something that had been on his mind for some time now. He'd originally planned to butter her up first, taking her to Naboo and catering to her every wish. The ideal location would have been on a beach at sunset, looking out at the view while they held each other close, but that possibility was beginning to look less likely as time went by.

Idris himself had been the youngest child of nine, with eight older sisters. He'd grown up knowing he wanted as large a family as he could get, and although raising their three children had been an experience, he couldn't help but wonder if Fi would be open to a little more expansion in the family department now that they were grown.

[MillietheWarrior]

((reposting~))

After a few hours of walking around in the sun, Fi was sure she was sunburned from head to toe. Thank goodness she’d had the foresight to put on sunscreen and bring a hat. A very beloved hat which she now tugged down over her eyes to shield them from the sun. She strolled along beside Idris, trying to put the knowledge that she had sand in places sand shouldn’t’ be out of her mind. She tugged at her shirt, ignoring the uncomfortable way it clung to her skin in the heat. Fi was going to go ahead and say that this was the most uncomfortable and dirty planet she’d ever been to. The few hours they’d already spent here had been a fruitless search for a cheap mechanic. Every price they’d been quoted had nearly sent Fianna into a fit, but she’d kept her mouth studiously shut and let Idris handle all the talking. These weren’t her kind of people, and she had absolutely no idea how to deal with them, or what the safest way to deal with them would be. They all seemed dingy and dangerous, and Fi wasn’t sure how well she’d handle their kind.

The last mechanic had been particularly frightening, especially when he’d leered at her and said he’d knock off a few zeroes if Fianna would add ‘a little more’ to the equation. She’d promptly dragged Idris from the shop in an angry huff, but the sight of the man’s obvious intent and the look he’d shot her was pretty difficult to scrub from her mind. She hoped not everyone was like that around here, or they’d be in for one heck of a time. Idris’s voice startled her out of her thoughts, and she turned to regard him curiously from beneath the brim of her cap. She chuckled faintly, trying valiantly to forget they were on some rough and tumble backwater planet as she leaned against him, taking his hand in hers.

“They probably would have,” she agreed. “But they would’ve loved anywhere you took them, you know.” She fell silent, quietly imagining what their kids really would have thought of this planet and where they were now, when Idris’s off-handed question made her start. “W-what?’ she asked, lifting her head to stare up at him in surprise. “What brought this about?” She stared at him a moment longer, before she tore her gaze away and studied her feet as they walked. “Sure. I enjoyed being a mother, even though at first it was a total surprise.” She shot him a pointed look, a wry smile curving the corner of her lips. “But once I got past the worrying, the freaking out, and the harassment of crying babies, I actually really loved having children. So I don’t see why we couldn’t have more.”

Fi tilted her head, watching him out of the corner of her eye. “How many were you actually thinking, now? And why are you asking? You…want more children? Could we afford it after this? I think the repairs are going to put a nice dent in our savings…” She seemed almost amused by the situation, which was unusual for Fi. Most of the time she was upset when things went wrong. But maybe she was just happy to have her feet on the ground again.