Lianna's Open Orbit

"I said a day and here I am."

She walked closer to him, dropping the buy'ce on the couch, her hands on her hips. She looked at his visor, knowing those beautiful silver flecked hazel eyes would be staring back at hers. There was a fresh blood stain on her upper left arm, although she had made no mention that there had been any trouble.

"So now what?"

"It's nothing. 8126 was faster than I gave her credit for."

She reached up to touch his face, to make sure that her eyes were not deceiving her. She felt the need to be reassured of their connection, to taste those lips again as she leaned in and laid a gentle kiss on his lips, tentative and uncertain of his reaction. She was unsure if he would be having second thoughts about being involved with someone like her.

She let him hold her for a moment, then pulled back to strip off her armor. She unzipped the top of her suit under the plating, letting it hang at her waist. Her arm was bandaged but it was starting to bleed through. She peeled up the edge of the gauze and sucked air in through her teeth at the flash of pain that lit her eyes. She patted it back down with a wince.

"No I never did. What do you want to call me?"

"I like Melia. I don't think I should use Tervho though. Although, I feel a connection to the Mandalorians. It was studying for this mission that cemented the decision to get out. But I don't want to take a clan who doesn't know me. I don't know if you can just become Mandalorian without having a clan."

She leaned on the sink, letting him get a look at the wound. It was a nasty blaster burn, the skin bubbled and charred. She didn't want to look at it, instead looking at his eyes. There was sorrow in hers as she reached over and caressed his ear as she changed the subject.

"I lost Lola in the explosion."

Their kisses lead them across the hall to Taung's room, the door closed just in case Gaeza found her way back home. The armor hit the floor with thuds, punctuating the need and desire for them to once again find themselves entwined with lips, tongues and limbs. The quickened breaths and whispered pleas were music to her ears, but when he murmured her name into her neck in the heat of the moment, it struck her deeply. A name was the pot of gold under the rainbow to assassins of the agency. She never believed she would live to have one, and now, she had experienced what everyone else in the universe took for granted; someone saying their name in a moment of passion. Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over her cheeks as she hugged him close to her, her face buried in his neck. They lay there in silence until she pulled back to look in his eyes, a very vulnerable look in those crystal blue eyes of hers. She brushed her thumb over his cheek, her other hand in his thick hair and her voice barely above a whisper.

"Taung, I've never...been serious with anyone before. I don't know how this is supposed to go. I need you to show me."

"You can call me Mel..."

She closed her eyes, lulled into a sense of contentment by the sound of breath filling his lungs and the beating of his heart. She felt the weariness and the stress of the last few days fade  from her and exhaustion took over. She was having a hard time keeping herself awake but in the light streaming in from the star burning at the center of the system, he could see the various scars laid across the canvas of her skin. Cuts, scrapes, one that looked eerily like a stab wound all healed over and barely visible except from a certain angle. She dozed off, a scowl forming on face as her dreams turned dark, tainted by the worry of the hunt for her. She spasmed a couple times in his arms before she jerked awake, bewildered and confused about where she was. She nearly struggled away until she realized that she was in Taung's arms and she slumped back against him, her face hidden as she tried to calm her very appropriate fears.

"Rationally, I know that. But until we kill them all, I'll always wonder. They never treated us like people, we were assets. We were expendable because they were always training new people. Yeah, replacing one of us would be a headache but it could be done. We were not trained to be unique. We were trained to blend in, to be invisible in a crowd and to believe that our only purpose in life was to serve the will of the state. It's going to take some getting used to. If we both are fumbling through ecstasy, at least we're doing it together."

She let her lips brush against his, drawing herself closer to him. She nuzzled his nose, her bright blue eyes softly affirming her words and affection for him. The dark shadow pressed across her face again and she took in a deep breath.

"How secret are we keeping this? The LIA will not sit on my death forever. They have to suspect that I would try to contact you and they have the bodies of 8126 and 9147."

"Are we going off to die in battle fighting the force users? How romantic."

She chuckled as he nibbled at her, pressed so closely to her warm body, his muscles firm under the skin. She could forget everything like this. He was so confident that his plans would work out that she could almost believe it. Truthfully she didn't know what to believe anymore. She had to relearn everything, the true dealings of the LIA and what role she played in their regime. However a new thought occurred to her. Taung had a much bigger target on his back than she could ever imagine. Systems would be gunning for his death. How could she protect him under those circumstances? How could he avoid facing justice for this actions? She didn't want to think about it right now. Instead she turned her attention to the other woman in Taung's life.

"What about Gaeza? I would not trust that she would be safe here in your absence. Are you planning on taking her with you?"

"Off world would be best for her. Send her off with a trusted team and tell no one. Disguise her. Do what you need to keep her safe." She brushed her fingers across his face, his concern for the ones he loved an admirable trait that endeared him even more to her. She leaned in to press her lips to his again, her lips and tongue caressing his in a deep, slow, passionate kiss that sparked them for another round of embraces that lead them to take their pleasures beneath the sheets again. Their breath in rhythm with their lovemaking, the pulse of their shared experience moving the furniture under them and the universe around them. If this was love, she was addicted to the sensation of his body on hers, his whisper in her ear and the taste of him on her lips. They collapsed on the pillows once more, spent and lying on their sides, admiring the view even with the blush of exertion on her cheeks and sweat sticking her black mane to her forehead.