Nico's Gambit

Welcome to Taris

Odette walked down the corridor of The Gambit. She slid her hand down the paneling as she made her way to the cockpit. She didn't doubt Corso set the right coordinates for Taris but it had been so long since she'd been close and personal with her baby, she wanted to make sure everything had the once over Fabizan had promised.

The lights blinked and the nav-computer sat at standby but the cockpit was empty. She squealed a little when she pressed the engage hyperdrive combination and the ship shuddered only slightly as her engines engaged and the field of stars ahead lengthened out to brilliant streaks of light rushing by.

She returned to the corridor that housed most of the crew quarters. She was nearly back to where she'd left Risha and the cargo hold when she finally found Corso. He'd found the smallest crew bunk on the ship and had somehow managed to fit his large frame into the small space along with his duffle.

Odette smiled and shook her head. "What are you doing?"

Corso turned around so fast he smacked his forehead against the frame of the doorway.

"Oww," he said, holding his head. "What does it look like? I'm getting my stuff put away."

"And out of all the of bunks left available on the ship you chose this? The one Nico put me in when I was six years old."

"Well, it was empty and you said—"

She bent over and grabbed the sleeve of his jacket and pulled him out of the small room. Once he got on his feet, she took his hand and pulled him down the corridor.

"This one is Nico's. Apparently, this one's Risha's. This one's mine, and this—"

She pressed the door panel for the bunk next to hers.

"This one is empty," she said, her hand indicating the much larger room than the one that he'd been in.

"But this one is next to yours," he said.

"And?"

"Well...I...thought, maybe—" he sputtered.

Odette rolled her eyes. "Do you have any plans to make any indecent advances towards me? Do you plan on slicing into my room while I'm sleeping and taking advantage of me?"

Corso's face turned a few different colors of purple and red at her suggestions. "No!"

"Ok, then. Here's your bunk. Go get your stuff."

He turned a sharp 180 degree turn and hurried back to his original bunk to get his things.

Odette frowned. While she was trying to be funny, his over-the-top reaction to any sexual suggestion between them bothered her a little. Was she really that unattractive? She hadn't thought so until he'd come along. Most humanoid males that preferred humanoid females always seem to try to get her attention. Even Darmas, though she was sure he had ulterior motives, seemed more than satisfied with her company and her bed. And for a while there, Corso seemed to get awfully prickly every time Darmas put the moves on her. Now that Darmas wasn't going to be an issue, she wasn't interesting anymore?

Corso came back with his arms full of his stuff and dumped it on the bed. He undid the buttons on his jacket top and pulled it off exposing the clean lines of his muscled back well outlined under his tank top. He turned and caught her staring. "Do you mind?"

"Not very well, usually."

"I mean,...nevermind."

"Did you need help with anything?"

"I really don't have that much stuff. Too used to moving around," he said, looking around the room. He sighed and sat down on his bed. "Do you ever get tired of moving around, Captain? I mean, have you ever wanted something, I don't know, normal? Husband, kids, someone to take care of you?"