Log Date:
	6/30/97, 7/2, 7/8

Log Cast:
	Paul Nighman, Shenneret Veery

Log Intro:
	After spending the night in the home of his friend Jace Raven and his
family, Paul Nighman has borrowed the other man's ship, and Paul and Shenner 
are now well on their way to Caspar to discover what befell Marcus Crowley and 
the _Quasar Bolt_. But this next leg of their journey has come with an 
unexpected complication, for Shenner has startled both Paul and herself by 
asking Paul to make love with her - and Paul has startled them both by taking 
her up on it. Now, with this lingering on both their minds later in the day, 
with Corellia now far behind them, they close in on their next destination....

----------
Paul_Nighman sits back in the pilot seat, pursing his lips, his hands steepled 
  and touching the tip of his nose in thought. The ship that Jace so kindly 
  lent him is an Ilyrian Gnat ... same as the Bolt, which Paul finds 
  simultaneously reassuringly familiar and eerily distrubing. The Hawk's Wing 
  comes out of hyperspace, bringing Paul's thoughts out of his head and back 
  on the matter at hand. Leaning forward he looks over the planet Sullust, 
  pulling up the coordinates for the next jump and employing them. The Wing 
  takes off again with an intense whir and a surge of light. Opening his 
  mouth, Paul starts to murmur, "Hey Alx ..." when he cuts himself short, 
  remembering forcefully that this is -not- his ship. Leaning back in the 
  chair, he raises a fist to his lips, brushing it back and forth there, his 
  brow knit.

A voice does answer the Corellian's murmur, though this one is not generated 
  by a computer. "Paul?" comes Shenner's soft call, just behind him, as the 
  young redhead enters the cockpit. "Hey.. I got some food here..."

Turning in his seat, Paul looks up at Shen, his hand dropping to his lap. Out 
  of sight, out of mind seems to be the rule for the day with Paul. Whenever 
  Shen was quiet, which she had been for the majority of the day it seemed, or 
  out of the cockpit, it was almost as if she wasn't there at all. Paul was 
  almost ashamed to admit to himself that he forgot all about her. However, 
  whenever she came in, or said something to him, it was as if she were the 
  only thing there. How he felt about her, about what had happened that morning,
  was still something he had not completely assimilated. Reaching up with an
  easy smile, he takes the proffered food from Shenner's hand, his fingers
  stroking over hers in the process. "Thanks," he murmurs almost shyly. He
  sniffs at said food curiously, but his eyes remain focused on the girl before
  him.

It's a simple meal-pack, its heat-seals broken to warm the food within; Shen's 
  opened the lid, too, to allow the scent of the meaty broth the container 
  holds to escape. "Ship's rations," she observes, "but hey, it's food." She 
  has one for herself, too. And she stands there a moment, her head dipping a 
  little under Paul's scrutiny, though she keeps her gaze on his. "You're 
  welcome."

Taking a taste of the stuff, Paul is pleased to find that it really isn't too 
  bad after all. "Have a seat," he offers, nodding his head toward the 
  co-pilot seat. "Whatcha been up to ... other than fixing lunch," he adds, 
  raising the food pack in a gesture part illustrative, part toast.

Settling down into the chair indicated, Shenner sips at her cup of broth, and 
  grins a bit. "Readin'. The disks I got in Coronet. I did another algebra 
  lesson... played my flute for a bit, guess you can't hear it from in here 
  with the hatch closed... thought."

The Corellian pilot blows lightly on his broth, cooling it slightly. "Guess 
  not," he replies, thinking that if this had been his ship, Alx would have 
  opened a channel so that he -could- have heard the music. With a soft sigh, 
  he takes a careful taste. "What's on your mind?" he asks, his voice 
  deceptively casual. Personally, he can't imagine that she's been thinking 
  about much else than this morning's activities ... it's certainly been on 
  -his- mind every time he looks at the redhead.

Shen's slight lowering of her eyelids, the brief blush that colors her cheeks, 
  suggests that very topic at the center of her thoughts. But what she says 
  is, "My mom..."

There's obviously a connection between what Shen's mom did for a living and 
  what happened between Shen and him this morning. A small flash of alarm 
  sparks in Paul's system, as he wonders what connection -Shenner- is making 
  between the two experiences .... "What about your mom?" he probes 
  tentatively.

Shen's green gaze, momentarily flicked out through the viewport as the sensors 
  pick up another ship passing through hyperspace, near enough to sense, far 
  enough away not to worry over, returns then to Paul. Whatever thought has 
  crossed her mind must not be a troubling one, for her regard is steady, 
  strangely peaceful. "Just... I dunno. Got to thinkin' about her... I guess I 
  understand her a little better now. Sorta."

Her words offer little illumination, but her expression helps to reassure Paul 
  somewhat. Unable to pursue the topic further without feeling like he would 
  be hassling Shen, he lets it drop with a soft, "Oh." His gaze flickers over 
  to the sensor panel briefly, as they have dropped out of hyperspace. He 
  calls up the new coordinates and orders the computer to plot a course, half 
  expecting Alx's voice to complain bitterly about all of the work that his 
  slave driver boss forced him to do. The ship whines and then lurches into 
  hyperspace. Paul works on finishing his soup, feeling at a loss for words 
  around this soft and contemplative Shenner.

"Are _you_ okay?" she asks, into the silence.

"Yeah, sure ... of course I'm okay," he reassures her a touch guiltily. "Why 
  do you ask?"

Shenner considers, then ventures over her broth, "Just wanna know _you_ 
  aren't... sorry, either." Her voice takes on a shy tone for a moment or two, 
  though her regard stays on Paul, without her looking away.

Putting down his food carefully, Paul swivels his chair and gingerly removes 
  the broth from Shenner's fingers as well. Depositing it carefully next to 
  her, he rises again to take both of Shen's hands in his own. "I'm a little 
  uncertain what this means in terms of our relationship ... I'm as much in 
  the dark as you probably are, but no, I don't regret what happened." Raising 
  her hands to his he turns them so they face up and then dips his head to 
  place a kiss in the center of each palm.

Shenner's eyes brighten, almost tenderly, as her palms are kissed. She is 
  silent a moment, before she offers, a husky touch to her voice, "Well... 
  just seein' what happens seems to have worked so far..."
Shenner turns her left hand around for a moment, letting her fingertips brush 
  Paul's cheek as she speaks.

Gazing into her eyes thoughtfully, Paul finds that he both agrees and 
  disagrees with that statement. The touch of her fingers on his cheek has his 
  eyes softening. "Okay, so we stick with what we know then, eh?"

"Well..." Shen pauses, then grins, sheepishly, looking down for a moment. Her 
  cheeks turn pink, though she looks as much amused as she does embarrassed.

Catching the drift of her thoughts Paul chuckles softly. "Okay, so we bend the 
  rules occasionally and take the plunge into the unknown." However, the more 
  Paul thinks about it, the more he realizes that nearly every experience he's 
  had with Shen has been something new and unknown to her. Tugging on her 
  hands lightly, encouraging her to move closer, he regards her fondly. 
  "Scratch that," he counters. "We'll just be bold and take our chances."

Shenner looks up again, her grin broadening, as she draws nearer to the 
  Corellian. "Feels more like me bein' bold anyway," she observes wryly. "Been 
  imitatin' boys half my life." She suddenly laughs, throatily. "For the last 
  year, I think I been imitatin' you."

"Me?" That comment sends frissions of alarm through Paul's system. _This is 
  -exactly- what I was afraid of - that I would mold her into something, 
  something that maybe she's not supposed to be_ Then her words sink in more 
  firmly. _A year? We haven't been together for a year ...._ Cocking his head 
  to one side, he gives her a curious look. "What do you mean?"

The young woman grins more widely, playfully, really. "Think about it, pal... 
  who in the galaxy has more brass than a Corellian? And you _are_ the first 
  one I ever met..."
Shenner's grin quirks. "I mean... if it squeals like a mookla it probably is 
  one, see?"

Paul's face looks like it's about to pop. "Brass? Me?" That makes him explode 
  into laughter, dragging Shen by her arms up and out of her chair and onto 
  his lap. "I think you're thinking of some other Corellian baby."

Shenner yelps in a burst of laughter of her own, wrapping her arms around 
  Paul's neck and shoulders to catch herself. "Yes. Brass. You."

Touching his nose to hers playfully, Paul muses, "Huh ... always thought I was 
  more of the copper type myself - easily malleable." He drops a teasing kiss 
  onto her mouth, ignoring the beep of the ship as they drop out of hyperspace.

Shenner's returning chuckle is muffled when her mouth meets Paul's, and when 
  she pulls back for air, although she is blushing, she is also still 
  grinning. "Pound you into any old shape, huh?" she murmurs.

"Putty in your paws," he agrees cheerfully, his eyes on her wet lips. "I don't 
  know where you get the idea that I have any brass in me," he ponders in a 
  more serious note, but he doesn't seem overly concerned about the impression 
  one way or the other.

Shen meets Paul's gaze, unlooping an arm so that she can touch his face. There 
  is still a kind of amazement in her contact, and in her eyes, though she 
  keeps on that grin as she tells him, "You want a real answer to that?"

"Why would I want any other?" he asks her curiously, dropping another light 
  kiss onto those inviting lips. There's something rather delightful about the 
  idea that he can just kiss her, touch her, any time he wants to now ... it's 
  as if a unrealized restrictive veil had been lifted from between them. 
  _Until your next panic attack_ he reminds himself snidely. The little ironic 
  voice then squeals as he unrepentantly squashes it.

Perhaps Shenner has sensed the lifting of this veil, too, for before she 
  answers, she draws her fingertips across Paul's face, wonderingly, gently, 
  almost as if she is blind and trying to learn the shape of his features... 
  or if she is looking at him through a new, altered gaze. She traces out 
  delicate tracks along his brow, down the left side of his face, and along 
  his lightly stubbled jaw. As her fingers brush softly up on the right, then, 
  seeking the line of his cheekbone, she says, "You got a couple different 
  _kinds_ o' brass.... you know how to handle places like, oh, I dunno, Mos 
  Eisley, for one thing. That sure takes brass. And you do things like... 
  well, goin' to Mandalore and lookin' for lost Force artifacts. And you must 
  have some kinda brass to still be wantin' an angsty kid like me with yah..." 
  Her grin turns slightly self-deprecating, as she watches Paul's face for a 
  reaction.

"Mos Eisley, huh? Yeah, I can handle Mos Eisley ... got myself shot as I 
  recall," he snipes playfully. "As for Mandalore, well, I think that's more 
  stupidity than brass. And as for any angsty kids, well, I neither see any 
  kids nor have I noticed any angsty ones lately ... a sweet, protective, 
  concerned woman, yeah, sure, she's around all the time, but an angsty kid? 
  Sorry, can't help you there."

Shen smiles again at that, lopsidedly -- the veil prohibiting physical touches 
  might have been passed, but that leaves alarmingly vulnerable feelings there 
  to be dealt with, and the young redhead reflexively follows Paul's cue of 
  burying reactions to compliments within teasing. "Musta been some other kid, 
  then?"

"Maybe," he murmurs amicably. "I wouldn't know." His arms wrapped about her 
  waist tighten and lift Shen up against his chest, one hand snaking round to
  catch her jaw. Nuzzling at her jawline, Paul murmurs, "I'm glad you're with
  me Shen ...." _And scared too_ the little voice manages to croak from its 
  smooshed exile.

Shenner's arms, too, tighten their hold, and her russet head leans towards 
  that nuzzling. She murmurs back in the same tone, "I'm glad, too," not sure 
  if she trusts herself to say more. She hadn't expected to say what she had 
  this morning, and every word she breathes to Paul seems new and strange.

He takes advantage of her proffered throat, biting there gently then soothing 
  the tender flesh with a kiss. "Guess I should get back to piloting," he 
  murmurs against her skin, but he makes no effort to unseat her, or even to 
  remove his mouth from its grazing.

"We're not...." Shenner's voice roughens a moment, dropping in volume as she 
  speaks around those attentions to her throat. ".... on autopilot... are we?"

Dropping to her collarbones, Paul traces them with his lips as well, catching 
  Shenner's drift. "Nu-uh," he purrs, "but we're in a standard orbit at the 
  moment .... not in anyone's way," he assures her, biting once again and then 
  soothing with his tongue.

She leans back a little, resettling her arms about Paul's shoulders and neck, 
  her hand brushing lightly against one ear. "Well... long as we ain't gonna 
  run into nobody," she whispers, leaning forward again, to brush her cheek 
  along his hair.

Paul raises his head, catching her face in both of his hands, gazing into her 
  eyes for a long moment before dipping his head ever so slowly toward her 
  mouth.

Green eyes hold the hazel gaze, looking much as they had in the Raven guest 
  room... though here and now, there is less fear, and more wonder. It is 
  Shenner who closes the slight distance between their faces, and as if her 
  fingers' exploration of his face had not been enough, she begins to retrace 
  their prior path, this time with her lips, and with that same delicate touch.

Shuddering slightly under her exploration, Paul holds still, his fingers still 
  lightly touching Shenner's cheeks, but he stops, allowing her the 
  opportunity to explore, unhindered.

The girl's mouth brushes fleeting contacts here, presses ever so slightly 
  there. When she is finished with framing his face in tiny shy kisses, she 
  follows the subtle planes of his cheeks back towards each ear, around which 
  she lays a single loop of contact before pulling back at last, fractionally, 
  her breath quickened in her throat and her lips softened by what she has 
  done.

A small jolt rewards Shenner's traveling mouth when it connects beneath Paul's 
  ears. By the time her face returns to its place before his own, Paul's 
  hazel eyes are almost a dark brown, his pupils slightly dilated. Catching 
  the nape of her neck, he drags her to him, his lips plundering hers much the 
  way they did back on Calamari.

The back of her mind registers... Paul's ears. But she has barely enough time 
  to consider it before she is pressed to him, and willingly, she twines her 
  arms around the Corellian more tightly, her mouth melding with his.

Taking her mouth with a passionate, edgy kiss, Paul wonders at the sudden 
  surge of need that floods through his system. He finds himself pulling at 
  her clothes, and it takes all of his restraint to stop them before he tears 
  something. _What the hell?_ his mind whirls.

Shen, finally, must breathe; she does it only by dint of tilting her head back 
  a fraction of an inch. Her heart races within her chest, itself warm, 
  pressed against Paul. She finds herself unable to pull her mouth away from 
  his for any wider space than a breath could occupy.

Paul brushes his lips across Shenner's, the tempting touch maddening in his 
  refusal to land, to latch on. His breath mingles with her own, his hands now 
  roaming at will over her body, pulling her hip closer, settling her on his 
  lap with her legs stradling his.

Shenner's hands cling to his neck and his shoulders, and in a sudden flash of 
  wondering insight turns one hand upward, her fingertips grazing there along 
  Paul's ear, pressing ever so slightly into his flesh.

A strangled groan breaks free from his throat at her touch, and his lips 
  possess hers, demanding, insisting, taking. His hands pull at her clothes, 
  removing her shirt from her pants and sliding inside to find her flesh, one 
  palm searing her back and the other finding one breast and circling it 
  possessively.

And Shen gasps, a fraction of an instant, before her mouth is claimed. Twice 
  in one day? _Learn something new every day,_ she dizzily recollects her own 
  words to this man, before his hands find where they are going, and the 
  resultant quiver jolts along her sine.

If ever Shen doubted his interest, she would know his desires now. Pressed 
  against him, waist to waist, his arousal is quite evident between them. Her 
  reaction only enflames him further. Pulling at her clothes further, he 
  manages to pull down the neckline of her shirt, exposing the other breast, 
  which he laves with his tongue.

The young redhead shakes more palpably in Paul's embrace, then, gives a 
  noticeable twitch. A tiny little noise, perhaps a groan, perhaps a whimper, 
  escapes her.

Paul gentles his hands, feeling a sense of control to return to him after the 
  initial flashburn. His lips return to Shenner's collarbones, his hands 
  dropping to her waist and massaging there.

Releasing a shuddering sigh, Shen leans her cheek towards Paul's head, her 
  arms looping lightly about his back. A few smaller twitches move through her 
  slender frame, and she makes a small baffled-sounding noise at herself.

_That's not a sound of desire_ Paul realizes, and wrapping his arms around 
  Shen, he hugs her for a moment, his hormones settling and quieting slowly. 
  _Jeez, what kind of animal are you?_ he wonders at himself, considering the 
  fact that he had only just taken Shenner's virginity this very morning. He 
  keeps the frown on his face out of his voice. "Sorry, wasn't thinking. Are 
  you okay?"

When she can meet Paul's eyes, Shen sheepishly half-smiles, and mumbles, "I... 
  guess I'm kinda tryin' to still get used to it? I mean... my body is, or 
  somethin'..." And she blushes, but she also pipes, "I'm okay...!"

"S'okay," he reassures her, rubbing his hands along the girl's shoulders. "I 
  don't know what I was thinking other than the fact that I wasn't thinking," 
  he admits. Brushing a finger across her cheeks, the Corellian smiles. 
  "You're blushing," he teases her with a smile.

"Yeah, well..." Shen grins crookedly, her gaze dropping a little to Paul's 
  neck... and his open collar. Her blush deepens, as she sallies back, "So?"

"It's sweet," he mumbles softly, touching her bright cheeks again. _Sweet?_ 
  Paul can't remember the last time he was with a woman and it was -sweet-. It 
  sounded so corny ... so silly ... so, so ... nice ..._ Releasing her now, 
  Paul allows Shen to move if she chooses to, his attention already becoming 
  distracted by his realization and the insistent beeping on his console.

Corny though being called 'sweet' might sound -- and evidently, it's 
  astonishing, for Shen gapes a moment at it -- the girl seems to like it a 
  lot. Her grin broadens, her eyes brighten, and for a moment, she looks at 
  Paul with a very tender gaze. The console's beeping distracts her too, then, 
  and she shifts, murmuring, "Lemme get out of your way..."

Catching her arm quickly, Paul leans forward and drops a small kiss onto her 
  lips, murmuring, "You're not in my way." He then settles back letting the 
  redhead slide from his lap, her eloquent gaze and his corresponding response 
  bringing a slight blush of embarrassment to his own features. He turns to 
  the console, silencing it readily with one hand, and pulling the coordinates 
  for their final jump. "Okay, well, one more and we're there," he comments, 
  putting the ship into hyperdrive.

Grinning again softly, Shenner shyly returns that small kiss, before slipping 
  back enough to let Paul handle the controls. "This'll be my... sixth 
  planet," she observes.

"You well traveled wench," Paul fires back cheerfully, "and all by the age of 
  eighteen ... you know, many women haven't travelled nearly as much by that 
  age." Of course, bringing up her age is a reminder that Paul would rather he 
  -hadn't- brought up. _Crade robber!_ one part of his mind shouted. _Shut 
  up!_ responded another. "I think you'll like Caspar," he says, as if he 
  hadn't a care in the world, "I don't think the forest matches Corellia, or 
  the ocean Calamari, but the city itself is pretty great." He turns to look 
  at Shen for a moment, before returning his gaze to the controls. "I rather 
  consider it my home away from home," he adds.

That seems to sit well with her. Shenner lowers herself into the co-pilot's 
  seat, smiling a bit. Then murmuring, "Caspar. Huh. Saw Caspar people 
  before..."

"You have huh? Where?" he murmurs in response, only paying her half attention, 
  the other half on the controls and what arriving at their final destination 
  will mean. "Marcus is a Caspar native," he notes on a softer note, his brow 
  dropping, concern etching small lines at the corners of his eyes and mouth.

"On Etti IV... and the _Alderaan_," Shenner answers, considering. "I, uh, 
  think I kinda met the President." Her voice softens a bit, with rough 
  embarrassment.

That catches Paul's attention, his head swiveling to meet Shenner's eyes. 
  "You're kidding? Man, you are nothing if not a constant surprise to me," 
  Paul comments, humor touching his eyes and lips, helping ease the strained 
  lines there. "What happened?"

Shenner thinks a moment, and bites her lip. "Well... she was on the _Alderaan_ 
  when Luke took me up there, see? And there was this pilot or somethin', who 
  was with her people...." Shenner abruptly frowns, her eyes going darker.

Catching the flash of darkness, Paul turns his chair so that he's facing 
  Shenner. Steepling his fingers he leans back and murmurs, "Go on," in a 
  curious voice tinged with a slightly protective edge.

The young woman blows out a sigh. "Well, I met this guy on Etti IV, see. While 
  I was still pretendin' to be a boy. And, well, I guess I didn't fool him or 
  somethin'. Saw him again up on the _Alderaan_ and he asked me why I was 
  hidin' behind a lie, and _then_ he kinda... flipped out on me."
Poking at one arm of the chair, Shen goes on, frowning in earnest now, "He was 
  a karkin' nutcase. Told me I was gonna do what he said. Said a 'pretty boy' 
  like me could get into all kinds of accidents."

Paul's eyes darken unbidden at her words, his temper rising slightly despite 
  the past tense of the experience. He means to say, something like _and then 
  what?_ but instead he hears himself utter the words, "Did he hurt you?!" in 
  a tone as dark as his expression.

Shen looks to Paul, then, taken aback by that protective growl in his voice, 
  and the sudden hard set of his features. Momentarily amazed, she blinks 
  once, then answers quickly and steadily, "No... see, that's what baffled the 
  hells outta me, 'cause I told him to back the hells off and he just kinda 
  fell over and started screamin'." She swallows, once. "I woulda smacked him 
  upside the head with my guitar if he'da tried somethin'. But he just fell. I 
  got General Calhoun and that was the last I saw of 'im, 'cause Grath took me 
  to Palanhi a little while after."

Shaking his head, Paul murmurs, "Damn, but if you aren't the busiest of women, 
  meeting all kinds of wierdos, myself included." Rubbing at the stubble on 
  his chin, the dangerous glint fades from his eyes, his frame relaxing once 
  again against the support of his chair. "I think you're right, sounds like 
  he was crazy or something."

Shen's red head bobs. "He was yellin', "No, master!" and "I won't!" and stuff 
  like that." She frowns again, then adds, "Well, anyway, this lady Ms. Dusten 
  talked to me about it afterwards. Nobody told me she was the President, but 
  I heard that pilot guy call her that, so."

The name is familiar, though Paul has never even seen the woman, let alone met 
  her. He nods in confirmation of Shenner's words just as the ship comes out 
  of hyperspace. "Well, maybe you'll see her again," he murmurs, his gaze 
  shifting to the planet beneath them, "'cause we're here."

Shenner snickers. "What, like we're gonna bump into her at a cafe? I'll 
  believe that when I see it..." She sits up, though, looking out curiously 
  through the viewport.

"You never know," is the Corellian's sing-song reply. "Besides, Gods only know 
  where we might end up once we land." His words are cut off by a hail from 
  another ship, requesting his purpose on Caspar. Paul doesn't even blink, but 
  hails back equally that they are visiting on the basis of personal business. 
  After a few moments they are cleared and given the go ahead. Paul begins to 
  manuever the ship, heading into the atmosphere and landing. Apparently the 
  check is merely standard procedure.

Shenner chuckles a bit, and says, "What, gonna take me to the presidential 
  mansion or somethin'? You know how to show a girl a good time, Paul 
  Nighman...!" Her tone is teasing, though the look she slides her companion 
  over it is shyer.

The Corellian laughs despite his concentration on landing and his concern for 
  his friend and his ship, which grows with their ever increasing descent. He 
  misses her glance, his own eyes focused on the landing pad as the approach 
  it. "No, I was thinking that perhaps you were going to take me ... after 
  all, you're the one with the connections."

Shenner splutters. "I'd be _real_ karkin' surprised if she remembered who I 
  am, pal."

"I'm kidding Shen, just kidding," he murmurs, bringing the ship down with a 
  light touch. The chair swivels once again, and Paul fixes Shen with a 
  cooling expression, the few lines on his face creasing in proportion with 
  his growing anxiety. "Okay," he says, his good mood dissipating like fog 
  exposed to harsh sunlight, "I need to drop by the hospital to see if Marcus 
  or his doctor is there. Do you want to wait here or come with?"

Shen looks quieter, now, as if in response to that shift in Paul's demeanor. 
  "I'll come with yah," she offers.

[And with that, Shenner and Paul head off to look for Marcus Crowley. To be
continued....]