Ask The Worst Rookie

[Thalia Windraider]

It eventually lost its flavor and Thalia was simply drinking for the sake of drinking to get drunk. She knew she had flown pass that line, her senses slowed like dripping molasses, and well her extra sense, the Force, she was certainly feeling all sorts of weird things now. So as the rest of her body slowed, her instinct felt like someone turning the knob of a radio back and forth without a destination. In some way, she thought it felt neat, she couldn't remember ever feeling as such, though she was certain, she had not had this much alcohol before.

She had finished off one bottle, and when she ordered the second, the bar tender informed her she needed to stop. Of course she did not listen, left her blaster on the counter and continued to drink; he did inform he called someone to come get her and tried to pick up on what was causing her to act as such. She was not a stranger to this place and it was unusual behavior for the young rookie ranger.

Thalia did not enlighten him with any additional information; she felt it redundant to speak what she was thinking at the moment, no purpose in telling something that no one here would seem to understand. Or it was a reason so pathetic it would elicit pity from those who sat around her; Thalia threw back a shot, rubbing the healing stitches that now itched more than they ached. The bar tender said something about her superiors and Thalia scoffed.

"The wordst can't do any'ore worsed." she slurred and took another drink.

@Raydo

 

[Nick Shaw]

Nick was home for the first time in what seemed like ages. It was the rare occurrence for him to have a full night off and he fully intended to use his time to catch up the sleep he had neglected himself over the last months.

He fell back onto the soft mattress as he started at the ceiling for a moment. His eyes were already starting to feel heavy. As the last bits of consciousness we're fading away, his phone started to ring on the table next to his bed. His mind initially didn't register the noose, but when he didn't answer the first time and the second call came in, he was pulled back into consciousness.

Nick groaned slightly as he rolled over and grabbed the phone. "This is Shaw." He said in a rather short, groggy tone. "W..who?" He asked, his mind trying to clear the fog that surrounded it. The bartender, a personal friend of Nick's, explained the situation.

"I'll be there soon" he said with another groan. He hung the phone up and sat up slowly before getting dressed again and heading out.

About 25 minutes later, Nick walked in the bar and began scanning the room for Thalia. It didn't take long to find the incredibly drunk Ranger.

He began to make his way over to her. Hopefully he had shown up before she had done anything to get her into too much hot water.

 

[Thalia Windraider]

Thalia glared at the bartender as he spoke on the comm, if only she could use the Force to hear what he was saying or look into his mind to see who he thought to call. Her eyes narrowed as she felt something nudge her giving her the confidence that she could probably do those things. However, the amount of alcohol she had in her system had led her to a less than functioning mindset and the more she thought about the Force, the more now she wanted to stop thinking about.

Alcohol seemed to help her stop thinking about it, but this guy did not understand, in fact, she did not believe many would understand her now. As she poured herself another shot, she put her blaster away, hoping to be in less trouble when her superior arrived. Then one more shot and another as she waited, pushing the bottle back to the inner edge of the bar counter for the keeper to take without further argument from her.

Though, with as inebriated as she was, she could still sense Nick when he arrived. She kept her body turned to the door, her cheek rested on her palm as her elbow propped her up, grinning stupidly as he walked inside, spotting her at the bar. "Ah, I fur'ot you were higher than me..." she slurred, raising her palm above her head, causing her to slightly lose balance and wobbled in her seat before placing her feet on the floor. "You taking me to the slammer or home?" she asked him, letting her head slowly bob side to side.

@Raydo

 

[Nick Shaw]

Nick's frowned deepened as Thalia took another shot as he walked up. She seemed just barely able to keep herself upright, almost toppling over as she spoke to him in a slurred voice.

He gave the bartender an apologetic look before pulling out some credits and laying them on the bar, pushing it towards the man. "Thanks for calling me. I'll make sure she is dealt with." He said before turning back to Thalia.

"Home. Unless you think you want to go to jail?" He asked sarcastically as he offered to help her stand. "Come on, let's go." He said.

He helped her outside if needed, but she wasn't the type to be too willing for help, so he only stepped in if it was required.

Once Thalia was loaded in the speeder, he climbed in but didn't start it right away. He looked straight ahead, gathering himself before finally turning towards her. "You can't go around waving your duty weapon around while you're even a little drunk. What if it would have gone off?" He asked, agitation obvious in his voice.

 

[Thalia Windraider]

He picked home and Thalia couldn't decide if she was relieved by that response and walked with him, to the best of her ability, out the door of the bar. What she could tell, let alone feel was the agitation in his voice, this was the last thing he wanted to do this evening, Ah, he has a temper...

The voice returned and Thalia felt an urgency to go back inside to drink it out of her mind, but instead she got into the speeder with a little help from Nick as he seemed to keep her upright. He also got in the speeder, but did not start it, Thalia's eyes did not look at him as it starred at the ignition button. She was being lectured about her weapon, but that was the least of his concern; it seemed so simple to as what she could see and experience.

"Got it, I wo' doet again." she said flatly still slurring her words as she tilted her head back against the headrest as she reached down and removed her blaster handing it to Nick. "Here, take it." she slowly turned her head to look at him, the voice spoke again, You don't need it..., "Keep it, I dun need it." she said then turning her attention back to them still parked, "C'mon..."

He has to make a point...

@Raydo

 

[Nick Shaw]

He took a deep breath and took the blaster from her. He wasn't about to argue with her while she was this drunk. There was a good chance she wouldn't even remember the encounter.

She urged him to leave, and he started the speeder, engines humming to life but he didn't move to leave the spot he was parked in.

He had dealt with cops that drank themselves into an early grave. It was easy to try and fall into the trap of trying to cope with a bottle but he had never met someone who managed to run away from their demons. His agitation softened slightly as he took another breath. "You doing alright?" he asked " You know I have your back if you ever need to talk."

 

[Thalia Windraider]

He started the speeder finally and Thalia let out an obvious sigh of relief and sank into her seat. She closed her eyes and let the wind whip around her face as he started back to the complex. His tone changed as he drove, even if he did not have the Force like herself, he could tell there was something off. She wasn't certainly one who liked to drink, but anything stronger would require her to explore illicit options. She wasn't ready for that option, but she was unsure on how to close the door she had just opened. He inquired how she was doing, offering an ear if she needed to talk.

Loyal all the way?

Thalia winced to the invisible sharpness of the cold that was crystallizing in her center, reminding her of the presence that has nested inside her, "I opened something that I cannot close." she said, knowing it sounded cryptic, "At least I have not figured out how to close." she explained.

I am you, you cannot close that...

"I have a power, Nick." she said, feeling her entire body tense as she already felt she spoke too much about her Force abilities, "The Force, I have it." she said as though she were describing a sickness.

@Raydo

 

[Nick Shaw]

He half expected her to tell or scream or throw up but she seemed to gather herself together slightly.

With the slur to her words and the vagueness of her choice of words it was difficult to discern what she was getting on about. It was obviously something she was pretty upset over so he just listened and let her take her time speaking.

When she mentioned she had a power, he half thought these were the ravings of a very drunk Sector Ranger. She would not be the first to break under the stress of the job.

When she finished by saying she had the Force, Nick was unsure how to respond. He didn't really know much about the Force, and up until very recently didn't actually believe it was real. He had worked with enough Jedi to know it was at least a real thing, but didn't know much more.

"I don't really know much about this Foce, but it doesn't seem so bad." He said with a shrug. "I have worked with a handful of Jedi and they all seemed to have it pretty together and there is no doubt some of the things they can do are pretty spectacular." He said as he glanced over periodically before turning back to the traffic lanes.

 

[Thalia Windraider]

She expected his response to be less empathetic though she was not surprised that he had worked with a few Jedi already as a Ranger. Many of her Ranger partners have already did, including herself and her abilities were no secret to some Jedi who seemed utterly baffled by her lack of willingness to share or partake in what many believed to be a blessing. Thalia kept her eyes closed and head tilted backwards, the alcohol was rolling through her system still and the speed of the vehicle was not helping to settle the nausea that was growing.

She was uncertain what to say when he expressed thinking the Jedi abilities were spectacular. "Maybe not so bad when you don't have it or if you're a Jedi. But I'm not either of those, I'm a stupid fool-for-a-cop who can move stuff with my mind and..and...read the thoughts of others." she sighed, "I feel...so alone with it and I can't go and ask the chief what I should do with it or how to handle it, I'm like a slave again, but this time its this magic."

Thalia rubbed her face with her palms, she was feeling absolutely lost on how to explain herself to Nick, she wanted him to understand how she felt, but how could he feel what she was feeling.

@Raydo

 

[Nick Shaw]

Nick had a hard time seeing the downside of being able to move things with his mind. With those powers, maybe he would still have his hand. Regardless, there was no question it was cuasing significant stress to Thalia.

"Maybe take a couple of days off," he suggested, glancing over at her. "We can reach out to some people and see what your options are and what can be done," he said, offering to help. He had been the one to get Thalia in the Sector Rangers, he felt at least somewhat responsible for her well being, and he considered her a friend.

"But going around waving your blaster around in a crowded bar while drunk is a good way to make this a lot worse in a hurry," he said as they neared Thalia's apartment.

"You are not alone in this," he reassured her as he parked the speeder.

Not trusting she would make it lift and into her apartment, he climbed out of the speeder. "Alright, lets get you inside," he said.

 

[Thalia Windraider]

"I just got done taking days off." she scoffed when he suggested she take time off and instinctively pressed her hand against her center where she was injured from the prison attack. If only you used your power to stop them...

"Maybe I just need a transfer from Coruscant and head to Chandrila or somewhere." Thalia sighed as Nick offered to speak to some people about what he could do to help, "Maybe I just need to see the Jedi again, they helped me once before." She shook her head, her thoughts were swimming out of her reach, she couldn't keep them straight and dwell on them further, "Or maybe I just need to keep drinking, that seems to help out a lot of other people."

Or, just reach and grasp me girl...

Nick laid on the blaster again and she felt her insides twist with annoyance and the voice grew louder, for a moment becoming her own stream of thought, and her mind screamed to drown out its voice, trying to reject the chaos that threatened to consume. She did not remember closing her eyes or what else Nick had said as he had stopped the speeder in front of her apartment building. Nick got of the speeder and Thalia pretty much just fell out of the speeder as she tried to stand only finding the speeder to prop her up until Nick came around to help her inside.

"I shouldn't be here." she told him, "I should have stayed away from you and the Rangers, and the Jedi and just kept seeking to survive on my own. Things seemed too good."

@Raydo

 

[Nick Shaw]

Nick was quite as they entered the turbolift, not sure if anything he said would help or just make it worse. She was clearly not in a good state of mind.

The door to Thalia's apartment slid open and he half-carried half-dragged her inside. "Look," he said getting her onto a bed. "Don't make any choices tonight," he said. "We can figure it out tomorrow," he added.

While her problems were different, they were also the same issues Nick had seen countless cops go through. Maybe he had pushed her too hard, maybe she wasn't cut out for the job, not everyone was. Nick thought she was though if she could only break through this.

He poured a glass of water and placed a couple of pain killers on a nightstand. In the morning, she was likely going to be feeling it pretty heavily. "You need anything else?" he asked, his tone of more of a friend than another Ranger. He cared about her and he couldn't help but feel she was going through stuff that Nick couldn't even hope to understand. For now, he hoped being there would be enough.

 

[Thalia Windraider]

She leaned against Nick as he helped her onto the lift, wrapping an arm around him to better grasp his clothing to keep her balance. Her eyes remained closed on the lift, the lights already hurting, and the speed in which the transport jolted them upward, made her stomach turn with displeasure. He walked to her door and she laid her palm on the scanner, letting them inside, the door closing behind them and Thalia inhaled. For the briefest moment, Thalia felt a sense of calm and security, but it was as soon as she felt the warmth trickle through her body did the cold sharply pierce her center.

She grasped tighter, pulling herself closer to Nick as he set herself down on her bed. Looking up, she saw him fill a glass of water and set it down on her nightstand along with some painkillers. He spoke again, asking if she needed anything and Thalia looked up at him and then at the glass on her nightstand.

"No..." she whispered and shook her head, "I can-" she paused, her stomach no longer could hold its contents and she spewed its contents all down Nick's legs, covering his pants and shoes.

@Raydo

 

[Nick Shaw]

He waited to see if she needed anything, though he quickly wished he would have done so a few feet away. Nick could handle a lot of things, vomit was not one of them. His stomach turned slightly as the liquid seeped through his pants.

He opened his mouth the speak but didn't trust his own stomach. He ran a hand through his messy hair, sure this woman would be the cause for more than a few turning gray. He sighed, collecting himself and letting whatever anger he had died down.

Nick pulled a cover over the woman. "Good Night, Thalia. Call me tomorrow." he finally said before turning to leave, hitting the lights as he did so. As the bedroom door closed behind him, he looked down at his vomit-covered clothes. He sighed one more time before making his way to leave after making sure everything was locked up.

It was going to be a long ride home.

 

[Thalia Windraider]

She watched him leave her room and out her apartment, turning off the lights as he went and leaving a shoe print vomit trail behind. Her thoughts were silent, but the Force was not, reassuring she did not need him, but she could also make him see her pain, to feel it also, reminding her of the power he would awe while she feared her own limitations or there the lack of. Thalia was uncertain if she wanted that, or needed to do that, Nick was too patient for her to wish ill upon him. It was probably why his disappointment in her did hurt, she had felt his doubts in her ability to be a Ranger made Thalia wish she could hit a reset button and start over.

Running a hand through her hair, she looked at the painkillers on the nightstand and took them, downing the glass of water in one long drink. Hoping sleep would come quickly to avoid the whispers in the Force as it continued to buzz in her ears like white noise and static on a radio. She fell back onto her bed, not bothering to change her clothes or remove her shoes and couldn't recall how quickly she fell into a deep sleep.

_________________________________________________________

When morning came, she did not feel any better, in fact, everything felt far worse than a hangover, and though she could function, shower, and clean up the vomit trail, her body felt like it was beaten senselessly by something larger than herself. Even worse was the static whispers that agitated her senses. Her comm beeped with several messages from her supervisor, one made her groan with weariness as she knew it was about the shtick at the bar last night. Instead, she did as Nick told her, and she let her thumb hover for a moment over his name, debating to even listen to what he had to say. She remembered the night before, she was uncertain if she was ready to listen to another lecture on Ranger decorum.

Instead, she decided to go see him; it would not be a far walk, there was a tendency for all the Rangers to be centralized in one area not too far from their precinct office. Which also meant the risk of running into other Rangers, however, she tended to keep enough to herself without drawing too many eyes from others anyways. Sometimes the Force had its help in keeping her out of the sight and thoughts of those she would pass.

Regardless as she approached his apartment, she hoped he was home and did not have to go into work; a tinge of worry plagued its way into her thoughts that maybe she should have called first, but she was quick to dismiss it. Taking the lift to his floor, she walked to his door and knocked, waiting for him to answer.

@Raydo

 

[Nick Shaw]

Nick had arrived home and washed off his boots before most of the smell could settle in before leaving them outside the apartment door to air out.

He changed out of old clothes and turned in for the night, only briefly looking at the stack of papers that called to him. Nick was technically off work for the next few days but he had his own projects he worked on his off time.

The next came and the buzzer rang as he had just finished showing. He knew it was her before the door even opened. Toothbrush still in mouth, he looked her up and down. "You look like shit." He joked before gesturing for her to come in.

He had already been making a cup of coffee for himself but offered it to her once they got inside. "I think you need this more than me" he said pushing the mug in her hands.

 

[Thalia Windraider]

Nick answered the door with his toothbrush in his mouth, clearly sarcastically judging her with a full body scan, however, Thalia did feel like shit and really wanted to crawl back into bed and not leave for the next few years. She stepped inside and the door closed behind her as she followed Nick, who offered her his cup of caf, which she was more than willing to drink without the add of cream or sugar to lighten it up.

"You don't even know." she said watching him return to finish brushing his teeth. "Sarge wants to see me, so I won't be long." she was a bit relieved she was not under Agnes, she would have flailed her verbally and probably put her on extended leave.

"Thank you for coming to get me, Nick." she said softly, "Things have not been the same since the attack on the prison. I still think about the should haves and could ofs and the ifs, if I were stronger, smarter, or faster, I could have done more to stop those sith bastards." she explained shaking her head and then taking a long drink of the hot beverage.

"I know its not an excuse, but I dunno how or what else it is coming from."

@Raydo

 

[Nick Shaw]

He finished brushing his teeth, rinsing his mouth with water from the sink. He nodded slightly when she said she was about to head in to speak with her sergeant, glad she was willing to face it head-on.

He continued to listen to her explanation, her fear of not being enough. It was a feeling that every cop faced if they were worth a damn. After she finished speaking, he was quiet for a moment longer. "Those feelings are felt by every single Ranger at some point in their career. We work alone so often that it can be easy to forget we don't have to shoulder those burdens alone. We aren't always going to save everyone, bring everyone we chase to justice. You do what good you can, and rely on your brothers and sisters when you are met with failure." he said meeting her eyes.

"Now, you have a choice." he said pouring a cup of coffee for himself. "You can go to that meeting, take your couple day suspension as a slap on the wrist and move on. Or.." he said. "You and me go search for the answers you have been looking for." he finished. He wasn't going to let her face whatever demons she had alone. "Everyone will think you were on a special undercover assignment from me." he said holding up a folder of the "assignment" he had made earlier in the morning. Thalia's supervisor had protested, of course, but his days of being bullied by over-zealous sergeants were over now that he had the weight of rank to throw around.

"Its up to you, but if you let this thing consume you, it will and it will put a lot of people in danger." he said.

 

[Thalia Windraider]

He reminded her about the unintended consequences of this job. It was a lonely and unforgiving, it reminded much of her life under servitude in the mines, but unlike then, she had her freedom currently. However, he was right, she had to rely on her friends and colleagues for support in times like this. Nick returned to the kitchen and poured himself a cup of caf and Thalia sipped from her cup some more, enjoying the burn of the drink. He decided to give her a choice, which was odd sounding coming from him, though she had forgotten about the promotion he had received and sat considerably higher than her.

Thalia's eyes widened with surprise when he mentioned he had already spoken to Sergeant Redd who was ready to give her a few days suspension but then offered another choice as he held up a folder. The rookie ranger eyed him cautiously trying to gather what he was getting at with this special assignment. Setting down the coffee cup, she took the folder from him, he seemed to understand the dire of her situation, the confrontation she had to face within herself, but he wasn't a Jedi, nor was she, though perhaps he spoke with a Jedi about it.

Regardless, it was what she wanted to do and he seemed to understand.

"Nick, I just don't want to hurt anyone because I couldn't control this...this power I have." she explained, remembering when she was first learning some sort of control with the Jedi Knight, Max Tionson; who the last time she saw him, could not be bothered. "Its so overwhelming at times and I just wish I can turn it off like a switch."

She opened the folder, flipping through the pages of the report write up for the mission. "Are you coming with me then?" she asked.

@Raydo

 

[Nick Shaw]

He listened as she spoke, hearing the pain in her voice. There wasn't much he could say. What she was going through was similar to what most Sector Rangers went through, but in other ways it was entirely different. So he didn't say anything, taking another long drink from his mug.

"If I didn't, I would just have to come pull you out of whatever trouble you got into anyways. Might as well save the trouble of having to track you down." He said with a grin.

Nick moved to a backpack he had already packed. He lived out of his ship most of the time anyway, so most of his stuff was already there.

He clipped his gun belt on before sliding his blaster into it's holster. He then pulled on his jacket before look back over to her. "So where do we start?" He asked