I Wanna Learn How to Fire That Pistol
Captain Keeli had faced battle droids, artillery fire, and impossible odds.
None of those experiences had prepared him for the nervous anticipation twisting in his stomach as he guided his speeder bike through the sleeping streets of Laci’s hometown.
He had replayed their first meeting more times than he cared to admit.
The bright-eyed human woman who had caught him and Skip raiding a hospital loading dock.
The way she had confronted armed strangers without a second thought.
The bump on the back of her head.
The impossible blue eyes.
I wanna learn how to fire that pistol.
Keeli had agreed immediately.
He would have agreed to almost anything she asked.
The eastern horizon was just beginning to brighten when he turned into the alley behind the hospital.
She was waiting in the shadows, leaning against the wall with one boot braced behind her.
For a moment, Keeli simply stared.
Her hair was down this time, still damp from a recent shower. Soft blonde waves brushed just past her shoulders, catching the first hints of morning light.
She wore faded green cargo pants tucked into worn brown leather boots and a bright red shirt that left a narrow strip of skin visible above the waistband. A weathered jacket hung open, and a wide-brimmed hat sat at a jaunty angle on her head.
A knife and a water bottle hung from her belt.
She looked practical, adventurous, and devastatingly beautiful.
The woman was going to be the end of him.
The moment she spotted him, her face lit up.
She hurried over before he had even fully shut down the bike.
“Wow! Is this one of those speeder bikes I’ve seen on the holonet? This is so cool!”
She circled the bike, firing questions faster than a B1 battle droid could chatter.
“How does it stay above the ground?”
“Can anyone learn to drive one?”
Keeli laughed helplessly.
She was talking so fast he had no chance of answering.
Then, to his complete astonishment, she climbed onto the back seat as though she had done it a hundred times.
Keeli turned, trying not to smile too broadly.
“You haven’t told me where we’re going.”
“And you still haven’t told me your name.”
A blush spread across her cheeks.
Keeli had not realized a human could become even prettier.
“Oh.” She tucked a damp strand of hair behind her ear. “Sorry. I’m Lacinda Cornell, but my friends call me Laci.”
She lifted two slim poles tied together with line.
“We’re going to an old military training camp. It’s been abandoned for years. There are rifle ranges, obstacle courses, and a little creek.”
“I thought after the blaster lesson I could teach you how to catch fish.”
Keeli stared at her for a heartbeat.
This woman had planned an entire outing.
His chest tightened unexpectedly.
“Well, Laci,” he said, savoring her nickname, “I’d be honored.”
The abandoned training camp sat nestled in the foothills beyond the city.
Weathered structures stood silent beneath towering trees, nature slowly reclaiming the grounds.
Laci proved to be a quick study.
After a few instructions on stance and grip, she hit the center of the target.
Then she turned to him with a grin so radiant it nearly stole his breath.
She examined the DC-17 in her hands.
“It’s much easier than the rifles we use for hunting.”
“There’s hardly any recoil.”
Keeli took the blaster back, his fingers brushing hers.
They spent the rest of the morning exploring the camp.
Laci showed him obstacle courses and old training grounds, peppering him with questions about the Republic, the war, and life among the stars.
Keeli answered as best he could, though he found himself watching her more than the scenery.
Everything about her fascinated him.
The way she seemed equally excited by blasters, speeders, and stories of distant planets.
By midday, they made their way to the creek.
Laci crouched near the bank, baited the hooks, and cast her line with practiced ease.
Keeli attempted to imitate her.
His first cast landed in a bush.
His second nearly hooked his own sleeve.
Laci laughed so hard she had to sit down.
“You command troops in battle, Captain, but this defeats you?”
“I’m beginning to suspect this was all a plot to embarrass me.”
She flashed him a wicked grin.
Eventually, with her patient guidance, he managed a respectable cast.
She cleaned them expertly, gathered wild herbs along the creek bank, and cooked a simple meal over a small fire.
Keeli watched in amazement.
“You carry fishing gear and cooking supplies in your pack?”
He accepted the roasted fish and took a bite.
She sat cross-legged across from him, sunlight filtering through the trees and catching in her golden hair.
For a moment, Keeli forgot there was a war.
Forgot there were wounded men depending on him.
Forgot the uncertainty of tomorrow.
When they finished eating, they stretched out beside the creek.
The water murmured softly over smooth stones.
Laci lay on her back, hat tipped over her eyes.
“Tell me something,” she said.
She turned her head to look at him.
“What made you decide to become a soldier?”
Keeli was quiet for a moment.
“I was created to be one.”
Laci’s expression softened.
“That doesn’t mean you had to be a good one.”
Keeli looked away, unexpectedly moved.
No one had ever put it that way before.
“And what about you? Why medicine?”
“Because when people are hurt, I want to help.”
Keeli studied her in the dappled sunlight.
It struck him then with startling clarity.
Later, as they packed their things and prepared to leave, Keeli glanced at her and shook his head in wonder.
He helped her onto the speeder.
“I had to travel halfway across the galaxy to find the girl of my dreams.”
For once, Laci was speechless.
A rosy blush spread across her cheeks.
Then she smiled—a soft, luminous smile that Keeli knew he would remember for the rest of his life.
She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned close.
“Then it’s a good thing you got lost.”
Keeli laughed, kicked the speeder to life, and carried them back toward the city.
Neither of them knew how little time they would have together.
Neither of them knew how profoundly they would change one another.
But as Laci rested her cheek between his shoulder blades and the sun climbed higher into the morning sky, Keeli allowed himself to believe that perhaps fate had finally given him something meant just for him.
