Chapter 5 - Food for Thought

While Pergano is preparing the ship to depart, Ken is busying himself in the galley preparing drinks and snacks. Just before take off he hands round fizzy green cocktails with little floating orbs of edible fruit - 'Photon Fizzle anyone?' He follows this up with little tray of canapes.

While the others prepared for take-off and went about their business, Kytra unbuckled most of her gear and placed it on the desk of the small quarters she was given. She leaned her rifle case against the wall in a corner. Finding the others busy with their routines, she immediately took the chance to hit the refreshers. Just to be safe - she knew well that whatever this arrangement was, no one really knew her nor she them - she brought her pistols along. The fresher suite was just across the hall. Although it had individual refresher units, she locked the whole room behind her. She placed her weapon belt and holsters on the sink, removed the armored plates and paddings and tossed the rest of her clothes, including the ugly poncho in the washer while she hit the showers. She just now realized she would need to pick up some changes of clothes once they hit a hub.

Once done, she collected her clothes from the auto-dryer and rejoined the others. "I'll have one," Kytra replied to the Rodian's offer. She looked a lot fresher now. Her hair was still damp from the refresher, and she had lost the poncho and most of her gear. Her weapon belt was hung over her shoulder - she hadn't bothered buckling it yet. Instead, she took a seat in a chair and placed the belt over the armrest while she waited for the drink.

Handing over the fizzing green drink, Ken spins around one of the barstools from the galley and tries to lounge across it nonchalantly. He lifts his own drink as a toast, 'Keno Tesu, but you can call me Ken. Welcome to the Slippery Ghest. We're on a little...humanitarian mission to Columex. Easy as pie...in theory.'

He spits one of the little green fruits into the air and catches it in his narrow mouth, giving the human a creepy Rodian wink (he's finally taken his goggle off).

'So tell us a little about yourself. How's a girl like you end up on a dead-end planet like Uyter?'

Pergano plots the course through hyperspace, although it is time sensitive he sees no problem taking main routes at this and takes the easiest path. He stays in the cockpit as hyperspace hits and sits there awhile, enjoying the coldness of space travel.

Kytra accepted the drink and nodded in confirmation when Ken offered his name. "Humanitarian mission, huh? Nothing's ever easy out here," she replied and left the words to hang in silence as she observed the Rodian's fruit acrobatics. Despite the weirdness of it all and the fact that things were somewhat tense in a sense between the two strangers, it had been a while since Kytra was in such a relaxed atmosphere. Sure, drinking with Orlatay Rhane's crew back on Estaria, was entertaining and they held her in some respect, but she knew well she was never really safe in that den of thieves. Dominance and respect had to be attained. At least with strangers, spacers, and some of her freelance contacts she met outside her regular assignments, she had a chance to kick back either on her own terms or at the very least without worrying about the social structures of a criminal enterprise.

Realizing she had mused her situation a tad too long, still locked in the Rodian's gaze after he had asked her a question, Kytra quickly took another sip and silently chewed a fruit while considering her words.

"The long and short of it is that I'm a casualty of war," she finally replied, not bothering with the fact that she was hardly a girl anymore, but then again she also didn't know enough about Rodian lifespan to know if she was to him. All she knew about Rodian lifespan in her various lines of work was that their best retirement plans realistically was to use their money quick rather than save it.

"Things went a bit south, as you can imagine. The help I needed to land on my feet didn't come cheap, so I do odd acquisitions and jobs here and there, while my benefactor looks after some of my valuables until the credit stream is stable," she admitted. "It's not ideal, but it's as fair as it gets in the Rim," the woman disclosed, but she figured a little shred of honesty could go a long way. At the very least this was similar to working an informant, and who knew when she would need a smuggler crew in the future? If she were to break out completely on her own, there were worse ways to go about it. Besides, she was very vague on the details, still.

"I'm guessing this humanitarian mission also isn't entirely by choice?" Kytra aske in return, "seeing as you suspect you might be shot at again, I mean."

Yes, war brings many casualties with it, Foess says as he enters the galley while Kytra is telling her story.

I've been there, done that, he adds, before he grabs a cocktail and starts enjoying it. Very nice one, did you mix it Ken?

Opening his arms out wide, Ken says 'Of course I mixed it myself! It's my greatest talent. Well, that and my natural charm. Well, my natural charm and my skills in the laser turret. Well...' He drifts off into some kind of reverie.

When he finally tunes back in to the conversation he notes Kytra's question. 'The mission is simple, catch up with some traders and tell them their next delivery to our employer has been redirected. Easy. The only complication is that some other people might be looking to find that new location and deliver something more unpleasant. Oh, that and we...obtained...this ship from Mr Awathne's previous employers, the Yiyar Clan. They might want it back.'

AD-hoc hears a part of the conversation as he passes by the galley on the way to the engine room "What they want is irrelevant." he says. "Unless they outgun us... or outnumber us..." he adds without stopping, thinking more about how to make sure they can keep the ship, if its previous owner try to lay claim to it.

"I guess you're Awathne, then?" Kytra gestured towards Foess with her drink, realizing he hadn't offered his name earlier. "You're right. I usually have my drinks neat, but this is refreshing," she turned the fizz in her hand while still outstretched, studying it briefly before taking another sip.

"If this pans out long-term, I'll pick up a bottle of Tevraki," she said in a friendly voice, yet her brows furrowed as she continued in response to the information about the ship and assignment, "Seems you really are in need of ship security."

"How you got the ship is none of my concern, I'm here anyway. But if people come gunning for it the minute we land, that complicates things. Delivering the message aside, what can you tell me about the new delivery location, and of this Yiyar Clan?" she asked the others, trying to assess the situation and possibly help the crew with an angle. She didn't say so, but she agreed with the droid. They had the ship now, but any outnumbering and outgunning could certainly change that. If this clan was a thorn in the crew's side, she might be able to help. She was good at removing torns.

Pergano has made his way right outside the galley, listening to the others talk. Truth be told, ship security isn't such a terrible idea. Ken is great with a blaster of course but more muscle is never a bad thing in this line of work.

As for the Yiyar Clan, we encountered them first on The Wheel. We were both after the same target and they felt the need to play dirty. Pergano checks a the ship systems on the nearest console. Not forgetting his duties. When we actually found that target, they showed up again and decided we liked their ship as well. Seemed only appropriate. Pergano smiles at Ken with a little laugh. Though, Foess over there might know a little more about them honestly, he had friendly relations with them before we met him

'To be fair, there's a lot less in the Yiyar Clan than there used to be' says Ken, a cynical smile across his thin mouth.

Where are my manners! Yes, I'm Foess Awathne. A doctor, so if you all need patching up, I might be of assistance. Although I recommend staying out of the line of fire as much as possible. He takes a sip of the cocktail. The Yiyar Clan, yes... I was an employee there for a while, although it was not a particularly good job. I must admit that this motley crew is much more pleasant. He grins. Even if it is hard to believe by the look of them, he adds laughing and finishes the drink.

"A clan only needs a few survivors to continue its legacy," Kytra replied, her words trailing slightly before she refocused.

"I'll try to stay out of harms way, Doc," she continued with a nod and smirk, "although I'm more conditioned than I might look," the woman admitted, although glancing around the room Kytra also noted she might very well be the hardest of the bunch even without her training.

"But I much prefer to shoot than be shot."

"So your roster is a doctor, a pilot, a gunslinging bartender, and I assume the droid is your mechanic?" she assessed the others in an overtly condensed manner.

"I see my skills more as a finely tuned instrument," Kytra explained - after all she had more than two decades of martial training, having been taught combat since she could walk and talk, "but if there's food, transport, and a little credits, then muscle it is" she stood up and reached out her hand to shake on it to the various crew members in order.

One of Pergano's many elbows pokes Ken in the side a little playfully I don't know if bartender or drunk is the right word but you have the right idea and he laughs a little.

Ken bristles a little, 'I prefer "Gentleman Mixologist,"' then brightens up, 'But I'll take Gunslinger!'

He draws his heavy blaster, twirls it, and holsters it again at his hip. Then finger guns to Kytra with his other hand. It looks even sillier with a Rodian's suction-cup fingers.

"Mixologist it is," Kytra said with a slight laugh before she finished the drink and stood up.

"How long until the rendezvous?" she asked as she donned her gunbelt. "Drinks and actual gunslinging don't mix well unless the targets are empty bottles," she joked, but a fair bit of professionalism seeped through, as did some reservation. Drinking was a good way to get to know each other, but she didn't quite want to let her guard down - be it physically or mentally. "and from what I understand we're not expecting empty bottles," she said and shrugged.

Let me go check on that rendezvous Pergano then walks back to the cockpit and sits down then begins looking at what information he can find.