Ko wrote:

"Still dunno how I managed 'fore I drug myself ta Ord Mantell!"

"Yeah, me too," Tyron said, smirk growing as he sipped more of the drink.

"See, the thing is, you talk about how you get laid all the time. But every night, my datapad's going off, and it's you asking for me. Hell, I have to work really hard to find the time to keep the variety going -- and I'm the one who 'doesn't do any real work', remember? Do you even have anyone besides me and the engines? I mean, seriously. You sleep with anyone at all this past week you were ignoring me?"

Damn, he hoped she hadn't. Because it would just really annoy her.

Ko wrote:

"But I seen that look in tha mirror before, 'round when I drug my sorry carcass to this lousy rock." She smiled, a bitter thing that didn't touch her eyes. "Are they helpin'? 'Cuz it sure 's hell don't look like it's makin' ya feel better, Ravein."

Yep. She definitely hadn't gotten laid all week.

"Shut up," Tyron said, tone far more  even than he suspected it would be. "I'm not Ravein. I gave it all up--all of it. If it's good enough for the Sith to leave off me, it should be good enough for one bitchy Twi'lek, yeah? So don't call me that again."

Another gulp of the caf left the cup empty, so he started filling it to the top again.

"And yeah. The sex is helping a hell of a lot. You should try it more often -- oh wait, we just covered that."

Ko wrote:

"An' there I was, bein' sympathetic, 'cuz maybe I got some idea o' what tha hell yer goin' through." She chuckled humourlessly at her own folly, ashing her cig before taking a long drag and exhaling smoke. "I guess I'm no good at it. But ya sure 's hell ain't makin' it easy, neither."

Tyron scowled. "If you wanted to help, you wouldn't have chased the girls out. At least when they were here I was having some fun, instead of wasting all this time shouting at you."

Though he did have to admit she had sobered him up a bit. He'd probably be grateful later, though it was hard to be anything but annoyed right now.

"Just... get the hell off my ship. I'll be there, stop worrying."

“Alright Eedy, help me load these containers into the Utopia.”

Wulfric had just returned from procuring the last of the supplies, and as the droid approached he passed to her a container of anti-coagulant.  Grabbing a pair of the heavy plasteel jugs himself, he followed the trundling protocol droid up the loading ramp.

As they made way back to pick up a second load, a high pitched chirp announced that someone had pressed the exterior comm button.

Ko wrote:

"Hey, Yidura here," she said casually. "I ain't too late ta get that tour, am I?"

Glancing at a nearby wall-mounted chronometer, Wulfric noticed that she was about half an hour early.  “Maybe we’ll be able to take off on time after all.”  Cargo was usually simple, load on, load off, get paid.  Passengers though, could be whole other story.  Fortunately this one happened to be on time.

Toggling on the comm, he leaned in towards the mic to make his reply “Sure thing, come on up, I’ll meet you at the top of the ramp.”

As he approached the entryway, he made a last minute adjustment to his cloak, and put on a warm smile for the Twi-lek.

“Welcome to Utopia’s Legacy, if you don’t like the name don’t worry, it’ll be changing again soon enough.”  Once again he bowed, and then gestured towards the hall passageway. “Feel free to make yourself acquainted with the ship.   To your left you’ll find your bunk in one of the spare rooms, as well as the engine room.  To the right you’ll see the lounge, the cockpit, kitchen, and of course, the cargo bay.


Feel free to make yourself at home, though being a mechanic I’m sure your first stop will be to inspect the engines.  I’ll join you momentarily, as soon as I finish hauling in the rest of the supplies.”  Wulfric winked as he mentioned the engines, and beckoned for Eedy to follow him.

“Well met mistress Yidura, I hope-“

“C’mon Eedy, we don’t have all day.”

Ko wrote:

"Mm, switch up tha transponder codes pretty often, do ya?"

“Probably more than most,” chuckling, he continued, “I’m probably just being too paranoid, but you can never be too careful in this line of work.”

Ko wrote:

"Ya call her somethin' else yerself, or...?"

"You know, she’s changed names so many times, but maybe I’m just too fickle to decide on only one."   He paused to knock affectionately on a nearby panel, with a somewhat wistful look in his eyes “She’s a good ship, and she’s saved my life more time than I can count.  If I ever did decide on a single name for her, it’d never do the old girl the justice she deserves.”

*   *   *   *   *   *

A few minutes later Wulfric returned, having finally finished loading the rest of the last minute supplies.  He was not surprised to find Ko deep in thought in the Engine room.

“Like what you see?”  Wulfric crossed his arms, and leaned back against the hatchway wall to admire the scene himself.  It was a heavily modified Rendili Star Drive AX-20,000.  The engine had been outfitted with an extra pair of Cygnus starfighter coolant systems, allowing for a higher max speed without risking burning out the engine.   Custom built Loronar fuel injectors adorned the sides, meaning faster acceleration, but it also meant that fuel reserves would burn much more rapidly than normal.  He had partially offset the weakness with the installation of extra fuel cells, but the damn thing guzzled more hyperfuel than liquor at a Zeltronian bachelor party.

The modifications also meant that it was hell to navigate if you ever needed to repair something.  The XS series freighter wasn’t overly gifted when it came to dedicated engine space, and Wulfric probably kept more engine clutter than the average captain would be comfortable with.

Glancing towards the open hatchway, he noticed that Ko had dropped off her bags in one of the spare rooms.  The rooms themselves were rather spartan, with a scattering of miscellaneous tools, supplies and equipment lining the walls.  Each room contained a narrow pair of bunks, one side of which was sunk into opposing bulkheads.  Underneath each bunk was a pair of empty drawers for storing personal items.  The port side of each hatchway contained a holoviewer, while the starboard held an access terminal as well as the door controls.  It wasn't a five star suite in the Coruscant Temple District, but it could be worse.

“Sorry about the accommodations, they’re a bit austere, but the bunks are surprisingly comfortable.”  Standing up straight, he grinned, and made a motion towards the rest of the ship as he jokingly continued, “Care to continue the tour, or would you rather stay here with the engines? “

Tyron scowled at Ko's back as she departed. The Twi'lek was all the more annoying for having a good point. There was only so much that drowning could solve. And he wasn't the only one who'd gone through something harsh, especially in a group like this.

Logic was irritating. Irrationality was much more fun.

After downing a few more cups of caf, feeling much more sober, he wandered across the Hangar to the other guy's ship. Whatever his name was. The ramp was down and an intercom button easy to find.

"Heeeey. It's me. In case you missed me."

Ko wrote:

"Well, I like what ya did with tha exterior. An' from here it sure looks powerful, an' fast 's all hell," she said airily. "But endurance 's another thing all together - an' it must cost a fortune ta take this thing out fer a spin."
By this point her eyes were roving over the engines once more, but Ko still looked rather suspiciously amused for someone who was ostensibly having a conversation about machinery.

"Still, with all that stuff in tha way, I'd need ta get my hands on it an' get a good close look 'fore I could offer a detailed analysis, y'know?"
Or maybe she was just someone who really, really liked ships.

He was beginning to suspect the Twi’lek wasn’t referring entirely to his ship, and he certainly didn’t mind the subtle shift in conversation.  Flashing a charming smile, he pointed towards the engines once more.

“Oh I don’t think you’ll need to worry about the ship’s endurance, the engines are more than capable of making it to any destination, and then some.  They’d be able to handle a second or third trip if that’s what the, ah, mission requires.”  He seemed very confident in the prowess of his engines,  “ You’re more than welcome to examine them anytime you’d like, if you ever feel the need to try them out yourself.”  Maybe he was just being really polite.

Ko wrote:

"Depends," Ko said, turning to regard Wulfric once more. That smirk had grown to a playfully crooked grin. "Ya got anythin' particular in mind ta show me?"

Returning the playful smile, he made a show of elaborately gesturing towards the lounge.  “If you’ll follow me, I’m sure you might find something else that will catch your interest .”

The lounge was more organized than the rest of the ship, though there was still the odd bit of clutter and cargo stashed about the room’s edges.  It was the largest room in the ship besides the cargo bay, and was evidently designed with relaxation and entertainment in mind.  Entering from the direction of the loading ramp, if one looked immediately to their left they would spy an ampohr wood accented mini-bar and countertop, while looking to the right one would spy wall length padded seating that ended just past the large holoviewer that dominated the center of the room.   A well worn large table ran part of the length of the seating,  evidently designed to accommodate a wide variety of games, whether it was dejarik, chess, or card based games like sabaac or pazaak.

In between the artwork that adorned the walls there were many shelves, containing artifacts from what seemed to be over a hundred worlds.   Wulfric usually made a point of picking up something historic from each planet he visited, and those he liked best were on display.  An ancient obsidian tiped Mustafarian lance, a pair of cortosis-weave swords from the Great Hyperspace War, and a variety of other archaic weaponry dominated a central display cabinet.  Statues, carvings, fossils, and other miscellaneous mementos were scattered about the remaining shelves, more or less secured in case the inertial dampeners failed.

Wulfric was about to speak, when the insistent beep of the comm interrupted him.

Tyron wrote:

"Heeeey. It's me. In case you missed me."

Frowning at the interruption, he was at least somewhat reassured that the co-pilot sounded more sober than he had been during their initial meeting.  What glorious timing.

“I guess we’ll need to continue the tour at a later date,”  With a gesture, Wulfric pointed towards the mini-bar, “Help yourself, the cooler’s well stocked.”  With an apologetic nod, he continued, “If you’ll excuse me, I probably shouldn’t keep the man waiting.”

*   *   *   *   *   *

As he lowered the loading ramp once more, he was mildly surprised to notice that Tyron wasn’t alone.  Nodding to Tyron, then with a slight bow to Ztaka, he welcomed them on board.

“Ko’s already inside, so it looks like we’ll be able to get underway as soon as you’ve stowed your belongings.  If you follow the corridor to the left you’ll find a pair of spare rooms where you can make yourselves at home.”

Glancing behind Ztaka, he noticed a chirping T1 seried droid.

“Ah, you must T1 – I’m sure Eedy will be happy to have someone that she can relate to.  I’ll warn you though, she’ll talk your ear off it you let her.  Or auditory sensors as the case may be.

I’ll be in the cockpit when you’re ready to join me for take off."

Tyron largely ignored the droids and made a beeline for the cockpit, swinging into the co-pilot's chair. Nice ship. Not as nice as his, obviously, but none of the ships were. And hey! At least he didn't have to worry about fixing her up afterwards--or paying Ko to fix it up. It sounded like they were in for a rough trip, so better for the other guy to risk his stuff.

He was there, of course, and Tyron gave him a nod. Wolf or something? Unfortunately, Ko also turned up.

"Aww, c'mon, you aren't a pilot," he said to the Twi'lek. "Shouldn't you be stroking a piston or something?"

As the other members of the team made their way into the cockpit, Wulfric was going through the necessary preflight procedures in order to get underway.  Tyron nodded to him as he took his seat and Wulfric returned the gesture.

His hands were deftly moving over the controls with practiced familiarity, though he was more used to having Eedy acting co-pilot rather than another sentient.  Fortunately Tyron appeared to be in a much more sober condition than their first meeting.  If he was noticed by the Syndicate, he must have some talents other than inebriation. 

Turning towards his new co-pilot, he flashed a wry grin in an attempt to break the ice, “Glad to see you have a second setting aside from drunk,” winking, he made it plain that he was just kidding around, “Unlike Eedy of course, her only setting is annoying.”

“I beg your pardon Sir!,” once again, Eedy fell into flustered sputtering, “I’ll have you know that my programming expressly dictates that-“

“- unless I flick your off switch there’s no power in the universe capable of making you stay quiet.  I know”  Laughing, he returned to facing the controls.  “Believe me, I’ve tried.  Sometimes I think she’s just being rude on purpose.”

Eedy was now more indignant than ever, “Me, rude?  Why as you know that is quite beyond my nature Master Wulfr-”

The silver droid was cut off as Ko and Ztaka made their way into the cockpit. 

Tyron wrote:

"Aww, c'mon, you aren't a pilot," he said to the Twi'lek. "Shouldn't you be stroking a piston or something?"

Okay, definitely something going on between the two of them.  I’m sure that will make for a “fun” trip.

Swivelling around, Wulfric turned to face them.  “Nothing like a pair of lovely Jade Roses to help brighten up the surroundings.”  Nearby and polite as always, Eedy stood to give up her seat to one of the arriving Twi-leks.  “Looks like we’re about ready to go, as soon as you point me in the direction of this secret hyperoute of yours, we’ll be headed to the planet Ota faster than you can say it’s name.”

Ko wrote:

"I misplaced my tools," Ko shot back tartly, "so I figured I'd go find tha biggest one here."

Tyron nodded. keeping up his string of bad innuendo. "Yeah, that's true, my tool is big. And very good at getting the job done, as you can verify."

He smirked over at Wulf, leaning back in the chair. "Though I'm sure the lesser men here can manage to fly this thing, eh? But if you get in over your head, I can always show you how to properly handle her."

Tyron wrote:

Ko wrote:

"I misplaced my tools," Ko shot back tartly, "so I figured I'd go find tha biggest one here."

Tyron nodded, keeping up his string of bad innuendo. "Yeah, that's true, my tool is big. And very good at getting the job done, as you can verify."

Wulfric smirked and suppressed a childish giggle at the innuendo, but before he could respond in kind, Eedy interrupted.  “I find that hard to believe Master Tyron.  A tool of that magnitude would surely be useless in an environment such as this.  Why, if you’re referring to a Hydrospanner, it would just twist and twist without accomplishing a thing!  What I would suggest is-“

Though he considered letting the droid ramble, he thought it would be best for everyone’s sake if he cut her off, “Eedy, I’m sure Tyron’s very happy with his tool and spends quite a bit of time with it by himself, polishing it so that it will be ready to use whenever he gets the chance,”  Wulfric could tell that Eedy was about to interrupt, but was glad to see that she thought the better of it.  If he was lucky, he’d be able to take off without further innuendo.

Tyron wrote:

He smirked over at Wulf, leaning back in the chair. "Though I'm sure the lesser men here can manage to fly this thing, eh? But if you get in over your head, I can always show you how to properly handle her."

So much for that.  Though Wulfric was not the type to take such comments personally, he also wasn’t able to resist a parting shot.  “Don’t worry, I’m sure the reason the powers that be made me pilot for the mission instead of you was so they wouldn’t have to worry about premature takeoff.  Besides, we want to get to Ota satisfied and in one piece don’t we? ”It wasn’t very subtle, but nonetheless he could feel himself failing to contain his smirk.  Alright Wulf, enough of that for now, let’s just get on with the mission.

Ko wrote:

"” ...done! There. Let's get this show on tha road.“

Perfect timing.  Without further ado, he accelerated his ship out of the docking bay towards the hyperoute.  A few minutes later the swirling blue of hyperspace engulfed the ship, and they were on their way.

After entering hyperspace, Ztaka got off her chair as Ko was leaving. "I'll leave you guys to the innuendos, and I'll make sure my droid isn't taking some vital piece of your ship apart."
She left the room as well, in search of T1.