Shojo and Kaa join Tasha, Katie and Hakeber next to the Erinyes cargo vehicle, and Tasha knows when they arrive because she can hear the dolphin whistle at her while she's bent over and trying to see what the big armored hoof Hakeber discovered is attached too. Her wings are partly spread and bent as well, since they wouldn't fit under the shelf that Tasha is wedged beneath.
"Yeah, I want to see what this is," Tasha confirms a moment later, reinforcing her desire to find out about what Hakeber discovered. To do that the junk piled atop the rest of the machine must be removed, assuming there is more to it than just an armored hoof. "Lets ask the locals." She wiggles backward, wings akimbo and butt in the air until she's out, then sits down and looks up to Hakeber. "Good work, Hake-bear." A smile. "Are you okay? Everything go well?"
"I didn't know Vartans could snore," Hakeber admits. "Or drool. Or hog the bunny. But that shouty guy is Lacci's.. uncle or something. He's got the manifest for all this stuff."
"Thanks, Hake. And what's this about sleeping together? Did you stay on the ship or, uh, sleep in an alley or something?" Quite without asking, Tasha scoops Hakeber up and places her squarely on her shoulder, keeping her steady with a hand, before turning to approach Lacci and her potential uncle. She waves the others to follow.
"Bow down before me mortals!" Hakeber says, waving her arms over her head as she gets a piggy-back ride. "Oh.. Mr. Invention got us a room at the Surf-n-Turf. No hanky-panky happened though.. Lacci is very sheltered about such things! But apparently also still has stuffed animals.."
The wildly mixed group approaches the argument, which does at least get the attention of the local Vartan in overalls. "You lookin' fer good deal? Buying or selling?" he asks, which makes the Erinyes man's head feathers poof out in anger.
"What's a stuffed animal? You mean, like a stuffed head on a wall?" Tasha asks, having heard them mentioned before but hadn't thought to ask for an elaboration, partially because she assumed it was exactly what she just said it was. "She seemed like she knew what I was about, but I guess I was way off. Katie's kind of like that too some times, I think I know what her life is like and I don't."
Tasha puts a pause to her interogation of Hakeber as she nears the two, saving it for later, possibly over donuts and vids. As the somehow-leader of the groiup, she raises her voice to answer the man, "I'm interested in what's attached to the foot over there." She thumbs back towards where she had been. "Looks like a hoof, bigger than me, buried under the junk. My pet Karnor found it."
"You don't pet me that much," Hakeber complains.
"I'll pet you later. You can have donust too. I missed you -- they made me work." Tasha reaches up and tries to pat Hakeber's head, though Hake has to duck for it to happen. She looks at the three Vartans expectantly, as if all were normal.
"Eh? That's still on.. provisionary consignment," the salvage Vartan claims. The armored one turns and glares, until he hears Tasha's interest. "Can't split up the load," he declares. Lacci just sighs, and waves a bit embarrassedly at Tasha, before staring at Kaa. She's probably never seen a dolphin up close.
"It's a Grunt," Lacci tells Tasha.
"Oh. Can I see it?" Tasha, quite used to hawkers, conmen, and merchants of all stripes even if she hadn't always dealt with them directly takes the offer in stride, playing the longer game of faint interest and distraction. She follows Lacci's gaze and then waves the others closer, "Oh, you haven't met the others, have you? This is Lucky Kaa, my pilot. You know Katie, and the Vartan man is Shojo."
Katie waves in a very natural way, compared to Shojo's deliberate and efficient one. Kaa blows a raspberry, and notes, "I'm the greatest pilot in the universe! I just don't like space krakens."
"Neither do I, Kaa, neither do I." Tasha smiles to her crewmembers, then turns back. "As you can see we're back in port for a little while, doing some shopping and what-ever."
"They sound chewy," Lacci replies. Vartans are not big on chewing things, after all. "This is Quartermaster Fazel," she introduces the armored Vartan.
"So you want to buy a Grunt?" Fazel asks. He should recognize Tasha, but doesn't make any show of doing so. "Convince Overalls here to buy the lot, then he can sell it to you."
"Do you always ask owners of private yachts to do you negotiating?" Tasha asks, hand resting on her hip such that she has to scramble to hold Hakeber up, somewhat ruining the effect. He still gets a look though. "But I do need the practice. Alright." And then she turns.
"Overalls, why don't you want the whole lot?" Tasha asks the man, brows raising.
"My name is Bertham," the Caltrop Vartan notes sourly. "And it's against policy! Not everything is useful, and it all needs to be assessed piece by piece for a fair offer."
While this going on, Katie has been using her data pad in silence. She finally nudges Tasha and shows her a picture of a Grunt: it's a large powered suit (or wearable spaceship) meant for doing various heavy duties outside of a ship, with a variety of tools that can be used in place of hands and a maneuvering pack built in. It looks like a stocky Vartan.
"Do you do a lot of business with Mister Fazel, or do you plan to? Are there locals who might want the spare pieces, who you'd like to do business with? You could buy it as a favor, and expect Mister Fazel will owe you when it's your turn to need a special deal, or consider selling the unwanted items locally? Donating them?" Tasha's no expert at business, but she's been around deals enough to have some idea where to start. It's no replacement for real skill and experience, but it's a start. She pauses briefly to glance at what Katie shows her, stares a moment, then nods before turning back. "I'll be direct. I need one of those. I'll also throw in a favor if you make this deal easy for me."
"I don't need favors," Bertham claims. "Not like fancy-pants Erinyes going to be back this way. I doing them a favor by even looking at their junk."
"Clanless
Tasha sighs, which reminds her entirely too much of Captain Eyeshine and whatever merchant had gotten his feathers in a puff that day. Usually it meant hiding for a while, or else ending up with extra duties. This time around it mainly means extra work for Tasha. Ear ears flatten and she steps between the two men, or at least as between as she can be when both men are taller and one is much higher up. "This isn't working! The only thing you're trading is insultsand you're wasting time, which is valuable! Is this how you do business?"
Lacci comes over, and slumps. "It's like me and that goon when I first came onto the outpost," she tells Tasha. "They're both proud and see the other as.. people who shouldn't be proud."
Katie nudges Tasha again, and whispers to her, "Does she know the asking price for the load?"
"I know the types," Tasha admits, and she does if not from the angle most who see her now might suspect. Her head shakes, she glances towards Katie, then asks Lacci, "How much for the lot, anyway?"
"700,000 Khattan Bond-Credits," Lacci says. "It's not that much.. I think. I don't actually know."
"Hrrm," goes Tasha, who glances to Katherine again, curious as to her opinion.
"About 850,000 Stars, converting it to the universal Galactic currency," Katie says while checking her datapad. "We could buy it, take what we want, and sell the rest piecemeal to Bertham. No idea what sort of loss we'd eat though, but unlike Erinyes we are trying to establish a permanent presence on Caltrop."
Tasha resists the urge to rub her temples. "Foreard the idea to Gabriel, Mr. I and Yue and see what they think. If they're on board we'll see what we can do. Maybe there's something someone on board needs, or I need, or the ship needs. We could inspect it all first, or at least some of it." And she thinks the Titanians might like some of it, too. "What do the rest of you think?" She turns to the others, then up to Hakeber.
"I will agree to anything that ends the shouting," Aaron says.
"Could be some nice stuff," Kaa adds.
Hakeber looks at the junk and notes, "If we could get some of it back.. uh.. back.. it could be useful."
Lacci just hands over a slate with the manifest on it. Not that the list of parts mean anything to Tasha.
"No shouting, could be useful. I'll take that as a general vote of "for"." Tasha's vote is also for getting the pile, but she pretty much stated that indirectly. She accepts the notepad and puruses it a moment in the manner of one thinking more than looking, then hands it to Katherine to forward. "Once the others make their decision I'll talk to those two. Kaa, be ready to buzz blast them both."
"You want them to still hear you afterwards, right?" Kaa asks. "Can't stun them through air. But can get their attention!"
Katie taps away, sending the list and some context as well. It's still a wait of a few minutes, during which Tasha's knowledge of Vartan insults increases by leaps and bounds - enough to certainly put her at an advantage at any port back on Sinai.
"Well I think hitting them might cause a problem, so you're up." Tasha eyes the two men, then exhales, stretching where she stands while holding Hakeber steady. That done, she turns to Lacci and asks, "So, how was your few weeks? Ready to pay the Hakeber and Aaron rental fee?"
"I've been buying them food," Lacci claims. "Do you know how much Hakeber can eat? But.. ah.. I got an indefinite leave of absence approved. I'm not a 'mission critical specialist' so.."
"Awkward and useless!" Tasha barks a laugh, then reaches up to pat Hakeber's side. "And of course I know how much Hake-bear can eat, she's my best friend." The short Karnor gets put down, then gets an obnoxiously loud kiss on the forehead. "I love her," the hybrid murmurs, albiet in a distorted and slurred sort of way from the kissing. That done, she looks up and wags her tail. "So does that means you're on board? I think we have room for a non-critical specialist. You can be Non-Critical Specialist Lacci, under ... I'll have to decide who you're under."
"I don't get to be a department head?" Lacci asks in mock disappointment. "Will I have to bunk with a Naga too?"
"Mr. I is on his way," Katie notes to Tasha. "So we should keep the big guys from either killing each other or.. hosing down the floor with testosterone or whatever the Vartan equivalent is. At least keep Fazel from driving off with his junk."
"We'd have to get a Naga. Katie, is there a Naga in that pile of junk?" Tasha glance Katie-ward is all too exagerated. "No? No." She turns back and shakes her head at Lacci. "No. You'll need to work out your specialization along the way. How are you at polishing spaceships and giant robots?"
The hybrid woman then blinks, turning back to nod to Katherine. "Alright. Well, here goes. Kaa, at the ready. Tasha, hard ball." She isn't sure what a 'hard ball' refers to, but Gabriel says it now and then. Approaching the two men she raises her voice and yells, "Alright, stuff your beaks or my Phin is going to blast you so full of sound your feathers will be vibrating for a real-time week. I may have a proposal!"
The two men are practically beak-to-beak at this point, trying to stare one another down. They do not react to Tasha at first, which Kaa figures is enough to make good on Tasha's threat. He doesn't blast them precisely, but makes the loudest rude sound Tasha has ever heard. And he continues it until everyone has stopped and is staring at him. "Bad squid for breakfast," he claims. But at least the arguing has stopped.
"Ahem," goes Tasha, who pulls herself up and tries to look dignified. "You!" She points at Fazel, "I might buy your lot. And you," she points at the Bertham, " ... now's your chance to negotiate with me to buy it so you can maybe get what you want. There'll be a negotiation fee, of course."
"Negotiation fee?!" Bertham squawks. "Why should I buy anything from you and your flatulent fish?"
"Alright, fine, I'll find someone else." Tasha turns her back to the man and faces Fazel instead. "Selling to me means less arguing, besides I'm also taking your Clansman under my wing, and if you trust your kin to me you should definitely trust me for a deal. And, unlike Caltrop, we travel. You'll really want to work with us."
"I can't change my price though," Fazel claims. "This isn't my stuff to sell, it belongs to the Clan, and is already priced at value." Behind her, Tasha can hear Bertham starting to clack his beak and rattle his hooves.
"I'll let my people determine that. Mr. I is on his way, and other others have been notified. I'm just letting you know we're interested." The young woman pointedly ignores Bertham, hoping he'll either capitulate or else storm off. In the latter case she can always wait for him to cool off, then try and negotiate from a position of strength. He's efficent, he should arrive soon."
"I'll wait," Fazel promises. And Bertham also stays, but the two don't acknowledge one another. Eventually Mr. Invention and Necessity arrive, wearing their more business-styled Dark Horse attire, which somehow makes them look more imposing. But then, the same look made Liza seem imposing too. Mr. I starts out by presenting his card, with the Dark Horse logo on one side. "I represent the Dark Horse company's interests on Outpost Caltrop," he says by way of introduction. Bertham at least seems impressed, or else just seems so because the Karnor is represents a local business and isn't a Clan Vartan.
Necessity smiles to the crew, and quietly hands a packet of more cards to Tasha.
Tasha, familiar with the subtle handoff, quietly accepts them and slips them in to the pocket of her coat. "Thank you for coming, Mr. Invention, Miss Necessity." As their effective boss she doesn't have to say it, but she's learning kindness and treating people with respect goes farther and means more than her previous mode of interaction, which was decidely composed of neither of those. Besides that, she respects both of them as people (and fears Mr. Invention). "Please see to Mister Fazel. If Mister Bertham wishes to negotiate calmly, he may join in." She nods to them deciding that's handled, then turns to Lacci and the others. "Sooooo ... "
Invention puts an arm around each of the Vartans' shoulders - both as a gesture of camaraderie and show that he's too big for them to intimidate. He also pushes them along, away from the articles of contention.
"He's like magic, isn't he?" Tasha remarks of Mr. I. She wouldn't have thouhgt of that, but then she's also not tall enouhg to do it. Turning back, she offers, "Ready to head back to the Dark Horse? Lacci, want to grab your things?"
"Tasha, I did my best," Aaron claims right away. "I made sure they didn't buy a bunch of lingerie or start any fights." Both Hakeber and Lacci wear masks of innocence. "All of my gear is back at the inn," Lacci notes.
"I believe you, after all, I know firsthand how well you can do." Tasha laysa a hand on Aarons shoulder, then uses it to obnoxiously pat his head before grinning. "Lets grab Lacci's stuff and go home."
"So how many fights did they not start?" Shojo asks as they head for the transit tube. "Enough to be popular," the Lapi claims.
Gabriel stands next to Tasha in the Dark Horse hangar, coffee mug in one hand and donut in the other as he looks the nearly ten-foot-tall Grunt up and down. The puncture that got it scrapped originally has been patched, and the interior sanitized. There was a list of other repairs and renovations that were needed to make it workable, and the rack of tools and manipulators for it haven't even been tested yet. "Your first used car, and it's not even a convertible," the Karnor finally comments, before taking a bite of his donut.
"That's a Terran thing, isn't it? It is, I just know it," remarks Tasha, who has since changed in to her casual clothes. Unlike the rest of the crew, she tends to only wear the jacket of her own uniform, often drapped over her shoulders without her arms in the sleeves. Being the owner has many advantages, though she's still getting used to not having to perform shipboard duties if she doesn't want to. "I might paint it red. Or, no, green. Green, black, and maybe gold." In her hand is a cup of tea, prepared by Liza earlier. She already ate her donut. "And I want to learn how to repair it myself, maybe make new tools, or, I don't know, weapons. Add a communication suite for relay to the Horse, so it can act as C&C. Who knows what else we'll need?"
"I assumed you wanted it as an EVA pack for Melchior," Gabriel notes, and takes a sip of coffee. "Part of our supplies will be the tools and equipment we need for a proper engineering bay. The shuttles need maintenance after all. And I think you should add big pink bunny ears to the Grunt. For all the bunny ears we've seen, none of them have been pink. The manual for this thing is made from pieces of three other manuals, if you hadn't noticed. It is definitely going to be cranky."
"I have enough bunnies giving me the business, I don't need one more." Tasha rubs her nose, other hand on hip, tea mug akimbo. "I can do it. I'll figure it out. I want it to provide support on missions where Mel is too big, or, uh, 'Mr. H.' may want to use hip. Times when we're in space hulks, or on the ground. All those ruins are going to be full of things that need moving, carrying, or shooting and I want to be prepared." She sniffs, then rubs a little more. "Besides, I feel a little useless out here. This should help some. Maybe the maintenance bay will, too?"
"Ah, the smell of a greasy woman," Gabriel says approvingly. "You'll have to arm wrestle me for tool time. I like to work with my hands too, you know. Oh, we've also gotten the previous Galactic survey data of the Acheron Ash Zone. Because I'm Terran, and therefore have a built-in need to fact-check the Library."
Tasha scootches over, bumping herself in to her mate and smiling up at him. "We can do it together, then! Someone has to teach me to not saw the ship in half, or something." She wigglers her ears and remains leaned against him. "You Terrans are a suspicious bunch, I agree," she then teases, head shaking with mock condemnation. "But then so am I, but only half as suspicious. I'm more civilized. So, anything good? Or is it all darkness, terror and ruiny death?"
"Part of the reason there's a high bounty on survey data is that the number of planets doesn't jibe with what telescopic surveys have found," Gabriel notes. "Also Terran technology - figuring out the number and size of planets by how much they dim the light of the star when they pass in front of it. Galactics depended on direct observation.. or looking it up in the Library."
"Go look, or read a book. Well, you know how much I hate the latter." Tasha pushes off, then walks infront of Gabriel and sits herself down on the Grunt's hoof, arms spreading. "A number of star systems, all uncharted, all there to explore! I wonder how Lacci will take it? She's the most traditionally Galactic, she'll be a good measure of how others will react to what we do. Any word on who used to live on those worlds, which First or Old One? The, uh, AI might remember them."
"That's the thing about Ash Zones," Gabriel notes, "Nobody knows. We know the Library has been around for what, two previous Galactic civilizations? But we can't access data about the First Ones or Ancients. It's either being blocked by the Khattans and Imperials, or by the Library itself. The other option is that the branches we know of today have lost access to the mythical Main Branch that would have it all."
"That worries me, now that I think about it more." Tasha puts her tea cup down, lifts her left leg and rests her head on it, frowning up at Gabriel. "What if the Sifra tampered with the Library? We know what they want and what they do, and the Library would be the easiest way to keep track of new civilizations along side the test crystals. Maybe the Library won't tell us because they don't want it too? But with how they are now, maybe they can't control it directly anymore, so it'd all be automated."
"We have no idea how the Library works," Gabriel admits. "The Khattans sell satellite branches of varying depth, but they're like the stators: a technological secret. Tamper with a Library unit and it self destructs."
"I hope they don't also contain hyperdimensional alien blood. Or try to corrupt Hake-bear, she's probably full of at least three libraries as it is." Tasha's head shakes. "Well, we'll see won't we? Another adventure, and this time with a full crew, and more. Maybe Mr. H. will have more to say once he's finished analyzing the ship."
"I don't know how much autonomy 'Mr. H' should be given," Gabriel says with a slight downcast to his expression. "He's not very different from Katha-hem in terms of his alien-ness. Even the Niss seem.. spooky."
"You're afraid of them?" Tasha asks, leaning forward and perking her ears. "I know they're different, but our goals are similiar. We want things that can be best achieved by working together. Besides, I need to know if I can trust Mr. H before I rely on him too much. I want to, but it's up to him. He's stubborn, he's even at odds with the rest of his kind. He may decide he'd rather do it all alone, but then that worked out so well last time, didn't it? And like it or not, Atum trusted me to watch him. If he betrays me, he betrays Atum."
"But Atum isn't here, and betraying you is probably a lot easier for something that used to be worshipped as a god," Gabriel says. "I don't like depending on things I don't understand. It's a stubborn trait, and it's been whittled down by magic, weird aliens, soul projectors, dark entities and magic spaceships - so maybe it will pass. But Horus threw over his entire.. family or whatever.. for technically selfish reasons. And that's why I don't trust that he'll have our interests in mind."
Tasha nods her head slowly. She doesn't like it, but she has to admit Gabriel has a point about Horus. "He did it for his children, though. That has to be worth something, doesn't it?" She frowns, staring at the floor a moment, then nods again. "But you're right, he might betray us just as easily for them. I'll keep an eye on him and hope we're just being paranoid." She exhales, then picks up her tea and has a sip, leaving it resting on her knee. "Well, lets think about people we do understand, then. It's going to be who we have for a while now. Any thoughts or concerns, about them or anything else?"
"Aside from giving us the Galactic viewpoint, how do you plan on using Lacci?" Gabriel asks. "Is she going to be a consultant or advisor, or part of one of our departments? The only one that could probably make good use of her is Yue."
"I think even Lacci doesn't know how to make good use of Lacci," Tasha remarks, having felt that way about herself on more than one occassion. "She has training, but I'm not sure she likes what she's doing or is even very competent at it. I don't think she's like Habeber, who is very good at being a scholar and really likes what she does. I feel like she's just ... Going along with it, I guess." The young woman takes another sip, then tilts her head to the side. "Yue might be a good start, but I'm waiting to see what calls to Lacci. I think she can be more, and I feel a drive in her, but I'm not sure where it's going, yet."
"So her path was chosen for her by her family, then?" Gabriel guesses, then gestures to the Grunt with his mug. "Does she know how to use one of these, at least? She must have some practical training. I can't see a Clan like Erinyes letting anyone be purely academic."
"I don't know for sure, but I think it was probably her family." Tash then looks up, nodding. "And I think she can. She knew what it was, anyway. We can see about getting another one for her to use, or work on providing her some other specialized equipment. She could help Shojo learn how to use it, too." And then she looks back to Gabriel. "This one's mine, I need something to use when Mel's too big. And besides, he has prison duties that make using him even riskier. And, well, I want to play Titanian again -- this is how I'm going to do it!"
"Are you going to let Melchior see it though?" Gabriel asks. "Isn't he a bit insecure?"
Tasha rolls her eyes at that. "They're all insecure. Balthsar was insecure despite being able to magically blow up mountains. I bed Caspar is, too, but in that intellectual Naga sort of way." She shakes her head again. "Mel knows -- or ought to know -- how useful he is. And, and! He's currently holding the Father of Vartans. Plus, he's very large and how many times have I wanted to use him but he's too big or he can't manuver there orrr ... Well, it's not because I want to leave him here! But I have to think about the mission."
"Just tell him it's not the size that matters but how you can use it," Gabriel suggests, and immediately hides his expression by drinking more coffee.
Tasha leans back, peering very intently. "That's easy for you to say, Mr. Big Terran Captain -- speaking of things that are always." She then has to struggle with the desire to get things done veruss the dirtier desire to have Gabriel demonstrate both size and use while she's across the Grunt's hoof. At length she decides on a compromise, and will call him back down here later for 'reasons'. "Arrre we all set to go, then?"
"Last of the stuff should be delivered today, and we can ship out after that," Gabriel says. "So last chance for fresh donuts. Or fresh anything for awhile. Did you get the lounge bar stocked, or just send Liza to do it?"
"I figured we were all safer with Liza buying the food and drink," the hybrid woman admits, giving a shrug. "Besides I can survive on ship's biscuits, watered down alcohol and salted fish and meats, I'm only picky now because I can get better. I don't need it. Also, Liza, Mr. I, Miss N. and you are all better at packing and picking than I am. I'm afraid the ship I am qualified to prepare stores for isn't much use in space."
"Since when do I know how to pick food and booze?" Grabriel has to ask. "Jonas won't even let me work the coffee maker. But with Nessy and Mr. I staying behind, that leaves Liza as the only one who knows how to make mixed drinks, unless Yue has special mixology training."
Tasha gives Gabriel a look. "I meant the other ships things, like parts and general supplies -- how many and who needs what. Captain stuff. The reason I am not the captain and you are." Then she grins, sips her tea, and leans back. "Unless you're asking me to tend the bar? You do know how similiar that is to my old job, and on my own ship!"
"That depends," Gabriel says with a grin. "Did you bring your bar wench outfit with you? And I meant the main supplies and equipment will be delivered, not any personal luxuries."
"This isn't luxury enough?" Tasha spreads her hands, then lays back and sprawls across the hoof, or as bests he can anyway. It's hardly the size of Mel's hoof, after all. "Luxuries can wait until we actually have money to buy them with, and it gives everyone something to work towards. As for theoutfit, I briught it because you like it. I have my Amazonians leathers around here, too. I was going to hang them up as a decoration along side my other collectables." She then waggles a finger on her free hand at Gabriel. "I'd tend bar, but just for you! I need to study too, though, and answers questions. And learn to fix this. Uuuuurgh."
"Well, I guess you'll be busy until we leave then," Gabriel notes with a grin. "Once we get to the zone, there'll be a lot of hopping in and out of FTL for the initial deep radar surveys before heading in to the first system."
"I'll be sure to show up in my nightgown holding my tea and nod like I understand all the techno-talk," Tasha insists, pushing herself up to seated again. "While you all try and explain it to me." But then she grins back. "But, you know I'm excited even if I don't always understand."
"Not sure how Kaa would react to you in a nightgown," Gabriel notes. "You should send Katie in naked first, so he doesn't get distracted by you. And I'm assuming we'll be able to make the survey without getting stopped. It isn't clear just who maintains the quarantine on this ash zone."
"Kaa did buzz my bottom when I was bent over searching through the junk," Tasha notes with a smirk. "He's been very good about it all, at least. He knows when not to go too far, so I guess being in the military helped him learn his limits." It's not that the young woman isn't interested in Phin, hut she has Gabriel and her position to consider. "And Katie would distract me and I'd spill my tea! And then we'd crash in to a sun or something." Her head shakes. "Well, she'll like the mech bay, at least. And the Grunt. Um. As for the Zone, well, if it's Titanians I'll do the talking, if it's anyone else ... We'll just have to see. Or run."
"We should be good at running and hiding," Gabriel says. "We can spyhop for the survey, so will be maintaining stealth as much as possible. So we should be hidden from anyone but the Titanians, since well have moved before the our neutrino pulses have entered the system, then do the whole thing over again to intercept the pulses once they've passed through the system. No way to figure out where we are, since it will look like the pulses are coming from all directions simultaneously. Gotta love FTL effects."
"I know I do. I mean sure, a super destroyer giant space battleship would be nice, but I've found fighting is a lot more depressing and a lot less exciting than I thought it'd be, at least against sentient people -- and a lot of animals! Things were easier when I was meaner." The young lady winks, then slides off the hoof and pulls herself up, walking over. "Well, it sounds like we have a plan. I'll keep an eye on our elders and think about what to do if we meet more of them, or Titanians. I'll be on the ground too, when it happens. Is there anything else I should do?"
"You haven't given Lacci a bunk assignment yet," Gabriel reminds her. "I last saw her in med-bay getting her baseline scan from Dr. Knight."
"I guesss I should go check on her," the owner admits, taking a sip then glancing towards the fore exit. "She'll bunk on the crew level, of course, in one of the crew quarters bunks and not top level. It's good she's still here, though -- makes me think maybe I was right about her. Want to come with me, or do you have Captain Stuff to do?"
"I have to supervise the loading of stuff when it all gets here," Gabriel says. "Plus it'll be safer if I'm not there. You know the effect I can have on young women," he adds with a wink.
Tasha eyes Gabriel in a very suspicious way, then reaches over and tugs on his tail. "Yes I do. You'll try to avoid seducing any young women, unless I approve of them! Or, unless I'm seducing them, too!" There's a few more tugs, but then she leans up to get a kiss before heading out.
Once she's back in the fore section, Tasha finds Liza waiting for her. "Is there anything you need, Tasha?" she asks. There are sounds of conversation coming from the galley.
"I need to figure out what to do with Lacci," Tasha answers distractedly, then blinks and shakes her head at Liza. "Oh. Um, no Liza. Is there something going on in the galley?"
"Miss Vesuvius and Dr. Sen are talking to Lacci," Liza says. "Although it may also be a subtle interview or interrogation."
Tasha's ears perk. "As the owner I can just walk in to these things and look like I belong there," she notes, though it sounds like it might be a question. "Lets go eavesdrop. I meanm she is my responsibility and all." Liza is hurried along, and the hybrid heads for the galley.
"I've been eavesdropping all alo.." Liza tries to say before she's wrangled into the galley.
"Hey boss lady," Yue says, smiling to Tasha. Lacci looks like she's been staring into a lamp. "I promise we haven't broken the newbie."
"We can always put her back together. I think we have some of my spare parts around here somewhere." Tasha makes herself at home, droppong on to a seat and then dropping her head on to her hands, smiling beatifically. "So how's it going otherwise, then? Is she secretly a pan-galactic assassin? A Titanian pirate queen in disguise?"
"She's a young Vartan who has never been away from home before," Yue claims. "Which isn't saying much when your home travels to dozens of different worlds."
"I'm not going to go feral," Lacci promises. "I don't want to get yelled at by a bunny. And.. you have another one I see."
Tasha nods to this. "I think I can sympathize." She can, in a way, though her home nbever traveled as far in distance. Culturally, perhaps the same distance. She turns to Lacci and listens, then grins. "They sort of accumulate around me. I'm not sure why, they're no end of trouble. And what's this about going feral? Dressing like a Titanian, smashing things maybe? Leather armor?"
"Hakeber goes a little wild when she's bored, apparently," Katie explains.
"That's part of her charm," Tasha insists. She's had great fun with a wild Hakeber, that's for sure. "So, Lacci, settling in? Glad you came? Cursing the day we met?"
"The ship is very pretty," Lacci says, "and I get to talk to real live Terrans. I just need to know who I report to and where I.." The girl's beak stays open, and she lets out a very slow whine when Rainbow enters with Blaze riding on top. Lacci tracks the alien with her head, beak still open, as the Jotok fills a small bowl with cream and sets it down on the floor, followed by the kitten.
Tasha follows the gaze, head swiveling on her hands and body leaning in. She hides her reactionm appearing blaise about the arrival of the here-till-now unknown alien. "Oh, that's a Terran cat," she offers 'helpfully'. "They're extremely dangerous to toes, fingers, and tails. That one is Blaze, who has the sinister psionic abiloty of knowing exactly where to sleep so as to be in the most way, while being too adorable to actually move. As you know, all Terran species are peculiar, sneaky, and subtle dangerous even if they appear friendly."
"There's an orange one named Creamsicle that likes to hide in clothes," Katie adds.
"Who is the one feeding the cat?" Lacci asks in a hushed tone, as if half expecting that she's the only one who sees the alien pentaped.
"That's a bowl Lacci." The hybrid owner then gives Yue and Katie a look that suggests perhaps Lacci is not all together in the head.
"Is this.. hazing?" Lacci asks nervously. She watches as Rainbow leaves the galley, possibly to find the other kitten while Blaze laps at the cream.
"No I'm pretty sure it's teasing." Tasha looks to the others again, nods, then turns back to Lacci. "Yes, I'm almost positive it is." She rests her head back firmly on her hands and shrugs, grinning a bit manically. "So, you're wondering about the one with Blaze. That's Rainbow. There's one other Jotoki on the ship as well, but I'll let you learn his name yourself. You should say 'hi'! They're nice. The Jotoki are from a world not listed in the Library, which I'd tell you about bit it's complicated. Maybe we'll return there if you stay on, maybe not?"
"So.. they're a secret.." Lacci says, a bit dazed still. "A secret sapient alien race. But.. are they going to be the Khattan's new clients then?"
"Oh, that." Tasha again looks to her fellows, but especially to Yue. "Should I just tell her? Like, an experiment or something? See how she reacts? It's not like she can leave."
"We're still docked," Yue notes. "But now she'll be curious after you said that."
"Well I meant we can tackle her or something," the hybrid offers. "We can do that, right? Or should I just not tell her and make her wonder for hours or even days?"
"If I'm going to be tackled, I'd rather hear it now," Lacci says, a bit nervously.
Tasha nods with an air of wisdom. "My mentor Bumper the Titanian would probably say something like that." The young woman then rubs her chin to add to the contemplative excessiveness, then nods one more time. "Well if Yue isn't telling me no, it's probably fine. She is a TerraGens agent, I think she can throw us all across the room with her mind or something. Katie's just really pretty and smart, so opposing her is just really dumb on priciple. Uh." She then untangles a hand and points at herself. "Hi, I'm from the Primus System!"
Lacci stares at Tasha for a moment, then looks to Katie and Yue, and finally Liza. "We aren't mezzodes either," the Lapi confirms.
The young Vartan girl just nods her head once, before fainting foreward onto the table.
Tasha leans in, then over, then down. "Oh, hey she tackled herself. That saves a lot of time. See, she's helping out already." She sniffs a moment to makre sure Lacci didn't just die, then waves a hand towards her. "Lets drag her off to the med bay and apologize to Jonas a lot. Maybe by the time she wakes up we'll be in deep space and she'll have her bunk! Fun times!"