"I don't really have a choice, but as long as we get there as soon as we can, I can get my ship back and the cargo." He said.
"Good, but we still can't leave until my crew member gets back with the hose and the fuel line is fixed." I told him, then touched the side of my neck. "Rassen?" I spoke into the communicator. "Rassen?"" He glanced around looking for who I was talking too, his hand moving toward his weapon at his side. Lane smiled at him and shook her head. She mouthed the word "Communicator." toward him and pointed to her neck.
"Rassen?" I waited again, then sighed. "I know you can hear me."
"Can't a man drink in peace without having to be interrupted?!" he answered being snippy. "What do you want?"
"I need you to get back to the ship." I told him. "We need to leave."
"Why? What's wrong?"
"Nothing, just get back to the ship."
"We don't have to drop off the load for another couple of hours." I heard him sigh.
"Well things have changed, just get back to the ship as quick as you can and bring the hose, I know you have it." I told him. "And hurry, before Lane has a cow."
"I don't care what type of animal Lane has." He hesitated a bit. "Fine, on my way." he grumbled and the communicator went silent. I started to grab tools that Lane wasn't using, tossed them into baskets and then placed those into the crates, then closing the tops securing them down. While Lane was placing the cleaned gears and parts back into their spots and bolting them down. I looked over at the guy just standing there watching. I picked up a couple of the crates and walked over to him and shoved them his way. He took them.
"You need a ride right? Help get these crates back on board." I picked up another one and headed up the ramp, he followed. I headed over to a corner of the lounging area behind one of the long couches and set them on the floor near the hull as he walked on noticing Temen sitting on a red silk pillow with his eyes closed. He was engulfed in a blue shimmering light.
"Is he okay?" He asked setting the crates in the same spot.
"Yeah, he's meditating, he's fine." I nodded. "It's what he does to regenerate or something like that. Just stack those up against the wall, we'll secure them down later." I went out of the ship as Rassen walked into the bay.
"Now what was so damn impor....?" He cut off his sentence as he saw the man walking down behind me. "That's a Mandalorian." his eyes were wide as he stood there, Lane walked over and grabbed the hose from his hand.
"A what?" I asked confused looking at the guy.
"A Mandalorian." He repeated. "I never thought I'd ever see one." He was in shock and awe. Like he'd just seen a diamond or something and Rassen was a huge fan of shiny things, he watched as the guy picked up a couple more crates and walked back into the ship. Rassen got close to me as I was adding other parts into another crate. "They are the best warriors in the whole system. I have read many stories about his people. They were ruthless, fought many battles. They're usually hired out as bounty hunters." He stepped up and whispered. "Why is he here? Is he here for you? What did you do?" I looked at him.
"Why do you think it's always my fault?" I answered as I picked up another crate and nodded toward a blue one next to the guy, who reached down and grabbed it. "Just put it in the same spot." I told him as he went up the ramp. Rassen followed behind me.
"Because everyone is always after you, you are the chosen one after all, people are always hunting you down, why wouldn't he be doing the same thing. You know trying to get the, the...." He reminded me nodding at my chest and motioning with his hand.
"Those days are over." I told him as I went up the ramp. "You need to shut the hell up about that."
"Once the chosen one, always the chosen one you know that as much as I do, it's still powerful and people still want it." He spoke out loud, I glanced at the guy as he walked back down the ramp to grab another crate near the side of the ship. I turned toward Rassen.
"Why are you saying that out loud?" I whispered toward him motioning toward the guy. "Are you crazy?" As I set the crate near the hatch door.
"Wanker." I heard Lane comment from under the ship, but Rassen ignored her and glanced over at the guy who was picking up another crate.
"Oh, sorry." He cleared his throat. "Well, still, someone is always coming after you for...you know." He motioned toward my chest again and the Zoenus jewel that was concealed under my shirt for safe keeping.
"Will you stop that." I stared toward him as he kept motioning toward my shirt "He just needs a ride to his ship and we're going to give him one, once he gets it back, we're gone, so stop it." I headed back down as Rassen followed.
"Really? We're giving him a ride?" He quickly followed me down the ramp and bumped into me when I stopped. "So he'll be with us for a while then? How interesting, I could ask him questions." He spoke as I turned around.
"No, you're not going to beraid the man with millions of questions. Now relax and go fix the fuel line, we need to get outta here as soon as possible. You have fifteen minutes, get to work." He nodded and walked off the ramp.
"I'll have it done in ten." He shouted and went under the ship where Lane was working tightening up bolts and stuffing wires back into a small panel. I could hear them arguing.
"Get out of my way woman I need to fix this." He snapped.
"You get out of my way, while you've been out drinking, I've been here working." She growled back. "So you move out of my way so I can bolt these down."
"Just move, so I can get this fixed." He angrily shouted.
"Screw you, and you're putting that in the wrong spot old man."
"I think I know more about this ship than you do, now move."
"Really? then you know that that doesn't go there and that This one does."
"You don't know anything about these parts!" He snapped at her.
"I took it off that way and I know how it goes back together, so get off my ass old man!"
I heard a metal part hit the ground and looked over in their direction to make sure they weren't fist fighting. I shook my head as I looked over at the guy picking up one of the last crates.
"You sure about coming along?" I asked him, he didn't say anything as I grabbed the last one and headed up the ramp with The guy following behind. I set the crate down as I reached over to grab the straps, He helped me secure the crates into the spot. I watched as he pulled it tight and placed the metal cap over it locking it into place. "Looks like you might have a fan. Rassen's not the type to get star struck over people. You must be very impressive for him to be acting this way." I then hesitated for a few seconds. "And you're a bounty hunter to boot."
"I was, but not anymore." He answered turning to face me.
"And now you deliver cargo?" I asked curious as to what his important cargo might be.
"You can call it Protection." He answered and if I could see his face I would say he was hiding something.
"hmm, okay." I was skeptical and made the noise as if I was still not quite certain what it was that he was trying to keep secret. But I hoped he started to trust me enough that he would tell me, eventually. I didn't need any more attention added to the already growing attention I had focused on me right now. Granted no one knew we were in this sector right at the moment, but It was safer to keep a low profile then it was to shine a light right on me. "Well, if you have anything that needs to come on board you might want to grab it now before we leave, I'll be up front." I smiled and headed over toward the control room. I sat down in the seat and started to press a few buttons to turn on the ship to get it warmed up. The comm fuzzed on in my ear.
"Tye, the hose is attached, You can switch the tanks now." I heard Rassen over the comm, then it went silent. So I went ahead and started up the engines as I switched the tanks back over to the main ones. It filled quickly and I didn't hear any objections or shouting coming from outside. So I figured it was okay. I pressed a couple of buttons and reached up hitting switches.
"NED, get me the distance for Solas Five after we leave Cynax." I spoke. NED popped up in front of me his screen was a shade of reddish orange. His rectangle shaped head tilted toward me.
"Why is he on board?" He snapped.
"Get me the distance to Solas Five, from Cynax." I pressed a few buttons to make sure things were working properly.
"Answer the question first." He turned reddish yellow this time.
"Get me, the distance, to Solas Five, from Cynax." I repeated once more this time looking at him. He humphed and started to calculate.
"Solas Five at our standard rate of speed without the use of the hyperdrive is 10.3 microns away. 15 hours to humans." He spoke. "Why are we going to Solas Five again? I thought you said you would never go back there? Them taking advantage of you and not paying you for your time? Being assholes, that is what you called them."
"I have my reasons." I told him punching in the speed and the distance into the main computer. Swiping the screen in front of me and making that screen show up on another screen to my left.
"So bringing a Mandalorian on board is one of them?" he asked. "You don't know how dangerous it is to have one of them on board do you?"
"No, but I'm sure you're gunna tell me." I was curious as to how NED would know what a Mandalorian was. I mean we were in a different sector, with different planets and with him being a computer, he had a lot of information stored in his memory. So it was possible for him to know about creatures and being that we've never encountered before in our travels. NED moved his screen closer toward me so he could keep his voice lower than normal.
"He is very dangerous, that weapon he carries? the disruptor rifle?" his screen shimmered red "That weapon alone could blow a hole in the side of my ship big enough to fit another ship inside. What if he gets angry and decide that we aren't doing what he wants and he blows a hole in the ship while we are out in space?" His screen moved from side to side "I wouldn't die, but you meat bags would." He stated turning solid red. "So why are you willing to risk all of your lives by bringing him on board?"
"I don't think he's going to risk his own life by blowing a hole in my ship NED."
"You never know. One argument and he gets angry and there goes the ship." I sighed and looked at him.
"We're giving the man a ride to his ship, once he gets it, he'll go his way and I'll go mine. End of discussion." I turned back to the console where I flipped a few more switches, when an alarm sounded, I turned far to my right and pressed a few buttons watching the sensors go off.
"Well, I still think it is a foolish idea to have him on board." He replied.
"Okay, you stated your opinion." I looked at him. "Now go away." He turned a slight yellow as he leaned in a bit toward me. I moved back a bit because he was getting too close for my own comfort. Besides he's never really done that before.
"Tye, you know how I hate having you be on my ship and I've always wanted you off, but He is dangerous, his people are dangerous." He added in a low voice. "Think about what you are doing." Before I had the chance to answer, Lane walked in.
"Who's dangerous NED?" She asked as she sat down in the other seat knowing that NED was talking about the guy. "Are you spreading rumors about me again? I'm gunna start thinking that you like me, you little stinker." she teased him giving him a wink. He turned red and sunk into the control table. She chuckled and shook her head. "I love doing that to him." She then pressed a few buttons on her side. "Everyone's on board, we've batten down the hatches, raised the sails and we're ready to go captain." she joked.
"You're such a shit." I told her chuckling a bit because it was funny to hear her say with her deep english accent. I slowly lifted out of the hanger bay and then pressed the controls forward heading into the star filled space. I got everything set and the computer was running the querdence quickly, adjusting speed and rotation and making sure we weren't going to hit anything. I set the controls to auto pilot and relaxed for a few minutes.
"You want to go to the back and make sure Rassen isn't annoying the Tin man?" I asked her after taking a side glance. She turned toward her beeping computer monitor, she tapped the side and it stopped.
"Why don't you go?" She asked as she made sure it wasn't anything serious, happy that it wasn't. She looked at me. "I'm sure you have more intriguing questions to ask, like whether or not he has a girlfriend."
"Shut up." I shook my head. "But in all fairness, you might be able to get more answers." I smiled at her.
"Oh flattery will get you far my friend." she grinned at me as she stood up "You better be glad I was heading back there anyway, I hate sitting up here, it's dark and dingy, perfect for you though." She joked. "Can I bring you want anything love?"
"A couple of those protein bars? The ones that Rassen made for us?" Rassen in his infinite knowledge, knew I wouldn't eat things that weren't recognizable to me and if they smelled odd, forget it, I wouldn't even try it. There was food on planets that wasn't appetizing and there was no way I would even try it. So he was able to replicate a form of protein bar that I described to him with some alien fruits, some hard shelled nuts called 'Wyten' and some blue grain bits that he knew were safe for humans to consume and compressed it all together with some sort of syrup that tastes like honey/caramel mix. I wasn't going to argue about what it was or where it came from. But he let them dry up and put them into bags for Lane and I to eat when we weren't willing to try anything that didn't look right. Alien food wasn't made for humans and it wasn't the best and certain things were serve alive. Just watching things wriggle around in a bowl was unsettling. But Rassen made it his goal to make us food that we could eat and survive. If not, we would've died from starvation a long time ago. I put my feet up on the control table to listen to the music as it played.
A/N I'm trying to find good spots to do these sections in, I normally just write and don't add in chapters until way after it's finished. Are these chapters too long? Please let me know.
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A/N revised version, parts added and some taken away, enjoy the newer version. I feel it sounds better and has a better flow. Onto the next chapter.
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