Ask Nar Shaddaa Busy Bees

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

— Image

Location: Nar Shaddaa, Sleek's Shinies — 15:00

___"Why's it so ruttin' hot today?" Sleek grumbled. The woman was doing monotonous paperwork at the front desk of her shop, Sleek's Shinies. She had been working on refurbishing some droids she acquired a few days ago, at least until the heat in the shop became too unbearable. The Fiani woman had propped open the door, shed clothing, and grabbed an old fan to place on her desk and point directly at her, and it still didn't feel any cooler.

___"Di-Gi, y'sure the HVAC en't broke?" inquired Sleek, glancing at the personal BD unit on the desk beside her. It chirruped in the negative and nodded. "We really are just pinched, then," she said with a defeated sigh, laying her forehead on her arms. "I bet even the doxies are sweatin' enough t'put a gorram Hutt to t'shame," she groaned loudly. It was too hot to weld in the shop, and the woman had no ships that needed maintenance today. Her only option was to sit in the sweltering heat and suffer.

___"Maybe we'll get somethin'," Sleek muttered, raising her head. "If nothin' else, we'll close down early fer the day. It's been slow anyway," she finished with another laboured sigh, kicking away from the counter on her stool to roll towards the countertop flap. The woman rose to her feet and lifted it to walk through it into the lobby. "May as well do a quick inventory check. Y'mind helpin', buddy?" Sleek asked her droid, who responded by bounding off the countertop to shuffle over to her.

___"A'ight, still got four droid vocabulators, six servomotors..."

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

//Astroframe Integrity Intact. I.Dampener A2 cannot be found. Bottom D.Array Offline. C.Missile Launcher Offline.//

Kotru frowned as he re-read his ship's damage report. A dampener, his shields AND the craft's missile launcher were obliterated by the freighter he had engaged with. While he was able to make it to a nearby moon to patch up the shattered belly of his craft, the fact remained that taking a job in his current state would put him under quicker then he could curse out his killer.

And R-41 compatible parts were consistently a pain in the ass to find, of course. Retrofitting, even more so. A shudder runs through his spine at the memory of refurbishing a TIE's display panel into his control surfaces, and the subsequent week he spent getting it to play nice with his ship's operating systems.

He never could quite get the colours right...

Slightly irritating shade of blue asides, the Iridonian had found himself a lead on the Smuggler's Moon of Nar Shaddaa. He prepared to disembark his starfighter, the canopy opening to a wave of boiling heat.

"Eugh, Voa.. screw that."

Closing the ship, Kotru shed a few layers before hopping out with only somewhat mitigated discomfort.

-

Unfortunately, Sleeks lack of work was not fated to last. The propped open door was stepped through by an Iridonian clad in a short-sleeved undershirt and set of pants that were rolled up to his knees. A quick glance around was given, only revealing a small metal shape overhead. A thumb gathers tension under his middle finger and...

Ding!

"M'yello'? Anybody 'ome? Lookin' fer' a few somethins. If y'are."

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___Sleek's ears shot up to a point as the bell for the door rang. The Fiani woman leaned back to reveal herself just out of sight, directly in front of the man, hidden by one of the rows of shelves in the lobby.

___"S'pose I en't gotta say door's open," she said, stepping back to enter Kotru's line of sight. Di-Gi's feet tapped against the floor as he circled, hiding behind one of Sleek's legs to peer out from behind at the newcomer. "Welcome ta Sleek's Shinies, though. What can I help ya with?" she continued, gesturing for the man to follow as she made her way back to the counter near the back of the store.

___"I'm Sleek, by the way. The li'l fella's my BD unit, Di-Gi," Sleek stated, gesturing to the small droid as it hopped onto the counter. Once she was behind it, the mechanic plopped down heavily onto her stool. "I'mma level with ya. Tell me ya got a ship or somethin' y'need worked on? Anything t'get me outta this shop," she said with a forced laugh. "Been dyin' in here all day 'cause-a the heat. Even if ya don't, I'll try t'help however I can. Look around, and if ya don't find what ya need, I can see if I got it in the back," she finished.

___As she finished speaking, Sleek turned to her computer to continue working on the task she had been doing before. With a customer in the store, it was better to remain available to check them out when they were ready, assuming they bought anything.

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

"I'da figured, keepin' it open wit' that box." He retorted as his hands came to a rest in his pockets, thumbs hooking themselves just outside as he followed. A curious gaze quirks up at Sleek's appearance, Having not seen a Fiani before. With a curious hum, the Iridonian followed to the counter.

"Kotru. Merc." He introduced himself in response, looking to the BD-Series droid that had joined them on the counter as Kotru folded his arms over the table. A small amused grin crossed his features. "S'good t'meet the two of ya'. And ta' keep level 'tween us, you're in luck sister." He spoke, left fingers clicking into a finger gun as he spoke. "Got an Arr-Fourty-One that took a nasty blow to the belly on a job."

As Sleek typed away at her computer, the Iridonian listed off his requirements. "Missile pod is slagged, intertia dampener 'n the deflector screens need replacin'. Tryin' ta' source replacements. Think you'd got any in stock 'ere?"

A hand moved from the folded position to lightly fan himself as he spoke, a sigh of protest at the temperature following. "Agh, 'n I thought the outside was bad 'nough already. Surprised you ain't smokin' yet, what with that extra fur y'carryin'."

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___As Kotru informed her that his ship needed work, Sleek's ears shot up to a point. Her face lit up even more as he mentioned what type of ship it was.

___"Y'got a ruttin' Starchaser?!" she asked in disbelief. "Y'got an honest-ta-Hutts Hoersch-Kessel Drive Starchaser? As in, Clone Wars-era Starchaser? Say less," Sleek stated as she bounced excitedly from her stool, hastily tapping away at the computer on her desk. "Inertial dampeners, check. Deflector shield, check," she murmured, still scrolling through what was presumably an inventory list. "Aha! One ST2 launcher," she exclaimed with an enthusiastic clap. Compiling the list together, Sleek turned the screen towards the man with the total cost of the parts and labour: just under 4,000 credits.

___"If that all looks good t'you, insert yer cred stick, grab yer bird, fly 'er into the hangar, and we'll get 'er patched up fine," Sleek said with a wink, her palms flat on the counter as she leaned over it with excitement. "Yer tellin' me. Prob'ly the only time I ever considered shavin' my ruttin' tail," she finished with an amused cackle.

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

Couldn't help but smirk at the near-instant tick of her ears as he spoke of his ship, nodding his head to affirm his words.

"Yup. Ain't nothin' fancy, but it does the job when you're broke." Kotru spoke, watching her practically spring out of the stool and throwing together the stock. A sky-blue eye looks to the affectionately named droid, a brow quirking up with curiosity. The Iridonian was brought back into the moment when she clapped her palms together.

"Huh. Not bad pricin', thought I was gonna get sent back into the red 'fer this one." He mused aloud, briefly poking around his wallet before extracting his chit and sliding the chit into the console. "Aigh'. Be back in a Zur's beat." He mused, starting towards the door before turning as he walked.

"Hah! Couldn't help ya' there, my razor is fit for bone!" He retorted with a smirk, thumb tapping one of the horns that encircled his head as the same hand made a two-fingered salute as he disappeared.

-

It took a while, but the hangar was soon greeted by the

R-41, a blue and white color scheme adorning most of it's hull. While much of the ship looked like it was cared for, there were plenty of signs of combat. Carbon scoring along the front and sides, sections of replaced hull and a set of tallies by the left of the canopy.

And most importantly, the entire belly had a wide metal plate patched in to (almost) cover the massive wound in its bottom. That was a freighter's weapon, for sure.

As the landing gear found their place on the ground and the quartet of engines went silent, the transparisteel shelter popped open and the Zabrak sat himself on the nose of the craft. "I know it ain't nothin' pretty, but what say we work it together? Ain't got nothin' else t'do and I'ma feel bad sittin' on my arse watchin'."

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___As Kotru carefully navigated his craft into the hangar, Sleek smiled. Perhaps the R-42 Starchaser wasn't the fanciest bird in the sky, but it was a classic. The woman helped the man fly it in and land it, and as the shield opened and Kotru perched on the nose, she whistled. She was already assessing the damage.

___"Took an awful beatin', didn't she? Poor bird," Sleek said with a tone of sympathy in her words. She approached the craft to get a closer look at it, starting with the most apparent damage done to the belly of the ship. Her hand lifted, her fingertips gliding over the sears on the hull. "'Least they en't clean yer housin'," she continued. "En't no problem. We'll get 'er buffed out and in the pink. As fer my pricin' y'mentioned earlier, most moonbrains on this fancy rock only care 'bout bigger profit in the short-term. I care 'bout smaller profit in the long-term. Smaller-spendin' repeat customers gonna be more profitable than bigger-spendin' one-time customers."

___The Fiani stepped away from the ship and approached a rolling cart full of tools. She pressed a button on the side, making it levitate, and grabbed one of the handles to pull it towards the ship.

___"Di-Gi! Fire up the energizer," Sleek called out to her BD unit. The droid dutifully obeyed, scampering away. "Get my tight-beam emitter while yer at it! It's in the front from when I was helpin' Greeb," she added. The vehicle maintenance energizer thudded as it powered on, emitting a low, constant drone. As Di-Gi hurried away to retrieve the tool Sleek asked for, she looked at Kotru and gestured with her head. "Y'wanna help? Go nab my servodriver and get the repair grid booted up while yer over there."

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

"Hah, y'got me there. Seems like everyone out there has got that gonk-head tax!" Kotru cackled in agreement, slowly leaning back and throwing his legs forward to hop off of the nose of the ship. "Beatin' is courtesy of a freighter that had a real Solo 'hind the stick. Knocked my shields 'n bruised 'er for good measure."

"Got th' mission done, but had ta' limp a couple jumps on th'a way 'ere." The Zabrak spoke as he walked past her, using the back of his hand to rap along the hull as he walked. "Patch is done in wit' a couple bolts. Shouldn't take much ta' undo 'n show off their handiwork."

Watching the BD droid scuttle off to kick on the energizer, the Iridonian nodded back to Sleek's gesture. "Done." He would follow the rough direction of her nod, finding himself at a small table with a control panel he recognized as a repair grid. With one hand grasping the driver, the other danced along the controls to bring it online. The tactile series was followed by a set of computerized beeps, signifying the tool's activation.

"Kuat, huh? More of a Corellian Engineerin' guy m'self." The Zabrak commented aloud as he recognized the machine's interface and branding, making his way back over to the Fiani. The tool was offered to her grip first, flipping it in his hand.

Once taken, he moved to the other side of the panel, ready to catch it and bring the metal down slowly.

"Aigh', ready when you are, sister."

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___"'Least y'could jump instead-a bein' left dead in the water," Sleek replied. "Unpleasant thing, bein' left out in the Black where yer only choices'r suffocate or float yerself," she muttered, her words carrying a grim undertone. "A Solo, huh? Hard t'believe, but I've heard further-fetched stories than that." As Kotru turned on the repair grid and brought over the servodriver, she took it from his grasp.

___"Corellian Engineerin' is great, don't get me wrong," Sleek continued as she hoisted the tool to remove the bolts. "I use whatever I got the best experience with. Happens t'be Kuat right now," she finished as the first bolt was successfully removed. While working on the second, Di-Gi returned with Sleek's tight-beam emitter on his head. "Thanks, buddy. Mind hoppin' up there and usin' yer arc welder? Think part-a the plate fused with the hull."

___The BD unit obliged, scampering towards the starship. With a few deft hops, it clung to the side of the craft with one foot and stuck out its other, revealing an arc welder installed in his opposite foot. The tool ignited, and the droid delicately separated the plate from the hull.

___"Real easy-like, Di-Gi. Yer doin' good. Wanna make sure it comes off nice and clean," Sleek instructed as she began working on the third and fourth bolts. Di-Gi finished his job at the same time Sleek finished hers, the plate lurching free and ready to be entirely removed and set aside. "En't no one in the galaxy what can tell me a BB unit's better'n my li'l guy," she stated appreciatively. Di-Gi blipped happily.

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

"Yeeaah, das' true. Partner probably would'a picked me up, but I ain't exactly one ta' get left as the chump, y'know?" Kotru replied, keeping his relaxed drawl about him. He had stared down the barrel of that blaster quite a few times now, not finding much stress in it anymore. "Yeah. Some gunner that thinks 'imself the second comin' of the guy."

The Zabrak nodded his head attentively as Sleek spoke back, each clink from the bolts on duracrete counted in the Iridonian's head. He adjusted his footing a little, gaze turned downward once the bright flashes from the droid started on severing the grafted hull plating. "Y'got a good droid there. Built 'im yourself?" As the two completed their work, the plate dropped into Kotru's waiting grasp. He caught it in both hands, expression furrowing from the sudden weight as he tilted it away and released his grip.

The sheet slid down his palms, landing on the ground on one side as Kotru lowered the other carefully. He couldn't do much about the initial scrape, but at least the rest was somewhat quiet. "Hff- Never really liked Bee-Bees. They look like a ledge'll screw 'em. Not like our lil' legged pal 'ere."

With the plate of durasteel set aside, the guts of the Starchaser were revealed. Or... what remained of it, rather. A turbolaser had landed a very clean shot on the Junkspear, that much was apparent. The deflector screen was effectively flash-fried, the casing warped and seared to the point of uselessness. The concussive missile launcher was blown apart, the edges of the machine and magazine well the only parts that survived. There was no inertia dampener. The space it would normally be was completely absent, save a few frayed wires stretched to their limits.

Someone was a fan of high-g maneuvers, that much was easy to guess.

"Here, I'll hop to unpluggin' this screen. Y'got that launcher, slick?" Kotru spoke, having moved to the other side of the hull to open up the cargo space behind his canopy to take his own toolbox so he can start on detaching the deflector screen.

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___"Nah, Di-Gi's standard BD-series fer the most part, but I fitted 'im with astromech droids tools t'help me with repairin' ships an' other stuff. S'all just aftermarket mods," Sleek responded, Di-Gi chiming with his approval. The droid dismounted from his spot on the ship, landing neatly on the ground before scurrying to his mistress. The woman winced from the scrape of metal against the floor. It was always painful to listen to, but it was part of the job.

___"En't fond-a BB units, neither. They're cute an' all, but en't a more loyal droid out there than a BD-series. Besides, cute as BB units can be, BD got 'em beat by a wide margin," Sleek continued, assessing the full extent of the damage now that the plate was removed. She rubbed thoughtfully at her chin. "Di-Gi, while Kotru gets the deflector screen, you get those wires fer the inertial dampener clipped, get some replacements, an' we'll solder 'em in a bit."

___Di-Gi obliged, dutifully rushing off to a bin of parts. The little droid jumped in and began rummaging, causing the box to comically shake as Sleek walked away to retrieve the launcher.

___"Yeah, I got the launcher," she confirmed. The woman grabbed the launcher and hoisted it up. Despite her size and figure, it appeared as if she was no stranger to hard labour. "If y'need help gettin' that deflector screen off, ask Di-Gi t'help. Little bugger's accurate with that arc welder. I get the feelin' y'might need it. Looks like it's partially melted in."

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

The Zabrak nodded his head as he listened to Sleek talk about her explorer droid, humming thoughtfully.

"Must be packin' some serious juice in that chassis to be runnin' astro tools. Who taught ya'?" He responded curiously, his own servodriver securing itself around the deflector screen's mount to start freeing the bolts from the ship's frame. "Yeah. That, 'n their design just kinda struck me as odd. Most astro-ports got that legged-can shape to 'em. Seems redundant to build a ball for one."

"That, 'n one gave me friction burns as a kid after I tried ta' dunk 'im. I'm probably biased, heh."

A short chuckle was given as Di-Gi's scuttling leg motors filled the brief silence between them. "Mhm. Feelin' like I might need ta', this thing don't feel like it's gettin' any looser..." With the final bolt extracted, Kotru slapped the projector a few times with not even a shudder from the component. "Figures. Hey, Di!"

As if on cue, the BD droid popped its rectangular head from the crate with its twin sensors square on the Iridonian as it approached. "Y'mind givin' a brother a hand 'ere for a sec'?" lowering as he requested, Kotru offered his palm.

The unit shook his head, chirping a few times to hop onto his arm. Unfortunately, Kotru was less than savvy when it came to binary.

"Handle...? Whaddaya mean by- Whoa!" Di-Gi would hop up onto the man's arm, testing his strength and balance before finding a good spot in the middle of his arm. Kotru would carefully stand, holding his arm out as the wider camera focused in on the projector's welded half as his right leg lifted to reveal the welder. It responded with another warble.

Kotru moved his arm to the left, much to the droid's synthesized protests. "Left? That was your left." A negative chirp is given, twitching it's boxy head to the side for the Iridonian to follow. It took a few moments and much warbling and half-understood retorts but the flash of an arc-welder soon followed as Kotru moved to support the part as it slowly came loose.

A particularly urgent whistle was given, the droid hopping up onto Kotru's shoulder.

"Catch, The hell d'ya mean, ca-"

The Iridonian received his answer in the form of a loud clang as the deflector array hit the ground, having pretty much instantly slipped out of the man's waiting grasp. Whatever remained of the internal components was surely shattered, judging by the sound of the impact.

A low coo escaped Di-Gi's speakers, retorted by a shrug.

"Could'a landed on my foot, I guess. Good work."

The BD-unit chirped affirmingly in response, hopping off of Kotru's shoulder and scampering off back into its crate to resume its search for parts.

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___Sleek couldn't help but grin mischievously as the two carried on, understanding everything clearly. Di-Gi had quite the mouth on him, and the fact Kotru didn't understand the majority of what was being said struck her as amusing.

___"Just do it," the woman replied, setting the missile launcher down on the cart as she reached the ship. "My daddy an' the guy I helped at the spaceport on Fiana said I got natural talent," she elaborated. While Kotru and her droid companion removed the busted shield deflector, Sleek dutifully applied herself to the missile launcher. She grabbed her tight-beam emitter, pulled her goggles over her eyes, and slowly removed the broken weapon. Sleek was slow and methodical with a practised hand, making how long she had been working on starships readily apparent.

___«Scaa!» Sleek exclaimed with startled alarm as the shield deflector crashed against the ground, nearly causing her to jump out of her skin. «Sha tak shar'viri tras? Ri zvok a' sana me sol raj?!» she barked in Fianan, pulling her goggles off her eyes to strap them over her head again and glare at the two. Her ears were fanned back in a fierce display, her tail straight behind her, and the fur prickled to points. Sleek placed her hand on her chest as she steadied her breathing.

___"Be careful," she hissed, looking pointedly at the two. "I en't need a customer t'get corpsified in m'hangar," the woman continued, looking at Kotru, "and I en't need you gettin' slagged, neither!" Sleek concluded, exhaling a long, deep, shaky sigh afterwards. Di-Gi beeped his acknowledgement in a wary tone, clearly not accustomed to seeing such a visceral reaction from the Fiani. "Sorry," she apologised. "Y'just scared me near t'death. Yer both okay?"

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

Kotru was currently in the process of kicking himself for not learning Binary when he had the chance. Each series of warbles and chirps was hard to translate even when Di-Gi had said a few words, Voa forbid when he made a whole long-winded sentence. The Iridonian caught every... what, third? fifth word?

"Well, the talent shows. Y'made quick work'a that old launcher. How long y'been doin' this?" Was the last sentence Kotru was able to get out before his slip-up, the flurry of even less decipherable phrases sent at him causing the Zabrak to reflexively step back. He put both palms up in an apologetic gesture, keeping a neutral expression on his features as he waited out her anger.

"Yeeah. That one was my bad, slick. Fingers slipped," Letting his hands drop back down to his sides, the Iridonian picked up his servodriver and noticed the very slim distance between the edge of the deflector screen and his boot. "Yeah, couple more centies 'n I wouldn'a been but we're 'kay," He shrugged his shoulders dismissively, not too concerned. "Hah, don't be sorry. Would'a cursed up a storm if I had some punk makin' a Bukk's cry next ta' me,"

With an understanding nod, the Iridonian went right back to work and inspected the cables connecting the deflector array. Both power and controlling wires looked fine enough, it looked like all durasteel construction of the machine's casing had absorbed most of the heat.

"Not that I don't 'preciate the concern, 'course."

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___As Kotru apologised, Sleek nodded. She had gotten her point across, even if her method was unceremonious. Di-Gi's apology followed shortly after, and to ease some of the tension, the Fiani offered a weak smile.

___"How long I been doin' this?" she scoffed. "Since I were a kid. When I was four, five years old, I got t'go see the starport fer the first time," Sleek began her story as the destroyed launcher came off, and she began attaching the new one. "Fell in love with a Fang-class fighter. By the time I were 14, I was a spec junkie fer nearly every major shipwright, 'specially MandalMotors," she reminisced as she slid the missile launcher into place, put her goggles on, and began assembling it.

___"Would love t'get a Fang fer myself. Elegant, aggressive, low-profile, swivel-mounted wings, high-output ion engine, vectored thrust system," Sleek murmured with fondness in her voice. "What en't there t'like 'bout it? 'Course, yer Starchaser's a fine bird, don't get me wrong, just got a soft spot fer the Fang," she continued as she worked. "'Course, if I couldn't get that, I'd settle fer a Kom'rk. Fat chance-a that, though," the woman sighed. "Good luck gettin' any Mando t'part with anything they make themselves."

___With a grunt, Sleek pushed the missile launcher to ensure it was securely fastened before she began welding the rest of the necessary areas. All the while, Di-Gi was working diligently on cleaning up frayed or ruined wires.

___"So y'could say I've always been a gearhead. Can't help but wonder what my mom would think," she laughed. "Daddy always encouraged it. Starship mechanics'r rare on Fiana. He knew I'd be set if I were passionate about it, which I was. Couldn't stay on Fiana, though. Weren't enough ships comin' in and goin' out t'sate my desires, and he knew that. Didn't throw no fuss when I said I wanted t'leave."

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

Listened to the Fiani talk as he would move over to the table, grabbing the new screen along with a good fistful of bolts to replace the ones that had the metallic sheen of their surface warped by heat. He began to slip the new one into place, one hand holding it place while the other set to work.

"The 'spears a good bird, yeah. But she's also cheap as a Triz' trowel," Kotru replied with a smirk, a twist of his arm securing the bolt as he moved on. "Used ta' work wit' Kuat Drive ships back when I was workin' in orbital defense. Had us sittin' pretty in RZ-2s. Think I'd like to fly one'a those again," He continued, recalling his old ship's specs and his own fondness for the high-speed interceptors. "They're tougher, able to shoot at what's behind 'em and quick."

The Zabrak couldn't help but grin at the emphasis he put on their speed. "I mean, you're out here doin' some damn fine work. Pretty sure she'd be in your pa's camp of cheerin' you on," He chuckled along with her, setting the foundation for the rest of the mount as he slowly let go of the deflector screen. Satisfied that it stayed there, he continues securing it in place. "I've just been bouncin' 'tween work since I was a lad. One thing led to another, 'n I went from security ta' bein' a hired hand."

His servodriver sits over a bolt of moment longer, before continuing. "Gotta do what you gotta though, right?"

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___"Just 'cause she's cheap en't mean she's bad," Sleek said, smiling fondly as she looked up at the ship. The Fiani applied the last few welds and pat the vessel's side with her hand, setting her tight-beam laser down on the cart again. "Yeah, those A-wing interceptors'r fast, but damn if they en't more temperamental than a starvin' rancor."

___When Kotru expressed his sentiments that her mother would be encouraging of Sleek's hobby, she paused. Her gaze remained transfixed on the Starchaser, slowly panning from one side to the other. Sleek inhaled and sighed quietly.

___"Glad y'think so. Good name, by the way," she said, gesturing towards the ship's name on the side as she approached the panel Di-Gi had been working on. "Good job, buddy. I got it from here." The droid bounded from his position on the starship and allowed Sleek to take over. She took a bundle of the fresh wires and began pruning the ends to prepare them to be soldered into place, squinting from behind her goggles to assess how long they'd need to be.

___"En't nothin' wrong with that kinda life," Sleek spoke up again. "Like y'said, gotta do what y'gotta do. Fer me, it was gettin' off-a Fiana t'go somewhere with more traffic. Fer you, well, sounds like yer happy bouncin' from one thing t'another. That life suits some folk."

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

"Heh, tell that to the structure," Kotru retorted with a grin, reaching a hand up and smacking the titanium frame of the spacecraft. "Once th' shields on her went down, all it'd take is one blow and the whole damn thing's at risk of failure. Pretty sure it was dumb luck that I didn't end up scattered 'cross the grid. But y'got a point there. Those things are capital jay Jumpy. Got a bit of an itch for that kind of thing m'self."

Her silence was punctuated by only the quiet sigh that went unheard by Kotru, as he took the moment to screw in the last few bolts as the servodriver clicked the final part of the mount into place with a small hum and a nod from the Zabrak.

"Thanks. It's meant ta' lean into the whole... jumpin' in and stabbin' folks thing what with the four guns 'n all," Kotru replied with a smile, watching the explorer droid leap off from the hull. He gave a small smile, looking back up the shields as he starts plugging in the power and control leads again. The Iridonian let the droid have it's well earned break, taking a rather beat-up looking datapad from his pocket and plugging it into a small port on the side.

"Ooh, boy. M'favourite," A quiet grumble escapes the Zabrak in protest to having to recalibrate the new deflector to match the rest.

As Sleek spoke up again, the Iridonian clicked his tongue a few times as if tasting his own response before he spoke. "Some folk. Still tryin' ta' work it all out. Some days're scratchin' that itch somethin' fierce. Others? I'm limpin' my way 'tween outposts tryin' not ta' starve."

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___Sleek began soldering wires in place once they were cut down to approximate size. Sparks flew as she carefully bound the cables together with her tight-beam emitter, cleanly and professionally connecting them in a way that almost looked as if they had never been severed in the first place.

___"Y'could always give the girl a bit more oomf, if y'can figure a way t'add another ion engine'r vernier thrusters. Might be y'could also see 'bout wing modifications t'allow tighter, faster manoeuvrability. En't gotta rely on hull strength if yer not gettin' hit in the first place," Sleek suggested. "Besides, y'said y'liked fast. En't never thought 'bout bumpin' up yer bird's aerodynamics a bit?"

___Once the wires were soldered and neatly trimmed, Sleek grabbed the inertial dampener to slide it into place. The component fit neatly inside, and the Fiani began wiring it once it was secured. Her work was as impeccable as if the ship were brought straight out of the yard.

___"Well, if y'ever find yerself in possession of 'salvaged goods,' we'll call 'em, y'come give me a visit. I'll give 'em a scrub and skiffed off-world with a 60/40 split," she suggested. "Call it a business proposition. Might be able t'line yer pockets with a few more creds if ya en't mind leanin' into the ethically grey. En't no one gonna beat my rates, neither, of that y'can be sure."

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

Kotru narrowed his eyes down at the screen as he watches the technical readout flicker across the datapad. He was not used to this at all. The transfer seemed right... the two-way power cables looked like the output and input was good... The Iridonian narrowed his eyes as he murmured to himself, those pieces finally clicking into place. "Voa's sickle, I actually got it right fer' once..."

Briefly trailing off as he looked up, Kotru nodded his head at Sleek's advice. "Yeah. Y'got a point there. Jus' that I'm already clockin' the reactor out most'a the time anyways. Start stressin' it more with an extra engine or 'n altered frame, and it might actually blow up on me. Maybe once I got some more scratch, I'll come back. Make a project out of it."

Satisfied with his own work and unplugging his datapad from the component, the Iridonian went to snoop around on Sleek's work. A low whistle escaped his lips, thoroughly impressed! "Some damn fine wirin' there, slick!" Kotru complimented with a grin, a light pat on the back given provided it wasn't resisted.

The offer of potential salvage was certainly tempting, too. He wasn't exactly great at selling or merchant business, his negotiations preferring an emphasis on volume and adrenaline compared to credits and words. After a brief moment, Kotru nodded his head. "Well, ain't like I care much for what happens ta' targets after I plug 'em. I'll see what I can do 'bout stuffin' bits 'n pieces into my hold."

"All we got ta' do now is plug this hole, and I think we'll be golden," Kotru mused aloud, hands clapping together.

@Remileah