Keep Flyin'

[Maya Zhou]

A Local Watering Hole -- Taanab​

Well, wasn’t this a pretty little world? Not.

Maya wrinkled her nose and gazed out at the expanse of farmland visible from the space port, if you could even call it a space port. It was more like a large patch of dry dirt. With a shrug, she shoved her hands into the pocket of her leather jacket. There was a duffle bag slug casually on her shoulder; it was filled with clothing, sundries, and a pack of spice that was cleverly concealed. Okay, well… it was rolled up inside a towel, but it worked well enough.

One of her most loyal customers had recently relocated here to Taanab. Likely he was attracted to the abundance of farmland and open spaces – land just ripe for the picking. The people here had to work hard to make a living and the whole karkin’ place smelled like manure. Maya just didn’t see the appeal. This backwater town was just a picture of hard livin’, even the wooden structures seemed worn. She cast a glance around; the dusty streets seemed fairly empty at the moment.

Her boots brought her onto a wooden boardwalk, and down to the saloon. Pushing the doors open, she was greeted with the smell of booze and smoke. The place was rustic and dressed with all sorts of tacky memorabilia. It was a bit rowdy, loud, and obnoxious – not bad at all. A smirk pulled at her mouth and she walked inside and settled in a booth towards the back. Maya shoved the bag under the table and kicked it beneath her seat with the heels of her boots.

Her palms were already itching for the credits she was owed.

Sure, this job was small beans. This payment wouldn’t keep her going for long… it wouldn’t keep her ship in good repair, it wouldn’t keep her fed, but it was something. And as far as Maya was concerned, something was always better than nothing.

It would keep her flying for the mean time, and that’s what it was all about.

Her dark eyes narrowed slightly as the form of a large, familiar man came into view at the door. His shadow slid over to the bar, where he spared Maya a small glance.

[member="Brensom Galeran"]

 

[Brensome Galeran]

Bren' was down on his luck.

Or atleast, the asteroid miner had been down on his luck ever since his termination from the Roche asteroid mining facility two weeks prior to him sitting at this pub.

"Galeran! You going to pay that tab yet?" One of the bartenders in the establishment yelled out, well loud enough for everyone around him to hear. The Lorrdian server walked the length of the bar down to Brensom's spot, folding his arms on the counter on the opposite side of the miner.

His icy gaze seemed to stare directly through Brensom, hoping to see some form of payments come from the man at any time. Bren had almost no idea what to do, he knew very well that he had been empty of credits ever since last week, and had been riding out the tab at every pub he could before either getting kicked out or ditching before they could figure what he was up to.

Seems like his time had run out at yet another establishment.

Galeran made an futile attempt to rifle through the pockets of his jacket, hoping to find a credit chit that he knew all too well wouldn't be there. The unemployed miner put on his best confused' face and brought to the sight of the bartender once more.

"Sorry, mate. Just doesn't seem like the day."

"No day is your day, pal." The bartender spoke up, lifting up a canned ale out of a lockbox below and placing it in front of Bren. The bartender tapped the top of the can with his index finger, then brought that same finger up directly in front of Brensom's face.

"This drink, your last drink, is on the house. I don't want to see you again after this one." The lorrdian walked off to serve the next guest with refills after this statement, leaving the broke man to stare at the can before him. He wrapped a calloused hand around the width of the container.

Luke-warm, great.

He let a sigh escape his lips, reaching his free hand up to the can to pop the tab. To the miners surprise, a large amount of foam began to spray from the top, directly towards him and leaking onto the counter beneath the can. After taking atleast a quarter of the can's contents to his shirt and lower face, Brensom attempted to save the rest by placing the mouth of the container to his own lips.

After two gulps of warm, foamy ale, the tired man let a sick-hiccup release. He placed the brew in front of him, covering his mouth with a fist clenched as he let a deep belch out. During this time, he figured he'd observe the other patrons in the room with him, in another attempt to avoid any familiar faces that happened to be looking for him.

On top of losing his job from the mining facilities, he might have owed a few unsavory characters a ripe bit of credits.

[member="Maya Zhou"]

 

[Maya Zhou]

After a moment or two of sipping at the bar, Maya’s customer leisurely made his way to her booth and ducked in to have a seat. Duncan hadn’t changed much since the last time she’d seen him, save for this time he’d obviously been assimilated by the town’s nerf-herder aesthetic.

“Nice hat.” Maya sneered sarcastically.

“It’s a good look, if I do say so.” Duncan replied, “You never come alone, where’s Remy?”

The corner of Maya’s mouth twitched. Indeed it wasn’t really like her to travel alone, a fact that she kind of hated. Leaning back, she crossed her arms and blew out a breath. The memories that found her were still fairly fresh, and the bitterness they carried tended to linger. But Zhou attempted to keep a straight face in front of Duncan.

“Oh, well you see what happened is...” She started, “He's dead.”

The length of her index finger rubbed under her nose a couple of times, trying to guard her from the aroma of manure and force knew what else that was rising from Duncan. Remy’d been a loyal first mate and a good friend, but Maya wasn’t about to admit to anyone that he’d left a bit of an empty space behind. She was tougher than that. And so, a quick change of topic was in order.

“Where’s my money?” She asked, eyes narrowing upon Duncan.

“Right here,” He tapped the front pocket of his jacket. “Where’s my stuff?”

Maya drew the duffel bag out from under the table and sat it down next to her. Duncan reached a couple of fingers into his front pocket and slid a couple of cred sticks across the table. But when Maya turned her gaze down, she was… disappointed.

“You see, Zhou…” Duncan’s voice dipped low. “I know you been overchargin’ me.”

“Why, I never--” Maya started to protest, even though he spoke the truth. Her arms wrapped around the bag. “You can’t have it for that price, that won’t even cover the fuel it cost to get to this dump.”

“Then, how ‘bout I just take it?” In a swift movement, Duncan swept up his credit sticks and reached across the table for the duffle bag, his fingers closed around the fabric tightly and pulled hard enough to yank Maya to her feet. He might have been strong, but she was stubborn.

He was going to have to pry the bag from her cold, dead hands… but she really hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

“Get your grubby mits off my junk!” Maya hollered, hoping to draw a bit of attention. She just needed a little bit of a distraction and she could high-tail it out of here…

[member="Brensome Galeran"]

 

[Brensome Galeran]

Bren's attention had easily been caught right off the bat. Opposed from the rancher-type in front of her, the broke man spotted a pretty little number in one of the booths. Too pretty for Taanab.

He might not have been planet-side for that long, but he had been around the area long enough to recognize when someone isn't used to the constant smell, and he had to admit..The smell was bad.

Strange to see off worlders.

Brensom thought this as we knocked back the rest of the warm beer, but then counteracted the thought in his own hand. He wasn't exactly a 'native' of this planet, being sent to the Roche mining field after his previous 'job.'

His thoughts were suddenly cut short, as his attention was brought back to the same booth due to a commotion that broke out between the 'local' and the girl. As the local went to grab her bag, there didn't seem to be much bother from the small crowd to do anything about it. This brought confusion to Bren. Was no-one really going to offer help? Was this girl being robbed in this very establishment? Should he step in?

There was a time in the miner's past where he perhaps would have gotten up and done something about this. A time where Bren' would love nothing more then to shed justice on the situation. That time was long past him though..

Ah, what the hell..

The slightly-tipsy man pushed the empty can away from him, pulling himself from his barstool and navigating his way through the tables and chairs to make it to the booth that was the busiest at the moment. Approaching cautiously, but more cocky than anything, Brensom reached over and placed a hand on the man's shoulder.

"Look, pal. Don't think this one here is your type anyway so why don't you just scram? Save some trouble for the rest of us, yeah mate?"

[member="Maya Zhou"]

 

[Maya Zhou]

Maya’s eyes flickered over Duncan’s shoulder, spotting a distraction arrive in the form of a man. Her brief glance told her that he was tall and broad, built strong like an ox. As his hand clapped onto Duncan’s shoulder, Maya felt a slow smirk form on her mouth. Now, this was just too perfect. A fine-looking guy was coming to help her out of the goodness of his heart?

Heh, sucker…

Duncan’s grip on the bag slackened. “And why don’t you mind yer own business… mate?”

With that, Duncan turned swiftly and swung his arm at the young man’s face.

Ever the opportunist, Maya wasn’t about to let this chance slip through her fingers. With Duncan thoroughly distracted, she ducked to the side and moved around the brawling pair. Some of the bar patrons were already fleeing the scene, and the bar tender had already disappeared into a back room. Following a clear path to the door, Maya paused just before her foot hit the threshold. Her eyes tracked back to her savior. It was more than a mite rotten to just leave him to deal with her problem, but Maya wasn’t above doing so.

“Sorry, stud.” Maya cracked a grin.

That grin was quickly wiped off her face by a fist. Falling back against one of the tables, Maya looked towards the door to see three men now blocking the way. With a groan, she stood back up. It looked like things were about to get interesting.

“Just where d’ya get off hitting a lady?” Maya spat.

One of the men stepped forward.

“You may be a woman, Zhou, but you aint no lady.”

Well, he had a point…

[member="Brensome Galeran"]

 

[Brensome Galeran]

Bren had expected trouble, but not so soon. The man's fist connected with his face, spinning Galeran about and into the arms of a bystander that was attempting to flee. He stood there for a moment, leaning into the arms of this stranger as he ran his hand along his jaw in an attempt to find if anything was broken.

Take it easy..He doesn't know who he's dealing with.

Yet, the alcohol and numbing sensation in his cheek from the punch were mixing together to produce a rather angry miner. His boots found the ground once more as he patted the stranger on the shoulder that had helped him.

"Appreciate it, friend." He'd say, giving the stranger another pat before he turned back to Duncan. As the rancher-type that delivered the punch made eye contact with Bren, it was clear that he was ready for a fight. Brensom simply raised his arms slightly in a 'shrug' motion, a smile across his lips. The smile suddenly vanished as Bren brought a forceful fist about, delivering it to Duncan's jaw rather quickly and easily.

With this hit, the rancher's hat flung off, his body going stiff for a moment as he fell to the ground. A single knockout bunch, it had been quite some time since the man had gotten into a proper fight, and he forgot how much hitting someone with bare knuckles hurt.

He shook his right hand several times, cursing underneath his breath before looking back in the direction of the girl that ran off. Bren cocked a brow after, seeing the same woman he attempted to rescue scuttling off of the ground in front of others. His eyes came to look to the three at the door, the realization that this woman had enemies coming to him as he made his way forward.

Aside from those that fled the scene immediately, there were still of hardened patrons that decided to remain at the establishment and finish their drinks. These people that remained would be the tools he'd use to get out of this place. Dodging a few on-lookers, Bren lowered his shoulder as he approached one, attempting to give the hardest shove he could to send the body in the direction of the three men and the tables around them. His hope, a fight to break out, but there was really no telling.

He just wanted to make it out of here without a broken nose..God how he hated breaking his nose.

[member="Maya Zhou"]

 

[Maya Zhou]

Though Maya kept up her tough front, the side of her face hurt something awful. The makings of a black eye were likely forming around her left side. Oh well, it would only add to her roguish appeal. Staring down Ducan’s three hired men, she guessed that they must have been some farm hands that he’d bullied into this gig. He couldn’t be paying them. Well, if his payment for the spice was any indication…

“Alright... ” She said, and gave her knuckles a good crack.

Side-eying the booth that she’d just left, she spotted Duncan knocked out cold. Maya blinked hard, was that really what she was seeing? Before she could study the scene any further, she saw a blur of motion. Her Knight had returned, this time shoving one of the husky bar patrons into the crowd at the door. The man’s weight was enough to make the three men stumble back; one of them caught the drunk out of reflex.

“Git off me, boy!”

Oh, it was on now. Maya’s eyes grew wide as she watched the men start to tussle. It wasn’t long before the fight flowed into the bar, a great storm of fists and elbows. No doubt there were some armed men here, but you just didn’t whip out a gun at bar fight… bad form! Renewing her tight grip on the bag, she started to make for the back door, but paused again.

This time, she looked to the man that had come to her aid.

Her dark eyes locked with his for a moment, before she offered a simple but obvious nod towards the door. Hopefully he’d take the hint. It was likely that Duncan’s men had seen him punch out their boss. And, if she was looking for guilt – she guessed that this mess was her fault. Maya figured that she could at least see the guy safely out the door.

“C’mon then,” She said quickly before taking off down the short hallway.

[member="Brensome Galeran"]

 

[Brensome Galeran]

Holy crap..It actually worked!

Brensom couldn't help but crack a smile at the chaos he had just caused. It was often that the jobless-miner got a win like this. Still somewhat stunned, he'd look up to catch the gaze of his 'damsel-in-distress,' who looked more mischievous than 'in-distress' than anything. Bren' couldn't hear much over the new commotion in the bar, but the motion of the woman's lips and the movement of her head indicated that she wanted him to follow.

For a moment, he thought against this. Maybe he should just stick around, join in on the fun he had just started. Who knows? Perhaps he could find a bit of money in the process from some loose pockets. As long as no-one broke his no-

His pride was cut short as a glass bottle made it's way over the crowd, slamming and shattering over Galeran's back, showering him and those close by with glass. He'd hunch over slightly to defend his visible skin from the shards, before turning away from his damsel to spot the source of the bottle. A rather agitated and somewhat-confused Duncan was shuffling up to his feet, his eyes on the pair.

Yeah, time to leave..

Bren' moved his gaze back to Zhou, responding to her offer to leave with a hasty nod. After this, he'd turn and move to find his way through the active bar-brawl. Doing his best to avoid any wild punches and stray elbows he could. He'd round the corner into the hallway to put himself directly behind the girl, the half-tipsy man trying his hardest to keep up with a much smaller and quicker drug-pusher.

"Slow up' a bit there, girl!" He let out a huff as they burst out the doors, exiting the establishment that could be mistaken for a war zone now.

[member="Maya Zhou"]

 

[Maya Zhou]

In the hallway, she could hear the cacophony of shouts, hollers, and yells coming from the bar. She could also just make out the sound of bottles breaking and wooden furniture being broken apart. Under different circumstances, this place would have been quite the amusing sight. With the bag now slung over her shoulder, she maintained a tight grip on the strap – she wasn’t about to let anyone get away with her goods.
Maya’s eyes were on the exit.

Behind her, she was aware of the footsteps of her Knight. He’d taken the hint and was now following along close at her heels. As they reached the door, she threw her hands out to push it open. The two spilled out of the establishment and into the afternoon light of Taanab. Maya shifted a glance over her shoulder, the door slammed shut behind them. She’d heard his request to ‘slow up,’ but she wasn’t about to stick around.

“Going slow is a good way to get shot, buddy.” She said, once she’d had a moment to catch her breath.

Maya’s boots were already in motion again. Her dark eyes shifted about warily, in a way that was cautious… or maybe even a bit paranoid. She imagined that the fellows inside the bar were still tied up with the fight, but it wouldn’t be long before folks started getting winded and eventually stopped. Her ship was somewhat close by, but she wouldn’t have been surprised if Duncan had a few of his men waiting there already.

And then the thought struck her. Maybe this Knight could still be of some use.

“Hey,” She started, spinning around to face him. “Do, uh, you happen to know any place we could lie low for a while?”

[member="Brensom Galeran"]

 

[Brensome Galeran]

Bren' almost tackled the smaller framed girl as she stopped suddenly, turning to face him. He slapped on the breaks, almost tumbling over in front of her if it hadn't been for a rustic wooden railing directly outside of the pub.

He panted lightly, cocking a brow and turning upward to look at her as she put forth the strange question. She was really asking him for somewhere to lay-low? In truth, the unemployed drunk had spent most of his time 'laying-low' in this town, avoiding every character that he owed great amounts of credit too, but did he really want this woman to know how pathetic he was at this moment?

Probably not.

"Uh..Yeah." He spoke between breaths, pushing himself from his knees to place his hands behind his head. Making a quick motion with his head up the street, he'd speak up once more.

"Spaceport's got a ship graveyard a mile or so from their strips. Some good hollow transports with some crawlspaces in 'em." He knew this one all too well, having used a familiar Republic-aged transport frame several times for his own bed.

He continued to eye the woman soon after putting forth his idea of shelter, Galeran was trying to get a good read on her. If she was looking for a place to lie low, it meant she had a way off planet, one way or another.

Maybe she was Brensom's ticket off this rock and away from his enemies.

[member="Maya Zhou"]

 

[Maya Zhou]

Watching as the man recovered from nearly trampling her, she ruffled her short hair with the palm of her hand. Her eyes shifted in the direction indicated by his nod, and she listened as he elaborated. A ship graveyard with crawlspaces and various other hidey-holes? Well, that sounded right up her alley.

“Yeah, good.” She said, “That’ll do.”

Glancing back to the man, she arched a brow when she saw that he was eyeing her, and she returned the gesture. She sized him up and narrowed her eyes just slightly as she did so. He looked like an ox of a man, the kind with a good, strong back. If she had to guess, she would have pinned him into some kind of manual labor profession.

Taking a quick look over her shoulder, she realized that it was time for them to get moving again. Never stay in one place too long – it was a hard rule that she always followed. Picking up the pace, she started off towards the spaceport… but she’d give the bustling area a wide berth as they made their way to their destination. She didn’t look to confirm, but she assumed that her new companion was right behind her.

“Maya’s the name, by the way. And just so you know, coming along could land you in a heap of trouble.” She said, giving him a fair warning. “You don’t… smell like you’re from around here.” She noted aloud.

[member="Brensom Galeran"]

 

[Brensome Galeran]

Bren had to pick up his pace to a jog to catch up to Maya, at least to get close enough so she was in earshot of his voice.

"Thing about me, I'm always finding trouble on my own. Don't think abit' extra would do me any harm, yeah?"

He watched as they turned a corner, then slowed their pace to a walk as the pair approached an 'intersection' of roads in shambles, clusters of ranchers and 'citizens' moving back and forth across these pathways to make it to their daily destinations. Galeran moved his hands into his pocket, clenching and unclenching his right fist several times over, testing the 'injury' he had sustained from the duel with Maya's assailant.

As he slid into line behind his female counterpart, Bren' would remove his hands from his rugged coat pockets, rubbing the wrist of his right hand as he spoke in response to her statement about his 'smell.'

"If you're meanin' that I don't smell like a pile of poodoo, then you're right. Came from the Roche asteroid field, been here for a few weeks now."

He'd stop in place for a moment, looking about to gain some knowledge of his location, before continuing to move after the rogue-like girl.

"And what about you then? You certainly didn't smell like ya' friend back there. Pretty little number like you, out here? Part of a crew, right?" Brensom began to ask these questions curiously, although keeping was somewhat-upbeat-cautious and careless act overtop an eagerness to exit the planet.

Eventually, the pair would reach the edge of the spaceport, a fenced in area protecting a collection of horrid looking machinery and wreckage. He'd use his unharmed left hand to pull up a weak portion in the fence, keeping an eye out for any on-lookers behind them.

"Come on then. It's the husk straight ahead there. Old Republic transport."

[member="Maya Zhou"]

 

[Maya Zhou]

The side of her face hurt, and the area surrounding her eye was steadily turning a darker shade of blue. But Maya pretended not to notice, she’d keep up a tough front while in the company of her new companion. She shifted a glance over her shoulder, watching as he stepped up behind her. This man had a penchant for trouble? Well, now… that made two of them.

As he mentioned that he’d come from the Roche Asteroids, she squinted her eyes in thought as she gained her bearings. If he’d come from that area, chances were that he was working as a miner… or maybe even some kind of pirating operation. But what exactly had made him leave? A question for later on, she supposed. Then the topic of conversation shifted, and she furrowed her brow at being called pretty.

“Ain’t got a crew,” She said, “Just me.”

Many had said before ‘one was the loneliest number,’ but Maya wasn’t sure that she minded. There were times when she was a loner, and this happened to be one of them. But deep down, there was a nagging feeling. For the moment, she let silence slip back between them, ducking under the fence that the man held a portion up for her. After a quick look around, she felt satisfied that none had followed them. On they went into the old transport ship.

It was quite a sorry sight, a mess of broken hinges and rusty surfaces. Maya loved it. This wreckage fit images in her mind that showed her a life as a quiet drifter. Indeed this was the perfect place for the space hobo to squat for a while. As they entered, she walked down one of the hallways. Her eyes found the man again, he’d already proven to be helpful… maybe this was more than coincidence.

“What’d you say your name was?” She asked, unsure if he’d mentioned or not. “You, uh, wouldn’t happen to be lookin’ for work, would ya?” Maya said stubbornly, the nagging feeling had won.

[member="Brensom Galeran"]

 

[Brensome Galeran]

No crew? Bren couldn't believe it. He could only assume that the peddler had a small ship herself then. Nonetheless, it was still a viable way off-planet.

The next statement had to be a sign from whatever devilish-gods watched over them, as the words 'work' soon rose to the conversation.

He had hoped to coerce the rogue-type before him into letting him hitch a ride away from the hell-hole, but getting some work worked even better for the unemployed miner.

"Brensom Galeran. Boys' back home called me Bren."

After taking a quick glance about his run-down hideout, and lack of any proper bed, he'd turn back towards Maya.

"Yeah, think I could use some work right about now. What'd ya' have in mind then girl?"

[member="Maya Zhou"]

 

[Maya Zhou]

Maya nodded slightly upon hearing his introduction. Bren, she repeated silently—it was easy enough to remember. As they walked the corridors, she peeked her head into several rooms, but saw very little to peak her interest. It looked like this place had been picked clean long ago. There were only empty spaces left, and bits of garbage to litter the floor.

“I’ll do most any work that comes ‘round.” She answered, as they entered the belly of the old ship.

Just like the rest of the space, the cargo bay was a display of rust, but there were a few crates to sit on at least. Parking herself on the closest one, she set her bag down on her lap. Glancing over to Bren, she unzipped the bag and started to rifle through it.

“See, I got a ship that’s fit for hauling all sorts of things. That’s normally what I do, freighter work.” She fished out a pack of cigarettes. “Some of it’s on the level.” She shrugged. “Some of it ain’t.”

Maya stuck the cigarette between her teeth while she dug a lighter out of her pocket. After lighting up, she took a long drag and tossed both cigarettes and lighter Bren’s way. Resuming her search of the bag, she pulled out a wad of towels and unwrapped them. Holding up a few small plastic pouches, she lofted her brows at her new partner in crime.

“Been trying to off-load this stuff. It’s good money, but as you witnessed… it’s not always the easiest or the safest.” She snickered. “You still in?”

[member="Brensom Galeran"]

 

[Brensome Galeran]

Bren’ caught the cigarettes looking down to them in his hands as Maya spoke. In truth, he wasn’t that much of a smoker. Most people in his old ‘unit’ did, and almost all of his past companions at the Roche asteroid mines certainly smoked, but he had never taken up the hobby.

Ah, what the hell.

The unemployed miner began to fish out one of the tobacco sticks from the pack, sticking between his lips.

“Freighter work? So, you mean like a decent sized ship then?” Brensom managed to get the words out while lighting the cigarette, attempting to take a simple drag of the object before letting out a rather pathetic cough.

He couldn’t imagine that the girl alone could captain a whole freighter, but the next object she held up clearly told him that there was plenty he didn’t know about yet.

Spice, he knew of several miners that partook in the past time, but addictive tendencies had shied the man away from it.

He was always curious though..

Sticking the cigarette back between his lips, he thought to himself.

“That stuff pull in good profits? Might know somewhere to off-load it at, dependin’ on how much ya’ got ofcourse.”

[member="Maya Zhou"]

 

[Maya Zhou]

Eyeing Bren out of the corner of her gaze, she let out an amused chuckle as he lit up his cigarette. An experienced smoker could always pick out someone that was new to the vice, his cough had been rather telling. Maya gave him a small nod in response to his question. The Gongju was a large gal, and Maya had been struggling to keep it running ever since her crew went and kicked it.

Cigarette still dangling between her lips, she took a long drag before stuffing the bags of spice back into her bag. By now, the ash at the end of her smoke had grown long and threatened to fall at any moment… but Maya didn’t seem bothered.

“Yeah, good profits alright.” She answered, taking the cigarette in hand and tipping off the ashy end. “Almost too good.” There was a slight sarcastic edge to her tone. Indeed it was good way to make fast money, but it had cost the lives of her last crew members.

“Might have some more,” She said, “I reckon it’ll be dark soon, we’ll head out to my ship then. In the meantime, I’d like to hear your plan. So, where d’ya think we can off-load this stuff? Might give us a bit of a boost to get business started again.”

[member="Brensom Galeran"]

 

[Brensome Galeran]

"The Roche asteroid fields..Didn't partake of any of it myself but, I know a fella' in the the work line, John Boy. He knows some people in management that might like to party a bit."

He glanced down at the cigarette before asking it himself, almost following suit with Maya's motion.

"Only problem is, I can't be seen on any of their facilities, long story."

Bren' scratched his chin with his free hand momentarily, before pulling the cigarette back to his lips.

"Only way to get into one of the bays is ta' work for them."

Brensom said this as he visibly eyed the girl up once more. Although he had worked in the mines themselves as an engineer and 'digger,' he did know one of the facilities on the larger pieces of floating rocks contained a corporate office section, in which some of the upper-management characters preferred 'attractive' secretaries.

It did get lonely out in space, after all.

Bren' seemed to be hatching a plan.

[member="Maya Zhou"]

 

[Maya Zhou]

“Roche, huh?” She echoed, taking a final puff of her cigarette before dropping it to the dirty floor and crushing it under her boot. Maya squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, a look of concentration (or pain) on her face as she thought. “Hmm, yeah. I think we’ll have enough fuel to get there.”

It wasn’t quite a straight-forward plan by any means. By the sound of it, the two of them would have their work cut out for them. Speaking of work, Maya’s brows rose skeptically. She crossed her arms and leaned back slightly as Bren’s eyes seemed to travel about her scruffy form. There were many low-down lotharios in her line of business, but she didn’t think that Bren was one of them.

There was an absence of crude humor and lude remarks, only a rather pensive expression. Not that she necessarily would have minded. Hell, maybe she would have even been a bit flattered.

“So, uh, if you can’t be seen there… and you can only get in by working for ‘em.” Maya scratched her head. “Just what are you thinking?” She asked, looking to Bren.

She had a feeling that this plan would involve some work on her part. Maybe it was a bad feeling? But Maya was getting pretty desperate, and if they really could unload this spice… life would be looking just a bit sunnier.

[member="Brensom Galeran"]

 

[Brensome Galeran]

Maya brought up some sound points, exactly how would they gain entry to somewhere whereat Bren' had been banished completely from? Would they sneak in? Break in? No, the unemployed miner was fixing up a plan much more genius, at least it was in his book.

Brensom happened to have enough pull with one of the secretaries in the corporate office of the mining facility. If they could get Maya into a position where she could easily have access to the railways that transported upper management into the mines, she could offload their product in one trip alone if they did it correctly.

However, they'd still have to do it right.

"How do you feel about wearing...A skirt?" Bren' flicked the cigarette as he said this, smirking slyly at his new found smuggler partner.

[member="Maya Zhou"]