Living with a Lost Cause.

[Robb Killian]

OOC NOTE: (I apologize for the long post but I figured I would set the scene, I also need the practice ).

Robb started awake with a twitch, and was surprised to find himself on the floor beside his bunk instead of in it, could've sworn I was falling... . With a groan he clawed his way back into his bunk, and tried to fall back asleep.

He tossed, and turned, and tossed some more, yet sleep would not return. He counted nerfs only to give up after twenty, never works. He tired replaying an old fight in his head and only frustrated himself more for picking one he had lost. As a last resort he pulled the book he had been reading from the netting above his bunk, only making it through a page before switching it off and stowing back in its place.

I guess it's time to start the day. Robb threw the covers aside and dragged himself to feet, and stretched.

It was quiet aboard the Lost Cause that night, and Robb still couldn't sleep. They had arrived on Tatooine late the night before, landing on a pad not far from Mos Entha, and all a day ahead of schedule. The crew had voted to take a personal day, deciding they could use a breather after weeks on the job, and Robb was anxious to get his boots back on the ground.

His bare feet padded softly against the deck as he stepped to the other end of his small cabin to retrieve some clothes, picking out his tan fatigues, the only extra piece of clothing he owned outside of his usual attire, purchased specifically for desert worlds.

Setting his trousers down on the small desk in the corner, Robb began his morning fitness routine: First he did push-ups until he could no longer hold himself up, not as long as I'd like. Next he did sit ups until he could no longer rise, not as many as I'd like. Finally he did cross jumps until he was sweating so hard the fabric of his small shorts clung to his thigh just above the knee. Satisfied that his workout was complete, he grabbed his towel from where it hung on the wall and wrapped it around himself before stalking out from his cabin to the shower in the "fresher".

After a brief shower he toweled off the best of his ability, deposited the wet towel in the small cleansing receptacle while retrieving his freshly dried shorts. With that he donned his shorts and returned hastily to his room, trying hard not to disturb the rest of the crew, wherever they were.

Once Robb was back in his room he dressed in his fatigues, pulled his (supposedly) sweat resistant shirt over his head, and laced up his boots.

With his morning rituals complete, and all ahead of schedule no less, he went straight for the "mess" to fix himself some grub, hoping all the while that this day off would prove to be a nice vacation.

[member="Kohai Drenn"] , [member="Davik Tren"] , [member="Corvetta Salvo"]

 

[Corvetta Salvo]

(No problem. Thanks for setting this up! Didn't mean to shirk but I've been getting dragged around here and there with Corvetta and couldn't think straight enough. )


Odds are good that Lost Cause's pilot is awake no matter what time it is--with the exception of happy hour.

While she drank often, she was not the most capable in holding her liquor depending on the alcohol. There had been many a time when she had been discovered unconscious, draped over a table or her bed with a flask or shot glass in her hand. What was most interesting was that this was the desired result--her method of slaying the beast that was her insufferable insomnia. She had learned to hide it well, however. People did not normally trust alcoholics to fly their starships.

Corvetta was not drinking right now--at least, not yet. Her calloused fingers were wrapped around the edges of a datapad, its screen projecting a news article on the Sith takeover of Coruscant. She was barely able to discern any of the article's meaning, however. All the letters jumbled together in her mind and some of the bigger words made no sense at all to her. Dejectedly, she flicked over to focus on another article and turned on the datapad's voice reader to tell her what she was looking at. Reading was such a pain.

She perked her head up as one of her mates arrived. She usually had the mess area to herself at these hours. "Bad dream?" she asked [member="Robb Killian"].

[member="Davik Tren"] [member="Kohai Drenn"]

 

[Kohai Drenn]

Kohai blearily attempted to blink away the sleep in her eyes, trying to discern where she was. Her neck hurt, and the cold surface flattening her cheek wouldn't go away. The pieces began to fall together, however. Her lower body was still in bed, but somehow the engineer had rolled half of her body out of her bunk. With a dissatisfied groan, she flattened her palms on the floor, peeling her face from the unrelenting surface. Putting unsteady feet under her, it was a chore for Kohai to drag her feet over to a small bedside mirror.

Gazing back at her was something from a horror story. Bloodshot eyes. Hair in disarray. Leftover drool. She was a mess.

Having neither patience nor the energy for the usual dress-up routine, the girl settled for the bare essentials. Tugging her baggy pants from the day before up to her hips, she looked around. She couldn't find her suspenders. Kark it... Pulling an uncharacteristically black tank top over her head, she managed to protect her crew mates eyes, as well as artificially hold her loose hair down, in one stroke.

Keeping a firm hand gripped on the hem of her pants, the girl began her harrowing journey to the mess. She could shower in a sec...

With overly slow movements and half-lidded eyes, Kohai felt her way passed the other two people in the vicinity. She had an objective, and she wouldn't stop until she found it!

"...Coffee..." The maker was around here somewhere...

[member="Davik Tren"] / [member="Robb Killian"] / [member="Corvetta Salvo"]

 

[Robb Killian]

Robb stepped into the "mess" expecting to have the small-ish room to himself so early in the morning, and was surprised to find [member="Corvetta Salvo"] looking up at him from within. She sat slumped at their modest table, with a datapad placed before her. "Bad dream?" she asked.

Robb stood in the archway, about to respond when a shambling [member="Kohai Drenn"] dragged herself into the room, eyes squinted with tired determination. Did she just say; " Coffee" ?

He blinked, his glance shifting from Corvetta, to Kohai, and finally, to the floor. He rubbed the nape of his neck sheepishly, choosing to keep his greeting short to better avoid stuttering, "'Corvy." he managed. He was about to greet Kohai when a terrifying notion dawned on him, he had never given the girl a nickname.

He had to act fast before the moment was lost. Um...um... There was no time for doubt, he gave the girl a once over and simply spoke the first word that came to his mind: "'Peaches.'" He grunted, barely managing to make the greeting not sound like a question. Peaches?! Seriously?!...Kark it, no going back now. Damn women and their...femininity.

He blinked again, the room was painfully silent but for Kohai who was currently rustling though a cabinet. Robb sighed quietly to himself and moved to fix himself what meager breakfast he could scrounge up. A great way to start the day.

It wasn't that Robb had a problem with women, he simply had no idea how to speak or act around them. As a whole they confused him, and what's worse, they even scared him a little, as much as he was ashamed to admit it. Even these two women, women who he got along with, had fought with, and with whom he had spent the majority of the past couple of weeks, still made him nervous.

He pulled a thin slice of bread from its packaging in the cupboard and placed it in the heating unit to toast. I'll have to get used to them eventually, for now I just need to set my mind to something... The heating unit buzzed, signalling that its' operation was complete. He grinned as the familiar smell of toasted bread filled his nostrils. ...and breakfast is a good start.

 

[Corvetta Salvo]

The blond zombie entered the room right on cue, it seemed. She was moaning about caffeine and looking like she was going to be a few drinks before her motor skills were up to standard. "Frak, I wasn't expecting company tonight," the pilot commented, tucking away the datapad. She was trying to learn to actually read for the twentieth time. What could be bothering them at this time of night? Maybe it was like one of those practical joke holovids.

Robb was mumbling again. Corvetta bit her lip. "Peaches, huh? When'd this happen?" She scanned Kohai from head to toe and began to laugh, not sure what was so funny to her but whatever it could be was funny nonetheless. "Well, it fits. Somehow."

Noticing the disheveled look of both of her comrades and the grubby attire she was wearing, herself, Corvetta was glad they were alone. This scene would be embarrassing with anyone else around. "I see we're all dressed for the occasion!" She swore she had not hit the alcohol yet.

[member="Robb Killian"] [member="Kohai Drenn"] [member="Davik Tren"]

 

[Davik Tren]

Davik flinched in his sleep as the cold repeating tone of his alarm signaled that it was time to wake. Undoubtedly he had woken after most if not all of his crew mates, he always did. Not that they cared anyways, as long as they were not running blockades or evading curious system officers who got too close for comfort.

Slowly but surely he made his way to his clothes rack and threw on a light grey shirt along with a pair of loose black cargoes, as he did usually, and headed to the bathroom. If there was one thing he had learned at the Imperial Academy it had been that latecomers always get the worst conditions in the latrine. Luckily this was not ALWAYS the case with his crew...Usually.

After taking a very quick shower in their small hydration unit, the smuggler laughed quietly to himself in reference to one of Robb's shirts that was lazily slung over the faucet of the small sink that they shared, thus was the way of on-board life.

He did not know if any of the others had heard him get up, they usually did. He pulled the tight leather of his flight jacket over his arms and made his way towards the mess to grab something quick to eat before he hurried to his station. In his walk towards their small kitchen, Davik ran into Kohai, at least what he thought was Kohai... Though judging by the hair it could have been a fashionable Talz. But just to be sure, he addressed her as they walked in amongst the rest of the crew.

"Hey, K..."

[member="Kohai Drenn"] [member="Robb Killian"] [member="Corvetta Salvo"]

 

[Kohai Drenn]

"Hey, K..."

Kohai wasn't positive, but she could swear that somebody was trying to communicate. Can get to that in a minute... Maintain course!

Groping hands finally found their mark. Muscle memory took over. Just pour it like this, add the milk... five sugars... SUCCESS! and in no time, The girl had her prize.

Holding the piping hot cup, Kohai took a revitalizing whiff of her favorite mix. Plopping down onto the floor, the disheveled engineer set about charging her batteries. After a few failed sips, each one too hot to finish, she finally got to just the correct temperature.

As she emptied her cup, the ship surrounding her came back into focus. She could think in a straight line, and just like that it was on to the next objective. Pulling her hair out of her eyes, Kohai rose to her feet. After making sure she added another cup to her tower on the counter, she made her way to the fresher.

Discarding her clothing on the damp floor, the girl stepped into the hydration unit, starting the meticulous process of getting rid of those pesky knots.

[member="Corvetta Salvo"] [member="Davik Tren"] [member="Robb Killian"]

 

[Robb Killian]

Laughter was the last reaction Robb expected from [member="Corvetta Salvo"] in her current state, especially in response to his nervous ramblings. Surprised or not, Robb was grateful that his new nickname for their crew-mate hadn't landed flat. "Well, it fits. Somehow." Corvetta's gaze flickered from Kohai to Robb before finally landing on her own attire. "I see we're all dressed for the occasion!"

Robb leaned against the counter and thoughtfully chewed another mouthful of toast as [member="Davik Tren"] walked into the kitchen, nearly knocking an incoherent [member="Kohai Drenn"] on her rear, not that she noticed. He cocked an eyebrow as the girl went about preparing her coffee, ...is that much sugar a good idea?... Robb looked away from Kohai as she sagged to the floor to offer Davik a friendly nod in greeting, eternally grateful to no longer be the only male in the room.

Robb took the final piece of his toast and chewed it while discarding his crumb-covered dish in the sink as Kohai rose from her position against the counter. Robb crossed his arms and smiled as the girl silently left the room. Ah...The magic of stimulants.

He turned his attention away from the doorway and back to his two other crew mates, "Suh-so-" Oh well done, a fine beginning! "Anyone have any plans on this illustrious duh-day off?"

Robb's gaze flicked down to his boots as he waited for his crew-mates to reply, taking the moment to briefly contemplate how he could remain focused and steady under fire yet completely off-balance during a simple conversation, and with friends no less. Kark I need to shoot something.

 

[Corvetta Salvo]

"Morning, Tricky," the sleepless pilot greeted Davik before he had even made two steps into the room. She had expected him to show up any time now that her other two compatriots were alive. From her slouched position at the mess table, Corvetta observed [member="Kohai Drenn"]'s every move as she fixed her beverage, drank her beverage, and excused herself to release her beverage without actually looking at what she was doing. Impressive. The pilot almost applauded.

Robb spoke up--very softly, spoke up--before she could make up her mind to clap, however. Glancing at him, Corvetta shrugged her shoulders and bit her lip. "We could flood the fresher while Ko-Ko's in there... That would wake her up," she offered. Maybe she should have started drinking already. The girl shrank below the table and rubbed her eyes, wondering if everyone now thought she was crazier than they had initially. Maybe she could distract with mention of food. "You good at cooking, Killer?"

[member="Robb Killian"] [member="Davik Tren"]

 

[Davik Tren]

"Morning, Tricky,"

Davik let Kohai pass by before taking his own and filling it with the relaxingly warm beverage that had been prepared earlier in the morning. His overall effort to respond to both of his crewmates greetings, however subtle, was a simple nod and mutter in either of their directions. God... He remembered they were on Tatooine at this very moment. What would he wear? He could not rightly wear a jacket on one of the hottest planets in this section of the galaxy. He would need to return to his wardrobe for something more... Appropriate.

As the cup was topped off with the dark liquid, Davik took several experimental sips but soon got frustrated and set the cup down on the counter that he had been leaning against. What kind of day was to be had on Tatooine? What kind of day COULD be had on Tatooine. Desert worlds never interested the young spacer and that went especially for Tatooine, which often seemed to only hold illegal activities and the occasional Tusken raid as entertainment with the drab background of sand and dust that was already present. In the meantime of drinking his beverage, Davik kept himself entertained on his datapad, though he knew their day would be beginning soon, and they would soon be breathing in the hot dusty air of a Tatooine spaceport.

[member="Kohai Drenn"] [member="Corvetta Salvo"] [member="Robb Killian"]

 

[Kohai Drenn]

Her previous attire draped loosely over her shoulder, Kohai stepped out of the fresher, starting her journey back to her bunk. She really should have brought a change of clothes with her, it was freezing!

Wrapped in a couple towels, she came upon the rest of her crew congregating together. With a yawn, she gave the group a lazy wave, rubbing her eye with the other hand. "Hey, all! I see everyone's up already... or... still." Her eyes briefly jumped to Corvetta. Her friend's insomnia was a concern, but there was nothing to be said about it now. Not first thing in the morning, anyway.

"In other news... who's making me breakfast?" As if to accentuate her point, growling could be heard emanating from Kohai's stomach. "Or... do I have to do it?"

[member="Corvetta Salvo"] [member="Robb Killian"] [member="Davik Tren"]

 

[Robb Killian]

Robb's raised his gaze away from the floor long enough to realize that both Corvetta and Kohai were looking at him expectantly, apparently they wanted him to cook. "I might be able to whip something up...." Come to think of it I could really go for some bacon...

Robb pushed himself away from the counter with a grunt and walked over to the kitchen's cooling unit. He opened the appliance's door and leaned down to peer inside, lets see, we have...booze...water...one egg...more booze... Robb stood upright and closed the door with a sigh, We really need to shop more between jobs.

He turned and faced his crew-mates, only to find that now, to his horror, all three of them were staring at him. "Um...unless you guys want to drink your breakfast we'll need to head into town.

[member="Kohai Drenn"] [member="Davik Tren"] [member="Corvetta Salvo"]

 

[Corvetta Salvo]

Corvetta had drunk breakfast before. But today was not a drink-breakfast kind of day to her. Today was one of those days when the bulimic pilot felt like eating a freighter--so long as its name was not Lost Cause. "If you're buyin', Killer, you're buyin'." She winked at Robb and arose from her seat to head off to her quarters. "Hang tight, guys. I've gotta get civilized."

Her bedroom was in disarray, as usual. She was no military loon and never bothered to make her bed or arrange her clothes properly, though her prized jacket always was hung up with great care. Corvetta shed her smudged shirt and replaced it with an even dirtier shirt to compliment this desert excursion. She followed up by hopping out of her cargoes and began digging through her laundry pile in search of the other cargoes--the pair that was cut off at the knee. As the girl pulled them up to her waist, she noticed she had done a poor job snipping the pants as she had a couple of bottomless pockets about the knees.

Returning from her rather unimpressive wardrobe change, Corvetta shrugged on her weathered flak vest and pulled at her hair to straighten it before extending the ship's boarding ramp. The early morning chill of the desert deceptively welcomed the quartet to exit without heat protection. She sniffed. "If we hurry to Entha, we can buy some nice big hats before they're in fashion."

[member="Robb Killian"] [member="Kohai Drenn"] [member="Davik Tren"]

 

[Kohai Drenn]

"Hang tight, guys. I've gotta get civilized."

It seemed there was no food... they'd have to go shopping for breakfast... on Tatooine.

Swell...

Kohai wordlessly made her way back to her room to get dressed. After a quick survey of her options, she picked up a tight-fitting sleeveless shirt with only a few holes down by the belt line. Its material would breathe really nice out there. As she pulled her hair out from within the shirt, her eyes landed on her baggy pants from before. With a shrug, she stepped into them, they would have to do. She didn't have any shorts. Pulling her pants up to her waist, the girl held them there, her other hand scooping up her suspenders. After everything was sorted out, Kohai finished setting her headband, before making her way back out to the others, grabbing her scarf on the way out. Never too hot for you!

"If we hurry to Entha, we can buy some nice big hats before they're in fashion." Corvetta had the right idea, of course. While Kohai was no expert on hats, she knew it would be better if they got what they needed before the suns were too high.

[member="Corvetta Salvo"] [member="Robb Killian"] [member="Davik Tren"]

 

[Davik Tren]

Davik nodded as the plan for the morning meal was made. He made his way to the crew quarters and ditched the leather flight jacket in favor of just his grey shirt, which was loose enough for the heat that would be experienced on the desert world... He hoped. He did not, after all, want to spend a day covered in sweat. The final step was to check his belt, which he was happy to see had not been altered since their last job. Not that he expected it to be... Though one could never be sure if a prankster had stuffed an insect or other undesirable thing into one of his food rations.

Soon finishing his own preparations, Davik made his way towards the ramp that would lower and reveal the harsh dry climate of Tatooine, accompanied by the waves of heat that would surely ensue later in the day. It always had to be deserts... They could have stopped off at a nice cool planet, with trees... Or any form of vegetation. But with little room to argue at this point, the spacer simply waited at the controls.

"Better hurry! Before it rains..."

[member="Kohai Drenn"] [member="Corvetta Salvo"] [member="Robb Killian"]

 

[Robb Killian]

Things moved a lot faster than Robb had anticipated after he announced their lack of supplies. Everyone else rushed off to their cabins to change or prepare themselves, "Corvy's" words stuck in his head even after she left the kitchen. "If you're buyin', Killer, you're buyin'." Robb gave the pouch on his belt dedicated to currency a pat, should have enough...I hope this job pays well tomorrow.

Fortunately for Robb, he had already dressed for the weather, or at least as close to it as he could manage with his severely lacking wardrobe. He was wearing pretty much the same thing he wore every day, sans hat and armored survival vest.

Robb had also decided to leave his carbine in his cabin, deciding that anything larger than his pistol was more than unnecessary. After all, we're hunting breakfast, not people...But still... Robb rested his hand atop his holstered pistol to reassure himself of its presense as he made his way to the boarding ramp. You can never be too careful.

He stood waiting for a surprisingly short amount of time before the rest of the crew emerged from the corridor. [member="Corvetta Salvo"] was the first to emerge, stopping briefly to lower the ramp before descending without a word. [member="Kohai Drenn"] was next, apparently wearing her favorite scarf despite the weather, Stubborn. She too descended into the sun without a word.

Robb could hear Corvetta speaking below as [member="Davik Tren"] emerged from around the corner, "If we hurry to Entha, we can buy some nice big hats before they're in fashion."

Robb could tell that Davik was none too pleased to be setting foot in the desert. But at least the man had forgone his usual jacket for something more appropriate, Sanity, at last. Davik stopped at the top of the ramp and stared out at the sand below.

"Better hurry! Before it rains..."

Robb laughed at that, giving Davik an amicable slap on the back as he strode past him and down the ramp. "The sooner we leave the sooner we'll be back inside and off this rock." Robb reached the bottom of the ramp and took a deep breath of the deceptively cool morning air. He crossed his arms over his chest, turned his head, and called back to Davik over his shoulder, "and besides, you could use a new hat."

 

[Corvetta Salvo]

Corvetta never planned to actually buy a hat. She never wore them anyway. She also never planned to wear a scarf in the middle of a desert like her best friend was currently exhibiting. That was a new one.

The pilot could see the domed cap of one of the earthen buildings glimmer as the two suns began to rise from the opposing horizon. There was still about half an hour to go before the land would be transformed into a dusty furnace, but the sooner they were in town, the better. She imagined the crew's rush to the fresher to take a very important shower after their return and was determined to make the dash in record time. She always seemed to be the last one in--but this time, it would not be so.

Little did her shipmates know that she had snagged the last biscuit before everyone had awoken this morning. As they trekked along, Corvetta unlatched the flap of one of her bottom pockets and slipped the biscuit inside. Of course, she would have forgotten the faulty shearing job she had done with the pants. Her snack fell straight through and landed with a small thud into the white sand, splashing a few grains about. "Oh frak," she muttered, hoping no one had noticed. There went her rations.

[member="Davik Tren"] [member="Kohai Drenn"] [member="Robb Killian"]

 

[Kohai Drenn]

Kohai couldn't quite suppress a quiet groan, rubbing her hands up and down her bare arms in discomfort. She was never one to complain, but there was entirely too much sand getting kicked up. Eventually accepting that this coarse feeling wasn't going anywhere, the girl could only sigh, falling back into step with the others.

Foot-travel was always the worst part, no matter what they were doing. Her friends had advised her that her habit of messing around on her datapad while she walked would only get her in trouble. She already had history of bumping into people. Idle hands made her nervous, but she didn't have anything to play with!

Shoving her hands into her pockets, the blonde alternated between clenching and relaxing her hands. When her standard calming exercise did nothing to alleviate her unease, she took to tugging at the ends of her scarf.

A muttered curse came from her left, yanking all of her attention that way as a result. It was Corvetta.

Stepping a bit closer, Kohai flicked he friend's shoulder lightly. "What's up, girl? Step in something?" As the question left her lips, her eyes scanned the ground behind them, maybe she'd hit ground in some bantha poodoo or someth-

What is that?

There appeared to be a... biscuit laying in a sandy footprint... Did she step on it?

[member="Corvetta Salvo"] [member="Robb Killian"] [member="Davik Tren"]

 

[Davik Tren]

Davik had been slightly offset by the slap on the back, partly due to the fact that he himself was still half asleep standing at the blinking panel that had revealed the sandy terrain below the ship. The younger man walked down the boarding ramp right after Robb. He was always glad to have Robb around to make boring specks of dust in the middle of no where seem the slightest bit tolerable. The same could not be said for Corvetta and Kohai, who lagged behind certainly still tired from the lax morning that had been enjoyed inside the ship.

The luxury of their steel chariot was now forgotten to Davik, who found his boots crunching in the rocky sand of the clearing that served as one of the many makeshift landing pads on the outskirts of Mos Entha. The surrounding landscape of the city was rather unimpressive. The horizon, being dominated by large brown and weathered mountains, was rather bleak and uninteresting. The town was not a stretch better, being that it matched the color of the rest of the area and one could not truly appreciate the domed houses and businesses of Tatooine very well from afar. Hopefully, however, the town would begin to come to life as the party approached.

[member="Robb Killian"] [member="Kohai Drenn"] [member="Corvetta Salvo"]

 

[Robb Killian]

Robb could feel himself on the edge of sweating as he strolled lazily towards Mos Entha. The suns weren't at their zenith yet but walking through sand was never a fun experience. Rubbing the back of his neck, he squinted at Tatooine's rising suns with apprehension. Robb enjoyed Tatooine, some of his fondest memories occurred here, after all, this was where he met Marik, but damn if this planet didn't have its downturns. Thinking of Marik brought a smile to Robb's face that he had no hope of suppressing. He found that he simply couldn't help it when he thought of the old Rodian. That old bastard, probably drunk in a ditch somewhere.

Robb could feel the temperature rising as the group entered the city limits, It appeared to Robb that Mos Entha had its share of early risers as well. The group had entered through the market district, apparently, and merchants were already at their stalls and shops, advertising their wares in an impossible variety of languages. Robb wasn't sure whether or not he was happy to know the few he did.

"Meat skewers! Fresh Meat! The Best Skewers in all off-"

"Rare Sarlacc Talismans! Brings luck and-"

"Come friends! Sample my fine wares! Only the best-"

"Hey you! You with the scarf! I'll give you fifty credits if you-"

The crowd only seemed to grow denser as the minutes went by and the group moved deeper into the city. The market grew louder, the mass of voices rushing together and filling the air with a humming sound. Strange and exotic smells tickled Robb's nose while the collective body odor made it wrinkle. And it isn't even hot yet.

Robb made a point to stay close to the rest of the group, and fell in step with Corvetta, Kohai, and Davik as they made their way deeper into the throng. A tall Weequay grunted as he shouldered his way past Robb. He scowled after the man but found that he had already disappeared into the crowd. Shaking his head, Robb pressed on. Karking crowds...

[member="Davik Tren"] [member="Kohai Drenn"] [member="Corvetta Salvo"]

(OOC note: Apologies for my lack of posts lately, have been busy )