Private Shotgun Reunion

[Yuri Maji]

TATOOINE | MOS ESPA
TAGS: Alora Vizsla

---

THEME​

To say that Yuri was livid would be an understatement. His freighter was stocked and prepped, his cargo bay was neatly organized for the massive shipment of spice, he even polished his armour to look good in front of the Hutt that hired him for this run... and at the last minute, his contract was scrapped and the shipment was given to someone else. They naturally refused to say who it was or why, but he knew how to get info from them.

Which led him onto the track to find this strange new smuggler. Who the hell did they think they were? Swiping a gig out from under someone else. He tucked his poncho out of the way and checked the power cells in his pistols. Hopefully it wouldn't have to resort to violence, but he would be ready if it did come to it. To add salt to the wounds, the walk from the palace to the space port was obnoxiously long, especially with the mood he was in. By the time Yuri reached the dock this apparent smuggler was hiding at, he had a near permanent growl rumbling in his throat.

With a hefty smack he opened the hangar door and gripped a pistol under his poncho. The quicker he could wrap this up, the quicker he could get out of his armour. All the temp regulator was doing was making his skin itch against his fur.

Restraining himself from killing this harpy was going to be difficult...

 

[Alora Vizsla]

The ping of a disruptor filled the bay. Quickly fleeting ash was swept away by an idle breeze.

Kicked back atop a crate, an armored figure kept vigil over the area. A few towers of crates here or there, but not enough to impede her line of sight much or for long. Place could use a proper exterminator though. Desert worlds were always bad like that -- local wildlife was bold, desperate for anything to survive. She could sympathize... you know, if they weren't actual vermin.

Her disruptor slipped from its holster and plucked off another scurrying rodent. Its twin twirled out from the other side and plucked off another.

Helmetless, the pink and violet haired young woman's dark eyes narrowed as they scanned the area. Okay, but seriously, where were they all coming from? One, maybe two was totally normal. Three was pushing it. Almost felt like they'd be toppling over the open top in a massive wave like some cheesy holo-novel.

"I'm literally not paid enough for this." Not that the droids loading the ship much cared about her lamentations. Maybe she should load the ship and they could kill the rodents? No, no. Couldn't turn her back on the door. Tatooine had a reputation for trouble. Well deserved reputation. Alora even added to it for her part.

Speaking of which, Alora heard the door to the bay open even from there. Both disruptor twirled and dropped back into their holsters at her hips as she hopped off the crate. No one had announced they were going to be paying her a visit. Which was fine, really; unannounced trouble was part of the life. Especially with the Enclave not running around flattening every pirate spaceport they could get their hands on.

That was sad, really, but at the same time good for business. Alora had always been that kind of bad Mando. Grew up on Mandalore before it was flattened, but then was a drifter; later hooked up with others 'like her' in the Enclave and that was pretty great, really, but then... things... and back to carving out her slice of the galaxy again. 'least she still had Gam' with her.

Let's try not to have half the planet gunning for us as we make for orbit this time, Gambit sent privately to Alora.

Yuri Maji​

 

[Yuri Maji]

The sound of shots had Yuri duck against the wall of the dock's entrance as he drew a pistol. A few seconds of listening had him fearing for his life. Those weren't normal blasters, that whine and ping was all too familiar to the gun runner, those were bloody disruptors being fired off like that. Luckily they ceased the moment the door opened, but it didn't help Yuri's concern for his own wellbeing as he carefully moved into the dock. He immediately ducked behind some crates as he kept his pistols close, a quick glance revealed a figure sitting on top of some crates by the ship.

"Ya better put those hand cannons away, or we'll have issues! I'm comin' out." He warned with firm tone. He knew better than to just walk into someone else's dock. Once he was sure they wouldn't shoot him, he carefully emerged from his cover with his pistols at the ready.

The figure sitting on the crates took him completely by surprise.

"Auntie Alora?!" He spoke up, unsure of what to do with this newfound information. Was she the one that screwed him over? That didn't make a lick of sense. Either she didn't know it was him... or she knew exactly what she was doing. Either way, he didn't appreciate it as he moved closer.

His pistols were holstered and he quickly removed his helmet to get a proper look at her. "What... what are you doin' here?" He spared a look around in confusion for a moment. The whole place was littered with scorch marks on the ground from where she shot. "What the hell were you even shootin' at?" He continued as he glanced back at her.

Alora Vizsla

 

[Alora Vizsla]

Alora spread her hands out to either side with a big smile in the face of Yuri's surprise. He was still armed for a beat, of course, but that didn't much matter. The armor could take a hit straight on. Not that he was likely to shoot her, right? Right?

"That's three questions, Yuri. Yes. Credits. And rodents. Why, you're not here for the rodents are you? You're too talented for that. I'm too talented for that." Alora shrugged. "But I was bored. I'm supposed to make sure this cargo's load safely, which means I have to sit here waiting for something to happen."

"And that something's you!" Alora began to move in on Yuri, angling to harass him by throwing an arm about him. "Why are you here? You didn't expect to see me, after all." Nothing wrong seeing familiar and friendly people! Gambit was always harassing her about needing to hang out with people more since the Enclave wasn't running around between planets. Alora needed too many credits for her expensive hobbies to sit around on any one planet, herself.

Yuri Maji i​

 

[Yuri Maji]

Alora was clearly a lot happier than he was about this whole reunion, he felt a little out of place with her bubbling optimism as she approached him and threw an arm around him. Her answers managed to drive a snort from the Shistavanen as he spared a glance at her. Why wasn't he surprised? Using a disruptor of all things for pest control as a time killer.

Her next remark, however, killed his lightening mood entirely. He shrugged her arm off and stopped to face her. "It certainly felt like you expected to see me, Auntie." He remarked with irritation thick in his voice. "You stole my job right from underneath me." He pointed to the crates being loaded into the Gambit. "I had everything squared with that overgrown slug, I was gettin' ready to receive the stock. Then all of a sudden, I'm told someone else got the job!" His voice began to raise against her as he rested his hands on his hips. A harsh frown was slowly turning into a snarl as he glared at her.

"So I wanna know from you. Did you know it was me? Or did you just think stealin' a job's a good idea?" He leaned in slightly with his teeth beginning to show. He shook his head and made his way towards Gambit. "What's up, Gambit. Been a hot minute." He greeted the ship with as polite a tone as he could muster.

Alora Vizsla

 

[Alora Vizsla]

Alora stopped when Yuri cast her arm aside and pivoted to face her again. Her brows raised with her eyes wide open, but otherwise her features had gone flat compared to the cheer before. Most other people she'd keep up the smile and laughter, but not people that actually knew her. Maybe they couldn't always tell, but they knew Alora could put on a good appearance. Everything about her life demanded it. So much so, the Mandalorian woman did it even when only Gambit was around to ignore just how lonely things got at times.

"Ah, welcome back, Yuri," a speaker on the outside of the ship broadcast audibly for the man to hear. Despite being the ship itself, there was always more to it than what most attributed to droid brains. Most considered it programming, of course. Who knew what people that knew Alora's secret thought. "Would you care for a drink?"

"I knew." She hadn't taken a step from where Yuri had left Alora. "Of course I knew. Shouldn't you ask why?" Alora stood with her hands atop her own hips now, her dark eyes fixed on Yuri. As for stealing jobs, it wasn't exactly the first time. Gambit and her could simply do things other people couldn't -- so, yeah, there were jobs that got passed her way once people found out they were available. Kind of immaterial to the large conversation though, so Alora didn't bother remarking on the matter.

Yuri Maji​

 

[Yuri Maji]

Yuri didn't immediately respond to Gambit's offer as he turned to glare at Alora. Her admission ruled out the matter of whether she knew or not, now he simply needed to figure out why she did it. He remained silent for a few moments as he simply watched her with a mixture of anger and confusion. Finally he glanced up at the roof of the ship and shook his head. "Nah, not... not right now, Gambit. I'm good, thanks." He answered, taking a breath to calm himself down.

Feeling a little better, he glanced back at his aunt as a faint smile crept along his maw. "That's why I'm here, Auntie. I'd like to know why you kinda karked me over with this job." He spoke up, crossing his arms. He knew of her mannerisms and unorthodox actions, there was always a method to her madness. Figuring said methods out was simply the trick, she was always as unpredictable as his mother. "I mean... if this was just a social call, there's easier ways to get hold of me." He continued as he walked deeper into her ship.

"Gam, I think I'll take that drink now. Dealer's choice, as long as it's cold." He finally accepted, stripping his armour piece by piece until he could unzip his body glove and tie it around his hips. He gave his tank top a few tugs with a long breath. "This planet's gonna be the death of me, I swear." He quipped. He spared a glance down at his new left arm and gave it a few shakes. The pain was slowly acting up again.

Alora Vizsla

 

[Alora Vizsla]

"Easier ways to get a hold of you," Alora echoed. Not easier ways to get his attention, or hold it. It'd be a hell of a thing to explain just how stubborn he could be; it being no surprise where that came from. With a shake of her head, she took a moment to look back at the few remaining crates in the bay slated for her ship. Nearly done.

"Bring the last one aboard then take positions," she commanded the loading droids. Couldn't have them just standing about, lollygagging.

All things being in order, Alora turned to stride up the ramp after Yuri.

Gambit was a rationale entity, one that paid particular attention to detail, so it would find something Yuri liked, but also keep it non-alcoholic. It was a barren desert out there, with a stiffing, lethal heat. Alcohol was not what someone needed in order to recover.

Which was precisely why Alora didn't leave drink decisions up to Gambit. Not that it technically mattered in the same sort of way, but the ship could be a mother hen sometimes.

Alora stopped at the top of the ramp and planted her hands on her hips once more. Was Yuri leaving his armor like that in an effort to vex her? Her mechanics' bay wasn't a bedroom; and neither was the flight deck (her own, personal proclivities not withstanding). Rather than make a scene about that, however, she crossed the threshold after him. Any stray pieces of armor were picked up along the way.

"That's truer than you know, Pup." Alora set the armor down on the workbench. "Any idea what the cargo was, this go around? Where it was headed? The players involved?" Oh, sure, Yuri said he wanted to know earlier, but then they immediately walked away. So he hadn't technically asked or demanded it yet. So, why not see just how much her nephew knew first?

Yuri Maji

 

[Yuri Maji]

The moment Alora began to pick up his armour, Yuri's ears flattened as he watched her clean up after him. He raised a finger and opened his mouth to speak, but no sound escaped him. It was already too late to tell her that he would clean up, so instead he watched in shame as his aunt gathered his kit and dispensed it all on the workbench. He let out a sigh, flicked his tank top, and followed deeper into the ship after her.

His hands idly rested on his pistols as he leaned against a doorframe, casually looking around the ship. Nothing really changed, as far as he could tell. His gaze shifted to Alora when she inquired about the job. "Fairly simple, all things considered. Half's on its way to a buyer on Corellia while the rest's goin' to Black Sun. Keepin' the peace if I remember correctly." He remarked as he glanced off again.

"Risk's about as much as any other job with how the galaxy is these days. I can handle myself and these kriffers know it. So it's real weird that they'd pay so much for you to do this job." He shifted to face her, though most of his weight was still against the wall. "Last I checked, your rate's like... times four of mine?" A faint chuckle escaped him. She was good at what she did and her ship was one of the best in the galaxy for this kind of work. He crossed his arms and gave a slight nod as a smile took hold. "You didn't really do this just for my attention, did ya?" He continued.

It still felt too drastic to him, flying all the way out here just for a stunt like this.

Alora Vizsla

 

[Alora Vizsla]

There was subtle signs of wear, especially in the mechanics bay, but Alora spent a good deal of time repairing, replacing, and generally tending the ship over time. She poured enough credits into it that the Gambit should have been made entirely out of beskar. Still, they were a working force, and that meant scrapes and scuffs -- the sort you didn't fix without replacing panels. Replacements cost credits, so they only happened when it became necessary. She had expensive habits, but Alora didn't burn credits for giggles.

Well, maybe some giggles. Especially when it involved disruptors.

Despite Yuri's earlier grump, he answered her question readily. Alora looked at him as he spoke, curious on his take.

Hands spread, the colorfully maned woman gave a slight shrug about her fees. Detection technology changed, which required her to tinker with keeping her ship's passive and active stealth systems equally cutting-edge. Her costs go up, their costs go up. All came down to one, simple question: how badly did they need to ensure their delivery arrived on time and unspoiled?

"The Problem with the Law of Averages," she began, "is it presupposes all things are equal, Yuri. The galaxy's a dangerous place? Yeah, but you're dealing with Hutts, Black Sun, and everyone between them." At least he wasn't running contraband for a Sith? Small blessing. Those sorts of jobs were counter-balanced on average by delivering cute kittens in a velvet box to an orphanage. "This shipment isn't meant to reach its destination."

A deflating sigh escaped her. "Just not sure where along the way it happens," Alora muttered off to the side.

With a renewed smile, she faced Yuri with her hands on her hips. "So, what have you been up to lately anyway?" No need to get all serious and stuff, right? Yuri wasn't all grumpy any more, so why not have a little chat? Pretend she hadn't said anything.

Yuri Maji​

 

[Yuri Maji]

Yuri scoffed and rolled his eyes at Alora's lecture, not thinking too much of it. It was an age old story about the dangers of their line of work. They both knew the risks, and while he toned back quite significantly on his old habits as well as his choices of clientele, this kind of work was good for him. Especially with everything happening in his life at the moment.

He was fine with the risks.

She did, however, regain his attention completely when she mentioned a part of the job he did not know about. He looked back at her with confusion but didn't get a chance to question her about it before she moved on with the conversation. This time turning it on him. "Oh... uh..." He looked down at his cybernetic left arm and held it up with a nervous smile. "Well... this happened." He confessed. "But other than that... things are goin' smooth as butter. Actually makin' friends for once in my life. Been tryin' to stay away from spice and parties for the most part. Ain't easy but I feel a hell of a lot better." He admitted. She didn't need to know immediately about the types of friends he was making.

Luckily Alora wasn't as hateful towards Jedi as some of the others, though he did meet some of their own people to balance it out. His face sank somewhat along with his ears as he stared at the ground. "I've been... struggling, though. Up here." He tapped the side of his head. "Met Auntie Valery a few weeks ago. We got stuck on a planet with some dark side schutta messin' with us. I don't... yeah..." He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck as he looked up at her. "Gonna need something with kick if we wanna go down that route." He joked.

"And you? How's things been for you since... everything?" He asked her with sincerity. He wasn't going to be the only one telling stories.

Alora Vizsla

 

[Alora Vizsla]

Alora snorted softly before she stepped in with a hand raised indicating she wanted to look at the arm closer. Better not have been some back-alley ripper-doc quality kark. Should have come to her. Kid's pride was going to be the end of him; probably hadn't wanted Auntie Alora giving him a lecture about what led to it. She liked to think she didn't nag his ear off, but someone had to look out for him. Alora, herself, was hardly the role model for living 'proper,' so what was there to be afraid of?

Her honey brown eyes rose to regard Yuri as he spoke of making friends and staying away from spice. A small smile touched her lips. "You look good." Well, maybe there was a chance he'd live a long, fulfilling life after all. "Long as your friends aren't waging galactic war or enslaving people, Yuri, glad you've found some people." Of course, she was curious who, but she knew he didn't like her digging.

If he'd let her examine the arm, she stopped and stepped back a bit as he continued. Struggling? Mentally? "You know Gam and I don't do crusades," Alora replied gently, "but if you ever need us to help repay a favor, we can get in tight spots. Then get right back out of them again." They weren't a one-woman army, but assassinating someone? Not her primary job, but it fit when you were all about getting in places you weren't welcome. The chipper facade kept most people from seeing her own 'up there' hallmarks. Butchering a dark sider was something she'd do for free.

"Besides, I got plenty of ass-kicking drinks. I blame you-know-who for the hot chocolate rep."

The radiant smile was turned down a notch when Yuri asked about herself. Alora shrugged slightly. "I keep out of galactic affairs, unless someone pays well enough. More trouble than its worth. Supply plenty of prosthetics for those that don't quite follow the same philosophy though."

"And we still end up in far more trouble than I would like," Gambit's synthesized voice declared from above.

Alora held her hands out to either side. "I keep tellin' him it's just the times, Yuri, but Gam never listens. Not sure what jobs he thinks we're supposed to take and be swaddled in blankets. Like when we slipped onto Falleen... it was a perfectly normal below-the-table transaction, and this pirate crew came roaring after us like I'd stolen the Scepter of Alanri."

Yuri Maji

 

[Yuri Maji]

The moment she motioned to take a look at his arm, the mutt held his new arm out for her to inspect. He rested against the workbench and idly studied her and the ship as he listened to her. A slight chuckle escaped him at Alora's remark but he simply shook his head. "Nah, they're decent people at least." He interjected before letting her continue.

She expressed her willingness to help him out if he needed to get bailed out of a bad situation... or perhaps other dirty deeds... but he didn't interrupt her. She didn't seem to understand what he meant by what he said. But he let her continue until he finally managed to turn the conversation onto her own goings-on. He laughed at Gambit's concerns about the trouble they seemed to regularly get into. "Come on, Gam. Even you can't expect every job to be cushy. This is the life we got." He remarked as he looked up at the roof. He turned his attention back to his aunt for a moment.

"It's galactic affairs that got me this." He shrugged his mechanical arm. "Since then I've been tryin' to stay the hell away from it all. I got no ambition to lose any more body parts. I didn't see Ma with all her chrome, but all the stories I heard told me all I needed to hear." He finally pulled his arm away and rolled his shoulder.

That damned pain was pushing up again.

"Which is why I've kept my distance. I... I made some ugly mistakes, Auntie. I didn't wanna hear how badly I messed up after payin' for it all in blood and soul." He turned to face her as a weak smile crept up. "I think I'll take the stiff drink. Before things get hairy." He quipped.

Alora Vizsla

 

[Alora Vizsla]

Alora looked up at Yuri and nodded. 'All her chrome.' There was a bit there... Well, she always was too busy throwing herself into a scrap to probably think much about it. Didn't let it gnaw at her about the implications. The future. Maybe toward the end, but it was more what drove her to those extremes that weighed on her soul rather than the consequences. Fair enough. They'd started at different points even if they very nearly had much the same condition before the reset. Hell of a thing too. Doubtful it would work for Alora unless it was genuinely magic and not mere magical.

"Yeah, well, just because they're better than organic parts doesn't mean it's all forges and vod. You give up as much as you get when you get that deep." She flashed a reassuring smile just so it wasn't too gloomy. "You feel alright?" Tension? Chaffing? Hopefully it wasn't some kind of rejection from a hack job, but Yuri seemed confident he'd gotten good work.

Laughter followed Yuri's admission and request for a drink. Alora crossed over to a cabinet to punch in a code and unlock the insulated cabinet. Couldn't have bottles just sitting out ready to slide right off a bar and onto the floor. When things got messy gravity was optional inside the ship. She removed a bottle from its cushioned holder along with two glasses.

"It's not the mistakes, Yuri, long as you learn the right lesson from them. That's what people yelling at you is for." She chuckled again as she set the glasses down and poured two fingers. "So, if you did learn, then I don't need to yell at you, but if you think getting a new arm alone is a price... hit me with what I need to yell at you about." A quick wink flashed Yuri's way. "If you're lucky maybe the gunmen will show up while we're still planetside and interrupt."

Yuri Maji

 

[Yuri Maji]

Yuri kept massaging his scarred shoulder subconsciously as he listened to his aunt. Regrettably she caught onto his discomfort which quickly had him stop his fidgeting. "Uh... yeah. I'm good." He replied with pursed lips. Usually he tended to be a pretty damn good liar, but this instance completely threw that sentiment out of the window.

Thankfully she drew two glasses and a bottle from the cupboard and proceeded to pour a glass for each of them. Yuri reached out and gently placed his fingers on the neck of the bottle as she poured, making sure he had a little bit extra in his glass. He hated opening up to people like this. "I karkin' hope they do." He commented in regards to her joke. He picked up his full glass and took a seat in the lounge with a long sigh.

For a few moments he stared at his glass. "I... saw Auntie Val." He began, looking up at Alora. "We were both stranded on a planet. We worked together, got outta there an' all. But..." He took a long sip of his drink. "I hurt her bad. I've been... fighting for years... to get the chance to do just that. To hurt her like she hurt me. She took Ma from me. But in that moment... it felt like I was killin' one of the only family members I got left. I mean, I got you and dad. Then her." His hand returned to his shoulder as the pain rose up again.

"I fought to get the chance to get revenge. It cost me friends, family, my arm... almost my life a few times. But in that moment... seein' her on the ground... I couldn't do it. I can't forgive her for what she did to me. To us. But... pushin' her away feels like I'm pushin' away the last bit of family I got left." He stared at Alora with a mixture of pain and confusion. What the hell was he supposed to do?

His massaging turned to scratching. "I keep feelin' it. The burn of that Jedi's blade. No matter how many doctors I go to, it won't go away." He finally admitted.

Alora Vizsla

 

[Alora Vizsla]

Alora shook her head as Yuri wanted a little extra drink. They hadn't even gotten to shooting and he was already a thirsty boy. But, yeah, he totally wasn't dealing with heavy mental or emotional issues.

As Yuri recounted his long journey for revenge and how it culminated in a fateful encounter, Alora sat across from him with a small smile and a glass in her hand. She didn't drink, or fidget, throughout his narration. A few subtle expressions crossed her features. A lifted brow here, a slightly broader supporting smile there. Even a slight nod.

At its conclusion, after Yuri had confessed finding his moment and passing on it because of lingering attachment, as he turned to look to Alora, the glass in her hand imploded in an instant. "Osi'kyr." The growing intensity of her brown eyes softened as she stood up to grab a towel. The colorfully maned woman shook her hand to cast shards of glass and liquid to the floor.

"If you're going to maintain contact with her, Yuri, you're going to have to give up on holding on to the hatred." She casually wiped the towel down her torso to wipe away the drink that'd splattered on her person. A quick peek up at Yuri followed. "You spent enough chasing her across the galaxy. Time to find something new to chase." Suddenly the smile returned at its height. "It's a big galaxy, after all!"

The mask slipped sometimes. The cheerful, bubbly facade that kept people from fleeing at the sight of her. It hid her own pain and anger that'd have her running throughout the galaxy butchering people. If only she'd been able to...

With a flick, she dispensed with the towel and strode over to Yuri. She'd reach out to gently massage his shoulder if he left her. "Unless you got a Zeltron for a doctor, it's phantom pain, Yuri. The body remembers. If you want I could teach you some techniques to help you control it." A brief chuckle followed suit. "But it'll take more than a bottle or two of booze to learn." The big question was whether Yuri would stick around long enough to learn. Such an active kid.

Yuri Maji

 

[Yuri Maji]

It was a strange experience, seeing the mask come down for once. He tried to think of any other moments in his life, but failed to recount another instance of the calm and chipper aunt losing her cool like this. What caused it? Was she really that concerned for him? Regardless, his wide eyes were glued to her as she got up to clean up the mess of glass and alcohol.

Before he could even make a remark, Alora broke the strained silence. Immediately that mask was back and her smile met him once more. He didn't answer immediately, simply watching her as he tried to figure out what to say. His silence only broke when Alora helped to alleviate some of the pain from his shoulder, which seemed to help a lot. He let out a groan and rolled his head around before helping himself to a sip of his drink. "I wish it were that easy." He remarked. To everything. If only a bottle or two could help him solve all of his issues, it would've made things a lot smoother for him.

"I'd appreciate some help. This pain's been killin' me." He continued with a glance at Alora. "And, uh... I'll try to move on. Been lookin' for something healthy to do. Ya know... good work. Not just... this." He gestured around them to the current situation. A smirk took hold as he looked at Alora. "Chasin' tail never seemed to give me too much trouble." He joked with a snicker. After finishing his drink, he rose and laid a hand on Alora's shoulder. "Side note... Auntie, you know you can talk to me, right? If somethin's itching... you can talk about it. I can't hog all the attention, ya know." He remarked with a warm smile.

With that, he left for Gambit's cockpit. "I'm gonna watch the scopes for a bit. Something feels off about how smoothly this trip is goin'." He commented, adjusting his tank top as he walked.

Alora Vizsla

 

[Alora Vizsla]

Well, other forms of work might be less hazardous, but Alora didn't mind whether a job was illicit or not. She'd violated plenty of laws and customs, herself. Still, if the jobs weren't... healthy for him, mentally or emotionally, then she'd do whatever was necessary to help him change professions. Might have even offered him a job on board, but he was a young pup and probably didn't want to feel like he was smothered in her shadow. As if she were some ancient matriarch holding him back!

"Owners of those tails sometimes bite back, you know," Alora quipped with a shake of her head. Could end up in the same sort of near-certain death situations only then Yuri might not see it coming. Women often used subtler or more indirect means of dealing with someone that needed dealt with. Some. Not Alora, of course. Twin disruptors were more than enough to handle even a Hutt.

"Same old. Same old." Not that Yuri knew what she'd confided with his mother. "Maybe some day I'll talk your ear off, and you'll regret those words." Alora managed to smile despite feeling the weight on her shoulders.

It would be nice if talking would make it better. Problem was, 'it' was always going to be there. Nothing words could do. Shai had found a way out in the end -- Alora had been a touch jealous at first, but then there was a cost for her growing cyberbody problem. In a way it exchanged one problem for another, but at least Shai had someone to share it with. Someone that felt it was perfectly natural to be what they were. Not much natural with Alora's issue though.

A laugh followed Yuri up the stairs. "As if anyone could track Gam."

"Is something troubling you, Yuri? There aren't any other ships nearby to cause alarm," Gambit's disembodied voice sounded as Yuri entered the cockpit. Seeing how Gambit was the ship, Gambit, it should know. That didn't necessarily mean it would catch everything, however. As it always said, it was not a war ship -- or, rather, its matrix was not war-minded. Plenty of scientific scans and research being done on side consoles though.

Yuri Maji​

 

[Yuri Maji]

Yuri spared a glance at his aunt and chuckled at her words. For a brief moment he could forget about everything happening outside the ship and just enjoy chatting with his aunt again. She gave him a lot to think about, though he was also very concerned about her. He knew there was something about her that she didn't want to talk about. His mother managed to coax it out of her but she never spoke about it.

Was it to do with her barely even aging in the last twenty years? Was she some kind of super mysterious Force user hiding from the galaxy? He would be irritated if she hid something as cool as that from him.

He eventually found his way to the cockpit and sat down with a sigh, immediately greeted by Gambit overhead. "Nah, just got a lot on my mind." He admitted with a shrug as he stared into the swirling abyss. "Although, something feels off. Can't explain it, I just got a bad feeling." He continued as he looked over the scanners. Sure enough, there wasn't anything alarming, it was dead silent all across the board. But a gut feeling kept eating at his mind.

A few moments later, the ship lurched and fell out of hyperspace, hurling Yuri out of his seat and into the viewport. "The kriff was that?" He groaned as he sat back down and looked around, rubbing at a spot on his head. From the look of things, they appeared to have fallen into a nebula. That alone wouldn't have caused any issues, it had to have been something else. "Gam, anything on the scanners?" He asked, looking over them for any indication of what could have caused the drop.

Alora Vizsla

 

[Alora Vizsla]

"I wish I could analyze intuition," Gambit said in a slightly lower volume. "It would help me avoid trouble. Still," its volume returned to normal, "Alora hasn't had us violate any laws yet, so I don't see--" Its voice cut off the second the ship was torn out of hyperspace. Swirls of color flooded the viewports as indicators flashed on the consoles. A groaning whine from the engines could be heard for a few seconds before they spun down.

* * *

Below deck, in the Maintenance Bay, Alora had taken up position near the locked door across from the cyber-bay her cyber-guests usually saw the inside of. Arms crossed, the colorfully maned woman silently expelled a breath. Yuri had them in his sights and... and just didn't? Was it unfair to think he should have? Had any of it been fair? Since the crash nothing ever seemed fair, so Alora didn't waste time trying to abide by the rules. Rules. Tradition. Societal expectations.

It hurt to have something torn away. Bad enough when she didn't distract herself with crazy antics and blockade runs Alora couldn't help but recognize the galaxy continued to change while she... didn't. Everything would pass away in the end. So why did it have to happen so soon? So suddenly?

With a rock, Alora stepped away from the wall and turned toward the stairs. Yuri was there, and she had enough time alone with Gam as it was. No point hanging around a bunch of crates. That's what she thought, anyway, before she found herself making contact with one of those very crates and leaving a dent in it.

* * *

A garbled, synthesized response followed Yuri's question, Another short burst of garbling noise followed a second later. Meanwhile the sensor display flickered, rolled, and showed scattered results. A moment later, the sophisticated voice of Gambit burst back into being, "My apologies, Yuri, I'm having difficulty scanning the area. Whatever pulled us back into normal space had introduced a number of errors in my systems." A beat passed. "Ah, are you alright?" It wasn't so often they had guests on board, but it was polite to inquire. Especially after hitting... turbulence.

"Well, I'm fine," Alora announced from the stairwell as she stepped onto the flight deck. A small smear of blood stained the side of her face. "So, what the kark happened?" Her honey-brown eyes went to Yuri to assess him visual for injuries.

Yuri Maji