Private Ten Four Good Buddy

[Yaeger Sularen]

LOCATION⠀|	Corellian Orbit
OBJECTIVE⠀|	Get out of traffic

If there was ever something Yaeger hated, it was traffic. Sitting in his freighter, waiting for clearance to land. Due to some mix up on the landing pads, the backlog of freighters waiting to unload was near a hundred long. Yaeger was somewhere in the seventies, and bored out of his skull. He could turn on the holovision, watch a show, but he needed to keep his eye on the sky.

And so, he fell back on an old habit.

"Breaker Breaker, this is Old Glory, stuck over Core Dirt, back up darn near 100 wagons long. Anyone on air?"

In Rhan

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[In Rhan]

Bored. So horribly bored. In was no stranger to a long wait - some stops on her route had crews that seemed to pull soley from the dregs of the dregs, others had stations designed by corporate goons who'd never seen somebody try to back a Medium-to-Large freighter at the end of their 'perfectly acceptable flight corridor'. Anyone who thought that freighters had it easy hadn't seen what an actual autopilot would do your overhead when it drove your ship into the side of a corporate station and ruined your cargo.

In imagined something like that had occurred down below. She hadn't let her autopiloting module do anything more complicated than drive straight in empty space in years for that reason. The only thing worse than being fifty ships back in a mess like this was being the idiot who caused it.

The shortwave crackled. Somebody was bored enough to chatter. Slumped over in the pilot's seat, arm draped over the yoke, In gave the radio a lethargic consideration before turning off her furtive cockpit holovid and picking up the handheld.

"Copy copy, Old Glory. This is Dancer. How you doing in this logjam? You happen to catch the company man that stirred up the bears?" The Pantoran woman asked idly.

 

[Yaeger Sularen]

LOCATION⠀|	Core Dirt
OBJECTIVE⠀|	Makin' Friends

Yaeger leaned back, smirking at the new voice.

"Ten Four Dancer, Pretty sure it was some new Hopper who didn't know his dashboard. No eyes though, could be something stupid like a Joyrider hogging the pad, could be a 10-70. What'cha haulin' today Dancer? I'm full of Toilet Paper today. Easy credits."

It was nice to have someone on the line who spoke the language, even if it was a faceless friend.

In Rhan

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[In Rhan]

It was a brief connection, but it was nice to have a connection. Broke up the tedium of watching Corellia loom ever-closer-but-not-close-enough, which she'd been dulling with a steady stream of action movie slop. The guy on the horn sounded like he had a few dozen more jumps under his belt than she did, if his casual mastery of the lingo was any indication.

"I don't think it's anything hot, Old Glory. My smoke detector has been nice and quiet." In sighed, glancing at her quiet instrument panel. Most of it was legal. "I'm on a suicide run.". Got ten tanks of frosty motion lotion for a private buyer outta Bela Vistal. Prayin' for A drop'n hook." She chuckled, leaning on the locked flight yoke. It wasn't like they were moving at all. "What's your home 20, Old Glory?"

 

[Yaeger Sularen]

LOCATION⠀|	Core Dirt
OBJECTIVE⠀|	Makin' Friends

"Ain't got a Home 20, lived out of this old bird for damn near 20 years. She's a feisty gal though. What about you Dancer? You a Jumper or a Skipper? Was a jumper for a few years, couldn't keep up with it. Messes with your Gearbox I tell ya."

Yaeger looked over. The line was moving, slowly. Shift throttle, push forward, shift back on the brake. It was mundane routine, mindnumbing, but necessary.

The Force only knew what was holding things up down there.

In Rhan

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[In Rhan]

In snickered a bit at that, taking a moment to look past all of the clutter and traffic (and useless, unmoving Corellia) at the stars spread out in the distance. "Twenty years? Old Glory, I'm almost afraid to buy you a beer and find out what my future looks like." The Pantoran woman laughed. "Been a jumper for almost three years on now. Hauled a bit in-system for Blastech before that. Don't plan on sleeping under a cloud until I'm too old to fly."

"I'll face that fear if we catch each other planetside." In added idly, leaning back in her pilot's seat. She still kept a hand on the yoke - laws were laws. Last thing she needed was to get a ticket when she was burning up fuel to stay in orbit. "If I miss my window at 14:30 I'm gonna be stuck waiting for my trailers overnight. Again."

 

[Yaeger Sularen]

LOCATION⠀|	Corellian Traffic
OBJECTIVE⠀|	Flirting

"I don't got another haul for another day, if you wanna link up planetside, I wouldn't mind buying someone with a cute voice a coffee."

Shoot your shot Yaeger. Worst thing she can say is no.

...right?

In Rhan

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[In Rhan]

In considered for a moment, glancing at her timekeeper. Seconds tick-tick-ticked forward. The RCS nudged her ship forward in the queue. She was still waiting. She'd presumably be waiting. Her dispatcher sent a request for her ETA - like he hadn't heard about the traffic jam out here. Likely some beancounter sitting in a booth somewhere, never worked a day in their life. Or a droid.

"It's looking like I'll miss that 14:30 pickup, Old Glory." In sighed. "Unless everyone ahead of me decides to go home, my night's opening up. You wanna 10-16 at Bela Vista Port, or do you got a place in mind?" The Pantoran woman asked idly, flipping through a collection of local guides, maps, and menus she kept in a box under her seat. She didn't get out to Corellia very often, but surely she had SOME intel.

What did Corellians even eat, besides whiskey, cigars, and Kuati ship wakes?

 

[Yaeger Sularen]

LOCATION⠀|	Core Dirt Orbit
OBJECTIVE⠀|	10-16

"Yeah, I got a spot we can go. Little Nowhere down in the depths of Coronet City. Good booze, grub, and music, so long as you don't mind the sticky floor." He laughed. "I'll send you the Cords, meet you there. Over and Out."

Now he needed to figure out how to get out of the line. Should be easy, yeah?

It never was.

In Rhan

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[In Rhan]

The message came through, along with the coordinates. "Copy copy, Old Glory. I'll be the tall blue one. Catch you dirtside." In promised. Coronet City was a bit out of her way, but not enough to be unmanageable, or not worth it for a detour provided the company and caff didn't suck. There was a pretty good chance of the latter, but the former? In generally got along well with people who shared her profession, and old haulers were always full of interesting stories and clever tricks she could add to her repertoire.

Parking The Dancer in Green had, of course, been a trial. Not many civilian lots appreciated an overnight stay from a big old hauler loaded down with highly pressurized fuel. But she had her ways. It was an excuse to roll the old speederbike out of her cargo hold and head to the designated coordinates. In had cleaned up for the occasion - long flowing skirt, loose top, nothing too fancy. This was a trucker meetup, not a reservation at Dorsia.

 

[Yaeger Sularen]

LOCATION⠀|	Coronet City, Jimmy's Bar
OBJECTIVE⠀|	A nice evening with a new face

Yaeger, by comparison, had put on his best foot forward. As gross as it was, when you're a lone trucker on a freighter, sometimes for weeks on end, hygiene often goes out the window. Yaeger had landed, and spent the last three hours 'prettying up'. More than just a shower, a shave, a bit of cologne, it meant going shopping, buying a new jacket. A new pair of jeans. The fancy wants, bellbottoms to make him look a little taller.

Finally, he arrived at the cords they had agreed to. A little dive bar, Jimmy's, a place for locals to unwind, and for folks like them to congregate. It was only a few blocks from a smaller space port, usually for tourists, but hidden away enough that the annoying ones wouldn't be able to find it.

Walking in, admittedly, Yaeger looked out of place. A nice leather jacket, a fresh Tee, and a newly purchased pair of jeans?

Yeah, he looked like he was trying to impress someone, as opposed to the locals who wore what looked like work clothes, more than anything.

"The fun has arrived! Thank you very much~" He sang as he walked into the bar, shooting some finger guns to the bartender, before strutting over to In, at least who he assumed was his radio darling. Hard to tell, when you only know someone from their voice. "I take it you're my Dancer, Tall Blue and Beautiful?"

In Rhan

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[In Rhan]

This guy, In swiftly determined, was a bit extra. Everything about him looked like a perfect confluence of a seasoned hauler - a cheerful stereotype brought to life by some divine artists' pen. He was only a man, of course, but simultaneously the myth and legend. In liked him immediately. The gangly Pantoran woman's face erupted into a broad smile, and she extended a hand in greeting as he drew close.

"That's me, alright." She chuckled. "And you're Old Glory." She didn't need to ask, he sounded so much like himself that there was no question in her mind. The shortwave could obfuscate the details of a voice, but swagger came through loud and clear. "My name is In. This is a fantastic little bar you've got here!" In chirped. "I don't get out to Corellia very much, but it feels so familiar."

If only she'd worn HER bell bottoms. Here was finally a man who could appreciate the timeless style and flair they delivered. And they woud have looked so good with her tie-dye top. Alas - next time. "Love your jacket - it looks great on you!" In complimented cheerfully.

 

[Yaeger Sularen]

LOCATION⠀|	Jimmy's Bar
OBJECTIVE⠀|	Makin' Friends

"Thanks! Ain't no trucker without a little bit of swagger in your look." Yaeger reasoned. "Yaeger Sularen." A pause. "Little relation." Then a smile. That kind of smile that could disarm a bomb. "I found this place a while back. Got stranded when my power couplers blew on the pad, didn't know how to fix 'em. Learned since, but it took me a week to get a mechanic to look at Old Glory. Got stuck here, and got bored. Did a bit of city scopin'. Nice booze, good food, sticky floor. That last one is how ya know the bar is worth it's salt." He chuckled, looking to the tender. "Give me some good whiskey for the both of us. The stuff you swirl in yer mouth."

It wasn't often Yaeger got to talk to another trucker ground-side. Been much longer since it'd been a woman. "So you're a suicide runner? What, you got a death wish?"

In Rhan

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[In Rhan]

The smile could disarm a bomb, and In was no bomb. The Pantoran woman settled at the bar with a broad, slightly-too-wide smile, leaning one arm as she half-turned towards Yeager. "Only sometimes." She promised with a light laugh. "I'm fully private - I haul what pays. Most of the time I pick up contracts through a couple of small companies, but I dabble in speculation and arbitrage. I don't like going anywhere without a full berth, and I'm not afraid to sell." She explained.

""My freighter is mostly cargo bay. Doesn't take much to secure some tanks in it, bring it up to code." She elaborated. "A friend-of-a-friend mentioned an opportunity. I got the tanks and fuel for cheap, found a buyer up in Bela Vistal."

Whiskey wasn't normally In's first choice, but she could appreciate the good stuff. She nursed the rocks glass in a loose grip; her focus remained on the conversation. "What about you? Swagger like yours, I've got you pegged for an owner-operator - go ahead and tell me I'm wrong. Who's moving medical supplies through a solo?"

 

[Yaeger Sularen]

LOCATION⠀|	Little Nowhere
OBJECTIVE⠀|	Makin' Friends

"Believe it 'er not, Corellia itself." He shrugged, letting out a chuckle. "Hospital down the way is runnin' low on bandages. I knew the guy who runs it, he called me up, I got what he needed. Called him earlier, he's gonna get me through this logjam sometime tomorrow. Helps to have friends everywhere ya go, ey? And yeah, I own Old Glory, have for about 3 years now. What about you? How many friends you got out in the stars?"

Yaeger had a policy. He never forgot a face. Not because he had some great memory, but because he knew a smile and a wink could open doors, and help folks who needed it.

In Rhan

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