The Best Star Pilot in the Galaxy

[Kelly Perris]

"Spend a few minutes fielding a short call from command and taking the opportunity to relieve myself... just a few minutes and someone has to take offense at something. " Kelly shook his head, a trace of amusement in his eyes as he came back to the same table at which Jamo was seated, just as Regan seated himself. The boy started to stand (out of respect, one supposed), but Perris waved him off, telling him to relax. It was the galley, not the flight deck. Boy had a lot of pluck for being the Junior Mechanic on the squadron roster.Kelly was about to seat himself when an unfamiliar gal started taking offense at something said by a vaguely familiar voice.

"Excuse me again, Jamo... boys. Seems we have an idealist tarnishing our shining reputation. You know what we do with idealists." He said with a devious grin. Standing up from his halfway-seated-ness, the Commander followed sound of the female voice (which wasn't a bad voice, mind you) to find his eyes laid upon a pretty young lady. The trajectory of her offense led him to one Sanis Prent. He stuffed his hands into the trouser pockets of his flight-suit and wandered over to the second bit of commotion in as many minutes, an air of 'I-don't-give-a-fuck' settling around his person as he did. Until he got there, anyways. Until he spoke up. He briefly met eyes with Sanis, gave the spacer a small nod, then turned to the fierce young lady who decided to try and tangle herself with Prent in the first place - without having any clue who she was talking to and defending something that was definitely idealistic and not one mote of experience.

To say...

"You don't have one little clue about what you're so valiantly defending, little lady, nor who you are mouthing off to." He eyed her critically as he stood somewhat halfway between her and Prent and the other onlookers around him. He came across as slightly angry. Whether it was a facade or not was the secret between him and perhaps, one or two others. "Your ideals will get you killed and that's exactly the kind of shit I don't need in my squadron. I do not care who you think you are, what you have done or where you have come from. Don't go running your pretty little mouth about things you do not know or understand."

Kelly shifted from one foot to the other. He glanced again at Sanis, then went back to the girl. "You may have flown with the enemy, Miss Inirial, but you did not believe with heart and soul in that cause. You did not have that faith burned down to cinders when they destroyed everything you had. You have nothing, save for some romanticized ideals of what a Rogue Squadron pilot is, or any Rebel pilot, for that matter. I suggest you shut your mouth until you've earned the right."

Then he crossed his arms and stood there, awaiting a response. She would learn humility if it meant having her hate him, as long as she would follow orders in the end. Nearly every potential recruit went through this and nearly every one ended with a fight. He turned slightly to Sanis.

"That sound about right, Mr. Prent?"

[Sanis Prent]

"Heh."

Kelly Perris. Not a face I'd seen in a few turns. Oord Trasi, last I seemed to recall. So he was the head capo of Rogue Squadron?

I took another sip of my drink.

"All I know is I wasn't given a damn thing at fifteen. Got my first ship when I stole it. I survive, and that's what pays off."

Perris was one of those few Rebels who seemed to be about as hard as the front he put up. I'd put in a few hours on a co-op back when I was doing charity work for s'Il, and he could both drink and fight. Respected that much.

"Guess that makes you the guy I'm supposed to report to then, eh Kelly?. Not sure if you should be more worried about that one joining your team, or me. Hope none of the rest have any problem with being embarassed."

[Carré Inirial]

"Alright then."

Carré replied evenly and offered a shrug. Her stance changed little, save for the fact that she tucked her hands in her pockets and met the Commander's gaze without flinching. She waited, tilting her head to one side, watching the Commander and for the time being, ignoring everyone else completely.

He was no different than any other Commander she'd ever met or served under. Not that she'd expected any different from a man of his...status and reputation. Normally, however, she'd have retorted sharply and rather rudely...but she wouldn't give him or anyone else the satisfaction. One dressing down was enough for one day - no matter how ill-informed she thought it was.

"With all due respect, Commander, I did watch my beloved Empire destroy my homeworld and my entire family. They ripped out my heart they day they destroyed Alderaan. So maybe I don't know anything and maybe I am idealistic...but at least I know why I'm here." She replied softly, managing through sheer obstinance to keep her voice soft and even. In spite of it, her emerald eyes flashed and darkened with emotion as she let her gaze travel from the Commander to Sanis.

A retort formed on her tongue, but Carré thought better of it. She wasn't winning any arguments today, and she knew it.

[Jamo Jakatta]

“You kids gonna argue all day? 'Cause you know, Tink and me'll see this all off, no time.”

He jabbed his fork towards Perris' tray of half-eaten food, then strained his neck to see what was sitting in front of Prent. The meals aboard the Wheel weren't exactly delicious, but Jakatta had the appetite of a Wookiee with worms. More than that, though, he was hoping the interjection would encourage the trio to sit down and shut up. He didn't wait for Kelly to reply before stabbing his fork into something on the Commander's play and shovelling it whole into his mouth, an expectant look on his face as he chomped and chewed.

[Sanis Prent]

I nearly rolled my eyes at the brunette drama queen's spiel.

"I know why I'm here, that's for sure. You can't find any three pilots combined in this junk trader caravan to match the skills I've got."

I let my eyes purposefully pass from Carré, to Kelly, to Jamo, and the others.

"It's a hard knock fuckin' galaxy, cry about it already. That's just real life. I've been dealing with that for years, before I even decided to make a living out of killing bucketheads."

A calculated smug smirk crossed my face as I finished my drink, setting my glass back on the table with a snap of my wrist so it did a little spin on its base before coming to a rest.

[Carré Inirial]

As...calmly...as she could manage, Carré removed her hands from her pockets and eyed the Commander and Sanis for several moments before speaking. In the span of that split second or so, she decided - rather, her temper decided for her - that she'd had enough, and to hell with the consequences. The worst they could do is make her leave, and she'd be damned if she didn't at say something. Her brothers would roll over in their graves if she didn't.

The young woman met the Commander's gaze once more before deliberately stepping right up to him and then moving to the side to go around. She paced herself, taking measured steps until she reached Sanis' side of the table and gazed down at him as he was still seated. Well, glared was perhaps more fitting, given the narrowing of her emerald orbs and the strange silver threads that emerged in her irises.

One hand curled into a fist to rest on her hip, while the other rested loosely against her leg, fingernails tapping out a meaningless rhythm. "I'm surprised you're letting yourself be seen with us second-rate hicks, Prent, what with your skills being so impressive. I mean, an amazing pilot such as yourself shouldn't have to play second fiddle to someone like...me." Carré practically purred the words as her Alderaanian accent fell in thick with a heavy dose of saccharin.

Both hands fisted tightly and balanced on her hips as she shifted how she was standing, looking as if she were ready to throw a punch at the man any second. And not bothering to hide it. Which was true. She really wasn't sure how much longer she'd be able to hold out without hitting him.

"I would turn on the waterworks for you and pretend to be a stereotypical girl, just to assuage your masculinity, but I just can't be fucking bothered. You can talk about the real life you've been 'dealing with' all you'd like...with your pretty kill count and your unparalleled skills, but I'm really not sure that someday down the line, someone with a bigger credit stick won't come along. Everyone's got a price, after all...tell us what yours is so we know when to expect you to turn tail and run."

[Ben Merasska]

Ben had been about to continue talking about his favourite subject (Nubian spacecraft in general), but suddenly there was another rebel pilot berating her. Even then, he’d have tried to diffuse the situation and help the pretty pilot out, but then she dropped the name.

Ben’s mouth snapped shut and he bowed his head slightly, presenting a smaller target and hopefully would not seem worth talking to at the moment. Even so, he still wanted to help the pretty woman out. The two inclinations jostled within him for a moment, with the end result being him staying silent and taking a mouthful of his drink.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr leaned a little closer to Saricia, his ears rising up a little as he talked to her.

"How about we fjind ourrselves a place to sjit away frrom these jokerrs?"

It was a suggest born mostly out of consideration for her. Probably would be best for the pretty brunette if she wasn't placed at ground zero for a fight waiting to happen. Cirr could practically smell it coming, too.

[Lyanie Quez]

Lyanie had learned well enough the first go around with the Rebellion to just not get involved in dominance battles between pilots. She glanced at Cirr, who seemed to take a fairly similar stance towards the increasing heat of the 'conversation'. And she didn't know what to make of the spitfire girl from Alderaan, but between Saricia and Carré, Ben had his eyes full.

She sighed, mostly to herself. It was one of those times where she might say 'Men', roll her eyes and shake her head. At least Ben had the sense to not stick his nose too far into contest to see whose was bigger. He always had an healthy and admirable sense of self-preservation about him, which could either be construed as intelligence or cowardice, depending on whom you asked.

Lyanie found herself backstepping away from where she had been standing near Sanis. It wouldn't do to be standing in the wrong place at the wrong time. Instead, she wheeled herself around a little closer to Cirr and Saricia.

"That sounds like a great idea." She interjected, then suddenly giving Cirr a look. She jacked a thumb back at Sanis. "If I didn't know any better, which... hey, I don't!... I'd almost say your buddy does this on purpose. Or is he just a magnet for this kind of thing?"

[Kelly Perris]

He was taken aback by her reaction. It was, to say the least, unexpected. Also, it was the consequence he got for not reading the file, the whole file and everything in the file before deciding to 'prep' the woman for the squadron whose membership she was being brought (and some would say, most foolishly, for what the Rogues tended to get into was hardly good for the lifespan) in to.

Well, from the looks of it, she's dealing better than I ever have. He realized, inwardly, keeping even the slightest look of admiration from his face about the fact. Instead, he watched her go to Sanis and inevitably, he knew what was coming. It was never pretty, but it was still part of the business. Let's hope she can fight as well with her hands as she can with her mouth.

To that end, Kelly simply crossed his arms and looked on, waiting for the ball to drop. Tonight, the fight was not his.

[Sanis Prent]

I laughed in her face.

"You think I'm getting paid for this shit? It's charity work. I've been at this sort of thing longer than any of you."

Rising from my seat slowly, I looked down at her a bit.

"But I tell you what. When I do get you out of a jam, Princess Entitlement, and believe me I will, we can arrange for compensation later."

I winked at her, brushed past, and headed to the bar to get another drink.

[Carré Inirial]

She had a long history of letting her mouth ramble on without the intervention of a single brain cell. A rather colorful one at that, followed closely by a string of fights she was notorious for starting. Especially at the Academy, where her classmates and later members of her squadrons had learned, if nothing else, to not insult her within earshot.

Not that she expected Sanis to learn anything at any point.

Carré had made up her mind to walk away as the man spoke and then rose too his full height, staring down at her from his several inch height advantage. She had already started to turn to leave by the time his comment finally registered in her ear and he brushed by her.

Fingers reached out and tapped Sanis on the shoulder before he'd gotten far, emerald eyes lifting to trace along the line of his cheek and jaw. Under any other circumstance it would have been a heated glance of a warm, almost intimate nature. However, when it was followed by a closed fist powered by a short, compact swing, one took the glance a different way.

[Sanis Prent]

About damn time.

I took the shot. I mean, I knew it was coming sooner or later. She had a good hook on her too. If I didn't duck it to catch the fist on my cheekbone, it might have really rung my bell. Suffice to say, I saw a few stars and got a nice welt across my face.

Now, I don't know about other people. I'm sure there's a genteel code for gentlemen on Naboo or some other place about the virtues of women and the inviolate natures of their person. Lemme just tell you - fuck that shit. I'm from the vertical city. Nar Shadaa doesn't have any sort of rule, written or no. A bitch can tote a blast can on her thigh or in her cleavage, and if it's life or death on the line, nobody takes a shot without blowback.

So, in the time-honored tradition of other fine gentlemen from the hard vertical streets, I checked that bitch with a closed hand.

That oughtta stir shit up.

[Carré Inirial]

That hand was gonna hurt like hell in the morning.

But she'd be damned if connecting with his cheek hadn't felt fucking spectacular.

If Carré had been paying better attention or could move faster, she'd have been able to avoid the punch he threw. As she couldn't, the best she could manage was tilting her head enough to catch most of it on her cheek and the edge of her lip. Bloody hell, the man could punch. It garnered him a bit of respect in her mind, as the hit had plenty of body behind it.

It was just as hard as the hits she used to take when she was fighting with her brothers, and it rang in her ears rather loudly.

"Not bad, flyboy."

Carré licked the corner of her bruised lip as she aimed to introduce her left fist to his chin with an uppercut that had all of her weight behind it.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr didn't change his expression, since the outcome had already been a foregone conclusion. He stood with Saricia by the bar, and relatively out of the brawl. The lupine, however, seemed upset by the scene, and Cirr laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"He'll be okay. He's got me arround just jin case he gets jin too deep."

As a practiced veteran of bailing Sanis out, Cirr coolly finished his drink, easing the empty glass onto the bar's counter. He interlaced his fingers, turning his palms away as he cracked his knuckles.

[Ben Merasska]

He yelped softly when the first blow landed, and it hadn’t even been swung at him, much less hit.

‘Okay, exit stage left!’ he thought, sidling away from the escalating hostilities to find a position that would hopefully be much safer. Well, as safe as it could be on an Alliance boat, that is. When he couldn’t find Lyanie, or any other familiar and safe face, he felt panic begin to rear in. Even when he had been a pilot in Red Squadron he’d been known as the guy who never really fought. The fight was compounding matters greatly, and though he tried to hide it, he got the feeling he wasn’t doing too well.

[Jamo Jakatta]

That fact that Prent had landed a blow on the brunette didn't bother Jakatta so much as the fact that he'd punched anyone at all. There was a place for beating the crap out of each other, and it wasn't the dinner table.

“Hey!” He slapped a hand down onto Inirial's shoulder, meaning to pull her out of the fight before things got nasty.

[Sanis Prent]

A lucky grab by Jamo pulled Carre's uppercut just shy of my face. With a wide opening, I drove in a pair of body shots to knock the wind out of her. No such thing as fighting dirty where I come from. I was going to finish this.

[Carré Inirial]

She had no chance to avoid it as her momentum shifted backwards, and her well-placed uppercut missed completely.

Now she was fucking pissed off and she couldn't breathe.

Carré was far too off-balance to do much except grab two fistfuls of Sanis' shirt and yank him with her as she toppled backwards. And slam her forehead against his. If she was going down, she sure as hell wasn't going alone.

[Saricia Ask'lan]

Cirr didn't change his expression, since the outcome had already been a foregone conclusion. He stood with Saricia by the bar, and relatively out of the brawl. The lupine, however, seemed upset by the scene, and Cirr laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"He'll be okay. He's got me arround just jin case he gets jin too deep."

As a practiced veteran of bailing Sanis out, Cirr coolly finished his drink, easing the empty glass onto the bar's counter. He interlaced his fingers, turning his palms away as he cracked his knuckles.

"In too deep?" Saricia's echoing of Cirrsseeto's comment was incredulous as Sanis was headbutted by the fiery female pilot as they tumbled to the ground in a mess.

She didn't know what to make of the entire fiasco. Pilot bravado gone mad is what it looked like, but for what purpose? The Lupine could see no point in this and the scowl on her face only deepened.