Anything But Routine

[Q. Samus Dage]

They'd put into Jovan Station for a few days of rest and resupply. Or well, whatever could be finagled from the station's quartermaster at least.

The graceful hulk of Khera'Va'ss'io had burst forth into realspace with a silent thunder of expelled energy, dropping out of hyperspace like some sort of bird of prey falling from the sky to take into its' talons some small, unfortunate scurrying creature. Jovan had hung like a many-armed sentinel before them, and as the expected pleasantries were exchanged and relevant information passed on, they'd been given clearance to 'park', as it were. Khera had sidled up to the appointed spire, and his docking clamps met those of the stations with ease before locking the two together.

On the bridge, Dage gave Rahgus a firm pat to the shoulder.

"Saints and ministers be praised, you actually make it seem like you know how to pilot this old wreck."

The Farghul looked up to the blonde, lips curling back over a row of sharp teeth in a toothy 'grin'. "I do, don't I Commander."

Dage gave a final pat, turned, and looked back to where Captain s'Ilancy sat. She was engrossed in a datapad, with KHER standing over her like some mother hen, one arm reaching down to point at something or another that seemed so fascinating to them both. The two conversed in low tones, speaking in that cursed mother tongue of theirs. Dage cleared his throat.

"Permission to debark, Captain?"

She didn't even look up at him. KHER did, and the Commander found himself wondering - for the hundredth time since meeting the droid - how those inky black eye receptors could convey such impatience. One of the great mysteries of life, he supposed. s'Il finally lifted a hand, waving to the air in silent approval before she and KHER once more resumed their conversation.

Needing no other urging, Dage made his way from the bridge.



Other crewmembers had already begun to file their way through the airlock and out into the spire, and Dage let himself go with the admittedly orderly flow. Stepping onto the decking, the blonde stuffed his hands into the pockets of his uniform trousers as he got a good look at his surroundings. At six foot three inches, he had a certain height advantage that allowed him a bit more of a view than others when it came to crowds. Most seemed to be filings through a checkpoint, and not one to buck any trends, the Commander went along for the ride.

[Q. Samus Dage]

"I see the old lady has decided to stay aboard?"

Dage turned at the voice that spoke to him, looking down at Lieutenant Varin as they both worked their way past the procedural checkpoints and on into the station proper.

"Stick in the mud, that one."

Varin gave a nod in understanding, though there was a wry grin that cut his features. "No doubt in cahoots with that damn droid."

Dage shrugged.

"I'm sure she'll wander off at some point. We've all been cooped up for long enough, so I'd not be too entirely surprised to see her out and about in a bit."

They stepped onto a lift that was soon enough whisking them away from the spire and on toward the central areas of Jovan.

Dage knew that yes, at some point, the Captain would leave the ship, but he also knew that she was loathe to venture from the confines of the familiar despite the reasons. Didn't mean that he and the rest of the crew had to stay aboard though, and most needed no bidding to begin their allotted time away from their duties. It wasn't a long time that they were given, but it was long enough.

The lift slowed, then stopped completely before the doors opened, and stepping out onto the main thoroughfare of the merchant's district, the lanky blonde stepped off, followed by Varin. Clapping a hand to the other man's shoulder, he gave a wide smile.

"I'm off for some food that isn't prepackaged. Don't get into too much trouble, yeah?"

A shake of his head was the Lieutenant's only answer. "I'm not the nuna hawk, remember?"

Dage rolled his eyes at that, knowing exactly what was being implied.

"Yeah well, you get used to it. Another month and it'll all be normal behavior."

"There's nothing normal about what happened on Manaan, Commander."

"You'd be surprised Jeremy." Dage's eyes tracked across the bright signage of a myriad of food vendors, and he stepped away. "You'd be surprised."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Don't play with your food wasn't a Cizeri expression. When a good amount of what you ate was still alive, there was a certain amount of play that happened as part of the ritual. T'yeellaa flipped the thimiarr over as it attempted yet again to flee it's demise. The large rodent was tiring out, having been gouged a few times by rough handling from clawed hands. Yet despite the torture, the K'ohta'rrou's mind certainly wasn't on the task. She focused on the conversation at hand between Preita'rrou Nautuurri and Preita'rrou Siindaarroa concerning the Nuffin freighter that had been impounded the previous day.

"We don't have anjythjing to hold them forr, rrou'a." Nautuurri shrugged. The shaven-headed Naala'in officer licked away blood on her lips as she tapped the now-empty counter in front of her as a sign for the server to supply her with another live morsel.

"No contrraband?" T'yeellaa glanced at the two lieutenants, and they both shook their heads. Preita'rrou Siindaarroa flicked her hapless thimiar between her two waiting hands, sinking claws into it's back as it squealed.

"Not a trrace of rrjyll. Nothjing. Ourr jinforrmant musst be wrrong."

T'yeellaa's thimiar attempted another break, and the K'ohta'rrou speared one of it's paws fast to the counter.

"Thejy'rre not wrrong, Preita'rrou. Majybe thejy made thejirr deljiverrjy, orr majybe thejy dumped the pajyload at the ssjign of trrouble. Ejitherr wajy, jI jintend to fjind them out. Worrk wjith Chjief Essk'avarr. He'ss crreatjive. jI'm ssurre he'll fjind a rreasson to keep ourr Nuffjin frrjiendss jin ourr cusstodjy forr a ljittle whjile longerr untjil we get to the bottom of thjiss."

Movement caught T'yeellaa's eyes as she raised her hapless rodent up to her mouth. She paused, granting the exhausted thimiar reprieve as she returned it to the counter.

"Commanderr Dage?"

She'd made it a point to acquaint herself with the executive staff of all Alliance warships passing through Jovan, and her morning browsing of dossiers kept the human's image fresh in her mind. Rising from her stool at the feeding kiosk, T'yeellaa thumped her prey along the countertop, putting it back into play for the two Preita'rrous to fight over.

"jI'm K'ohta'rrou Meorrrei. Welcome to Jovan Sstatjion."

[Q. Samus Dage]

The sound of his name being spoken arrested his forward movement, and Samus Dage turned to look at the one who'd called to him. A blonde Cizerack woman, proper and stiff-backed. He vaguely recognized her from the small amount of reading up he'd done on Jovan's staff. He knew well enough that Kes had been shuffled into the unenviable position of heading the Ithorian spider that was Jovan Station, but what he could immediately recall of the other command staff was minimal at best.

Meorrrei. K'ohta'rrou.

And then he smiled, shoulders hitching back just a bit as he looked down at her, and one hand coming out of his pocket, the blonde offered a handshake.

"K'ohta'rrou," the word rolled off his tongue rather easily. He'd been enough places in this galaxy to pick up on the inflections of Cizeri.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Commander Dage was a learned forrda, or at least knew his way well enough around the mother tongue to pass muster. T'yeellaa's ears raised a small measure as she humored him with the human custom of grasping hands.

"jIss therre anjythjing jI can do to accommodate jyourr warrsshjip whjile jyou rremajin jin porrt?"

In reviewing Dage's file, K'ohta'rrou Meorrrei had also read up on their previous mission. What was supposed to be a simple transfer of power on Manaan had been anything but. Imperial intransigence had lead to a limited skirmish and an explosion incidentally occurred at the same time at the planet's kolto refineries, setting back medical production by months.

[Q. Samus Dage]

"Just here for a little bit of downtime, K'ohta'rrou."

Still he smiled, but his eyes soon enough went from her to the glut of signs above each eatery that dotted the clustered landscape. For now he rather pointedly ignored her offer at helping to make Khera's servicing more of a smooth affair. He was here for himself, after all. If the Captain wanted him to attend to the matters of restocking (which she usually did not, thankfully), then he would do so. Now? Now he was here on a mission to satisfy his increasingly ravenous stomach.

"And a bit of lunch that isn't a ration pack."

Finally his gaze returned to her, and Dage gave her a cheeky wink. "Something not alive."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"Of courrsse."

She'd spent enough time around forrda to not balk at their fussy dietary requirements. T'yeellaa laced her fingers together in front of her as her tail swayed lazily.

"Commanderr Akjiena prreferrss the Rrodjian esstabljisshment jif that jiss alsso jyourr tasste."

It certainly wasn't by her own experience, and the K'ohta'rrou couldn't wax specific on the matter.

"Captajin ss'jIlancjy doess not jojin jyou?"

Not that there was any reason she should, but the familiar humanoid was nowhere to be seen in the exodus of the warship's command staff.

[Q. Samus Dage]

"That old battleaxe likes her privacy."

It was spoken without any real thought, and Dage furrowed his brow as he finally turned once more to look down at K'ohta'rrou Meorrrei.

"And if Kes likes the Rodian place, I think I'll avoid that."

There was a certain amount of caution that laced his words; not distate, just... a hint of past experiences.

"You got something Corellian around here? Or better yet, maybe a Myomarian joint?"

Just the thought of roasted, fresh-sliced shaak haunch on flatbread with mint leaves was enough to make him more than a little bit hopeful.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"The old..."

The questioning look on Meorrrei's face quickly dispelled. It wasn't worth tripping over forrda idioms to get to the bottom of the matter, which was simply that she wouldn't be coming aboard. No matter. Their crossing paths on Muunilinst had been incidental at most. At Dage's pointed avoidance of Commander Akiena's preferred eatery, a curious look was returned to Dage, with mildly skewed ears. What was that about? A rivalry, or something more? Commander Akiena had made no real mention of Commander Dage by name, speaking more to the point of his endeavors with Captain s'Ilancy instead.

"Correlljian, jyess."

Gesturing further down the concourse, a sign in basic that read Diktat's Roost glowed amids the dozens of similar signs nearby.

[Q. Samus Dage]

He followed her gesture with his eyes, and Dage felt his smile widen. With an enthusiastic slap to her shoulder, the rangy human gave another forceful slap and a reassuring squeeze to her shoulder.

"Ah! Good!"

He stopped short of giving her ear a good-natured tweak, and instead lifted a single finger to his forehead in a somewhat mock salute coupled with a partial bow, all in the same motion of stepping forward and turning on his heel to afford her a face-to-face thanks.

"You're a life-saver, Ma'am."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa's tail jerked as if hit by a live wire at the sudden invasion of personal space. Otherwise, she remained stock still at Dage's outburst. He had a flavor of clownish swagger that seemed not to dissimilar to Commander Akiena. Perhaps it was the disquieting similarity that caused Dage to insist on distance?

"jIf therre'ss anjythjing elsse jyou need, let me know."

With a polite smile and a nod of her head, the K'ohta'rrou moved to turn away and resume her predatory habits.

[Q. Samus Dage]

A wink, and the blonde turned to look at the flashing Aurebesh that she'd pointed toward.

"A little company is always appreciated I s'ppose," it was spoken with not a healthy amount of invitation, and Dage spread his arms in a sort of inviting motion before once more returning his hands to his pockets.

"I don't get out often."

Which was a strange sort of lie, as Samus Dage had been to more eateries probably than any one man had a right to. He bent forward slightly, giving her a crooked smile.

"Can't think of anyone better than Kes' K'ohta'rrou to spend lunch with."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Well, that was unusual.

T'yeellaa paused in her retreat, looking back with amused skepticism. She recognized the construct of the sales pitch he was using. What was unusual was that she was typically the one who used it. Living among forrda was an experiment in opposites. Almost worth the risk of diving into alien cuisine and the threat of gastric distress.

"jI don't sshjy awajy frrom adventurress, Commanderr. Lead on."

[Q. Samus Dage]

Immensely satisfied with himself, Dage lifted a hand up in deference, his crooked grin still present.

"Eh, it's just lunch. I've had my fill of 'adventure' for the time being."

His eyes turned back to the Diktat's Roost, and as she fell into step beside him, the tall blonde ran through in his mind what sort of food might be on the menu. Perhaps a plate of Coronet-style pulled shaak and stewed danna greens, or even smoked shaak ribs? Of course, a thick rare cut of Tyrena-bred nerf with broiled spider shrimp was a meal that he would be more than happy to partake in. Honestly though, the options were endless, and only limited by what the kitchens had stocked. So long as it wasn't some form of packaged ration bars and protein supplements he was not about to be picky.

Approaching the establishment's open arching doorway, Dage sidestepped slightly to allow her entry.

"Ladies first, Ma'am."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Again taken by surprise and nearly laughing, K'ohta'rrou Meorrrei's ears raised high.

"jI would ssajy Arr'oa fai. jIn the event of a tjie, jyou'rre mjy guesst herre."

With a modest flourish, T'yeellaa swept a hand towards the door.

"Afterr jyou, Arr Dage."

[Q. Samus Dage]

He laughed at that, a good-natured laugh that came easily and was full of a strange sort of sly delight. His hand came out then, and Dage swiftly laid a wide open palm across her shoulder blades. Applying a firm bit of gentle pressure, he pushed her in in front of him.

"Even guests can show a bit of manners, K'ohta'rrou," he grinned, shoving her inside and following right behind her. "Call me old fashioned, but ladies always have the distinction of first entry."

He punctuated his words with a last pat to her shoulder, and turned his attentions to the hostess while holding up two fingers.

"Two please."

A practiced smile met his request, and the doe-eyed human woman plucked up two menus from her podium.

"Follow me."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

There was no sense in getting caught up in an infinite loop of manners and protocol, and T'yeellaa deferred to Dage's wishes, passively resisting with a tail swipe at the human's midsection as she was prodded along.

"Sso human femaless alwajyss enterr fjirrsst? jI can thjink of morre than a few tjimess that mjight be djiffjicult."

Glancing back to Dage with a hint of salacious gleam, T'yeellaa followed the server to a prepared booth. As she did, she couldn't help but think of a similar encounter she'd shared with Commander Akiena not long ago, only this time the sajoi was in her bowl. It was time for her to acclimate to the wild side a bit. And having company that wasn't her superior officer was helping. It removed a lot of complications.

[Q. Samus Dage]

For a brief moment he looked at her with a blank expression, but it wasn't long before his smile was back, and chuckling, Dage lowered himself to sit on one side of the empty table as the hostess set their menus down in front of them. She still smiled, and backed away with little else to say except that she would inform their server to bring them two waters.

"And two pints of Denendre Valley farm ale, if you've got it."

"We do. I'll have them brought out," came the sweet reply as the woman ducked back, whisking away to track down their server.

Supremely satisfied with himself, Dage opened up the menu, giving it a quick scan.

"So then."

It was all mouthwatering to look at, and after another moment he set it back down, looking across the table to T'yeellaa.

"Jovan Station. Seems a bit of an out of the way posting. I know why Kes is here, but what's your story?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

He ordered drinks for them both, and T'yeellaa didn't object to the assumption. Better he do it than let her try and run through her limited knowledge of beer which began and ended on Syragor. With the drinks effectively taken care of, the K'ohta'rrou browsed through the menu set before her, but it wasn't long before she set it aside. Half of the pictures she couldn't make heads or tails out of. The descriptions showed meat in most, but it was teased and fussed with to the point where it might as well be abstract art.

The company was more interesting than the menu at any rate. T'yeellaa laced her fingers atop the menu.

"Mjy sstorrjy."

Well, not the best icebreaker. She took a deep breath, considering how much or little needed saying.

"Beforre Jovan, jI captajined a galleon on the ljine forr the Prrjide Navjy - the Haifa'Iro'Iro. The Admjirraltjy wanted ssomeone wjith a prroven and prresstjigjouss rrecorrd to sserrve jin an executjive capacjitjy on thjiss sstatjion."

She pursed her lips slightly, suddenly hopeful the beer wasn't long in arriving. No mention of power plays or her mother.

"jIt wass explajined to me the jimporrtance of thjiss posstjing, and afterr ssome tjime to conssjiderr jit, jI accepted."

[Q. Samus Dage]

Their server appeared with a tray that held two waters and two ales, and he went about setting their drinks on the table. Tucking the tray under one arm, he pulled a small pad and stylus from the front pocket of his apron.

"You two know what you want?"

He'd really only had to glance down the length of the menu to know,and Dage was quick to give a nod. But he was still a gentleman of a sort, and just as he had insisted she go first inside, so too did he now look across the table at her. There was a strange tick to her features, and recognizing it well enough, he turned back to the server.

"We'll need a few more minutes," he chuckled.

A nod, and the server was gone once more.

"It was 'explained' to you. Sounds like there wasn't really any choice to be made on your end, at least."

He knew how such things went; it wasn't exactly all that different at times in the Alliance. He gave a sympathetic smile. "You have my condolences."