Stay Alive

[Astera Frayus]

She might have said he just didn't want to die as much as he claimed; but Astera thought he meant to. She didn't know if it was fate, the Force, some sheer wacky luck; but it appeared he was more skilled at staying alive and bruised than die. It was weird; but she could deal with it.

She glared back when he switched subjects, returning to their previous discussion.

"Well, I might include sparring with you while you work for me, because you might actually be a worthy opponent. Droids are only useful to a certain degree," she mused.

His question gave her pause. She was curious about him; but only stayed focused on what could serve her while he worked for her.

"Let's go to your ship. I want to see you fly. Also, you said you traveled a lot. Where did you go?"

She gestured for him to walk with her, as they resumed their trail towards the docks.

[Vishan Korogoth]

Vishan mouth fell thoughtful, wondering if were possible to stack the odds in his favor if they spar. He'd just have to be subtle about his intentions since Frayus was smart. Very smart. She would probably see through the facade.

"Droids aren't good for tha', yeah. Not if'n you're already skilled." He had plenty of training against them when he served and only found new challenges against other soldiers. And later on, being beat on by thugs and bounty hunters. And after that, training on the use of his powers with Soolin.

He shook the memories away of Felucia, bouncing off of large mushrooms and running ragged with physical exertion trying to keep up with his Master's wolf, Grimya, and shrugged.

"Kinda need ta tell me where th' ship is." He pointed out without being snarky. "Then ya can check th' logs o' where Ah've been. Which is ah lot. Between soldier ta Padawan, seen ah lot o' shit at ah lot o' different places."

[Astera Frayus]

"I have a couple of customized assassin droids that can still give me some challenge at times, but live opponents push you better."

Astera had missed her grandmother's ruthless sparring with her. Only in the two years prior to her passing, had the blonde been able to always and easily best the elderly Zabrak. She had been a force of nature, and a formidable mentor.

She gestured for them to exit the building at last, and follow a cobblestone path that zigzag-ed through a bunch of buildings, passing through some bushes and trees at times.

"This is the pedestrian shortcut to the hangars where we moved your ship," she indicated.

The place was getting busier at this time of the day, for she had incoming supply runs, as well as a few upcoming deliveries that needed to be on their way within the next three hours.

Some employees ignored them, save for a faint nod to Astera, for she was sufficiently involved that most recognized her. She exchanged a couple of words with a handful of people she passed by, mostly business-related, one personal note in the midst of them, about a newborn child. Some employees nevertheless couldn't help stare at the beaten up man walking with their boss, but knew better than to be nosy.

"Your ship was delivered before you were. Two of my mechanics are already going through it. Two discreet beacons were planted on it before sent my way. They were promptly removed."

She said that matter of fact, definitely not surprised that asshole criminal had tried to get some discreet info, should Korogoth fly for her, but she was thorough, more than they might know.

"Logs will be reviewed as well, though that is what you had left available. After all scrubbing logs and data is common."

They eventually made it to the hangar in question, where the two mechanics, a middle aged woman Caro, and her assistant a young man named Arel, were still working.

[Vishan Korogoth]

Accepting this situation, for now, Vishan was an attentive listener and took in his surroundings with a critical eye, memorizing the path, structures and beings along the way. He didn't take much note of the stares directed at him, but Vishan did find it curious that there was a small glimpse of camaraderie with Frayus with a few workers. That made him visibly scratch his head with confusion. There were a lot of layers to this woman.

He shrugged when he learned about the beacons because that didn't surprise him. Assholes wanting to get information on competitors was nothing new. Least the ship was maintained enough by the workers milling about poking and prodding her.

Blue eyes looked possessive and almost frantic watching them before reeling it in. "Yeah, so Ah'm sure ya know th' ship's called th' Rocinante. Typical YT-2400 light freighter an' - HEY!"

He shouted at Arel. "Please dun do tha' wit th' panels!"

If he wasn't under the rule of thumb with the boss lady next to him, Vishan would've Force thrown the hydrospanner in the mechanic's hand right into his face for being so rough with the ship. "Th' ship's been through alot an' ... look ya just need ta lightly tap at th' latch an' it pops off real nice, kay?"

[Astera Frayus]

Astera didn't know what to make of Vishan's lack of reaction or comment to what she said about him having potentially altered or erased some of his travel logs. He had told her she could just look at them to know where he had traveled in the past. She would figure things out quick enough.

She had been aboard her share of YT-2400 and so far it seemed fairly standard, which he confirmed, though she was glad that her team of mechanics were thorough with it. Better safe than sorry had proven a solid motto to live by in her life, even though she was also known to gamble on things in ways that horrified other people.

Korogoth's strong reaction to Arel's tinkering too roughly with a panel caught her by surprise. She narrowed her eyes at him and canted her head to the side.

"You're as possessive with your ship as I am with my weapons."

Her employee gave her a confused look but she gestured for him to keep going, and he did as such, heeding the Corellian's instruction.

"They will be done within 10 minutes. Then you can show me how you fly the Rocinante."

She wasn't planning to trust him to wander off world without supervision any time soon, but she liked knowing the hand she had been served.

[Vishan Korogoth]

He didn't care what Frayus was doing, too focused on Arel, waiting to see if he was going to follow his instructions or not.

"Eh ... we all 'ave our reasons for t'ings. Right?" He said offhanded about possessiveness. The ship was all he had left of Soolin. Why he didn't care if the logs were tampered with. He had a copy of them.

He was relieved Arel listened to his boss even if it wasn't him. What mattered was treating the ship with respect.

"Before we fly, can we 'ead ta muh room? Unless ya cleaned out th' captain's quarters on th' ship yet?" He looked at her expectantly. "Somet'ing Ah need there tha' ya probably wanna see too."

[Astera Frayus]

Astera noticed how Korogoth was focused on Arel, ensuring that his instructions were followed.

She clicked her tongue as he spoke of everyone having their reasons. As much as it was true, she was keenly aware of how this man was more complicated than she had first expected. Really, she preferred it like that. She already had enough lackeys.

"Save for the parasite beacons we found, nothing else appears to have been tampered with," the blonde added as she was reviewing the current report from her mechanics.

She looked back at the Corellian, she could tell that whatever was in his quarters was important.

"Lead the way," she simply said, since it hadn't been cleaned out yet, as he put it.

[Vishan Korogoth]

He didn't say anything and went right to his quarters. Surprisingly the room was clean and cast a curious glance towards Frayus. Did her crew have the decency to put everything back to the best of their ability or were gentle tossers of ships to avoid a mess?

Vishan looked away and went to the desk, tapped a hidden side panel and a small datacard slide out. There were visible signs of relief as he held up the card and inspected it for any damage, finding none.

"This is why Ah wanted ta come in 'ere." He turned around and gently waved the card in hand as he walked up to her. This 'as all th' info ya wanted. Where Ah've been an' such. Bu' ... it 'as logs o'th' former cap'in. An' it's all Ah got o' 'er left."

He narrowed his eyes, neck tensing under the strain of keeping his emotions in check this time. "So if'n Ah give this to ya, Ah need it back all in one piece."

Making demands were dumb but Frayus was a unique boss. Soolin would have told him to trust the Force and right now, his intuition said that she would hear out his request. Maybe if she took this seriously, he would lower his level of being a dumb ass in her presence and try to make the best of this situation.

[Astera Frayus]

Astera followed Korogoth in silence. She knew that some of her personnel wondered what the hell was up with this unexpected delivery. The jeweler bet that the crime lord had ulterior motives. She didn't know which ones; not had she any idea what he expected to happen with the Corellian, but for sure it was an unusual situation. And in a weird way, the near-human liked it. It broke monotony, even though it was a bit confusing.

Whatever was on that card he found, her new employee was relieved to find it without any damage. She didn't move too deep inside his quarters. She wasn't always the nicest person around; but she still had some manners, and whatever this man had gone through was still taking a toll on him. She bet he would still try to have her kill him, whenever he thought she might pity him, or might get angry at him. It would become a challenging dance; but she refused to kill him. She had understood that it was what he wanted, and she wasn't an executioner. At least, she wouldn't be his.

"Thank you," she said as she took the datacard in her hand, before slipping it into a secure pocket at her belt. "I will make a copy tonight, and return it to you tomorrow."

She looked at him for a moment, pondering his body language and who the other captain had been. He cared about her, still did, even though it felt as if it had been a long time ago. She could have asked questions right away; but she chose not to for now.

"You won't be allowed to come and go as you please, including aboard the ship; but it will remain for your use only. So if there is anything you'd want to take to your new quarters, you can do that, after you give me that flying demonstration."

[Vishan Korogoth]

He nodded sternly but with softened eyes. With what Vishan had seen so far, he believed her.

"T'anks."

Vishan was also appreciative that Freyus didn't prod for further information. He wasn't too happy not being able to board the ship as often as he would like, but he had nothing to bargain with.

"A'right. Ah'll take ah look 'round after we go fer ah spin." He started to leave, half turning to Freyus with a quick wave beckoning her to follow. "C'mon, busy lady. Sure ya got other t'ings ta do sides babysittin' me."

As they walked side by side to the cockpit, he asked a very important question. "So ... what's th' rules o'th' demo?"

There was a twinkle in his eye when the Corellian threw her a mischievous grin. The guy that was desperate for death was covered up really well right now. "Do Ah get ta come in fer ah low buzzin' o'th compound?"

[Astera Frayus]

Astera wondered what would come out of this new unexpected employee; but it was this uncertainty that made it interesting. She didn't know what the crime lord who had decided to drop him on her doorstep would pull in the future; but she'd be ready to tackle any stupid shit he would come up with. And somehow, she doubted that Korogoth would put up with it, unless he saw that as an opportunity to make his death wish come true. It was impossible to tell whether it would diminish or disappear over time.

"You're welcome."

She followed him to the cockpit, and couldn't help grinning at being called "busy lady," which was quite accurate, really.

The "baby-sitting" part coaxed a wolfish laugh out of her.

Yeah, he definitely had that Corellian sense of humor.

She liked his sense of initiative as he asked how far he could take things for the flying demonstration. He wasn't completely beaten down whether by the thugs or by life. That was a good thing.

"Buzz as low as you want over the compound. Show me what you've got."

There was a devious spark in her eyes, but her tone was deadpan. She wanted to see what he could do.

"I'll just clarify with control that the crazies are authorized before we take off."

[Vishan Korogoth]

Despite his dramatic death wish earlier, his new employer was still eager to witness Vishan's piloting skills and was giving him a lot of trust. The trust was not misplaced and he was going to push the envelop just a bit.

He let Frayus enter first and trailing behind her, ended up sitting down first. She was sure to poke around and take a close look at things.

"Ah''m sure ya know where th' comm station is, so jus' let me know when we're cleared, 'kay?" He tapped the dangling dog tags hanging above the control panel, wishing himself luck with the boneheaded maneuver he was about to go through with while going through pre-flight checks.

[Astera Frayus]

There was something about Korogoth that Astera couldn't explain; and against all odds, the mystery he presented, intrigued her enough that she welcomed the weirdness of the situation. She had no idea where this would lead; but she was looking forward to it. Even with the Corellian's death wish that might stir things up; she had one of those uncanny feelings that it was the way to go: keeping the beaten man dropped on her doorstep due to some crime lord's schemes.

She had been yearning for new opportunities; and she bet her grandmother would have made some quirky comments about how Korogoth definitely broke the monotony already.

When he let her sit down, she didn't waste time and contacted the ground control station in her compound. While the security employee didn't object to Astera's explanation she was going on a test ride with the Corellian and his ship, there was something in the man's tone that made it clear he was baffled. Yet everybody knew better than argue with their boss when she had decided something.

Ending the communication, she looked at the Corellian who was going through pre-flight checks. She appreciated that he was already working on that, believing her when she said she was willing to go for a flying test.

"Ready when you are."