Everything and Nothing

Posted on Tue Jan 24th, 2023 @ 5:26pm by Captain Rueben Gregnol & Chief Helmsman Kalahaeia t'Leiya
Edited on on Tue Jan 24th, 2023 @ 5:27pm

Mission: Mission 16: Hysperia
Location: Hysperia
Timeline: First Day of Festival (MD05)
2094 words - 4.2 OF Standard Post Measure

"I should thank you for finding the cook and keeping her occupied until we all found the place," Gregnol said in an attempt at small talk as he squeezed into the space where Kalahaeia was sitting alone almost guarding all the drinks. It was not at all built for men his size but maybe that was why it was there for women or smaller species to sit alone without bother from people. He could not judge at all after some of the things he had seen out in the universe towards smaller beings.

"Always recommended to stay on the good side of a cook." Kali was almost the reverse of Gregnol's fit in the space, though she seemed to fill it with presence more than with physical bulk. "Besides, chasing off drunk goons is a bonus."

"What do you think of her?" He asked glancing at the woman who was dancing with several other crew members.

"As a cook? I'd have to taste stuff, but she listed off a pretty wide variety of cuisine from around the galaxy as proficient in so that's a good sign. As for otherwise? Don't get any huge weird read off her so far if that's what you mean. She was interested in making sure we were actually planning to leave the planet eventually, but she didn't say it with the sort of urgency I'd expect if someone had a hit out on her or something. Some people just find planets boring. Also - " Kali slid one of the drinks across the table to the captain, then took another swig of her own " - she said we're getting a still." She grinned in anticipation for a moment and took a second pull of her drink in quick succession to the first before turning more serious again for a moment. "She did seem to have some hesitation to share where or what she'd been doing before this, but...Figure you must have already checked in on that and cleared it?" Kali shrugged her eyebrows and shoulders in unison.

The man gave her a look when she almost implied that he might not have checked things out when it was the first thing he did and why he was having so many issues with the Operations Chief and trying to pin down someone for it. He nodded his thanks for the drink and took a sip, it was so similar to Betazoid Nectar in the way it rolled down his throat. "I more than checked her out. She's been here and there." He said simply. If the woman had not said where she had been it was not just place to bring it up to anyone. "And yes we are getting a still. It's been a plan for many years and now we have credits to make it a reality we should," It was a side hustle that would allow them to venture more under the radar of places.

"Plenty of farms here, we should stock up on some starter ingredients before we leave." Kali knocked back another sip of her drink. "I hear the 'idiots trying to bring dragon eggs on board' count is up by another two. Well. Sorta. Apparently one of them was actually fake, which...Not surprised; I bet there's a ton of scam artists selling fakes to tourists." 'People trying to cheat tourists' was possibly one of the universal laws of the galaxy; true across time, space, and cultures for the most part.

He was already ahead of the game trying to get supplies for the venture but it could all wait a little bit longer until they had more systems working. “Very more true that gullible folk who want a bargain. I had expected it to be higher count by now to be fair.” The Captain knew his crew and knew how they worked and what they liked with over half of them being human. Dragons were ingrained in human culture from mythology to Harry Potter.

"Maybe more people were listening during any past fire safety lectures than we figured. That, or everyone's distracted drinking their weight in beer, mead, and nectar. Which is probably more likely." Kali reached inside the pocket on her Hysperian tunic and, just in case, threw the switch on another one of the little trinkets she'd been gifted a few years back from her aunt, meant to disrupt any recording or listening devices in an area and, to a lesser degree, shield the voices of the speakers from nearby observers as well. "We find anything or anyone else useful yet; besides a cook and some engine repairs?" She knew there were other positions they were in the market for, too; but honestly hadn't kept too close a track of them;. Or maybe they'd get personnel suggestions from the Rangers, now? "Or will we be getting some references for people from our new friends?"

"A lot of people onboard have not had much downtime for a long time." He conceded not at all convinced that people were going to be listening to a fire briefing. He could not blame them for drinking their own weight if he was not Captain in might be something he might have done. "I have put out job adverts but we shall see. There are people who can do the role on a temporary basis from our friends if needs be." Gregnol was in no doubt that the ship was not the best opportunity for people and Hsyperia the best place to recruit but he was trying his best.

"Where are we headed after this, do you think? If there's a plan." Though she'd done her fair bit of drinking the local brews, mostly Kali had been working her way through a variety of tournaments, games of chance and skill, and gambling opportunities; though she'd taken some time out to visit various tourist traps like the dragon ride and the hot spring baths. The real prize had been all the armory smiths around.

Gregnol grew a little uncomfortable at the what was happening next question as he truly had no idea what was going to happen next. He had not thought that far ahead other than getting things fixed. “There are no plans as of yet until everything works.” He admitted keeping his words light. It was not something that he was worried about but he was open to suggestions.

"They give us any sort of an estimate on that?" Kali took the second to last swig of her drink, burning through it with the confident timing of someone who knew her own tolerance levels very well. "Or maybe the question should be 'any estimate we can understand', given the tendency to sprinkle in all the...colorful local terminology...."

"About another month." He said with a shrug. It did not matter how long it took as long as it worked the way it was meant to and allowed them to get on with things. "I don't know I think we will be lucky to not lose a few people to the quaintness of this place. Some people are really in deep with the colourful locals." It was always a risk when they stopped but this was out of his hands as they was where the ship failed.

"It's fun to visit, but I doubt I'd want to stay here. Especially since it'd be hard to get a license to own a bunch of dragons to fly around on, which would be the primary draw for me. Though having other people to do a little swordplay with has been nice too." Kali grinned; aside from gambling, dragons, and arms smiths, the other local charm she'd been happy to discover and indulge in had been practice clubs for all the Hysperian style weaponry, some of whom had been willing to let her crash a session or two.

“Da… it’s not exactly my type of thing either. To many people wanting to constantly challenge me for J or simply because I am looking at them confused or the wrong way.” Gregnol sighed and took a sip of his drink. He had not felt as tested by a world since there trip to the other universe and meeting himself, people constantly wanted to challenge him.

"Haven't gotten any challenges, myself. I mean, not any serious ones that is, versus friendlier offers in those practice sets. Not sure if it's because I'm not wandering around with a gorgeous Betazoid, or because they think I'd win, or because they think I'm not worth it." Kali downed the entire rest of her drink in one gulp, and once again made a mental note to someday follow through with Leiddem's suggestion and see if she couldn't get the captain to tip his hand on exactly why he hated her loathed former employer: There had to be a story there. "But I could get used to that part in general, I suppose. My parents taught me how to duel." Now, a rueful grin spread across Kali's face for a moment. "Though the rules are kinda different than the Hysperian ones. What I'd have a hard time getting used to is the number of people who want to 'milady' me and stuff, some of whom then have the gall to act like I'm not capable of fighting my own battles. Been hard not to smash a few noses in over that; but in the interest of minimizing the number of people we have to bail out of the local jail, that's what flipping people off while their back is turned is for, instead."

“She is pretty gorgeous.” Gregnol agreed saluting her compliment of his wife with a long drink of the ale that arrived at the table. “I can arrange for Leiddem or Delaney to challenge you weekly if you want?” He offered with a smirk thinking they were the only two onboard other than himself who take it in a way as to not make it a grudge match. “Not many women I have seen here seem to have that spark. There are very traditional roles here but it’s not for me.”

"Very old traditional roles for humans you mean." Kali's grin had a bloodthirsty-yet-somehow-friendly edge to it with her next words. "Because 'very traditional roles' for Romulans are rather different than that." For a moment, if one had a good imagination, one could almost have envisioned Kali like her female ancestors many generations in the past: Senators and Praetors, warlords and commanders; fighting battles political, personal, and otherwise through single challenges, open warfare, careful subterfuge and maneuvering, and melding it all together, in many cases while nursing and bouncing the next generation on one hip in between it all. Then her expression shifted back with her next words, and a joking tone such that one could almost envision her as a human again instead, in turn. "Though if I were going to vote for 'most sparks' on this crew, I'd have to place my vote for Burnie, just because he takes the statement both literally and enthusiastically."

“Well it is based on human renaissance fayre culture.” Gregnol reminded with a smirk. He did not think that the culture existed anywhere else other than in primary human worlds and colonies and no where more so than Hysperia. “Nollel could give him a run for his money.” He said knowing she knew exactly what he meant by spark.

"He mentioned something along those lines, awhile ago, yeah. Though can't say I'm that surprised actually: People always seem to have the misconception that admin types are staid and boring." Kali laughed. "But my aunt the lawyer would stand firmly behind the position that the best admin types have always had some sort of edge of one kind or another." Though in Caithlin's case the 'edge' in question included the edges on a dozen hidden knives perhaps; more to the point beyond that, Kali knew her aunt also viewed argument and maneuvering, planning and paperwork, negotiation and observation as means, ends, and arts both complementary and in and of themselves to accomplish your goals.

“She tried to blow up my ship.” Gregnol said simply.

Kali's mouth dropped open ever-so-slightly. "...Oh." The surprise faded into laughter and a grin. "Well. They're just made for each other, then." She raised the second glass she'd snagged in a half-toast of sorts.