A meeting with the First Mate

[Flint Michigan]

It had been nearly a month since Flint had taken Kitt to see what remained of Corellia. In that time they'd gotten a lot done. They'd fixed the hanger lights, all of the security droids had been reprogrammed, they'd found a few "character filled" maintenance droids on discount to help out with the ship, and things were generally getting up and running. The Underground, or the citizens of the Kathol Outback as they were growing, often sent guys and gals who wanted to help out, people who wanted to roam the stars and have a home. It was grand, but there was only one problem.

There were a lot of dang mouths to feed now.

Flitn was a pliot, and he considered himself a good man, and heck he could even be an officer at times when he was flying for the Sith or the Republic, but what he was doing now? It seemed far more than a captain's duty. He needed to find a way to make sure everybody had food, everybody had fuel, everybody stayed decent to one another. It was a good task for a freightliner when you had half a dozen people, but in a Star Destroyer? It seemed impossible at times. So he called a meeting with his first mate, mechanic, and girlfriend [member="Kitt Solo"]. He told her he had some things he had to talk about, and she said some things to talk about too. Time to air it all out, figure out how to lead these people. See if Flint was cut out for it after all.

She opened the door to their room at around 6:13 PM. A little later than they scheduled, but it happened. The mechanic had grease on her clothes, probably had a project she couldn't leave or this that or the other. Or maybe she was just nervous. In either case he couldn't blame her. Lotta work to do, and it was hard for both of them to find a time to stop.

"How're you feeling Kitt?" He asked as he began to pour her some sweet tea. He had a plate of fried nuna and fried green tomatoes ready for her too. One of her favorite meals, if he remembered right. Business could wait for a moment, he wanted to make sure she was doing well. And it never hurt to remind a lady you were thinking of her with some food.

[member="Kitt Solo"]

 

[Kitt Solo]

[member="Flint Michigan"]

"Ohh, darlin' smells fantastic. Sorry I'm late." She stuffed a pair of grease-covered work gloves into the belt loop that hugged her waist. Of course the skin on her hips would get a little dirty. But it wasn't anything she was a stranger to. "I'm good. A little tired, maybe. And starving!"

Smiling, she gave him a quick kiss, before side-stepping to the refresher to sanisteam her hands.

"It's like I have a hollow stomach these days. Always hungry. So strange." Dark-chestnut-haired-head popped through the doorway as she dried her hands. "And looks like you got Chuck the chef droid to help you out." A teasing-smile pulled at her lips. "I'm glad you finally started asking for help. I mean. Not that your cooking was horrible but...."

Palm of her clean hand pushed across tired eyes. The droids really were a HUGE help. But chief mechanic on a Star Destroyer was no joke. Plus she felt like her energy levels dropped lately. And the always hungry thing....

"Wait, this is a professional meeting. You need me to salute?"

She tried to keep her lips from twitching.

 

[Flint Michigan]

[member="Kitt Solo"]

A light laugh as she mentioned his cooking. Chuck was a very valued addition to the crew. As she dried her hands and rubbed across her eyelids he could see how tired she was. Poor girl. She put on a grin though, before asking if she needed to salute. Flint smiled in return and wrapped arm around her waste, pulling her in and leaning down to bring those two smiles together. They held there for a moment before Flint pulled off.

"That'll do." He said smile still wrapping around his jaw. He turned and brought around the plates of food, laying them down on a small table. Unlike his old freighter the captain's quarters were rather roomy, or at least roomy enough for the two of them to move without tripping over one another.

"So we've got a lot of crew now." He said, getting into a little heavier conversation. "Back when I just had a freighter it was easy to make sure every one had food and a few credits going into their pocket. But there's so many people now, and so much ship to take care of." He said as they broke in to the food. Kitt's speed was surprising, she really was hungry. The chicken went quick, the tomatoes quicker.

"Honey, have you been feeling sick?" He asked. There wasn't exactly a delicate way to ask one's girlfriend why she was eating so much, but he had been a little concerned for about a week now as her appetite grew. "Is taking care of the ship getting to you?"

 

[Kitt Solo]

[member="Flint Michigan"]

Are you saying you think I'm fat?!

That's what she would've said if he had asked....about all the food. But not really because she wasn't that kind of girl. A hand went to her temporarily full stomach, beneath the table. Reaching over, she took a swig of Corellian ale.

"You're right. We do have a lot of crew now. Far cry from the Detroit Nexu. I've gone ahead and created a list of some manager-type positions I think we could promote a few people in: chief of supplies, finance and accounting, employee relations. Here, take a look." Fishing in her pocket, she took out a holotab and slid it across the table.

"And as for me," elbows came to prop herself up on the table, fingers angling beneath her chin. "I don't think it's the ship...I'm not sure. Been feeling off for about a month. I just haven't had time to visit the medbay."

But really she was just too stubborn.

 

[Flint Michigan]

[member="Kitt Solo"]

Flint took the holotab that Kitt handed her and began to look it over. Making some more ranks might not be a bad idea. If he had to keep up with twenty people who each kept up with twenty people it'd probably be more manageable. Chief of Supplies, Chief of Finances, Employee Relations, all of these would make his life easier. He began writing a few names to the positions as he thought of them.

"This'll be good if we can get the right people in. We should get you some help too. Have one guy over the weapons, another on engines, another on life support. This ship can do some interesting things." He said, but it was understatement. The Grave Wind was anything but conventional, with it's overdrive, thrusters, and energy torpedo arrangements. She would take some getting used to before Flint figured her out completely.

"Well tell you what. Tomorrow I say we both take off from all the work we've been doing. I'll see if I can fill some names to these spots and you can get to the medbay. Sound good?"

 

[Kitt Solo]

[member="Flint Michigan"]

There were few things that Kitt hated more than doctors. Very unlike her now-dead and estranged sister. That went for medical droids too. Obviously an empath would hate all things medical. Too cold. Too structured. Too strict.

And take a day off?

Her mind churned through all the little side projects still left undone. Nose scrunched up in thought. And because they had been dating for awhile, he most likely knew what she was thinking.

If only she was better at hiding thi-.....

"Maybe I should give it one more day, you know, just to see," she spoke evasively without meeting his eyes. Standing, she finished off the ale and began gathering the dishes, kissing the top of Flint's head.

 

[Flint Michigan]

[member="Kitt Solo"]

Flint chuckled. "You've been giving it one more day for about a week now." He said as he handed her his dished and stood up. While she headed to give the dishes a wash he'd take time to wipe down the table. "Is Dr. Drusil that scary to you just because he looks like a skeleton?" Dr. Drusil was a Givin, which lead to a few uncouth jokes from the crew at times, but Flint did his best to dispel them. Drusil was a kind man, and probably worked as hard as Flint or Kitt did making sure everybody was healthy.

"Tell you what, we'll go together." Flint said. "It's only proper a captain make sure his first mate is in tip-top shape." A smile crept onto his face.

 

[Kitt Solo]

[member="Flint Michigan"]

Oh great. Now there was no getting out of it. He was coming. Wild thoughts about drugging Flint crept through her mind. She could certainly find ways to get lost in this ship for a few days....

But the crew would nark her out. Those bastards.

"No, I'm NOT scared," voice sounded a bit too forceful and quick, even for her ears. The dishes were set to dry. "Dr. Drusil just has cold hands." She sniffed. "And there's no privacy!"

And I don't like folks telling me what to do.

Arms crossed stiffly over her body as she leaned her back against the counter, facing Flint. Yes, she was pouting. The force master. The great bounty hunter, Kitt Solo. The same woman who caught the throne breaker was pouting.

She needed to distract him from all this nonsense-Doctor talk. So, very innocently, her fingers dropped to the hem of her shirt. She began to tug it up.

She had to throw it in the bin for a wash. And hop into the refresher, obviously.

 

[Flint Michigan]

[member="Kitt Solo"]

She's not scared. Drusil has warm hands. And there's no privacy. Well, Flint couldn't change what she was and wasn't afraid of, but he could order Drusil have some hot hands in his jacket, and he could have the doctor set aside a room for them.

"I'll see what I can do about cold hands and privacy." He said as he looked over at her, leaning back and giving him a small frown as her arms crossed against her chest. He let out a deep sigh and looked at her little pout as she uncrossed her arms, letting her hands drift down to her shirt. Her fingers began to pull it upward, revealing a little of her stomach hadn't been covered in engine grease. She was trying to distract him. Would it work on Flint?

Yes. It would.

He came a little closer. His hand drifted to hers, bottom two fingers touching against her skin.

"Why don't we pull up the sanistream and get some of that grease off of you?"

 

[Kitt Solo]

[member="Flint Michigan"]

Ah-ha. Mission success. The rogue couldn't help the grin. With a final tug her shirt was off and she was helping him with his. Other clothing accessories made it off somehow through tripping and a tangle of limbs.

Somehow the important stuff, like blasters and hydro-tools, came off prior to the water and steam blasting skin. A boot and one sock may have gotten a bit wet, though. Ah well.

Sometime later, she found herself wrapped in a white-fluffy towel, brushing her teeth, standing in front of the slightly fogged refresher mirror. Thank the stars they got those laundry droids. "Mm'up," voice was muffled as she cleaned those pearly whites. "Mfthink gew god all da greasedf doff, dear."

 

[Flint Michigan]

[member="Kitt Solo"]

While Kitt Solo was hogging the tap and getting her brush on Flint dried himself off and headed to them some clothes to retire in. As he threw on some briefs and comfy Captain Coruscant pants he could hear her gargled speech as she swished and swashed.

"We should double check you just to be sure." He said with a grin as he found her sleeping-garment-of-choice and brought it over, hanging it on the curtain rod of the sanistream. As Kitt would finish up with her teeth Flint would lurch in and get his own brush, layering it with some paste and water before heading to work.

"Vat ish we mde tisha port?" Flint asked, mind off the doctor for now but never off his ship, his crew. He was worried that just shipping things like he had in the past wouldn't be enough.

 

[Kitt Solo]

[member="Flint Michigan"]

Twin chestnut brows lofted at his suggestion. She finished, spit, and rinsed. "Well, grease IS hard to get off." She winked and whisked off her own towel, trading it for the red-silk nightgown that hugged her shoulders with little straps with the bottom hitting at mid-thigh.

The girl was practical during the day: pants, belt, shirt, sometimes armor. But at night, she went for princess-like comfort. Hard to believe she was the same woman. Of course, if ANY of the rest of the crew knew about this, she'd die, come back from death, and kill them.

She had a reputation to uphold.

Silken-clad form slid passed Flint and crawled into the bed they shared. "What did we make this about?" She laughed. "I think that's what you're asking but I left my translator droid down the hall."

Back leaned against the headboard as she began rubbing in some moisturizing lotion down her legs. It smelled like cinnamon. "You know...just talking about the crew's well being. And we're taking a day off."

She obviously didn't mention Doctor Cold Hands.

 

[Flint Michigan]

[member="Kitt Solo"]

Flint spat, rinsed, and spat again, before cleaning off his brush and returning it to the drawer.

"I asked what if we make this a port?" He asked as he walked over to the bed, watching Kitt hydrate those lovely legs of hers. "A sort of mobile trading hub. I just- I don't think we can ship enough goods to keep this girl running like she needs to and keep everybody fed at the same time." He said as he laid down next to her and wrapped an arm around her.

" We could try raiding some One Sith but I don't to conscript everybody into piracy. I don't mind helping the Underground here and there, but it's not something I want long-term. We could . . . . Sell fuel. Renovate some of the barracks into a hotel of sorts. Maybe make one of the decks into a little cantia. I don't know, I just think we need something more to keep going." Hand rubbed against her arm as he laid his head down and looked at her, some weight apparent in his face. This ship had become a family, a large family but a family. And Flint wanted to make sure everyone was taken care of.

 

[Kitt Solo]

[member="Flint Michigan"]

"Oh a port!"

Turns out she did need that droid.

Lotion was set down. Full attention went to Flint. She turned into him, listening quietly. She could see the weight on his shoulders. As a master empath, she could feel the burden and stress coming off him like wind-waves on the Jakku dune sea. Fingertips rose and gently rested on his chest, trailing along the muscles there.

"That's a good idea. Maybe we could see about getting some investors, too, to lease some space for something like a hotel, like you mentioned. You do realize, this'll probably turn into a mini-city, right? Think you can handle that burden?"

She knew he could. She just worried that he didn't know it yet.

 

[Flint Michigan]

[member="Kitt Solo"]

A mini-city? The thought was scary, but accurate. The ships Flint had served on around this size wanted crews of thousands to have everything working in tip-top shape. Granted, there was a difference between keeping things running and having some guests and constantly having the ship ready for war, but you were still going to end up with that big general number.

Thousands.

"I'll handle it 'til I can't anymore." He said, not knowing why he spoke so strongly. She knew he was worried. She could feel it, in a way he couldn't. Flint was still superstitious of the Force and all of it's mumbo-jumbo, but Kitt had shown him they weren't all terrible, or out to get him.

"You'll be there to pick me up then, right?" He asked as eyelids became heavier. Sleep would claim him soon enough.

 

[Kitt Solo]

[member="Flint Michigan"]

"Always," she whispered, snuggling in closer to fall asleep. Of course, they both knew that was a cheap answer. She had no control of things that happened in the verse. She wasn't garunteed tomorrow. But Flint needed her support and that's what she gave him. It was easier saying that, than the alternative. She'd be there for him until she died or became incapacitated. Not too long after he fell asleep, she did too.

A few hours later, she found herself hunched over the toilet in the refresher. Puking. She tried to be quiet, she really did.

Ugh, she would never eat anything fried again. Okay, that was a lie. Ugh, she'd never eat anything again.

 

[Flint Michigan]

[member="Kitt Solo"]

Flint was deep, deep in sleep when he dreamed that Kitt had to take a trip to the refresher, and couldn't hold down the one Corellian Ale she had for the night. Dream-Flint got out a holotab and sent Dr. Drusil and email.

Hey, could you come give Kitt a check early tomorrow? She's been running outta energy lately. Always tired, always hungry, and now she's having trouble keeping it down. If you could help I'd appreciate it. And bring handwarmers.

-Captain Flint

But of course that was in a dream. Flint knew Kitt could keep more than her fair share of Corellian Ale down.

So it was quite the surprise next morning when Dr. Drusil knocked on the door and commed in that he was ready for a check-up. If Kitt hadn't snuck off yet Flint would probably be receiving quite the glare, to which he'd only reply with a confused look.

"But that was a dream. Am I still dreaming?" Flint said, thinking this was how relationship problems started.


Feth.

 

[Kitt Solo]

[member="Flint Michigan"]

"Oh, Doc," chestnut-brows lofted as she answered the door. Good thing she was already in a pair of cargo pants and a dark, black shirt. He did NOT see what she typically wore to bed.

Sleepy eyes glared at Flint. She mouthed 'we'll talk about this later.' Grumbling with a few Corellian curses beneath her breath, she let the Givin inside. Crossing her arms stiffly, she stared the doctor down, making no move to sit. Or be cooperative at all.

"Let's just get this over with."

 

[Flint Michigan]

[member="Kitt Solo"]

We'll talk about this later. Those were never good words to hear or see from one's girlfriend. Flint let out a sigh, but didn't bother to defend himself. She was dealing with a doctor that just appeared after she'd woken up and gotten dressed. Not exactly the best of circumstances, and the whole 'I sleep-holomailed' defense probably wasn't going to over right now anyways. She might laugh at him later, but it would be much later. Right now she'd steam, and sometimes you had let her steam.

"So before we do anything I've heard that you're not feeling your best lately. Can you tell me anything you've been feeling lately that's out of the norm? Anything that makes you feel tired or weaker than usual?" Dr. Drusil asked, as Flint offered the two both chairs. Dr. Drusil sat but Kitt did not.

She was mad, and he was probably gonna get it later.

 

[Kitt Solo]

[member="Flint Michigan"]

Shoulders curved inward as she finally sat. But her legs still moved restlessly. Arms still remained tightly crossed as if she could ward off the doctor and Flint. Was she acting petulant? Yes. Yes she was.

She preferred stubborn Corellian, though.

"I'm sure it's nothing, Doc. But since you want the details, here goes..." She told him about the past month. How tired she was. How she felt like she couldn't get enough to to eat or sleep. And she finished with the nausea this morning.

"I'm sure it was just somethings funny I ate. Nothing I can't handle. We done yet?"

She squirmed in the seat and still didn't look at Flint. He was just trying to protect her. But she was an angry Nexu right now.