A Runners Run-in with Reptilian Races

[Bohatei Chorva]

"Right back at ya', Blues." Bohatei hummed as her ship came into view. The freighter drifts by her vessel, slowly turning and getting into a following formation as the Zabrak leans to the center of his ship's controls. Using the coordinates on the slip he was given, he put them all in and let his Navicomputer start calculating the route.

The twisting of a bottle cap is audible for a moment, Bohatei taking a swig from his water bottle as he set it aside and watched her craft with curiosity. He lowered a lever, hearing the distant hum of his ship's Hyperdrive start warming up.

"Yup, just calculatin' the route now. Guessin' that I'll be followin' you?" the Zabrak inquires, a brow raised as he watches his displays feed him the info of his ship's status that he needed.

 

[Draco Miles]

“Right on that one, try not to hit me though”

Now if he did hit her, and they survived, she could legally beat the shit out of him. She thought about the little nickname he gave her… ‘Blues’… it made her chuckle, she liked it. Up in space she had gotten ready for a hyperspace jump already, so she was just waiting on Bohatei Chorva , and when his was warmed up, she started a countdown

“Jumping on 3… 2… 1”

And off to Khemost they went! To meet Arianna Belasko , Draco’s master and most likely a better trainer for him. When they got into orbit of the ancient Sith planet, she reestablished radio contact to talk while they waited

“So how long you been a freighter?”

 

[Bohatei Chorva]

"Just keep an eye out, then."

Bohatei retorts with a grin, despite her not being able to see it. It was good to see that she at least had a sense of humor, as opposed to the more intense way she had of introducing herself before. Soon enough, an affirming blue light comes on to let the Zabrak know his drive was fully charged. "Alright, ready to go." He hummed.

Shortly after the crackling sound of her ship catapulting into Hyperspace, he moved his own switch forward and let the swirling blue haze of the alternate dimension envelop him.

Some time passes, and the Contact V joins Draco's vessel in orbit of Khemost.

Hearing the radio crackle back to life, Bohatei would reply.

"Been so for a good couple years now. Used to be part of a crew, but they ain't exactly in shape anymore. Old age tends to do that. What about you? How long've you known your teacher?"

 

[Draco Miles]

“Ah, about 2 months. Though in just that span of time I managed to learn how to manipulate water, disable traps, heal, and a couple other neat little party tricks. Though with you starting out fresh, and not already fully trained like I am, your potential to grow is immense. You could become better than I am, so you have that going for you”

Draco was interested to hear about Bohatei Chorva basically running a freighter all by himself… it was impressive, to say the least, though now her stomach was growling since she didn’t get to eat. The food on her ship was much better quality though, so she asked on the mic

“Would you like to board my ship for dinner? I’m starving, I assume you are too”

 

[Bohatei Chorva]

"I'd still say that's some mighty fine growth from just about two months. In the grand scheme of things, that ain't terribly long either!" Bohatei replies with words of encouragement, leaning back in the chair and watching the stars that glowed in immeasurable distance from this planet that currently orbited.

"That asides, keep in mind I don't know a dang thing. Might take me two months just to learn some party tricks!" He laughs, giving a small hum after as he listened to the ambience of the vessel around him. The dull hum of his ship's engines, the small hisses of his ship's adjusting to the gravity to maintain a stable orbit to the tones of all of the equipment around him.

His brief daze is interrupted by Draco's words, hopping up from his chair and stretching. "Sure, I'd love to. Give me a sec' to dock to yours, and I'll be right over."

Taking hold of his vessel's controls, Bohatei begins maneuvering back and towards her own's docking clamp. Slowing down to a crawl, the Zabrak delicately closes the distance until eventually both ships briefly rumble as they meet and the two airlocks clamp onto one another.

"Docked. Give it a second to cycle and I'll be over in a jiffy."

Bohatei lets his engines spin down slightly as they orbit the planet, standing up from his controls once satisfied with the autopilot. Making his way over to the airlock, he would go to open it and board her vessel with curious and wandering eyes to take a look around where he would end up.

 

[Draco Miles]

Draco was waiting right there as Bohatei Chorva boarded. She had a smile on her face and went for a handshake as he entered
“Glad to see you here! You’re a fan of meat, or no?”
She was mainly asking if he could even eat the stuff, as that was her main diet, so she’d hate to give him something inedible
The room around them was immaculate and showed the wealth of House Io with how high tech and elegant just the entrance of the ship was. Beautifully painted white with accents and furniture for those just boarding the ship. It seemed warm and friendly, and as they moved throughout the ship it felt more like a home than a space fairing vessel

 

[Bohatei Chorva]

Bohatei greets Draco with a smile of his own, approaching and eagerly reciprocating the handshake.

"Glad to be here!" He retorts. "We Zabrak are carnivorous, so we can't actually get anything out of vegetables. Either they have no nutrition in 'em or we get sick from it." Bohatei explains. "Though, I would be lyin' if I said I wasn't a fan of just a little bit. They have that nice crunch ya' can't really get unless you char it or otherwise leave bits of bone in."

In comparison to her elegant and refined interiors, Bohatei vessel's had clearly seen extensive use. There wasn't exactly much in terms of tasteful furnishings inside, but it showed clear signs of being lived in. By the airlock, there was even notches with little dates besides them.

His old crew must have taken a liking to having a younger fellow around.

Though, that didn't stop the Zabrak from looking around the place with no small amount of surprise. Having grown up relatively poor and in a communal home, such refinement was a far departure from what he was used to and it was shown clearly. Even though he didn't show it, or at least tried not to, he didn't feel like he really belonged in such a place.

"Hell of an employment benefit, if this is what they're supplyin' you with."

 

[Draco Miles]

Surprisingly, neither was Draco. Her eyes lit up as she got the opportunity to brag about her master more.

“Right?! I thought it was far too much for me when I first came in, as I had never really had much growing up, so seeing such a beautiful thing here is something else! They gave me another ship, though I haven’t really used that, as I have no clue what to even do with it, but it’s just as beautiful as this one! Also, for that crunch you’re looking for, it’s called adding a crust to the meat. Trust me, the chef I have on board might as well use magic with how skilled they are… oh, it is a droid though, but… sentient? They cannot use the force, but they speak and talk and walk like us, it’s impressive! I love them!”

She said this with a chuckle as the handshake was actually so she could hold his hand and lead him throughout the ship on a tour, of course at any time he could take his hand back, as her grip was weak. She spoke heavily about everything, it seems she did her research and even learned about the ship’s inner mechanisms through hands on experience. She spoke with wonder and awe, letting a sort of child like side out to him as she was beaming with excitement and joy to bring Bohatei Chorva aboard

 

[Bohatei Chorva]

Bohatei finds himself getting dragged along through the vessel's corridors, not exactly minding the grip as Draco moved him along. He retained the hold, listening intently to her.

"That makes two of us, then." He agreed. "If I'm bein' honest, I've never exactly been too much for the fancy types of vessels. Like, don't get me wrong it's beautiful and all but it's just... missin' that personal touch, y'know? Somethin' that makes it look lived in, like whoever was in there cared for it."

"Or maybe I'm just bein' sentimental." The Zabrak laughs after, smiling as he listens to her start listing off all of the technical details. In comparison to her ship, the Ghtroc 720 he flew wasn't anywhere near close in any regards.

But, it did what Bohatei needed. That's all he wanted.

"Even got droid helpers, huh? They really ain't sparin' no expenses." He remarks, glancing around curiously. "I mean, I know about crusts 'n all, but I mean like addin' it to a meat fillin'. Just that bit of freshness to accompany it. But that probably just comes back around to the personal touch thing."

He shrugged. Maybe being around so many old-fashioned people rubbed off on the Zabrak.

 

[Draco Miles]

She nodded in agreement… a nice crunch like an asparagus did go well with a steak… especially when it got glazed in the butter that was basted with the steak

“Personal touch, hmm? … I mean I do have a place that is that, but you’re not going into my bedroom. So… you’d like a side of asparagus or something?”

Back on topic for dinner! She was just going to stick with steak, but she’d get some more for him if he wanted

 

[Bohatei Chorva]

Bohatei laughs at Draco's words, nodding attentively. "Of course! We only just met after all, don't wanna be movin' too quickly." He smirked mischievously, humming as they walked.

"Probably just like, a little bit of asparagus on the top. As I said, we can't eat too much of it or we'll get sick. Don't exactly wanna be makin' a mess in such a nice ship and all." He explained. "But yeah, I would really like just a small bit on the top. Thank you." The Zabrak smiles thankfully. As he was the only person abord the vessel most of the time, food prep was something he had gotten used to doing even if he wasn't very good at it.

Soon enough, he lets go of Draco's hand and lets it return to his side as they walked. Bohatei was fairly certain that he was holding her hand for too long, and decided to be the one to let it go.

 

[Draco Miles]

By then the tour was over! And she let his hand go, mainly to go put in the order for their food, then coming right back

“You’re welcome! I’m glad to know what you like to eat, though I am even more interested to hear more about your life too. Share whatever you’d like! And ask questions to me too if you’d like, I’ll answer any questions about me as well!”

 

[Bohatei Chorva]

Watching her move off to place the orders, the Zabrak glances around curiously before eventually finding a table not too far away. He would walk over to it, motioning to Draco as he sat down to join her at the table while they waited for their meals. The cushions were unusually soft for the young man, who had gotten used to the rougher chairs on his own ship.

He relaxes into it, thinking for a moment on what to ask this kind stranger.

"And I'm glad that we share it in common. I'm actually kind of curious about you and your master, if you wouldn't mind me pryin' for a bit. It'll probably more interestin' then my story, anyhows." He smiles, leaning forward and crossing his arms on the table in a relaxed motion. "So how'd you two meet? Can't imagine that you looked at her the same way I did and she found you out."

He was very curious about her, as he would hope to try and glean some more information about this master of this new friend of his.

 

[Draco Miles]

Draco sat across from Bohatei Chorva and smiled warmly as she listened to him ask his question, theeen the expression soured slightly, she nodded and spoke of her and Arianna’s introduction

“Well… I had crash landed the supply ship I stole on the planet Jakku. Countess Belasko saw the explosion and came to check for any survivors, of course me being one of them, and from her kindness I pledged fealty to aid her in anything she requested. She requested I be her apprentice”

As Draco spoke more about it, a smile returned to her face, glad to talk more about recent memories than distant ones

 

[Bohatei Chorva]

Watching her expression furrow with his question, the Zabrak's own brow raised curiously. He seemed a little concerned, not sure if he had dug a bit too deep before she suddenly lightened up as she discussed her recent memories. It came as a relief to Bohatei, who relaxed a bit.

"Lucky break, survivin' a crash like that. Anybody else survive?" He inquired curiously, his own features carrying a smile as they spoke. "But that's good at least, that you managed to find a teacher out of it. To have someone by your side after somethin' like that must've been a real godsend." The Zabrak added with a hum, watching the smile on her features for a moment.

"Can't say there's nothin' that excitin' about me. Feel free to flick any questions my way though, and I'll try and answer."

 

[Draco Miles]

“Hmmm… well, tell me about yourself! Any fond memories you’d like to share?”

Draco leaned forward slightly, listening with intent trying to learn a little more about him. What he enjoyed mainly, so she could make his time here more enjoyable and familiar.

“Any… special someone back home?”

 

[Bohatei Chorva]

Bohatei shrugged his shoulders lightly. In truth, there wasn't really a terrible lot that he had found positive in his life. Beyond the second family his crew made up and their interactions. "I liked my old crew. We were a well oiled machine, and plenty friendly with each other. But, y'know how age gets to people. All retired by now."

When she inquired about his romantic status, the Zabrak couldn't help but laugh. Soft chuckles escape him, leaning back slightly. "Nah, nah. Job means I was always on the runaround. Never really had the chance to try out the datin' scene at all."

 

[Draco Miles]

“Dang… not even a one night stand, huh?”

She asked as she looked to where she ordered, wondering where the food was for a little before turning back to him and continuing the conversation

“So… why are they retired but you aren’t…?”

 

[Bohatei Chorva]

"Nah, had one of those a few times." Bohatei replies. "Ya' said 'someone special', so I thought you were only askin' about lovers and such. Just never really did that too often." He explained with a shrug of his shoulders.

The cargo technician wasn't terribly fond of the idea of doing those types of things, anyway. Maybe it was just him being sentimental again. He relaxes in the chair, briefly glancing around the room for a moment at the question. "Oh, that's because I joined relatively late in their careers. Was barely an adult when we started. They were well into their lifetimes when we met."

"Soon enough, they started slowin' down. Eventually, they cut ties and retired. I keep goin' because I'm still young and spry."

 

[Draco Miles]

“Ah… Well at least they left you the ship…”

She had other things on her mind though, leaning forward more against the table as she kept trying to keep up the conversation

“Tell me more about the ship, I’m sure you’ve got some fun stories about that”