Private Bracca Blues

[Nelliel Kryze]

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| Location | Bar, Bracca
| Focus | Yuri Maji

Nelliel's visor reflected the dim light of the bar's overhead lights, the Mandalorian pilot's helmet resting on the counter as Nel was hunched forward with a glass in hand. Some ice cubes clinked in her glass while she idly seemed to swirl its contents as she was resting her head on one of her forearms laid across the counter. The bartender who was on the other side glanced over as she groaned in annoyance, idly cleaning a glass out with a cloth as Nel tilted her head up and rested her chin on her forearm to look at him. ​

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She wasn't drunk or disorderly; she was simply bored. The Neo-Crusaders had been on the quiet end of things since their last offensive on Onderon; the young pilot assuming that there was something larger on the horizon considering they were making some bold offensives as of late. ​

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With Jenn Kryze championing the so-called New Mandalorians, Nel was at something of a conflict with herself. On one hand it was nice to find that there was still Kryze's out there and liked to still think of Jenn as her sister in arms, but on the other hand she did not sit well with the idea of serving under the Alliance as the New Mandalorians seemed keen on doing. They were supposed to be fighting for their own people, not fighting against them, but the New Mandalorians had chosen their own path to defend foreigners instead. There wasn't much else to think on beyond that. ​

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In the meantime, she was grounded till the need for her talons were needed and her wings to be spread; until then here she was in some dingy bar on Bracca till someone gave her something interesting to do.​

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[Yuri Maji]

Normally a junk planet wouldn't be high up on his list of places to visit out of his own free will, but this instance proved to be rather necessary. He was in desperate need to refit and refuel... and his freighter could do with some refuelling as well. After his last gig, he felt flatter than a hill on Dantooine. There was also the rather niche hobby of scrounging around a junk planet looking for exotic items.

One man's trash was another man's treasure in some situations.

The freighter touched down and he quickly organised a once-over and a top up with the mechanic before setting off to find the cantina for some food and drink. He elected to keep his armour on, though he hid it behind a sizeable poncho. He wanted people to keep their distance, not entice them with the thought of an easy score. Upon entering the cantina, a number of people gre quiet and cast a sidelong glance at the new arrival. After a second or so of awkward silence, Yuri gave a shrug and removed his helmet. "If you're gonna stare, at least buy me dinner first." He remarked with a smirk.

A number of groans, waves and 'kark off' remarks float around as the gathered crowd of drifters, workers and other specimens returned to their own business, allowing Yuri to give the assembled crowd a good look. What immediately drew his attention was a girl clad in Beskar sitting by the bar. He hummed in amusement at the coincidence and calmly made his way over to the bar to take a seat next to the girl. He calmly set his helmet aside and ordered an ice cold beer... at least he hoped it was beer and not degreaser like another time.

He spared a quick, sidelong glance at the girl. A Kryze, if her marks were any indication. <"Interesting place to be hangin' around, sis."> He remarked in Mando'a before taking a long sip. A visible shudder rippled through him, along with a satisfied sigh and a simple smile taking hold across his features. "Workin' hard or hardly working?" He continued with another sip.

Nelliel Kryze

 

[Nelliel Kryze]

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| Location | Bar, Bracca
| Focus | Yuri Maji

Nelliel's ears perked at the sound of someone entering and gaining the attention of some of the locals. Her brow lifted as she glanced over her shoulder. She raised her glass to her lips, giving it a little swirl before taking a sip, her gaze shifting off to the side as the newcomer arrived. Her eyes shifted up and down the fellow Mandalorian, already standing out from most of her brothers and sisters based off his species. She vaguely recalled seeing the individual if only in passing from her time with the Enclave. She smirked as she heard him speak, replying in their shared native tongue, <"The famed hound from the underground, or so that's what I think some called you."> ​

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She chuckled in response to Yuri's initial reaction to the alcohol, her own glass lowered in her hand halfway from the countertop and her lips. <"Tastes like shit don't it? You'll get used to it after a minute."> A coy grin crossed her lips as her eyes closed briefly before they opened back up. She shifted in her seat and rested an elbow on the counter, getting a better look at the other Mandalorian, shortly responding to his last question with a prompt shrug with her shoulders, <"Hard to say. Been waiting on something to happen. You?"​

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[Yuri Maji]

Yuri barked a laugh at the nickname she gave him, he was quite surprised that someone recognized him. She elected to stick with Mando'a and he would reciprocate. It felt good to be using it again. <"I'm flattered that you know me... though I've never heard someone refer to me that nicely."> He quipped with a grin.

<"Honestly, I ain't so bad. Last time I was at a place like this, kriffers gave me hydraulic fluid mixed with ethanol. Called it 'landing gear liqueur' if you can believe it. This stuff is okay."> He continued, swirling his bottle around before helping himself to another hefty sip. He watched her from the corner of his eye as she turned to face him. Maybe a little smooth-

No, no.

<"Been waitin' for something to stop happening, in all honesty. Had a run-in with a Kast on Coruscant the other day, some gang was tryin' to smuggle Iron under our noses. Had another mix-up with a job right after that, and another one before that..."> He turned slightly to face her with a cool grin and a shrug. <"... You get the picture."> He snickered, waving the bartender over for a refill and a meal. <"You want anything? Not every day you run into a vod all the way out here."> He offered with a sincere tone as he finished off his bottle.

From behind the two Mandalorians, a group of people wandered into the bar. Even for a planet such as this, they looked unsavoury. Luckily they seemed to mind their own business and found a table off to one side. Yuri spared a glance, but didn't mind them too much. He glanced back at the girl and outstretched a hand. "Where are my manners? Yuri Maji." He introduced himself. One of his pointed ears kept flicking and turning in the direction of the group of drifters, though his focus remained on the girl. <"Can't help but wonder if we've met before. You look familiar."> He continued.

Nelliel Kryze

 

[Nelliel Kryze]

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| Location | Bar, Bracca
| Focus | Yuri Maji

<"Know is a bit of a stretch, but I hear things about people every now and then again between sorties. Just bits and pieces, never enough to really know someone without talking to them in person of course. Not much else to do when I'm on the ground other than listen.">​

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Nelliel smiled and listened as Yuri went on to talk about a past experience at a bar and then some details of a job he had been working. It was a nice change of pace to listen to vod and just relax every now and then, even if Nel was a fiend for the adrenaline rush that dogfighting always gave her. When Yuri offered to buy her something she simply raised her glass and gave it a little shake, <"I'm good, not sure how well the food around these parts and I would mix.">​

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She set her glass down on the counter as Yuri formally introduced himself to her, stretching her own hand out to shake his as he offered. <"Nelliel Kryze. Most people just call me Nel for short. I ran with Skull Squadron if you're familiar with them. Flew for the Enclave a bit before I ended up here."> Her hand pulled away after shaking as she tapped the emblem of Skull Squadron on the side of her helmet. Her eyes wandered as she noticed Yuri's ears twitching before glancing off to the side to see the group he seemed to have taken an interest in before redirecting her attention to him, <"Friends of yours?">​

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[Yuri Maji]

Yuri snickered at her remark about the food, though it didn't stop him from ordering a bowl of noodles... at least, he hoped it was a bowl of noodles. When it came to backwater food, it was better to simply eat and not ask about the contents. It tasted better that way. <"I remember Skull Squadron. I was a lot dumber back then. It's good to see a familiar face again."> He commented with a warm smile. These days it felt as if former Enclave Mandalorians either avoided him like a plague, criticized him, or simply tried to kill him.

Luckily she didn't seem to fall into any aforementioned camps. Unfortunately their conversation came to an end when Nel took note of the group in the corner. <"Nah. If they were, they'd be shootin' at me already."> He commented with a careful glance at the group. They seemed to be quite interested in the two Mandos, he could hear the faint remarks and discussion among the group. Things finally came to a head when the group got up and approached the two, though they made a point of keeping their hands away from any weapons or suspicious locations.

"Hey, you that mutt? Yuri?" One of them, presumably their leader, spoke up. Yuri blinked at the comment, unsure of how to take it. "We got a job for ya. Bonus points if yer girlie here's in as well." He continued, helping to at least get Yuri's mind back on track. He shook the shocked look off his face and glanced at Nel, almost as if looking for some kind of advice or input. He relaxed his hand from the grip of his pistol and turned to face them better as he cleared his throat. "So... you gonna tell us about it or just stand here?" He asked with an amused grin.

Understandably they weren't amused, but they quickly continued. "Job's simple. There's wrecks on this planet dating back to the Clone Wars, even further in some cases. We're looking for one specific kinda wreck that's apparently here. An Imperial Leviathan. We want you to find and secure it for us." One of the others, a Nautolan, quickly filled the duo in. Yuri blinked and turned to Nel again. <"Your thoughts, Nellie?"> He asked her in Mando'a.

Nelliel Kryze

 

[Nelliel Kryze]

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| Location | Bar, Bracca
| Focus | Yuri Maji

<"Weren't we all dumber in the past? I'd be shocked if you didn't make a bad decision or two."> She chuckled coyly before continuing on, <"Friendly and familiar faces nowadays are a rarity. Even with the Neo-Crusaders rallying the clans hard to say that all Mandalorians are open to their movement; wouldn't be surprised if my own Alor would put a knife in my back if they had a chance to as awful as that might sound.">​

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Nelliel raised her glass to her lips as she finished off the rest of her drink as the group of individuals approached Yuri and offered him a job. She set her empty glass with ice cubes clattering back down on the counter as she raised one of her hands up, wiping off her lower lip with her thumb as they spoke and commented about her joining in as well. She reached over and lifted the underside of her helmet with one hand, letting it dangle off to her side while her other elbow rested on the countertop as Yuri asked her opinion, to which she dryly responded in their native tongue, <"I'm up for it, though I see no reason why we'd have to share anything with these losers if we're doing all the work.">​

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She smirked as she looked to the presumed leader before speaking again, <"And if this one calls me girlie again, I'm caving his teeth in."> She looked to him with a sarcastic and fake smile, to give him the impression that she wasn't overtly threatening him. But a part of her hoped he did make the mistake she just warned Yuri about.​

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[Yuri Maji]

The remark of her Alor disapproving had him curious, he had a suspicion of who her Alor might be. But he would prod at that detail later, they still had to sort the current mess out... and Nel understandably wasn't too happy about her nickname. <"We can negotiate the price later."> He muttered quickly, turning to face the group once again. "We're in. You got any details of where to start or what to expect?" He asked them, electing to leave out the warning. There was a degree of morbid curiosity as to what she would do.

The leader presented the duo with a data chit. "Everythin's on there, includin' possible locations an' comms details. Here's a deposit so long, just to keep the two of ya interested." The Nautolan followed his boss' lead and presented the two with a case containing a healthy sum of credits. Yuri nodded with an impressed look and handed the case to Nel to inspect. At a glance, he figured that it was at least twenty thousand.

These guys were serious. What they needed such a big ship for was beyond him, none of that was important. At least for the moment.

With their business concluded, the group departed and left Yuri to face Nel once more. <"You gotta give it to 'em, they're serious."> He remarked. To his surprise, his noodle bowl was set down. He had completely forgotten about it. <"My ship's still being looked at. We can wait for it to finish up... or you can drive. You look like you're itchin' to fly."> He said before digging into the unsurprisingly dull meal. On she surface, he seemed more than happy with the whole situation. Though a few thoughts were circling in the back of his mind.

Still chewing on a few slices of Nuna breast, he held the chit up with a curious look.

Nelliel Kryze

 

[Nelliel Kryze]

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| Location | Bar, Bracca
| Focus | Yuri Maji

Nelliel's fingertips drummed the inside of her helmet as she held it in her hand, her other hand resting on her hip as she glanced over to their new employers, a little upset that they didn't make the mistake she warned Yuri of. She let them provide the details of their task to her and Yuri as well as the case of credits, though she didn't particularly seem too interested in the money.​

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When the group finally concluded their discussion and left them, she glanced over at Yuri and spoke, <"Serious maybe, but I don't trust a group like that to not try and screw us once the job's done. Otherwise what would they need us for?">​

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Nelliel leaned against the counter as Yuri got to eating his food and mentioned about getting to their destination, <"I can fly, but it's going to be a real tight fit with the two of us. Unless you're claustrophobic then it won't be an issue otherwise.">​

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She smiled before making a head nodding gesture to the bowl, <"I'll try not to make you lose your lunch on the way there."> ​

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[Yuri Maji]

Yuri's eyes shifted from the chit to his new partner as she voiced her distrust of the group. He gave a shrug as he helped himself to another bite of his meal. <"I mean..."> He quickly swallowed and sat back with a sigh. <"That's always the risk... but think about it. That ain't pocket money they gave us. Obviously they expect some kinda resistance that needs two Mandalorians to take care of. They ain't stupid."> He tried to reason, but she was right to a degree.

This line of work was bloody for a reason.

Nel went on to clarify some potential concerns about flying with her, but Yuri simply brushed it off with a wave and a laugh. <"Oh please, you should've seen the flyin' and driving I grew up with."> He remarked. With a few hefty gulps he finished his meal and placed enough credits on the counter to pay for them both. "Let's roll." He said as he slipped on his helmet and prepared to leave.

Once outside, Yuri followed after Nel towards her ship. For the most part, he had everything he needed on him. <"Outta curiosity... who's your Alor, if you don't mind me asking."> He asked her as he glanced around them. In a place like this, people minded their own business with no desire of being caught in someone else's issues, it was one of the reasons Yuri preferred to lay low on planets like these.

As long as their pay wasn't disrupted, scrappers and drifters were pretty decent people for the most part.

Nelliel Kryze

 

[Nelliel Kryze]

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| Location | Bar, Bracca
| Focus | Yuri Maji

Nelliel smirked as she spoke, <"Well I hope they're stupid enough to think that it would be easier to take on two Mandalorians over whatever it is they're expecting to run into. I really wanted to punch the chatty one in the mouth.">​

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She shifted her posture and nodded as Yuri finished up his meal, raising her helmet up to cover her head as she twisted it left and right to get it on nice and snug as she took the lead to guide him to the pad where her Beviin fighter was parked. She tossed a bag of credits over to the attendant responsible for getting it tuned and refueled as she lifted a hand up, her fingertips dragging along the hull of her ship. ​

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When Yuri asked about who her Alor was she glanced over her shoulder before speaking, <"As far as I know, Jenn Kryze. You might have heard her name, though she's been more affiliated with the Galactic Alliance last I saw. She's been the only Kryze I've run into in a while and well, she walks and talks like the one in charge, so that's who I've assumed it to be. Only other Kryze I've heard of has been some wayward and lost idiot who kills for Sith, so..."> ​

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She paused as she opened the cockpit and climbed up, getting in before reaching a hand out to Yuri to help him in and get ready to take off. The cockpit would be a tight fit since it wasn't designed for more than one person normally, but it's not like they were flying too far away so it would suffice. ​

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<"Can't in good conscious fight with or for people not my own, even if we are sisters in name and clan. I'd rather not be a Kryze that decided to take up arms against her own culture you know? Mandalorians already have it rough enough as is without us trying to gut each other.">​

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[Yuri Maji]

Yuri chuckled at Nel's remark about the group's leader, but he didn't press the matter as he followed after her. He had a feeling that she would get her chance at knocking the guy around for a bit. Upon reaching the ship, a very familiar design to the Shistavanen, she went on to explain who her Alor was. His suspicions were correct then, and he now had the name of the harpy he fought on Onderon.

"Yeah I know her. Had a run-in with her not too long ago." He remark, but didn't elaborate further as he spared a look down at his left hand. The pain was slowly brewing up again. He simply gave his arm a few shakes as he waited for her to climb into the cockpit. Once she was situated, Yuri removed his jetpack and clambered into the storage space behind the pilot's seat as carefully as possible. To nobody's surprise, it wasn't the most comfortable position, but he nestled in as best he could and leaned back with his jetpack in his lap. In a few moments, they were airborne and Nel continued with her thoughts regarding the situation of their people. Yuri looked down and turned his head away as a faint groan escaped him.

The pain was growing.

<"... She ain't really the one in charge. She's simply better than nothing and willin' to do the job."> He commented softly. "I mean..." He cleared his throat and flexed his arm as best he could in the confined space. <"I might be biased, she and her furball girlfriend are the ones responsible for this."> He held his cybernetic arm up, only realizing afterward that Nel had no means of seeing what he was doing. <"Lost my arm on Onderon fightin' them. But..."> A faint hiss escaped him as he shifted. He was getting increasingly uncomfortable, both mentally and physically.

<"I know I'm a screw up. Am I a disappointment to Ma and her legacy? Yeah. Was I an idiot for drawing my guns against our people and my friends on Onderon? Obviously. Am I payin' the price for it all?"> He gave a few flicks of his arm as he finally let out a strained grumble. "Karkin' yeah. But despite all that, I just wanna help our people. The Crusaders are idiots throwin' the lives of our people away needlessly. But at least they're Mandalorian. I can't support the idea of our people bending the knee to some other masters and doin' their dirty work for charity. Against our own people." The pain had finally reached his voice as he stripped his armour off to try and massage the little bit of flesh still left on his shoulder.

He didn't even realize the lapse in his language. "Is this what my Ma gave her life for? What we fought and died for?" He practically whined, searching his kit for a painkiller.

Nelliel Kryze

 

[Nelliel Kryze]

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| Location | Bar, Bracca
| Focus | Yuri Maji

Nel shifted as Yuri climbed on into the cockpit and stated that he was familiar with her sister in arms. <"Furball girlfriend?"> Nel seemed slightly puzzled by the comment. She didn't recall Jenn's significant other being a furry species. At least not when she damn near crashed on Hefi after the invasion on Yag'Dhul. She didn't comment further on it as she glanced back over her shoulder to see Yuri gesturing to his cybernetic arm.​

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She turned back to her console as she began to flick a few switches, running a couple of preflight checks to make sure everything was in order. The engines flared to life as power coursed through her ship, briefly commenting as the canopy lowered to seal itself, <"Hope you're comfortable back there."> ​

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Yuri's tone shifted as they took off, the Beviin taking off as they began their travel to their destination, <"Well you aren't dead. You haven't screwed up there, and you still have the rest of your life to make your mom proud or do something that will make you feel proud. What you say as throwing away our people's lives, I see people willing to fight for people's legacy. No one's forcing me to fight their war. I do it because I get to be free and be the truest version of myself amongst the skies."> ​

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She paused as she checked their heading to make sure they were on the right track, <"We live, we fight, we die; that's our nature and fate so long as we choose to call ourselves Mandalorians. I'd choose dying and fighting for our people rather than sitting back and disrespecting everything that my comrades died for. Is it a lot? Maybe. But what about being a Mandalorian isn't? Honor, traditions, legacy; we're quite the overburdened bunch."> ​

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She heard Yuri shifting around behind her as she glanced over her shoulder to check on him.​

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"You good back there?"​

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[Yuri Maji]

Yuri tried his hardest to listen to her response, however the pain was simply too much for him to handle. By the time she tried to check on him, he was clutching his arm to his chest in a vain attempt at alleviating the aches. "I'm fine!" He practically snarled at Nel as he glared at her. A shaky hand finally found an injector and pressed it to his neck. With a faint hiss the pain relief was administered and almost immediately had an effect on the Shistavanen.

Able to think clearly again, Yuri drew a deep breath and calmed himself. He had begun to develop an unhealthy relationship with the drug, not too often to be dangerous but often enough to still pose as a problem. A band aid on a blaster wound, as it were. <"I'm... I'm sorry."> He spoke with a soft voice as he spared a look of shame at Nel. <"We can talk later. I'm not..."> A faint chuckle escaped him. <"I'm not drunk enough for this kinda talk."> He joked as he sat back. While a silly reason, he had a degree of truth behind his words, even if only for his own sake. He didn't want to burden the poor girl with his own insecurities and issues, especially when they had a job to do.

He sat in silence for a few moments, idly paging through the data on the chit provided to them, before shifting to peak over Nel's shoulder at the scanners. <"Junk fields are a maze. You got any lead, or is it one of those 'know it when you see it' type deals? Chit's pretty vague on the specifics."> He asked her, sitting back in his seat.

Nelliel Kryze

 

[Nelliel Kryze]

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| Location | Bar, Bracca
| Focus | Yuri Maji

Nel glanced over her shoulder to make sure Yuri was fine, catching a glimpse of him injecting himself with what she assumed to be a pain killer. She couldn't imagine the pain he was going through, but she imagined it wasn't very pleasant; and some emotional pain added on top it seemed as well. She returned her focus back to their heading as she glanced down at her instruments as she spoke softly, <"You're fine. Think another drink is due after the job's done anyway so hang on until then alright?">​

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She checked the coordinates of their supposed job site again as she heard Yuri ask her a question, <"Leviathan? Yeah, pretty unique design so it'll definitely be easy to spot if it's still relatively intact that is. Did they mention what exactly they were looking for on the hunk of junk?"> ​

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[Yuri Maji]

Yuri subconsciously nibbled on his lower lip as he skimmed over the details on the data chit, sparing a quick look up at Nel when she asked about their objective. <"They were nice enough to tell us that. We're lookin' for the main foundry inside of the ship. In other words, we gotta secure the ship and mark the machine for them to extract. It's a karkin' simple job."> He looked back at Nel with a hint of growing concern. <"Which is makin' me wonder why the hell they'd hire two Mandalorians to do this job." He remarked with an echo of a laugh.

It was a constant thought in the back of his mind. Scrappers were naturally a concern, they didn't like it when people messed with their trash. But what else could be out there, skulking around the old wreckages and ruins of these relics? Yuri sat up again and stared out of the cockpit window over Nel's shoulder. He couldn't help but give a faint sniff and a glance at the pilot. <"You smell nice."> He quipped, not realizing how inappropriate a remark it was. The realization did finally dawn on him and his eyes widened. <"I mean... not in a weird way or something, I... uh... I just got..."> Thank the Manda he had hair all over his face. He noticed something in the distance and quickly pointed it out.

<"Yo, look there. That looks like it."> He quickly stammered to distract them both from his awkward comment. He sat back and slid his helmet on, more to hide from view than to get ready for descent. "Old habit die hard" was always the saying. Despite his behaviour, however, the ship he pointed out did bear a striking resemblance to an Imperial Leviathan, albeit torn in half by the wreckage of another ship laying on top of it.

Nelliel Kryze