Layover on Commenor

[Prennis Keeoli]

851 ABY - Commenor Spaceport
[member="Darben Skirae"]
†††

Aeso'na sighed. She had had the time of her life on Arkania--she had to make sure to send Mariya a Holo-message to thank her for taking her as a plus-one--but she now had the long journey back to Order space before her. To the Dosuun sector to be exact. She most certainly was not looking forward to it, especially if, as she suspected, it was going to be so intermittent.

Somehow, she had gotten very lucky with her journey out being more-or-less continuous aboard the same vessel, only stopping to refuel periodically. But she had not been able to find such a ship going back again; she must have missed the return journey.

Her first layover was on Commenor. She had been here for about a standard hour, and she had at least two more to go. The doctor tried not to let it get her down, but rather use the time to catch up on the reports that she had brought along for such an unfortunate occasion.

She wandered around the spaceport, finding a hole-in-the-wall restaurant. It seemed quiet enough. After ordering a cup of caffe, a burger with some sort of native meat, and a side of salamander sticks, she took a seat in a booth way in the venue's back to, with any luck, effectively kill time working on her holopad and munching on a late lunch.

She had changed into her casual attire, and had crimped her hair only to pull it back into a tight ponytail. Her silver dress and heels she had worn to the party were stowed in her black carry-on luggage. She had also left off her First Order shield choker. She was unsure if the Order was well-known so far out of its holdings, but she was not about to risk it. Un-like-minded people tended to jump to conclusions about her from just one look at the necklace.

 

[Darben Skirae]

Darben had been impatiently waiting, wearing a leather jacket with a grey shirt underneath. His beard unshaven and untrimmed, he had a lot of things on his mind. One of them being when his contact would arrive. He was waiting towards the back, hoping to hide himself. His face was lit up by his datapad, and he was starting to get frustrated waiting. Darben had looked over the message at least ten times by now. Perhaps it was the empty glass on the table, or the endless waiting that made him frustrated.

He looked for a moment, and glanced at other people around. Perhaps they were already here. He caught site on [member="Dr. Aes'ona Terrani"], and his gaze lingered for a moment before he moved them back to the datapad, they had not left a description of themselves. Perhaps they would not come. Sighing rather loudly, he put his hand up for another glass of Commenori Ale.

While he waited, he decided perhaps he could do something to pass the time. So he walked up and went over to Aes'ona's booth. "Hey, you don't mind striking up a conversation, do you? I'm supposed to be waiting for someone but..." he glanced over at the entrance, just in case they came in. "Well, I'm sure you can guess how that is going" he said, with a bit of dry laughter. He wasn't the best at taking up conversations.

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

Aes'ona glanced up at the sudden voice, not startled but not having expected it. Then she smiled, and put down her datapad, saying, "I guess we have something in common then. Waiting." She laughed as well. "How long have you been here?"

[member="Darben Skirae"]

 

[Darben Skirae]

Darben shrugged to [member="Dr. Aes'ona Terrani"], still standing rather than taking a seat. "I haven't bothered to look at the time that's passed so far" he answered to her. He rubbed his bearded chin while gazing about, trying to think of what else to say to pass the time. Not much could come to mind, and he was still slightly frustrated, something that could possibly be visible in his expression. "What about you? How long have you been waiting here?"

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

Aes'ona stole a glance at the time widget on her holopad. "A little over an hour," she answered, shrugging back to [member="Darben Skirae"]. "Time flies when you've got plenty of reports to file."

 

[Darben Skirae]

"Yeah, I know how that can be" he replied, then glanced back to his table. His drink hadn't arrived yet. Then he looked back to [member="Dr. Aes'ona Terrani"]. "What are you waiting for?" he asked. He wanted to attempt to keep this conversation going, at least until his contact arrived.

And then a beep back on his datapad came up on his table. "One second" he said, before quickly going over back to the table. He looked it over. And he had to hold back a curse, as he saw that his contact had left him hanging for nothing, and that they would not be coming. He hit his table with a fist, then groaned at how much it had hurt doing that. A dull ache, he did not know his own strength. "Lousy nerf-herder..."

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

Aes'ona could make out only a little from her booth, but she could tell something was wrong. "Stood you up, did they?" she asked, making her best guess.

[member="Darben Skirae"]

 

[Darben Skirae]

He glanced up, and nodded his head after some hesitation. "That's what happens when you make deals, I guess" he replied. He shook his head in hand, then stood up and went back over to [member="Dr. Aes'ona Terrani"]'s table. "You mind if I take a seat? I don't want to be a hindrance, but I might as well talk to someone, right?" Just after he asked that, he could see a waitress droid coming over with his drink.

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

Nodding, Aes'ona gestured to the booth with one hand and switched off her holopad with the other. "Not at all. Please," she replied. "I don't really need to work. I'm still on vacation, technically. I'm Aes'ona, by the way. What sort of deal were you making, if I may ask?"

The doctor picked up one of her salamander sticks to snack on.

[member="Darben Skirae"]

 

[Darben Skirae]

He waved his hand in a dismissive way toward [member="Dr. Aes'ona Terrani"] while going to sit down. "It doesn't matter now, it's something I can deal with later" he said. Then he extended his had, for a hand shake. "Minister of Trade, Darben Skirae. So what brought you to Commenor for a vacation?" he asked after withdrawing his hand, if she shook it or not. He wasn't terribly hungry, so he didn't look at the food at all as she ate.

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

She did not hesitate to shake his hand, her grip strong, but comfortable--wholly professional. She had had years to practice it to perfection. She had wanted to. After all, a good handshake sometimes made the best or worst of first impressions.

"Doctor Terrani," she elaborated on her introduction. "Medical Director of Sanctity Physic Dormitories...though I doubt you've heard of it." She had forgotten where she was for a moment, but quickly added in that little disclaimer.

Aes'ona laughed, finding the notion a little humorous. "Oh, no, no no." She shook her head once. "Commenor was not the destination. T-though it could've been." She assumed him to live here, or at least be a regular visitor if he had set up a meeting here. Nice going, S'ona, you just offended the poor guy, she reprimanded herself. "It looks like a nice enough vacation spot."

[member="Darben Skirae"]

 

[Darben Skirae]

He was surprised by [member="Dr. Aes'ona Terrani"]'s strong grip, but only momentarily. It was different to shaking Kay's hand, which was something he did every time he greeted Lady Kay. "I do not believe I have, Miss Terrani" he said. He acknowledged almost everyone he did not know as Miss or Mister these days, always trying to be professional. Every meeting, formal or familial was professional to him."So you are a director of a medical institution? How's that for you?" He assumed it would be a busy job.

He leaned over as if he was to tell her a secret, "I don't say this much...but Commenor isn't the greatest vacation spot." He leaned back before going on. "Now Spira, I've heard fantastic things about that place." He hoped to go there one day, with Renla and just relax there. Commenor was peaceful, but at times, it wasn't so peaceful. Plus it was the place of his work, so not necessarily a place of vacation in his mind.

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

Aes'ona nodded in affirmation to [member="Darben Skirae"]. "A hospital on a medstation," she added. "There's rarely a dull moment, for sure." She laughed. "I love it ta death, but these last few days have been the best sleep in my life."

His comments about Commenor made her feel a little better, and she said so. "...Spira," she mused. "That's in the core, right?"

 

[Darben Skirae]

Darben could not imagine him in that sort of position. For one, medicine he knew almost nothing of. Then came his fear of space. "Yes, my job certainly has some of those as well. Though mine involves a lot of traveling...not my thing, really" he added with a short laugh. "Vacations are good for long days of sleep..." he sighed. "I myself need one." He had had ten too many sleepless night, perhaps more than that.

"I believe so. Supposed to have the best beaches" he said, as he thought back on all he had heard from distant travelers. "One day I will go there. One day...me and Renla" he muttered quietly, thinking about how Renla would handle a vacation. She would no doubt spend each day having fun, like the young girl she was. He was becoming more and more comfortable about adopting her, though he still had a lot to get used to.

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

Aes'ona took up her stylus pen, which she had left beside her datapad, nudged the piece of technology on, jotted down something, and then powered it back off and set the pen back down.

"...Spira," she muttered as she was writing. "Beaches." She looked up at [member="Darben Skirae"] when she had finished, smiling. "I'll have to make time if I ever get down to the core again."

She heard the muttered name Renla, but decided not to ask. Instead, she commented, "That's alright. I don't like travelling either. Don't tell anyone--" she began, leaning closer to him as he had done to her, "--but I'm a little bit of a spacephobe." She leaned back. "Still, travelling sure beats being stuck in a medbay all day."

 

[Darben Skirae]

Darben nodded in agreement, he had made a mental note to do so himself. Then [member="Dr. Aes'ona Terrani"] leaned over for a secret of her own, and he almost laughed. Not because it was funny, no it wasn't funny at all. "Oh, don't worry. I am as well." Though he doubted it was for the same reason. He could still see the cracking of his home planet, Corellia some years ago. He had to shake the coming feeling of fear and sadness he felt when he thought back to that event.

"Traveling does help free yourself from boredom...so, you still on vacation? Or after here, are you going back?" he asked. "I mean, I don't usually offer, but if you want, I could show you around. Maybe you could come by my store, it has some Commenori antiquities." Thanks to his position as Minister, he was able to get such things for his store.

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

"I'm actually on my way back home from Arkania," she said. She was going to leave it at that, but she added, "To the Dosuun Sector."

[member="Darben Skirae"] seemed nice enough and even while she was not sure how he would react--or even if he knew where said sector was--she decided that, generally, it was not constructive relationship-building to hide information about oneself that may become problematic later. After all, Mariya had not judged her for it, though she initially was surprised to hear where the doctor's loyalty lie, and they proceeded to make fast friends.

Aes'ona sighed internally. She was not exactly sure why so many judged her off her allegiance to the Order alone. Yes, she had heard through the grapevine of atrocities committed by First Imperials, but also of similar event perpetrated by the Alliance and other opposing factions.

She pushed her musings from her mind and nodded. "Sure. I have some time to kill."

 

[Darben Skirae]

"The Dosunn sector? I don't think I've heard of it" he said back. Then he started to hand, extending a hand to her to help her up, in the way of a gentleman. "Shall we? There's the University if you want to see that first. Or the bay?" Now that he thought about it, he hadn't even looked about Chasin City himself, always distracted by work. Always busy with maintaining his store, and working on his job. "How much time have you got?" he asked.

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

"About an hour and a half," she answered as she began to pack up her datapad into her black messenger bag. During the time he had been talking, the doctor had finished her burger and most of her sticks, though she took a bite out of one more after she latched her bag and before she reached for [member="Darben Skirae"]'s hand.

"The bay," she decided. "I loved university, but twelve years is my limit. I avoid campuses whenever I can."

 

[Darben Skirae]

"The bay it is, then" he said with a smile. He took the lead, and hailed a taxi speeder. "To Rock Point Bay, please" he said, then handed a handful of credits. The driver thanked him for paying early, despite the paid amount being over what it would no doubt be over the actual price. He didn't really care. Then he sat back and waited for [member="Dr. Aes'ona Terrani"] to come in, if she hadn't already before the speeder lifted away and headed for the bay.

"I don't know much about Commenor myself, despite living here. Then again, I'm working in my store, and as Minister of Trade here, I barely pay any attention." He had to learn sometime more about the history of Commenor, and the sites across the city. In fact, he had never left the city before, now that he thought about it.