Metal and Meteors

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Aver Brand"]


"Magboots are helpful but its possible to get knocked off or potentially float away if the envirosuit fails. Life support failure,holes in the suit....Inattention and carelessness. We've got a harness line too, can never be to careful out in the middle of nowhere.Not like we can get help immediately if we need it."


Of course there were Salacia paid doctors and medics on staff at every jobsite. Better to pay out the money for a decent medical team first than potential millions in a lawsuit later on down the road. Reaching near Miss Var Nabba, Judah grabbed a lead from her envirosuit and attached it to a long cable that spanned the worksite.


"I've been told he's out here, so we'll see. I'll give a shout through to the crew to get him to show himself. Just don't mention the thing about balls. Kid already has enough ego being out here."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[double post]

 

[Makai Dashiell]

Makai was perched on a steel beam, handling the thankless task of hauling sheets of durasteel above his head to crews working a level upward. Sentient workers - humans, various aquatic species, Rodians, etc- laid down the frame work of sheets of durasteel, tacking them into place. Next construction robots came behind and wielded everything firmly into place. It created a more quick and accurate process.


"Hey, Makai." Head turned in his envirosuit. "Your old man wants to see you at the front."


Another sheet hoisted above and he was relieved on the line by a young Rodian, barely legal enough to gain employment by the looks of him. Magboots slid along carefully as he picked his way through the crew to get to the front. His father was standing with a visitor. Makai instinctively reached his hand out in greeting.


"Nice to meet you Miss...uh Miss..." Iced azure eyes looked the woman over. "We normally don't get visitors on the site, I've got to say you've got some guts."



[member="Aver Brand"]

 

[Aver Brand]

“Mm.”

The merc hummed and followed without further commentary. Nice set of precautions, that. Something to be said about companies who companies who actually cared about their workers. Nadir… well. People got paid for their work, which was more than most illegal business could say.

Mostly because paid people were motivated people, and motivated people produced items of infinitely greater quality.

Aver’d rather hate it to have her rifle break down mid-shootout. Highly inconvenient – not to mention unhealthy.

“Var Nabba,” she resolved his embarrassment, squeezing his palm in a firm handshake. Her lips split into a grin. “What can I say? Sitting in an office all day gets mighty boring.”

She looked him up and down. Fifteen… what was she up to at fifteen? Holding a gun and running with a gang, probably. This job was a safety paradise in comparison.

“You work out here every day though. Sleep well I imagine.”

Hauling durasteel beams around was no joke. Even in zero g.


@Here's Your Damn Tag, Sassy Woman

 

[Makai Dashiell]

[member="Aver Brand"]


"I couldn't imagine staring at four walls all day."


He was mildly impressed with Miss Var Nabba's handshake considering envirosuit. No one sitting in an office had a grip like that. What else was she up to? Perhaps one of those black widow types of the business world. Ideas spun around the teenage boys head, one wildly more outrageous than the other.


"I suppose. Keeps me from running the streets and drunk in the clubs, ruining the good family name."


Boyish grin spread across his face, amused at his own humor.


"You know the type."

 

[Aver Brand]

[member="Makai Dashiell"]

“I do,” Aver nodded sagely, glancing from boy to father, then back again. Much alike, ‘cept the smile was ten times wider on the kid. Oh well. He’d learn.

“Nothing wrong with trying a spot of that, I think.”

Miss Var Nabba was too busy being an awful role model to pay attention to the oppressive weight of the blackness around them. Just as well.

“Teaches you plenty. You wanna show me around?

 

[Makai Dashiell]

[member="Aver Brand"]


Makai couldn't see himself as a club person. Seemed a bit like an incredible waste of credits to try to impress people he didn't care about. Parties were one thing, he went to those. Clubbing? He'd leave that to the 'old money' like Miss Var Nabba.


"I can't say there is much to see yet."


Turning, he started to walk along the 'finished' interior portion with walls and flooring. Ahead lay the metal skeleton and the inky black. Boots clanged around on the durasteel as they walked,the upper and lower portions not done yet. More or less like walking through an open ended tube in space.


"This is the middle most level, then we will expand up and down from there. Important to get this right."

 

[Aver Brand]

With measured steps, Miss Var Nabba followed. [member="Makai Dashiell"] was a monkey in the forest of durasteel beams and wires, separated from the endless void only by luck and technology. Aver was beast of different woods, oft made of soldiers and their flawed flesh. She cut them down all the same.

But that was for her to know and… the boy to never find out.

They paused where the plating ended before their boot-clad feet, and the young Dashiell gestured to their surroundings. “So what do you do around here?”

 

[Makai Dashiell]

[member="Aver Brand"]


His booted feet were mere inches from stepping off into the black, trust in the harness and safety measures keeping him from drifting away. Off to their side sparks flew as the sentient crew stopped to tack wield a piece of durasteel in place. Droid crews were not far behind in their tracks, having to take longer to fully secure the metals.


"What do I do?"


Makai looked about, confused at first if she meant him at all. His father was talking to the foreman, pointing and clearly and asking a few questions about the progress.


"Whatever they tell me to do I suppose. Depends on the job, I weaseled my way on this crew so I got the lowest job on the totem pole so to speak. Its okay though, beats sitting around."


"What do you do, if I may ask?"

 

[Aver Brand]

If the kid toed the edge, Aver was content to keep herself to the safety of a nearby wall. Though she excelled in many situations where others perished, spacewalking wasn’t one of those.

“Oh, me? Quite boring, really – I’m just a mercenary who moonlights as a crime lord.” She waited a beat with a deadpan expression, then let her mouth split into a toothy grin. “Nah kid, I travel around for my company and make deals for ‘em.” Miss Var Nabba shrugged, running a hand over the thick durasteel plate support.

“This your dream job – helping you dad build things?”


[member="Makai Dashiell"]

 

[Makai Dashiell]

[member="Aver Brand"]



"Mercenary who moonlights as a crime lord? Seems like an awful lot of work and painful steps then to hide who you are to build this station. Seems if you were a mercenary it would be easier to hire a band of pirates to overrun and take over a station as your own."


"Or if you're less inclined, tons of stations sitting in the black. Need a bit of work and life support..."


Makai peered out into the black at her next question, unsure.


"Maybe, not sure. Is that what I'm supposed to do, take over the family mantle so to speak?"

 

[Aver Brand]

“Maybe? I ain’t never tried it, but seems to me like taking over a whole station would be an awful difficult piece of business. Expensive too, hiring enough folks to do it, no?”

Her lips curled into a slight smile at that. “When I’m throwing piles of credits at something, I sleep much better when it’s a sure bet.”

“Don’t look at me, kid,” Miss Var Nabba quirked an amused eyebrow at [member="Makai Dashiell"]. “That’s between you and your dad. I’m just here to see what those piles of credits are getting me.”

“Anyway… you’re what, fifteen? You got years to figure out what you wanna do,” she waved a hand, “you’ll be fine.”

 

[Makai Dashiell]

[member="Aver Brand"]


"Its not as difficult as you think.Its expensive but I am sure you're paying my father's company a mountain of credits to do this for you. Then again, you can factor in time versus your energy and credits."


Just as he mentioned piles of credits Miss Var Nabba confirmed his suspicion the job was costing a fair amount. Makai had already suspected it. At least they were using a number of reused and salvaged materials compared to new. If the station opened and made enough credits Makai was certain Miss Var Nabba would make back her pile of credits in full.


"Fifteen, yes. A lot of time in a way, less time in some ways. In various corners of the galaxy I'll be considered a man soon enough."

 

[Aver Brand]

[member="Makai Dashiell"]

“Maybe you should try your hand at running a criminal outfit then, kid,” Var Nabba laughed, eyes wrinkling with amusement. “Get yourself some experience down below before you climb into that CEO chair.”

Aver certainly intended to get her money’s worth back. Expected it darn quick, too – as soon as the station was finished, the trade was going to boom. New docks, bigger ships, more people… she could hardly wait.

“Mm. Quite right. Speaking of men – bring us back around to your dad, would you?”

The merc had seen enough to be convinced of the steady progress. As far as legitimate businesses went, the station was in good hands.

 

[Makai Dashiell]

Makai couldn't see himself running any type of criminal enterprise. Probably didn't have enough of a cold heart for it. The ability to lie on the spot. It was one thing to gloss over something a white wash an issue for [member="Myra Elspeth"] .An entire other situation to sit and lie to various government authorities. Makai suspected Ellie was a worse interrogator than any government entity however.


Peering over the edge, a droid was starting to make their way towards them.


"Good idea, looks as if they are starting to reach this sector. Not that the sparks would do anything to us. I suspect we're in the way though."



[member="Aver Brand"]

 

[Aver Brand]

Half-turning to follow his gaze, Aver gave a shallow nod. “Alright kid, lead the way then.”

She gave a brief chuckle, glancing up to the skeletal arcs of metal grasping after the meteor. “Wouldn’t want to hold up construction.”

And if she was reaching the limits of her patience with space, well – that was hardly any of the boy’s business.

[member="Makai Dashiell"]​

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Aver Brand"]


Judah was busy with a group of the current crew. There was always an issue to handle on any job. Currently on this job was the issue with a real moving meteor mixed with making sure the skeleton remained stabilized. Miss Var Nabba had provided them with more than enough information on movements. Reality was harder to work on than pieces of paper with information.


"Get some type of repulsor system, we'll have them face the opposite direction that the skeleton may be leaning in. Stabilize it a little bit. Something very light though, maybe we can frankenstein something off repulsor carts. Send someone down in our cargo holds. We can probably do it today."


Makai approached after his 'grand tour' with Miss Var Nabba.


"I see you survived your space walk."

 

[Aver Brand]

“I did,” Miss Var Nabba said with a clap of her hands and a wide smile. It wasn’t an entirely pleasant expression to look at. She tipped her head at Dashiell Junior, “You got a good kid there. Dilligent.” A chuckle. “Curious, too.”

“I’m done out here,” she added after a brief pause. Her grin faded somewhat. “If you got any other pressing matters to attend, I’ll see myself back no problem.”

‘Survived’ was definitely the right term. High time she got herself indoors and out of this void.


[member="Judah Dashiell"]