Old Business, New Friends

[Progflaw99]

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Location: Alliance Hangar, Sullust, Galactic Alliance Fleet HQ​

Time of Day: Dawn, Early Morning​

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They'd arrived about ten minutes ago, the small freighter carrying a manifest full of replacement parts and a few special order parts for the Galactic Alliance. Though the freighter had primarily carried cargo, there was one more addition to this shipment. Garrus Kroll had arrived as well.

Garrus had come to work for Incom Corporation years ago, spending most of his life raising hell in the Galactic Republic's fighter squadrons. He'd started out as a rookie pilot and climbed his way up through the ranks, eventually retiring, the circumstances under which vary greatly depending on whom you talk to. He'd avoided this particular trip for years, always coming up with reasons he couldn't make it or why he didn't need to. He couldn't put it off any longer, and it was something he knew needed to be done.

The tall, dirty blonde headed down the length of the hangar. The sound of his feet across the hangar floor was easily drowned out by the sound of cutting torches, moving machinery, and shouting as crew chiefs directed their crews during repairs. Garrus reached absentmindedly inside his flight jacket, retrieving a small silver flask. Around it was wrapped a thin strip of crimson silk, the end slightly frayed. Gently, he unscrewed the cap and brought it to his lips. The liquor was strong, the slight burn as it went down causing him to narrow his eyes. As he progressed through the hangar, he screwed back on the small cap and replaced it within his jacket, continuing towards the rear of the hangar.

The hangar itself was laid out pretty standard, rows of X Wing fighters filled it, each one in their own space surrounded by equipment, tools, and presently, their maintenance crews. Many of them stood in various states of repair or prep as their crews scurried about. The scene was familiar to Garrus and yet... it was so long ago. He forced the memories back down as he paused in mid stride, a hover sled pulled by a crew chief crossing his path. After passing, Garrus picked up his stride again just in time to nearly be bowled over by a young man, nose deep in a data pad. Before he could even say something the young mad had headed off in another direction, a seabag slung over his shoulder.

*Must be a pilot*

The young man didn't look a day over twenty. They must have been recruiting younger and younger. Garrus could always tell the new ones. The innocent loyalty they blindly gave their superiors, trusting them to make it home safe. The raw excitement of even flying still got them all jumbled up. He didn't know what the case was with this one, but he knew one thing, he was young. Quickly retrieving the flask once more, he swallowed another mouthful of the liquor, the burning sensation lingering. Blinking a few times, he replaced the flask and withdrew a data pad. He needed to turn in the manifest to the supply officer, they'd been waiting on the parts for a few weeks now. The parts had been on back-order, causing a delay in their delivery.

Entering a corridor at the end of the hangar, he headed down a few others before arriving at a small windowless room; behind the desk sat a disgruntled looking junior officer. The supply office. Nodding at the officer casually, he set the data pad down on the desk, shifting it so that it could be read by the officer.

"Garrus Kroll..." He said, identifying himself. "...Here's the manifest for the Incom shipment, just got in. The parts ordered have been on back-order and we were finally able to fill it. Already got the enlisted folk unloading it, one of your Chief's signed for it already, said I should drop it here for you. Incom has provided a few extra parts in there, free of charge due to the wait."

The officer behind the desk breathed an audible sigh of relief as he scrolled through the manifest.

"Thanks, they've been hounding us for weeks. We keep tellin' them, can't fly without these parts! I appreciate it. I've gotta get this data input..." He trailed off.

Looking back to the console, the officer began transferring the contents of the manifest into the supply management system. The console kept chirping. Letting loose a half chuckle, Garrus turned around and headed back the way he'd came. Regrettably it was time. He kept telling himself he had to do this. He said he'd meet, and he intended to follow through. As he left the supply office and headed towards the main bulk of the base, he took another long pull from the silver flask, savoring it, letting the liquor slowly burn its way to his stomach.

Spoiler

OOC: More or less this is just an open character development thread, and I have a few NPC's I plan on chatting with. That being said, if anyone is interested on dropping in, making a few in character contacts, so be it!

 

[Progflaw99]

Garrus had wandered through the corridors, slowly making his way towards the main hub of the base. There was a spaceport there, used by the Alliance military and civilians alike. It made for an interesting dynamic. One could always find Marines there on shore leave, pilots hanging out in some of the more prestigious establishments, slowly sipping a drink and smoking cigars, at least the ones who weren't out partying. Attached to the spaceport was a small residential section which housed several hundred workers, each in their own small apartments. Mostly employees of the port itself, but some rented out by local pilots or captains.

He'd gotten a few looks as he walked through the corridors, but many of the people were too young to really know who he was. To most, he simply looked like an older pilot or Alliance contractor, and he was fine with that. In a way, he missed it. The everyday bustle, the smell of fuel and electronics, mixing as torches were used to repair the hulls of ships. He'd spent almost his entire life surrounded by ships and other pilots, and on a good day he still did. He'd lost his faith in most causes after spending most of his career with the Galactic Republic. They had seemed to forget what they were fighting for... and so did he. After retiring, he'd landed a job with Incom Corporation, away from the idealism of the Republic, or so he thought. He chuckled to himself, realized he hadn't exactly escaped, just changed perspective. He shook his head to clear his mind.

He approached a small cafe, the tables mostly empty except for a stray onesies and twosies. Sauntering over to one of the small metal chairs he scooted it away from the round silvery table. He gently lowered himself into it, letting loose a long sigh. A small panel lit up as it rose from the table, a digital menu displayed on its surface. Reaching out he ordered himself a caf. Black. Now it was time to play the waiting game. He checked his chrono again. Still a little early. He closed his eyes and waited for his caf.

 

[Alexandra Porte]

It wasn't long after Russo stepped down as Rogue Leader and resigned her commission in the Galactic Alliance's military that the seasoned ace pilot was contacted by Incom Corporation about a possible position with the aeronautical company. Did the Taanabian jump at it? What do you think?! The job as a test pilot was a no brainer, plus the pay that went with it, well now she'd be able to get that house on Naboo that [member="Kahne Porte"] and her looked at while vacationing there. Course the two of them, together, living there, at the same time, was a dream, but a girl could hope, right? Maybe it would be incentive for the Jedi Master to finally put roots down somewhere - a place to really call home and with someone whom cared for him deeply.

But that was neither here nor there right now as Alleycat had to get ready for a meeting with one of the representatives from Incom - a man by the name of [member="Garrus Kroll"]. The brandy-eyed brunette grabbed her datapad off the desk in her new accommodations located in the residential section of the Sullust base where civilian contractors kept apartments for when they were on planet and working with the Alliance on projects, then exited her one-bedroom studio.

It didn't take long to get to the cafe located in the main hub of the base. What Alexandra knew of the man she was meeting with was he was a former fighter pilot like herself, more her senior though, whom was working directly with the CEO of Incom [member="Kelly Perris"]; another former fighter pilot. Hopefully with all their flight experience and aeronautical knowledge combined, they would be able to really getting the ball rolling with upgrades to the exiting Incom produced starfighters and expedite development of new prototypes.

Spotting the older flyboy across the restaurant sitting at one of the metal tables, Alleycat made her way over dressed in civilian attire. He seemed to be resting his eyes for they were closed she she approached. Not wanting to startled him, the former Rogue cleared her throat softly.

"Mr. Kroll? I'm Alexandra Russo," she said, flashing him a small smile just as the waitress walked up behind her with his drink order.

 

[Progflaw99]

He'd been in his own little world, the younger woman's footsteps drowned out by the cacophony of his own thoughts. In just a few short months his life had changed drastically and as much as he tried to deny it, he missed the rigid schedules of the military life, the constant threat of action. The worst of it was being haunted by the ghosts. He never really stopped seeing the faces and downtime only reinforced them in his mind, the only escape he'd found thus far was the liquor. Interrupting his brief moment of reflection the woman's voice cut through causing him to open his eyes. Ah, their prospective employee. Garrus had been tapped into the goings on of Rogue Squadron pretty regularly. He'd taken a liking to the squadron, its members definitely not conforming to the standard template when it came to pilots. They were expert pilots despite their less than spotless records and he saw a part of himself as a young pilot in the younger ranks of Rogue. Lately, there had been a few shifts in leadership of the squadron and he'd jumped at the opportunity that had presented itself.

"Ah Miss Russo!" he said, pushing himself up from his chair and extending his hand. "Glad you could make it. Just Garrus is fine."

Garrus nodded at the waitress, gratefully taking the steaming cup of black coffee. "Thanks."

"Please, have a seat." He motioned to the chair across from him.

It was a fairly informal interview, he already knew enough about the woman that he knew she'd make a great Aeronautics Consultant and Test Pilot. She was driven, that much was evident from her superior service record. The terms of her leaving the Galactic Alliance weren't truly any of his business, as far as he was concerned he could understand where she was coming from. Not long ago he himself had vacated the official military forces for his own reasons, deciding that the only place left for him to go was the private sector. So far he hadn't honestly regretted it. Sure he missed certain aspects of it, but he knew he was happier here, away from the bureaucratic bantha excrement he'd experienced.

"Did you want anything?" He tossed a thumb in the general direction of the waitress as he took a sip of the coffee.

Garrus retrieved a large data-pad, setting it on the table between the two.

"So, I took a look at the pre-interview questionnaire we had you fill out, and to be honest I'm not sure I need much more information before offering you a position here at Incom..." He paused, taking a deep breath.

"...but I do have just a few questions for you. What do you want to get out of a job with Incom? Are you planning on making it a career?"

He guessed it was likely similar to his own motivations but he was prepared with a few follow up questions in any case. He really wanted to hire her, the woman's record declaring her worth to Incom. It wouldn't do to have her sign on with a rival company but he didn't want her to know quite how far Incom was willing to go to secure her employment. On the flipside, perhaps she wouldn't need much coaxing. Patiently he waited for the woman's response, smiling calmly as he sipped from his mug.

[member="Alexandra Russo"]​

 

[Alexandra Porte]

"It's very nice to meet you, Garrus. Please, call me Alex then," she replied with a small smile while shaking light-hairee older man's hand, then took the offered seat across from the him. His features were very chiseled and Alleycat was sure in his younger days as a flyboy must have been quite the lady killer.

Brandy brown eyes went Kroll's drink, then to the waitress who was waiting to see if she was going to order. "I'll have the same with four creams please," the brunette nodded, then turned her attention back to her new prospective employer, who grabbed his large-sized datapad and placed it on the table between them.

Oh yes, the questionnaire. Russo hated those things. So impersonal trying to write answers that read well for some desk jokey and what the person reading them wanted to see. Actions and deeds in the Taanabian's book always were a truer compass to go by not written word.

"Well being a retired starfighter pilot yourself I'm sure you can relate that making the decision to stop flying combat is a very hard and personal choice, but I feel it's time. And now I want to use all my experience garnered as well as my finely tuned skills to help those that do fly those missions by making the craft they fly the very best. So here I am," Alex smiled genuinely.

 

[Progflaw99]

The seasoned man felt the woman's handshake. Firm, confident. That was good. In the civilian sector, especially when it came to large corporations like Incom, confidence was key. Coming off of an X-Wing Assignment himself he knew he had confidence in Incom's products, he would assume the same of her. He watched the woman carefully. Four creams? Not entirely an odd choice. How someone liked their coffee could tell you a lot about a person. For example, a coffee with cream? Logical, but still a healthy dose of wonder. At least that was an average, no one really believed those articles did they? Garrus recalled once reading that he'd find a place among nature. He'd laughed at that one. Looking down at his drink he smirked. Black as night, the coffee stared right back. Taking a sip he listened to the woman's response to his question.

He too had made the hard choice to vacate the cockpit, instead pursuing a corporate job, something outside of the bureaucracy of the military. Little had he known corporate law and policy was its own bureaucracy. Despite that he'd adjusted well, actually enjoying his job well enough. Getting out from behind his desk and out to the more remote facilities and every urgent parts delivery certainly helped. She reminded him of himself at a young age, eager to contribute and utilize the years of piloting to provide input and value, somehow saving lives. It wasn't quite that clean but he understood the sentiment. She seemed like a good gal with a long set of years ahead of her and just as much experience as a pilot he'd noted. Incom vetted their prospects well, not solely sticking to the published records but Garrus hadn't found anything that had thrown any flags.

"That I can... not an easy choice by any means but one I understand. I held onto that for perhaps a hair too long for my own good." He chuckled. Truthfully, he should have retired almost a decade ago but he just couldn't let it go.

Garrus was prepared, now it was left up to her. Sliding the datapad over to the woman he tapped the screen twice.

"How's that look? I can guarantee that, plus maybe a bit of commission on the side. I won't bore you with the details of the retirement plan and benefits, but let me tell you, they're not bad."

[member="Alexandra Russo"]​

 

[Alexandra Porte]

"Yes… It's very hard to know when to say when for you own good and that of your fellow pilots. I could have stuck around. I still had the best SIM scores of the Rogues, but I'd just had enough of the… Well you know. I needed a break and well here I am, glad to be I might add talking with you," Alex smiled with an affirmative nod.

The brunette watched as Kroll slid the datapad more in front of her and tapped the screen. There is was, the job offer in black and white. Brandy brown eyes read down over the contract thoughtfully, then after a moment those orbs gazed up and over to the man sitting there. Russo took her own datapad out and brought up another contract, then slide it across to the older fighter jockey, who was negotiating on behalf of Incom.

"This is the offer from your direct competitor, though they are not my first choice of company to work for. I think you can do better, if you truly want me onboard with you. You know, the best of the best with the best," Alex smiled knowing it would be a big loss if she did go work for the other guy.

[member="Garrus Kroll"]