The mess hall was alive with chatter tonight making Horuz grunt in annoyance dropping himself next to Tulk in their usual corner away from the common idiots.

Horuz for the most part was ignoring the clatter, even the bitching and moaning his friend was doing across from him.

"What is this ship becoming? An orphanage for unwanted bastard children?! Hell, neither of the little snots are even Yondu's bastards so lord only knows why he wants them!"

Horuz had been around long enough to know the answer to his friend's question, he didn't like the answer and felt it was Yondu trying to hold onto something that was long gone but he knew it. Stakar had taken in Yondu himself at Kraglin's age and maybe Yondu was trying to prove to his former mentor he wasn't what he thought he was by taking in a boy like he had done all those years ago. Why he was so adamant on keeping cargo was up for debate though. Who knows what was going through his head with that, maybe it was also part of his plan to get back on Stakar's good side. Waste of time in Horuz's opinion but he didn't voice those thoughts not liking the idea of his words getting mixed up and warped by the nosy morons around him before they fell in Yondu's ears. He wasn't ending with an arrow in his throat, captain had been right trigger happy in the five years he had been banished and if he even thought you were gonna pull a mutiny, that arrow was going through your head.

"Maybe he's just sick of the vagabonds we have to settle with and wants to have some useful bastards he can groom personally," Horuz grunted, he didn't completely agree with his own words and wanted rid of the little shits as much as Tulk but he would rather not get on Yondu's bad side once more.

He wanted to play daddy to some bastard children, let him. As long as he didn't have to deal with the brats more then he had to, he was fine. He drank straight from the bottle he had stolen from the kitchens and Tulk scowled at him snatching it back, whipping the top off with a napkin.

"Don't be gross, Horuz," he grumbled scrubbing it a few seconds before pausing, eying it and became satisfied enough to pour himself another shot.

"Stop yer bitchin'," he grumbled eying the drunks fighting not far from them, "I ain't diseased, I stole it, so I can drink it how I like."

"I ain't takin' no chances," Tulk hissed back, "Ever since da medic got shot, he ain't been right in the head, anyone who goes to him with an ailment comes back worse."

"And that's why Yondu is lookin' for young blood now," Horuz said frowning watching the second mate stagger towards them, wringing his hands and nervously looking at him almost afraid to approach, "Don't make much of a difference, the younger the stupider to me but what do I know? Just a humble mechanic."

"Maybe if'n he hadn't pissed off Stakar, maybe we could find crew that were competent and willing to join us," Tulk grunted back pouring himself another shot.

Horuz had to agree with that but held his tongue, he was already on Yondu's bad side, he didn't want to give the man reason to kill him with first mate lurking around them like he was.

"What you want, boy?" he spat making the boy jump from his skin. He might give cabin boy shit but he wasn't nearly as pathetic and jumpy as first mate was. Boy was ex nova corp and one hell of a shot but he was kicked out of there for a reason. He was worthless at damn near everything else. Besides, everyone knew his job was cursed, he'd been dead in a month and Horuz expected to get quite the winning if he was.

"Horuz," he began before pausing biting his lip at the glare he was given by both Horuz and Tulk.

"Sit down, take a drink and spit it out boy!"

First mate sat hesitantly next to Horuz and Tulk offered him a glass that he drank with one gulp.

"Captain just spat I was in charge before disappearing in his room with cargo kicking and screaming and cabin boy at his heels."

Horuz lifted his eye brow to this news, it wasn't something he knew about since he had been in the kitchens not long ago stealing alcohol for him and Tulk who came to him bitching about cabin boy getting special treatment.

"Why ya tellin' me this?"

His begging eyes told him what he wanted, he wanted him to tell him what to do. Horuz nearly laughed at that, no damn way was he being honorary first mate, hell no.

"Listen, Sal-"

"That's not my name, that was the former first mate."

Tulk let out a ravenous laugh at that and spit his alcohol right in first mate's face as he began to talk.

"He was the one we iced for mutiny weren't he?!"

"No, that was the one before that," Horuz said scratching his beard as he began thinking out loud, "Last one was the bitch who fergot to take the safety off his blaster and shot hisself and bled out."

"We go through so many, its hard to keep track," Tulk shrugged while first mate just stared at them with mute terror. He knew he was on borrowed times, like the rest of them knew it. The very first first mate cursed the job after Yondu himself killed him in blind furry after he told Stakar what he was up to with Ego or that's what most like Horuz liked to believe.

"Is cargo captain's bastard child?" both Tulk and Horuz were spitting their drinks up at that one letting out loud, thundering laughs making first mate turn a deep shade of red sinking down into his seat.

"He look blue ta you?!"

"Ya know cap'n don't fuck anything that ain't mechanical! Like hell he would end up with a bastard Terran brat!"

"Why ya asking such stupid questions boy?" Horuz gasped out trying to catch his breath taking another shot.

"Well, cap'n ain't ever cared about cargo this much before and he said this one weren't for Ego and his momma hired him and wants him to personally take care of cargo like his own or somethin'."

Tulk gave a look at towards Horuz at this news knowing this was bull shit the captain was spreading. Horuz nodded to his friend who rolled his eyes and broke his own rule began drinking from the bottle itself.

If Yondu didn't want them knowing about Ego, he must be keeping how much money that boy was really worth to himself too. No matter how much that was, they would keep their mouths shut keeping their captain's secret.

Tulk and Horuz were the biggest assholes on this ship but don't let anyone tell you they weren't loyal. They would keep this to themselves and make sure first mate did too before he was axed in a month or two anyway.