What a nice guy to walk up to us and offer us a job like that! -Diary of
Baka Ma'lik
By the time they got back to the Gungan Vornskr, they'd all forgotten about the peculiar man at the restaurant. Now he was waiting outside their ship with a cargo speeder. Clipper was noisily yowling at him from the window in the raised boarding ramp. Jess Jess went over to talk to the man while the others got on to start pre-flight procedures.
"I see you have quite a bit of cargo to ship to this colony. How are you going to pay for it?" Jess Jess knew she didn't want to be taken advantage of. Many humans had a strong bias against aliens and thought they were too inferior to pay for a job well done. That kind of thinking often bothered any sentient nonhuman trying to make a living. Twi'leks and Wookies had had it worst off during the Empire. It wasn't too good for any nonhuman, but that got much better when the New Republic took over. There were still individuals that had a positively Imperial outlook, but more aliens were in more powerful positions and the galaxy was better off for that.
What-ever-his-name-was seemed confused by the question. "I already told you. My friend will pay you well if the cargo is not tampered with when it gets there. Just tell him that Amak Borrit sent you."
"Okeeday," Jess Jess agreed uncertainly. Amak handed her a piece of flimsy with coordinates written on it. By rough calculations, Jess Jess concluded that the system the colony was at wasn't far enough away from Coruscant to be in the Outer Rim or close enough to the Core Worlds to be an Imperial colony. That was good. Obviously, it wasn't Imperial anyway or they would have hired an all-human crew. It was just a good idea to check to make sure in case they were trying to trick her.
"That will get you there. I already transferred the two thousand credits into your account. I trust you can get the cargo on safely?"
"No problem." Clipper suddenly bounded down the boarding ramp, his leash trailing behind him, and Dantien not more than three meters after. Clipper ran straight toward Jess Jess and let her pick up his leash. "Clipper a bit eager to go on a walk, Dan?" He nodded, exasperated. Then Clipper noticed Amak and started growling.
Barely heard over the racket, Amak said, "I suppose I will be leaving now. Good day and good luck." He helped the rest of the crew get the cargo off his cargo speeder and then left for who knew what awaited him.
"Guess we should get going soon," Jess Jess commented to Dantien.
"Jess," he said, sounding a little concerned, "I wonder why he added 'good luck.' We really shouldn't need it if he told us everything we need to know."
"Let's hope it's just a habit of his and not supposed to mean anything." He nodded and the trio headed up the ramp. "Dan, when we arrive in system, I want you at the gunner's station and Baka in the quad laser torrent. Will you tell him for..." She suddenly remembered the tenseness between them. "Never mind. I'll tell him." The only problem was this: She didn't know where he was and they should probably lift off soon. Dantien left for the gunner's station. Prat was probably finishing tying down the new cargo. Baka and Elibex would usually be in their rooms during the day shift, but Baka's room may still not be dry even though it would have had plenty of time had they been grounded with the vents open the whole time. Janua should have been in the cockpit by then.
Jess Jess arrived at the guys' cabin and hit the newly installed annunciater. Baka opened the door and invited her to come in, proving he had more manners than he regularly demonstrated. Once the door shut, she took a look around the room. Most of the furniture had been replaced in their original places and bolted to the floor again. It looked terrible against the hot pink.
"Baka, this room looks dreadful!" she exclaimed. She hadn't even meant to say it; it was just what popped into her head the moment she stepped into the room. He sighed and gave her a very hurt look, the kind Clipper would give her if she refused to share her dinner. "Sorry. I want to tell you that this trip shouldn't take very long. When we come out of hyperspace, I want you in the quad laser torrent. Dan's in the gunner's station, but I need you in the more mobile unit." She then turned and headed to the cockpit, thankful to be out of the clashing colors.
Baka Ma'lik
By the time they got back to the Gungan Vornskr, they'd all forgotten about the peculiar man at the restaurant. Now he was waiting outside their ship with a cargo speeder. Clipper was noisily yowling at him from the window in the raised boarding ramp. Jess Jess went over to talk to the man while the others got on to start pre-flight procedures.
"I see you have quite a bit of cargo to ship to this colony. How are you going to pay for it?" Jess Jess knew she didn't want to be taken advantage of. Many humans had a strong bias against aliens and thought they were too inferior to pay for a job well done. That kind of thinking often bothered any sentient nonhuman trying to make a living. Twi'leks and Wookies had had it worst off during the Empire. It wasn't too good for any nonhuman, but that got much better when the New Republic took over. There were still individuals that had a positively Imperial outlook, but more aliens were in more powerful positions and the galaxy was better off for that.
What-ever-his-name-was seemed confused by the question. "I already told you. My friend will pay you well if the cargo is not tampered with when it gets there. Just tell him that Amak Borrit sent you."
"Okeeday," Jess Jess agreed uncertainly. Amak handed her a piece of flimsy with coordinates written on it. By rough calculations, Jess Jess concluded that the system the colony was at wasn't far enough away from Coruscant to be in the Outer Rim or close enough to the Core Worlds to be an Imperial colony. That was good. Obviously, it wasn't Imperial anyway or they would have hired an all-human crew. It was just a good idea to check to make sure in case they were trying to trick her.
"That will get you there. I already transferred the two thousand credits into your account. I trust you can get the cargo on safely?"
"No problem." Clipper suddenly bounded down the boarding ramp, his leash trailing behind him, and Dantien not more than three meters after. Clipper ran straight toward Jess Jess and let her pick up his leash. "Clipper a bit eager to go on a walk, Dan?" He nodded, exasperated. Then Clipper noticed Amak and started growling.
Barely heard over the racket, Amak said, "I suppose I will be leaving now. Good day and good luck." He helped the rest of the crew get the cargo off his cargo speeder and then left for who knew what awaited him.
"Guess we should get going soon," Jess Jess commented to Dantien.
"Jess," he said, sounding a little concerned, "I wonder why he added 'good luck.' We really shouldn't need it if he told us everything we need to know."
"Let's hope it's just a habit of his and not supposed to mean anything." He nodded and the trio headed up the ramp. "Dan, when we arrive in system, I want you at the gunner's station and Baka in the quad laser torrent. Will you tell him for..." She suddenly remembered the tenseness between them. "Never mind. I'll tell him." The only problem was this: She didn't know where he was and they should probably lift off soon. Dantien left for the gunner's station. Prat was probably finishing tying down the new cargo. Baka and Elibex would usually be in their rooms during the day shift, but Baka's room may still not be dry even though it would have had plenty of time had they been grounded with the vents open the whole time. Janua should have been in the cockpit by then.
Jess Jess arrived at the guys' cabin and hit the newly installed annunciater. Baka opened the door and invited her to come in, proving he had more manners than he regularly demonstrated. Once the door shut, she took a look around the room. Most of the furniture had been replaced in their original places and bolted to the floor again. It looked terrible against the hot pink.
"Baka, this room looks dreadful!" she exclaimed. She hadn't even meant to say it; it was just what popped into her head the moment she stepped into the room. He sighed and gave her a very hurt look, the kind Clipper would give her if she refused to share her dinner. "Sorry. I want to tell you that this trip shouldn't take very long. When we come out of hyperspace, I want you in the quad laser torrent. Dan's in the gunner's station, but I need you in the more mobile unit." She then turned and headed to the cockpit, thankful to be out of the clashing colors.