Re: "Tales from the Mother Lode": Devi (Hybrid Human/Wolf), Ace Inamura (Human), Villia Amalur (chameleon-type), Dale Voit (Human)
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Dale nodded to the pair, his pale face, dark eyes, a hint of wrinkles, an old man in the body of a kid.?
?
He studied both with a discerning gaze. These were brawlers, a
kinship from the past now rejoined, trusted. That was a good sign and it
put him at ease. A happy boat was a safe boat.
?
When they moved to his table he felt relieved.? He was in, it was
how it went for spacers. You didn¡¯t ask many questions or prod for
experience when you¡¯d been in the black. You could see it in the eyes
and in the body movements. Fit as fiddles both of them. He¡¯d erred on
the first take, she was no FemCat, better than that. She could haul-ass
that was a biological fact!
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He was just a beast. Both looked like bullets would bounce off them
like rain drops or better yet take a uturn in mid-flight and hurry back
home. The thought made him chuckle and they both looked at each other
with questioning faces.
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¡°These G¡¯s are killing me,¡± he said sardonically. He finished his drink in a gulp and leaned forward.?
¡°Dale,¡± he said. He gave them the chest bump with his fist. He felt
silly doing so. Seemed that only happened when you were trying to get
on a new gig.?
?
He laid his com down where they could both see it. It displayed his
current qualifiers based on the Lanier testing system. It didn¡¯t show
them anything about his character or his flight experience or anything
else along those lines. That was something he would have to prove. A
trust you can¡¯t buy or justify until the day you do your job and save
people¡¯s butts.?
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He lifted his glass. Made a show of how his hand slightly trembled. ¡°I was born in space. G¡¯s are a bitch.¡±
------ ? ?Devi looked to Dale as he introduced himself and
put his fist to his chest. She gave him a nod and a grin. "G's are not
easy for you spacer's. I know a few spacer's who have never stepped foot
planetside. I don't think they would survive if they did."? ? ?She
sat a little closer and looked at the two men. "I have had it with the
Alliance sticking its nose in where it does not belong. Also tired of
working for others. I know you are tired of it as well Ace." She paused
for a moment. "If it is a Valkyrie and it is the prototype. Then it will
have the heavier hull, the weapons system even if it doesn't have the
weapons themselves. It also has the extra docking bay. So it has three
docking locks instead of the two. If we pull our resources we can
finally work for ourselves. Choose our own jobs." She sat back and looked at
the two. "We just need a grease monkey. I know that between the two of
you, you all could handle it but I would rather one of you pilot and the
other run the tech. I can run the weapons, so that leaves our mechanic.
(pause) Either of you two know one?"
(New Ace)
"A genuine article Valkyrie¡you're serious?" Ace raised an eyebrow.? "I heard about the prototype.? They used that one to work out all the kinks before the production version was sent to the shipworks.? It's supposed to have some¡quirks, let's just say¡that the production models lack.?
"You'll need an engineer, alright, and a good one at that.? I've cross-trained to do tech-work back in the day, but I'd probably make a better pilot, and as far as finding you that engineer, let's just say I've been out of circulation for maybe too long to help with that.? How about we take a look at this beater you say is a Valkyrie first, and get an idea of what kind of engineer we'll need?"
(tag)
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