Star Forge - Chapter 16

NOTE:
A little shorter than usual. Next one will be longer. I think. Probably.

* *
Getting my armor back on was a lot easier with an extra set of hands. I returned the favor and helped Bo get armored up as well. My helmet was back on, now with a private channel connected to Bo. It wasn't a constant broadcast, so I still had privacy. No one cared once we went back to the others. Either we weren't as loud as I had thought, or we were far from the first to celebrate being alive. Getting freaky was a common response to surviving crazy like that.

My comms chirped a few minutes later.

"Go ahead," I said.

"Kiskin," Adyan's voice came out a bit strained.

"Alright there, Adyan?" I asked.

"Anakin," she said in reply.

I chucked.

"Are you on your way?" I asked.

"We're in sub-light now," she answered. "We'll be there in about an hour or so. Which station should we dock at?"

"I'm on a ship right now," I said. "I'll get back to you once I know."

"Give me something to tell the kid," she sighed.

"We're going to have a visitor on the ship," I replied. "Another Mandalorian."

"That's something," Adyan replied. "I'll be waiting for an update."

"Anything else?" I asked once she didn't cut the connection.

"He programmed D-0G to make animal noises," Adyan groaned. "Shmi put her foot down so he wouldn't make it talk. We have enough droids talking already."

"He's a great kid," I said with a broad smile.

"Zepplin out," Adyan said cutting the connection.

I muted my helmet to laugh as the conversation ended. Back to the business at hand. I found the captain easily enough. The yacht was bigger than the Zepplin, but it wasn't nearly as large as a capital ship. A Zabrak woman with dark bags under their eyes looked up as I entered. They would have passed for a human without them. That probably meant they were an Iridonian rather than Dathomir.

"You're the Mando we picked up?" They asked.

"Yes," I nodded. "My ship is on the way. Which of the stations are we going to dock?"

"We aren't," the Zabrak replied. "They're packed to capacity. We've commandeered a veritable fleet of private ships to ease the load."

"What's this ship called?" I asked.

"Dev's Light," the Zabrak answered. "Your name and the ship?"

"Kiskin, the ship is Zepplin," I replied. "They dropped me off at the station and left the system. No danger of contamination."

The Zabrak nodded. They were pulled away by another issue and I took that as a dismissal. Bo was waiting outside the room when I stepped out.

"I forgot to ask," I said as we fell into step together. "Do you have a ship, and will it fit in a cargo bay?"

"Now you ask about my ship," Bo chuckled. "I'll have my crew take it."

"I probably should have asked that before I invited you," I nodded.

"How long until your ship gets here?" She asked.

"An hour," I replied.

"Enough time for a round two?" Bo asked with a purr in her voice.

"Not with the armor off," I chuckled.

"Shame," she sighed.

~

Bo split off to handle her business leaving me to wander. The yacht didn't have much extra room to explore. It felt smaller with how many people were on the ship. I had always thought Krogan were awesome, but I never realized how big they were. There wasn't a single one that was shorter than six-foot tall and easily filled a doorway. It was funny to see them have to turn side-ways to get through the smaller ones, but it didn't mean they took up any less room.

I found the med-bay easily enough. For such a nice yacht the room wasn't all that impressive. There was a medic bot tending to Queen and Rain the latter was still unconscious. I could only guess that it was a medicated version rather than natural. Queen had a groggy look in her eyes of someone that had been drugged. She looked at me without actually seeing me.

"Are they doing alright?" I asked the droid.

"Yes," the droid replied. "The leg was set correctly and is healing nicely. All she needs is time and rest."

"What about her?" I motioned to Queen.

"She needed to be medicated," the droid answered. "She was suffering from delusions and would not allow herself the rest she required."

"What did she say?" I asked.

"She seemed to think we were in some sort of manor," the droid replied.

I nodded without saying anything more. Anything I said would probably do more harm than good. The best thing I could do was to get out of here before she woke up.

"Thank you," I said before leaving.

The rest of the ship wasn't nearly as a busy as the dining area and the med-bay. There were still more people than comfortable, but it wasn't nearly as bad. I noticed that the many of the people wore a helmet of some sort.

"Hey," I waved a Quarian woman down.

"Yes?" They asked with a little edge in their voice.

"Why are so many people wearing helmets?" I asked.

Their visor blocked the majority of their expression, but I could feel the look they gave me.

"The ship is over capacity," she answered. "We are easing the drain of resources."

Her voice sounded incredibly familiar.

"I'm Kiskin Aurelian," I placed a hand on my chest and bowed slightly. "And you?"

"Tali'Zorah nar Rayya," she replied curtly.

Thankfully, my helmet hid the shock on my face. I had played the first Mass Effect game so many times that I had a level sixty in each class. The second game hooked me so much that my girlfriend actually broke up with me. It was totally worth it. I never romanced Tali, sticking with Jack, Miranda, or Liara depending on character. Tali always felt like a little sister. It still annoyed me that FemShep couldn't romance Jack, though Garrus was husbando.

"Vas?" I asked.

"Oh," she shuffled a little at the question. "I just started my Pilgrimage."

It was hard to gauge her age in the suit, but she did sound a bit young. I wondered how her journey had turned out without Saren being Indoctrinated by the Reapers and the Geth simply not existing. It would be a complete shame to let this opportunity pass.

"Would you be interested in training a mechanic?" I asked. "The one I have now is a genius, but he'd do well with someone to teach him more."

"What?" She jolted.

"It'll be a tight fit," I muttered. "The crew rooms are full. Bo said she wanted to bunk with me. If she was joking then I could convert the brig. There are two of them."

"You want me to sleep in the brig?" Tali snapped.

"It's in the cargo bay," I replied. "It would be easier to use the cargo bay. I doubt the cot in brig would be comfortable."

"I didn't say I would join you," Tali said.

"Do you have any other plans?" I asked.

She paused for a long moment.

"No," she said finally.

"Take a look at my ship when it gets here," I replied. "You can see if it interests you."

"Ok," she said slowly.

She hurried away without another word. I hoped I hadn't scared her off but seeing her in person was too much for my poor brain. Did that mean that the rest of the crew were out there? Honestly, aside from Wrex and Grunt, I didn't care much to find out.

[Tali is Best Girl]
+100 FP
[Person of Interest]
+100
[Roll – Bank – Shop]

ROLL.

[COST: 100 FP]
[FORM: Beast]
[For [Free], you are a relatively normal beast, such as a tumbling ram or spirit jellyfish, though one no larger than an average horse. By paying [100], you are something greater or equal to the Beast Regent Serosh, the Red Wolf of Radagon, or even a Rune Bear.]
[Purchase – Dismiss – Bookmark]

DISMISS.

I knew those words, but not in that order. Regardless, I'd rather not turn into a monster. Things weren't as chaotic now and I had some points to spend.

ROLL.

[COST: 200 FP]
[ITEM: Fine Asgardian Leather]
[You have your own set of Asgardian Armor, defaulting into a green tunic overlaid with golden metal, as well as a green cape and horned helmet. It can be summoned onto your person at will, regardless of what you were wearing before, and is quite protective.]

Tempting, but no.

DISMISS. ROLL.

[COST: 100 FP]
[ITEM: Deathclaw Egg]
[Currently unhatched and will eventually grow into a Deathclaw. A creature so large and monstrous as to become a legend. Extremely fast and agile with 12-inch-long razor-sharp claws that go through power armor much as they go through everything else. Thinks you’re it’s mama so will follow your directions as best it can.]

A pet Deathclaw? It would make the ship a bit crowded.

PURCHASE.

I suddenly knew that there was an egg comfortably tucked away in my quarters on the ship. The Zepplin couldn't get here soon enough. My baby needed its momma.

[BALANCE: 1200 Forge Points]

If things kept going like this I was going to need a bigger ship. It was a shame that the Droid Control one came with minimal space for living crew. The entire thing could be run by seven people and even then their sleeping quarters were glorified bunkbeds. Things would only get worse once I woke the commandos from their cryo-sleep. I kept forgetting the commandos and needed to come up with a plan for them. Well, getting my arm cut off and fighting giant bugs did take precedence.

Yeah, I would need a new ship.

SHOP.

[Tracking Skill Set – 200 Points]
[Master Chef Skill Set – 100 Points]
[Academic Skill Set – 100 Points]
[Re-Roll Shop: 100 Points]

DISMISS.

I guess it was too much to ask for the Shop to have a ship for sell. It seemed to only carry skills, which could be a good thing if I wanted to re-roll until I found something good.

"What's up, Red?" Bo asked.

"I need a new ship," I replied.

"What happened?" Bo asked.

"It's going to be crowded," I said. "Until then, I'm going to convert the cargo bay until then." I turned to face her. "Any idea where I can get one that would comfortably fit fifty?"

"Fifty?" Bo chuckled.

"In case the crew keeps growing," I shrugged.

"A corvette class would work," she replied. "There are some good ones Corellian ones. Make sure you have a few million credits to spend."

"Wonderful," I muttered.

"Tell me about this slaver thing?" Bo asked.

"I promised I'd take care of the slavers on Tatooine," I shrugged. "Hitting small operations, or solo owners, isn't going to do it. The only thing I can think to do is to hit each Hutt and take them out one at a time. Not like that would work."

"Why not?" Bo asked.

"Killing one would bring the others on me," I replied.

"Maybe once or twice," Bo shrugged. "They're a cowardly bunch. They are also cutthroat and more than happy to get someone to kill each other for a few credits. You could probably get paid to take a couple of them out."

"Maybe," I muttered. "I don't plan on stopping with slavers."

"Oh?" Bo said with a smile in her voice. "Do tell."

"I'm going to take over the planet," I replied easily.

Bo laughed, waiting for the punchline.

"You're serious?" She asked between laughs.

"Deadly," I said ignoring the laughter.

"Become Mandalore, rule Tatooine, or is it the other way around?" She chuckled.

"Bit of one, some of the other," I shrugged.

"Well," Bo took a moment to get control of her breathing. "You should get enough to buy a new ship somewhere along the way." She tapped the edge of her helmet in thought. "One or two Hutts should do it. Especially if you can get paid for them."

"I'll keep that in mind," I grumbled. "Do you still want to tag along?"

"Are you kidding me?" She crossed her arms. "This sounds like fun."