Weapons and armour had been purchased and they'd all be on their way to the docking tower within the next hour or two, which means that the brown-haired pilot had to conclude his business here and start making his way back to his ship. There was still the matter of the mercenary on the far side of the tavern though that was giving the Captain cause for concern. He didn't look himself, only managing to catch a glimpse in the black eyes of the alien bartender whenever he walked past to serve more customers. Sky glanced over though and confirmed the pilot's thoughts; there was someone there and they seemed rather interested in the Captain of the Valkyrie. Thankfully, according to Sky's description, whoever sent this guy, picked the wrong man for the job. On second thought, what was to say there was not a toxin or poison in the air right now? The most likely answer to that would be because the mercenary wasn't paid to murder a tavern full of innocents or perhaps that wasn't how this guy worked. Either way, the scruffy pilot had to act first.
[color=007236]"Well so long as the Royale has hard points tha' can retract into the hull, the size shouldn't really effect the efficiency of yer cloakin' device. Yer gotta take care though tha' weapons are heavy an' their mass will reduce the range of how far yer ship can jump an' effect it's overall agility. So, if yer not one for gettin' into a good ol' fashioned dogfight with another craft, better to strength ya shields and ditch weapons for a more maneuverable ship. Just be aware tha' shields can leave a detectable trace if they're high powered on a small craft. Get a shield generator tha's of appropriate size. No point 'avin' a shield built for a battleship on a frigate. It'd drain system power instantly an' leave ya open for a good 'ard thrashin'."[/color]

As Ruce spoke, the pilot disconnected his holo communicator from his datapad and tucked both devices back where they belonged. He tapped his right hand fingers on the bartop a couple of times as he watched a waitress of the tavern make her way behind him, carrying a metal serving tray with her. It was empty and it looked like she was returning to the bar to pick up more drinks for the patrons. It seemed that the chubby mercenary on the far side of the tavern was thinking the same thing, for as soon as the waitress was clear, Ruce sprang to his feet, his right hand gripping the handle of his long bladed dagger and pulling it from it's holster, where as his left hand zipped up and snatched the serving try from the waitress. By the time Ruce span about to face the mercenary, he was already on his feet with a surgical injector in hand, modified to shoot poison needles at range. The weapon was silent as it fired a dart towards the pilot, who used the serving tray to deflect the dart down into the ground, hearing a wooden 'thunk' it as jammed into the floor. Using the momentum of his rise and spin to his advantage, Ruce brought his right arm up and let his dagger fly, watching as it flipped through towards the mercenary, homing in on him like a missile locked onto a ship. There was a sharp cry from the chubby alien as the dagger sunk deep into the creature's left shoulder, pinning him back against the seat he had rose from. He managed to get another shot off though, his right hand holding the injector. Like before, Ruce counter this dart with the serving tray, deflecting it down into the ground before he tossed the tray like a frisbee, a loud metallic 'clank' echoing the tavern as the tray smacked against the mercenary's forehead, putting him out for the count.

It was over in seconds, but Ruce placed his hands onto his knees and buckled over slightly as if he had just run a marathon. That was one of the longest experienced he had ever... well, experienced. As the shocked partons scuttled away from the scene, Ruce took a few deep breaths before pushing himself back upright. He walked over to the unconcious mercenary and retrieved his dagger, wiping the dark green blood off on the alien's attire.
[color=007236]"Well now, tha' was excitin'."[/color]
Sliding the dagger into his holster, the Captain rummaged through the alien's belongings and pulled out a credit chit from one pocket and a datapad from the another. Tucking the datapad into his cargo pants pocket, he walked back to the bar and glanced down at whatever concoction was within the darts, seeing it eating it's way slowly through the floorboards. As he approached the bar, Benner tossed the credit chit onto the counter and bowed his head a fraction to the barkeep.
[color=007236]"Sorry about tha'... Thanks for the drink though."[/color]
Turning away, Ruce grabbed his jacket from the stool he was sitting on and made his way down the flight of stairs to the lower floor where the exit was.
[color=007236]"C'mon Sky, we ought get outta 'ere. If there's one, then there's gonna be more somewhere."[/color]
Pushing his way back outside into the sunset that was now covering Moni Vortau, Ruce looked either way down the street and frowned as life out here seemed to be going on as normal. Turning away from the tavern, the pilot slowly started to make his way back towards the Valkyrie, slow enough that Sky would spot him and be able to catch up should he leave the tavern also.