A kick found Tanya’s boot, a not entirely unexpected reaction. She pushed people’s buttons intentionally, and sometimes people pushed back. She shoved the protective cover that had come loose off to the side. Before she could free herself from the undercarriage of the hauler, the woman shouted for people to take cover and an explosion rocked the hold, the concussion rocking Tanya’s body and making her wince as her ears screamed in protest at the sudden sound in confined spaces. Once the threat had passed, Tanya pulled herself out and stood upright, crossing her arms as she looked between the brown-eyed woman with the burns and the scraps that now littered the floor. “I’m beginning to see how you got those.” Tanya said, indelicately gesturing to the woman’s burn marks. “I’m not sure if we were measuring dick sizes or something, but don’t fret; performance anxiety happens to the best of us. Hey, Shithead!” She called out to the drone. “Volume down 25%.” Despite her snarky tone, Tanya had a good natured grin on her face. The music resumed, but at a much more tolerable level. This clearly could change at any moment.
A genuine laugh, sounding like it was coming from a modulator, caught Tanya’s attention and she took note of the quarian who had watched the whole affair, likely in amusement at the humans who were managing to fuck up technology her people had mastered centuries ago. “If it makes you feel better, I think you might have a fan.” She said to the brown-eyed woman, giving the quarian a wave. “Just tell her it was a part of your new comedy routine. Just don’t let her tell you to up your game next time. Anyways, you wanted me for something?” Tanya asked innocently, taking note of the scarred asari who was still in the hanger when the drone went off like a firework, demanding to know who it was. Tanya jerked her thumb at Serena’s direction.
The distinctive tones of the drell filled the intercom, inquiring about why the targeting system was almost as old as a good portion of the crew. Tanya snorted, bemused. “You know, this Jalopy’s barely holding together to the extent I’m surprised your drone malfunction didn’t break something else, and he’s wondering why the ancient targeting system isn’t the exception for this flying antique. This ship shouldn’t even have a gun.” Almost immediately, the female turian angrily exploded on the intercom. Tanya gestured to Serena to follow her to the closest intercom panel, hitting the button. “Oh, don’t mind us, we’re just renovating. We thought the hull needed a new window and couldn’t wait until we hit dry dock. Don’t you worry your pretty little fringes, nobody’s dead yet.” She said, removing her finger from the transmission, winking at the two women who were with her.
___
Ravanor Tonka stared at a relay chart and compared it to the fuel reserve gauge, drumming his massive fingers on the console as he ran some quick calculations through his mind. There was enough fuel for one, maybe two, mass relay jumps and unless there was a reserve of credits hidden somewhere on the ship, the only way anyone was paying for more fuel was out of pocket, or if they completed whatever contracts had already been outlined. Seeing as nothing of interest was located in the Shrike Abyssal except for Heshtok, which was a shithole by any measure, anything within a single relay of any use would be Omega, just a single jump away, was still pushing the range. If they didn’t do any detours, they’d be able to arrive on fumes. At least it wasn’t hard finding paid work on Omega, if you were morally flexible, and there was likely quite a few scrap yards that had parts to do some much needed repairs on the Borealis. As far as Tonka was concerned, it was a no brainer. He copied the data onto a pad and left engineering, heading towards the cockpit, noticing that the kitchen was becoming a popular drinking spot. He’d come back, but duty came first.
When the krogan reached the cockpit, he easily filled the door frame, even without the armour. He looked at the largely-turian crew and handed off the data pad to the one at the navigation station. “Ran some numbers, Omega’s the only viable location for us to jump to if we actually want to get paid and overhaul the ship. Luzami didn’t fill the tank before he died.” He grunted. “Probably would have forgot to pay us, the way the ship looks.” Duty done, Tonka turned off and headed towards the kitchen to see if the stores were in as a sorry state of affairs as the fuel. Lurking around were the quarian, an asari, and one of the human males, this one lacking a cybernetic arm. He found his way to the freezer, opening it to find something worth his while. “So, anything worthwhile here, or do we have to order takeout?” he asked.
Nyxella,
TokyoPewPew,
Tlaloc
