Brotherhood Bar-Talks

[Laowai]

"Bring me something expensive!" he called out to the barman. Sitting himself down in the darkened corner he underwent his usual ritual of dropping his holster belt onto the table. This time though, he didn't seem to be scowling.

The barman approached the table and handed him a clear bottle. "What is it?" Ben Laowai asked, "I don't know" said the barman, "I can't read the label, no one here knows what language it's in but we get it in from some traders every few months" he paused as Ben looked the bottle over. "I do know, ....it's expensive".
"Ha!" Laowai chuckled, " No matter, I'll drink it!" he unscrewed the lid, and took a deep swig from the bottle.

His face screwed up... he looked at the bottle again, "expensive eh? well, it tastes like Hessian engine cleaner, but it's strong, haha! excellent!" He tipped the bottle again, drinking down another swig and then plonked it on the table.
"You're looking particularly pleased" the barman said.. "why? whats the occasion"

Laowai unclasped his data recorder from it's pouch and activated it. When its screen had illuminated he handed it to the barman, "that's the occasion" he smiled.

The barman took the recorder and looked on it's screen, "That's a Praefect Cruiser" he said, "whats so special about it?"

"that's no ordinary Praefect cruiser" Ben said, "That, is the Xibanya Nuren, and you my good man, are looking at her captain!" He picked up the bottle again and took another deep swig, screwing his face up once more he wiped his mouth and waited for the barman's response.

"You? the captain of a Praefect?" The barman shook his head, "how on earth did you afford that, you can't even pay your bar tab!"

Ben shook his finger at him and said "true, but i'll be paying you what i owe tomorrow, the Nuren..." he took the data recorder and looked at it, looking all the part of a proud father... "she was less a case of affording and more finishing"

"what do you mean" asked the barman " i know you've had some pet project you've always been coy about.. are you saying that..."

"yes" Ben interrupted, "the Xibanya Nuren was the... pet project you speak of. But not just mine, she was also my fathers"

Putting the data pad on the table he took another mouthful of the strange alchohol. Indeed the Cruiser was older than he was. His father had bought the initial frames and superstructure before he was born. He along with several of his friends had intended to finance, and build the vessel to crew together. For years they had given of thier free time, welding, fitting, scrounging new parts.
But then, his father had been killed in the raid in Malta, and since then his friends had either been been posted to far away Corsair outposts, or been killed or died. After his father's funeral however, one of his father's friends had taken him in a shuttle out to Tripoli shipyard.
He took the young Ben Laowai to a storage hanger and inside, were the skeletal, half constructed remains of a Praefect Cruiser. "This is your's" his father's friend had told him. "Your father wanted you to finish building it"

For many years, the vessel had been in parts, in storage, until an adult Ben had slowly but steadily scraped together the money, the parts and the expertise to build it. It had taken him more than 12 years.

"She launched today" he smiled proudly, "her pre-flight checks were all fine and her trial flights went off without a hitch."

The barman looked impressed. "Well .. you just never know", he looked down at the picture of the vessel again. "still... avionics, weapons, system components.. these are all pretty expensive, and you can pay your bar tab. how can you affo..."

Ben's smile lowered somewhat and he shook his head.." I had some money owed from my idiot brother in law.. i called it in"

"aahhhh the brother in law"... the barman smiled. He knew who Laowai's brother in law was, and in fact, he had been in the bar not more than a few hours before Laowai himself had walked in. He also knew, that the brother in law was a sensitive topic, best left alone.

"so combat trials?" he asked. Laowai smiled again, "already done" he said, leaning back against the bench with an air of satisfaction, "and two wings of bounty hunter fighters will not be bothering us anymore".

He took the data recorder and stowed it back in it's pouch. "the only thing is the crew" he said, "mostly local lads from my neighborhood, none of them with the connections, or money, to get themselves a ship and so most of them are... green"....

The barman nodded and said "well, they all have to start somewhere... " pausing he then went on "Whats the ship's name about?"

Ben nodded... "hmmm, yes, my father named her. It was something he used to call my mother"

The barman cocked an eyebrow, "it's kusari right" and Ben nodded, "it's not standard Kusari, it's from my mother's dialect, Xibanya Nuren translated means "Spanish Lady"

"but your mother was Kusari?" the barman said

Ben smiled, "yes she was, though, i was told, that my father believed she had the same beauty, and the same temper, as any Corsair woman, i think it was his private joke, he would call her his Spanish lady... but in her tongue.." Ben stared ahead, seemingly at nothing, remembering his parents.. long gone....

"haha, well well" the barman said, "I would have never pegged you as a romantic"..

Laowai sat up, "pffft" he snorted, "romantic my brettonian wolf hounds balls, you know enough Corsair woman pilots who come in here to know how they fight!"

Laughing, the barman turned and went back to the bar. Ben sat back again, taking another swig of the unidentifiable liquor. With all the troubles right now, he thought to himself, she is going to need to fight.

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