Vaako arrives as the third person to this get-together, even as someone who was always adamant to rather arrive early than be late. A trait that is a good one for a smuggler. Most of the clients with whom we work together do not really appreciate late delivery.
“Appearance can be deceiving; I am not that old.”Vaako answers Lachlan with a smirk on his face while shaking his hand, then turns toward Mel to shake her hand too. It is nice to finally meet the other captains in person; after all, in the future, they would need to work together if they wanted to survive the dangers of the sector.
“Indeed, that is a good idea.”They are still on time; no one is late yet. And even if someone comes late, that is something that can happen to anyone. Life likes to throw unexpected trouble your way whenever it has the chance.
Vaako sits down on one of the chairs, but this is not a random decision. He chooses one of the chairs from which he can have a good look at all the entrances in this room without having to move too much. Some would say he is overly suspicious, but rather than getting ambushed and not being prepared for it.
After sitting for a few minutes and chit-chatting with them, he grabs a bottle of sake and pours it for himself into a glass. In the past, he was not a regular drinker, but just like with the cigar, it's a different story now. Everything is different since Celeste is gone. Gone. Well, it was easier to accept that she died, even if it was never verified. Missing in action. She was never found, nor was her spaceship.
Not soon after, a young man enters the room and introduces himself as Tommy Epsetti, captain of Zero Space. He looks quite a young lad and is already a captain. It is true that he is clearly not in the best shape, but the smuggler business is not an easy one after all.
“Welcome to the party, dear Tommy.”He greets him in a calm but friendly tone, just as he did earlier with the others. He just nods at his words but does not say more. He sees that Tommy is tired and has been through a hard day, so just watch as he takes a seat close to him.
It is not like he is not curious about what happened with Tommy, but he knows that there will be others who ask the necessary questions. Just as he expected, he hears the first question asked towards Tommy, but it comes from the newly met Mel, rather Lachlan, who in the meantime seems to check his terminal.
It does not take long for Tommy to start his story, but like many who were frightened, he is also in need of a bottle of liquid bravery, in this case, Liberty Ale. Vaako listens silently to the story, nodding to Tommy’s words while he twists the ring on his finger involuntarily. In the many years since he entered the Sirius Sector, he has heard many horror stories, but this one is easily one of the scariest he has ever heard.
“It is alright now; you are safe here.”Vaako tries to calm Tommy with his words, but even he feels that he is not entirely sure about that. But when we venture out into the void, we need to be prepared for anything we might find.
