“Hiya!” was the bright, bubbly greeting immediately received upon boarding the ramp of the sleek and bright golden vessel heralded the Water Kitten, pink, blue, and white axolotls and fish swimming playfully around the looping script of the name on its hull.
The lowering of the ramp had been accompanied by a sudden warm shift in air temperature and also the scent of something summery, beachy, and citrus in a faux but refreshing way. Fairy lights were strung up around the ceiling of the interior chamber, everything was clean if untidy in a breezy fashion based on the decorations, and the pilot there to greet him was wearing a bright pink flight suit with white and pink striped boots and the top unzipped to show a different pink garment underneath, lots of rings and necklaces accessorizing her yellow and white speckled skin. Short headtails bounced around her head and pale green eyes shone back at him over a sugary, friendly smile with sharp tiny points to every bright white tooth.
The tiny Nautolan woman popped one hand on her hip and waved the other one in a near – but not total – galactically universal hello.
“Welcome aboard! I’m your Xuber pilot for the day! You can call me Minnow!”
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The entire display was a sight to be held. While the decor was not of his taste, the artistry decision was one to be admired, his eyes lingering on the near mural painted on the ship’s hull. He had given a shoulder clap and bid good day to the hotel valet who had conversed with him on the politics of the planet they resided on, how things repeat and become alike time and time again but not without hope. Grabbing his suitcase, he moved to board the Xuber shuttle.
The Chagrian gentleman stooped to clear his ivory horns under the entryway into the Water Kitten. Removing his hat with its perfectly tailored groves to fit between his horns, the man pressed it to his chest for a moment, his gaze pausing on the suntouched nautolan greeting him. He smiled then, and nodded to the pilot.
“Ah, thank you, a pleasure to meet you, Minnow. I am Das Urchaeron. I must say the atmosphere styled here is a welcome change.”
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Her already brilliant and bubbly smile achieved new megawatts. Her dimples had dimples, something seen once before. She bounced on her feet as she turned and extended her hand for the bag, her other gesturing naturally along with her speech as she touched fingers to chin then out.
“Aww, thanks! Owhmigosh, so happy you like it! I try, yanno? Nice to meet you, Mister Urchareon! Or do you prefer Das or another title? Want me to take your bag for you? Come on in! I had plenty of amenities for the ride, and we can do quiet car or chat or listen to music, whatever you want!”
Wisen eyes with creases of blue-grey crows feet seemed to linger on those dimple for a moment, a brief pause as he seemed to process her several questions of accommodations. “Das is perfectly fine, and please if you would, thank you,” the Chagrian gentleman replied, lifting his suitcase as evidence of which inquiry of hers he was answering, passing it over to the young woman.
He examined the interior of the water kitty, locating easily a place he could sit in a moment. Turning back towards Minnow, he offered an open smile, “I am a fan of a good conversation as much as I am of music. I believe our slotted trip may take a bit of time, so perhaps we may have chance to engage in both.”
“You got it, Mister Das!” Minnow cheered with a little salute, as autocorrect tried to say Mister Dad. She grabbed his suitcase and hefted it easily to a spot obviously set aside for luggage, cordoned off with netting to help keep guest items safe against one wall.
The rear cabin of the ship was cozy, amenities tucked up. Minnow waves for indicate them. “Refresher is there– you might have to duck a bit, I’m so sorry! My brother fits in though and he’s even taller than you and has horns too! Actually, you guys really match! Ohmigawd twinning! Hehe. And there’s a sleeping spot here that comes out, closet next to it, seats up here…”
She lead them deeper into the ship with a spring in her step. Seats on either side had had cushions added and were nicely spaced, clearly different from the original hull. Just past them lead into the cockpit, where there was a copilot area and two extra seats behind them, though these looked like emergency ones, little more than metal flaps that folded up to the wall, heavy duty harnesses dangling down.
“Whether you wanna chill with some music for a bit, do your own thing, whatever back here is great. But you’re also welcome to come sit up front with me if you don’t wanna shout to chat. Just don’t touch anything.”
Wagging a finger playfully, she smiled at him, dimples on dimples and sharp, tiny shark teeth.
Mister Urchaereon glanced at the various amenities as they were pointed out, following her hand as as gestured mid the language idly spun with said digits. His gaze paused on the fresher, perhaps guestimating its size and space allowance or weighing whether her assurances were well warranted. Apparently so, as he turned to follow her deeper into the ship with a nod and light smile.
“I must say it is a lively space, tastefully refurbished, yes? An upgrade for sure, Miss Minnow,” Das uttered as they came to pause between the lush seated area and the cockpit. He chuffed and flashed a small grin that twitched at the corners, “Oh I assure you I have not properly flown anything in nearly twenty years, and that was shaky at best. Exciting! But shaky. I will leave the piloting and my trust in your experienced hands. I would indeed love the conversation.”
The Chagrian settled into the proffered co-pilot seat, crossing his legs and settling his folded hands in his lap as if a pointed message of ‘not touching.’ When Minnie sat in the Water Kitten’s Captain’s chair, Das swiveled his chair slightly with a curious look. “If I may ask, would you mind walking me through your take off procedures? Sorry, I am a man prone to his intrigue and different professions fascinate me.”
“Hey, thanks!” Minnie replied brightly to the compliments, and welcomed his settling in to his seat with hands folded properly with a grin. “There are some proper manners, now, Mister Das. Sure I can.”
She began narrating what she intended to do rather than explaining it as she went along; this allowed her hands to keep signing unimpeded. The general gist was that it accounted for a lot of factors involving atmosphere conditions and quality control of the ship itself, as well as plotting a route once her passenger had named their destination. Then there was the whole ordeal of air traffick control, communications, and suchlike, but that all the pilot would take into account, if their astromech or droid brain wasn’t doing it for them, while her guest relaxed. All this she explained rather cheerily in terms a layman could follow, without dumbing anything down.
“So…yah. Make sense?”
“Fascinating,” Das uttered after a moment. He dipped his horned head in a nod before leaning back into his seat, “That explanation seems fairly succinct, and given with the air of someone who’s taught before. Ah let me not delay us farther though with more questions on the ground.”
The Chagrian gentleman gave Minnie his destination for the trip. Her fingertips ghosted over the controls with practiced ease as she inserted the coordinates. The Water Kitten shuddered slightly then stabilizing in a hover before cruising on ahead towards the main shipyard from which the Xuber ride would exit the planet from. Das remained relatively quiet, presumably to allow the pilot to focus on exiting atmosphere, replying to the bits of small talk she gave in lulls of the process. Once they were leaving orbit, he spoke up again.
“What, pray tell, inspired you to get into flying, Minnow? And into transport fare, if you mind me asking?”
“Welllll, I wasn’t a teacher formally or anything, yanno, but I got my degree in Communications – the point is to be able to be understandable, yeah?”
When they were out amidst the stars and black, leaving atmosphere behind, the Nautolan considered his follow-up questions. She gestured out at the starscape around them in the viewport.
“Tobehonest I mostly fell into flying, but I loved it. The speed and freedom of it all. My big brother taught me to drive and fly, like everything else, and he said he couldn’t get me off the bike everytime without a fight. I thought a bit about being like a pod racing star when I was a kid– and a fashion model, and a designer, and like ten other things.” She giggled. “Foxxie indulged them all. Buuut really service called me. I’m Mandalorian. Our clan keeps its oaths, and enlistment is an option when we hit legal age of majority for Selen.”
Her smile, which has been beaming, slowly slipped. A faraway look dimmed her expression to solemnity as she began their cruise to a jump point.
“Then after… some life changes…I just needed something. And this put those skills to use. Plus you meet tons of people! And you get to help a bit. Folks gotta get where they’re going, yanno? So it’s fun and interesting gig work. What about you, Mister Das? What do you do and how’d you get into it?”
Das nodded along as he listened, genuinely finding the tales of her brother nurturing her interests endearing. To have a family so caring. He took a casual interest in her mentioning being Mandalorian, only vaguely familiar with those who call themselves such and live the creed.
A somber sympathetic smile met the shift in the young Nautolan pilot’s features. It was not lost on him that she alluded to some deep event, possibly a loss whether of someone or even something within herself. The Chagrian gentleman didn’t pry, giving a more warm nod following her spin for a positive view point of the present. “It is indeed a way to support others and I can see how it allows you to continue your passion. I think many undervalue the work of transport services. So, allow me to express gratitude to you for that.”
Das paused with a hum before proceeding to answer her own inquiry. “I had a drive to help people when I was younger, to aid those in poverty and hardship. On Champala, the home planet of my kin, we value equity and share the wealth between us all. So seeing the inequity in the galaxy, drove me.”
“At some point, that calling took a different form. Some life changes,” the Chagrian man smiled solemnly and his gaze meeting hers as he used her phrasing specifically. He exhaled, then chuffed. “So, I became a banker. I know, seems an odd choice to join the forces of those devils, but I am able to provide those with support and aid as needed.”
His blue-grey thumb rubbed the rim of his hat twice before placing it snugly back on between his two horns. “Whatever it may be.”