Ask If a Lame Duck Could

[Teddy the Togorian]

Teddy practically bounced through the respectable levels of Coruscant. He had gotten up bright and early to surprise the Legendary Captain Hawksby with his favorite breakfast pastry, or at least what he hoped was, I mean it was Teddy's favorite. The young Togorian, gaining quite the amount of looks from passerbys as he dogded and danced through the heavy foot traffic. He had been saving his pay for not one, but -three- hauls to pay for such a gourmet meal. The young cub was fearless, protected by his deadly Mop of Justice. He paused at a light, bouncing in place. If he stopped moving, he just might die.

That's when he heard it. The music. One ear perked a bit, the tune was catchy. As the light turned green, he bounced into the rhythm "I'm gonna be a mighty hauler, so pirates beware!" this definitely garnered looks of disapproval from other citizens, it was far too early to be singing. "I'm gonna be the main event, like no first mate was before! I'm brushing up on mopping down, I'm working on my floor!"

His whole song would continue, accompanied by the dancing and the bouncing, all the way to the hangar bay. And that's when he saw it: The Majesty that was the Lame Duck. In reality, it could probably use some work, but to him, it was a warship of legendary renown. So far, so good. It seemed the Captain hadn't woken up yet. Excitement renewed, he darted up the ramp and straight to the kitchen, whisper-singing the song. Once the plates were set, the milk was poured, the young cub would free his deadly weapon from his sheath, half-mopping, half-dancing around the hold as he continued to whisper-sing.

@Livgardist

 

[Jaron Reeves]

Hawksby woke up at five in the morning. It was the same time he had woken up every day since his first day in boot camp, many many years go. As soon as he woke up, he got out of bed, and did his morning workout. 200 pushups (no breaks or pauses) with his legs elevated on his bed, followed by situps, crunches, and pull ups on a pull up bar attached to the ceiling. After this he spent twenty minutes intensely beating a boxing bag with bare knuckles. He was no longer a soldier, but as far as his own body went he still treated himself like one.

After his workout, he went into the refresher compartment to shave and take a quick shower. The water was ice cold which helped him cool down after the hard workout. Even with the ice cold shower he was still warm after stepping out of the shower and putting on his clothes; cargo pants, a henley shirt with the neck open, and combat boots. If he was any other space pilot in the galaxy, he would've followed this by strapping on a blaster.

But Hawksby was no smuggler, and never carried a weapon. Even without one, he was far from defenseless, but he rarely went anywhere in his line of work where he or his protége, Ted, was in any real actual danger. Unless a government called for him to help in a cause he believed in, his days of carrying weapons was over.

As he finally emerged out of his cabin two hours later, he heard Ted's cheerful singing from the kitchen. He had a customer on Coruscant waiting for him to contact them for a contract negotiation over the holonet, but he decided it was still too early. They had plenty of time for breakfast, coffee and some leisurely conversation.

"What are you making, kid?" He asked with a friendly smile as he stepped in.

@Rhogar

 

[Teddy the Togorian]

Those Togorian ears perked as boots moved to the door and he timed his jump and spin to match with the opening. Arms splayed in presentation, to fresh made (or they were) crescent rolls stuffed with bacon bits and a few cream filled donuts. The where a hopeful look of victory on Teddy's face. "Ta-daaa!" And at the crescendo of the 'aaa' one hand would shoot up in sync with the bagel as they popped free from the lime green toaster and the other would bounce with the chiming of the caf machine.

Teddy was born to be a hauler showman, whatever that was. He had not only saved for this moment for three deliveries, but he had also practiced the delivery.

Reading? Couldn't do that. Writing? Nope. But he could point. And he could dance, what more did he need?

 

[Jonathan Hawksby]

A bright smile appeared on Hawksby's face at the sight of the breakfast his little friend had prepared. He sat himself down opposite Ted on the table, and immediately started stuffing his face. A lesson he had learned many lifetimes ago in the military was, eat when you can - you never know what might happen. Never know when your access to food might suddenly disappear. The coffee, strong and black like he preferred it, disappated the clouds of sleepiness in his head.

Hawksby had spent many years working with, taking care of, protecting, and teaching the young Togorian. Ted wasn't just his friend, but he considered him almost like a son. Many people had learned over the years just how protective he was of the boy. The two had first met what seemed like a lifetime ago, when Hawksby had still been attached to the military and served in a long range operations unit on the Outer Rim. On Cartel duty, he and his unit had come across a Togorian village under atack by Cartel pirates.

They had intervened, but too late; there were many dead. Ted had been turned into an orphan, and through many legal acrobatics, and a lot of filed paperwork, Hawksby had been allowed to bring him back to Coruscant to take care of him as his own. After he retired from the military to buy his own ship, it had seemed natural for Ted to come with him. In a way, the two were all that each other had as far as family went.

"We've got a meeting on the HoloNet in thirty with a businessman from Onderon. He's needing a ship to help him export a shipment of Onderonian bamboo to Coruscant. Rich people there pay well for it for interior design purposes I guess. Should pay a decent wage. I'll search the HoloNet and see if there's anything that needs to be moved from Coruscant to Onderon. No reason to waste a good trip if we can make some money both ways."

"I want you in on the meeting. You need to learn to negotiate in case I'm ever incapacitated and you have to run things by yourself." He knew that Ted was as innocent as he was oblivious to the corrupt hearts of some people in the galaxy, and prone to be taken advantage of. One of his great battles in life was to instill some level of suspicion, or at least realism, in Ted's heart and mind, so as to ensure he wasn't taken advantage of.

@Rhogar

 

[Teddy the Togorian]

Just seeing the happiness and appreciation in Captain Hawksby's eyes was all the young Togorian needed to swell his chest with pride. The young Tog would munch away on his food, talking as he chewed. It was all but indistinct, and it didn't even look like the kid swallowed as he just kept munching away and shoving more food in his mouth.

After several long moments, he grabbed his glass of milk and nearly drained the glass as he swallowed everything he had consumed in one go. Slapping the glass down with a content "Ahhh.." he would then quickly try to wipe away the milk mustache, only getting about half of it. "As long as it's safe and combat free!" he said, repeating the mantra he had heard over a twelve dozen times over the years.

@Livgardist @Jonathan Hawksby

 

[Jonathan Hawksby]

"Yeah, we'll make sure it's safe. We're not mercenaries, after all." Jonathan replied with a small smile.

They ate breakfast in quiet while Jonathan began to wake up. The coffee helped, and soon, with a full belly and a clear mind, he was ready for the meeting. They left the kitchen area and went into the passenger hold where the great holoterminal was waiting. Soon, the businessman, Jadar Hest, appeared as a blue hologram. Jonathan sat down in one of the seats in front of the terminal, and said;

"Good morning, Jadar. You look well."

"You too, Captain." Jadar replied. "I hear you're interested in running some cargo for me."

"If the price is right, always. As long as it's legal, and is not being delivered to a warzone. I'm too old for warzones, and my shipmate here is too young for them." Jadar laughed.

"You've changed quite a bit since CDF. But you don't need to worry. The job pays well, and the cargo is legal. I'm shooting over the details right now for you, but you already know the gist of it. Onderonian bamboo. Bring it to Coruscant so those nobles can line their walls with it. It's worth a fortune. Of course, Onderon is safe space, as is Coruscant, so there is virtully no risk involved. Pick it up, head on out, and drop it off on Coruscant."

"Sounds good to me. Shoot me the details and your contract, and we'll head out."

"Will do. Jadar out."

Jadar disappeared, and Jonathan looked over to Teddy.
"I need you to make sure we're refuelled and resupplied. I'm going to head out to the Merchant Exchange, see if I can pick up a cargo for Onderon. Prepare for a departure around noon." He ruffled the Togorian's head and added; "Thanks for the breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day."

@Rhogar @Teddy the Togorian

(OOC: Sorry for the late reply, man. Work has been insane the last few weeks.)

 

[Teddy the Togorian]

Teddy would listen patiently to the conversation between the two men, mentally taking notes and bouncing in his seat in anticipation. As the call ended he looked up at Captain Hawksby, the most legendary cargo runner in the galaxy, and nodded his head in renewed excitement. "AYE AYE CAP'N!"

He hopped from the chair and ran circles around the Captain. "I will have the tank filled, the bay stocked, and your favorite playlist already pre-loaded!" Around the fourth lap, he'd hop away. "That's what you're always saying! And it's true! If I don't have it, I feel weak!"

@Livgardist @Jonathan Hawksby

(not a problem bud, I get it. RL comes first)