The Space Angel (Litika Dor, Keijin Aritaka)

[Saburo Imai]

The man leaned forward as he carefully navigated the ship into the port. His new ship was a little bit unwieldy, at least to him. Although the man he had bought it from said it was one of the easiest ships to pilot, Saburo Imai was sure that it had only been said so he would purchase it.

Either way, Saburo shut down the big, sleek machine looking around him at the interior breathing a sigh of releif at the stillness which he had not felt over the entire journey. Standing and stretching, he fixed his wife beater and slid his worn trench coat over it, patting the pocket to make sure that his belongings were there still. Not that there was anyone else on the ship to take his things, just that Saburo was paranoid.

For a few moments, he looked about him and thought about the series of events that had to occur before he could go hunting for the person he had come here to see. And maybe, if he happened to stumble upon them, someone who could help him with this ship until he got the feel of it. It was so different from the last ship he had piloted, he knew he would someone experianced who knew all ships up and down. He knew most, but not all.

Running a hand through his hair to knock it back from his face, Saburo moved through the ship, punching the pressure plate and releasing the hatch. It hissed open and slowly lowered, allowing him to make his way down through the steam. Waving it away, he glanced around the semi-busy port. It did not appear as if he would have much trouble finding a good mechanic as they seemed to be hanging around in droves. He just wanted a non-diseased looking one.

Patting the side of the red and black ship, The Space Angel, Saburo ran his hand down the warm side, looking for a dent or scratch. For the moment there were none, although he knew that if he were going to learn to pilot this thing and use it often, then that luck would probably not last long.

Looking up and around him, Saburo let out a breath in a long, slightly exasperated sigh, looking the ship over and then down at his hands. This could be an interesting visit.

[Litika Dor]

Litika wiped her hands methodically on a much-abused rag as she emerged from the bowels of her also much-abused ship, the Riven Epsilon, who had been complaining of a stomachache lately and had necessitated a brief stopover in this rathole of an ill-favored Mid-Rim spaceport. Litika wrinkled her nose at the acrid odor of years-old axle grease and fermenting hydraulic fluid which permeated the air of the entire hangar and slipped craftily through even the Riven Epsilon's atmosphere filters. The smell was even stronger than usual, however, because she'd left the main hatch open, as she had been frequently running back and forth between the outside engine access panels at the rear of the ship and the engine repair serviceways running inside, under the floorboards.

The repairs were, thankfully, not going to be too intensive, this time. Epsilon was long overdue for a real tune-up, but since this port didn't really look like it would have any materiel in stock that wasn't half-used or cannibalized from more unfortunate wayfarers, she thought it best she do the bare minimum here to get her ship airborne again. She could put in a little closer to the Core and have a better chance of finding a reputable service shop.

She just hoped the port fees here wouldn't put too great a dent in her already-threadbare account.

The overhead lighting in the hangar was actually dimmer than that inside the corridors of the Epsilon, Litika realized for the first time as she clomped down the ramp and onto the slimy concrete tarmac. Ignoring the catcalls of hirsute and rancid mechanics, she crossed to the supervisor's desk, gearing up to haggle a reasonable dock fee.

When she got there, the super was clamping his beaten headset to his ears with one hand and muttering into the mouthpiece, his free hand flying over his keyboard and whacking life back into his flickering desk lamp by turns. Litika leaned impatiently on the sill, wanting to be done with this transaction. But the super, who doubled as air traffic controller, was far too absorbed with guiding a newcomer into port to negotiate with Litika just now.

The hangar bay doors overhead roared slowly open, and Litika turned as one with the other mechanics and pilots to eye the incoming ship.

As it descended, Litika found herself in good company as she let out a low whistle. The craft was brand spanking new, gleaming even in the grey half-light of the overcast day outside. Its shape was like nothing she had ever seen before, organic and sleek, but stylish, like a tricked out hovercycle. It floated down, wobbling a bit, probably in part due to its ponderous size, almost too great for the hangar.

It settled into place while the onlookers continued to admire it openly. Litika would have throttled a rancor just to take a closer look at it. However, when the hatch hissed and began to open, she turned back toward the supervisor's office, not wanting to be caught staring by the pilot when he appeared.

[Saburo Imai]

Saburo glanced around him again before he looked over to the super's office, where he was still sitting, wiping his brow, probably because of Saburo's poor attempt at guiding his new peice of machinery. Chewing a lip and feeling foolish for even being here, he took a step forward trying to decide whether to go over or simply continue on his way.

Settling on the former--he could ask the man if he knew any good mechanics around here--Saburo fixed his trench coat and strode forward, his big black boots making heavy clumping aounds as he made his way over. As a force of habit, he drew out a pack of cigarettes and pulled one out with his teeth, lighting it with a lighter and stuffing them both back into his pocket. Taking a quick drag, he took a deep breath and allowed the nicotene to fill his lungs before he blew it out as he was just arriving at the super's desk.

He noticed a smaller, stalky woman leaning on the wall near to where he had approached and Saburo glanced her direction as the man at the desk looked accusingly over at him then leaned over the desk and pointed a finger at him.

"Look, kid, if you can't drive it, park it!" the man said, semi-angrily. He appeared to be flustered about everything, not just Saburo, and was taking it out on him because he could. Saburo took a slow drag from his cigarette. No need to rush. He turned his head away and blew the smoke out into the already hazy air.

"I think that is what I have done, sensei," Saburo muttered monotonously. The man eyeballed him a moment before sitting back in his seat and fixing a strand of hair that had worked its way out of the greased back position which it had previously inhabited. Saburo shook his head, breathing in a little more of the smoke of his cigarette, before crushing the end of it against the wall, making sure it went completely out before dropping it.

"Well, then...what do you need?" the super questioned, his beady eyes trained on Saburo, probably because he had not left yet. Saburo blinked a few times, registering the slightly slurred phrase before answering.

"I need to pay my port fee. And also, as you can tell, my ship is new to me. I would like to ask if you know of any experienced mechanics that are available for slightly extended use?" Saburo said, going over what he had in fact said to make sure it had all come out right. However, when the man nodded, Saburo was satisfied that it had come out as he had wanted it to. He found his eyes glance over at the loitering woman as he waited for the man's reply.

[Litika Dor]

Litika swallowed an incensed retort. Couldn't the newbie see she was here first?

"Ahm," she cleared her throat, leaning over in front of the dark-haired newcomer, bent so that her head was nearly inside the super's office. "I'm here to pay my fee, too, if you don't mind." She threw a disgruntled look over her shoulder, though the man didn't seem to be all that bothered by her.

"Yeah, yeah, right," the super said brusquely, all business, turning and tossing a clipboard aside to get at one underneath. "You wait yer turn, Jack, be wit ya in a nano. How long you gonna be here, sweetheart? Fee's four hundred a day, an' I don't include the nice-ies, so if yer lookin' for anything more'n just a berth an' a refuel, I'm 'fraid you've come to the wrong place." He gnawed his teeth together and gave her a once-over as if he expected her to ask for directions to the nearest manicure studio.

Litika, however, snorted in most unladylike fashion and produced two large-increment credits from some unseen pocket in her voluminous overshirt.

"Tell you what, bub, here's three hundred, I stay out of your hair and do my own repairs, my own refuel. I'm only staying one night."

The super sucked his teeth, looking nervous. "Nnn...I don' think I c'n drop you that much, sweets. 'Less you've got somethin' else to offer, p'raps..." This time his eyes made their way much more slowly along the opportunity standing at his window.

Litika stifled a disgusted sneer with an effort. Even as long as she'd been at this, as many propositions as she'd heard in spaceports over the past fifteen years, she never had quite gotten accustomed to the assumptions often made of female spacers' inhibitions or lack thereof.

She shook her head. "Don't think I can oblige. Three hundred, and I'm gone the second my repairs are done. Maybe even before your next shift starts."

The super frowned mightily. He made a show of looking surreptitiously to the gaggle of pilots loitering nearby, smoking, but Litika knew that not a single one of them was paying full posted dock fee. Most probably weren't even paying Litika's three.

So, finally, he grunted, splotched his signature on an invoice, and hastily took Litika's credits, lest she change her mind. She smiled beatifically at him and plucked up the invoice, folding it into another pocket as she turned on her heel and marched back to the Epsilon. It was going to be a long night.

[Saburo Imai]

Saburo stepped back when the woman leaned over beside him, all but elbowing him out of the way, like a short, rather petite Rhinoceros. Saburo chewed his lip and stepped back away from her, hoping not to let her see a smile on his face.

"Mmmhmm... suma to naroba..." he muttered to himself as he waited for her to finish her business. Saburo watched his ship as he listened to her and the man speak together. He had switched out of Basic, thinking in his native tongue to go over what he needed for his ship. But as he thought, he found himself listening to the man and woman speak together and admired inwardly the quick way in which they spoke Basic. He spoke it well enough, but not as quickly as they did. The woman's voice was deeper and clear, not unpleasant, like the man she was conversing with.

After a few moments of exchanged words that Saburo had not understood, the woman pivoted and headed towards a ship. A quite nicely redone ship. Now, Saburo was not an ignorant man when it came to ships. In fact, he enjoyed them very much. And he knew the model of the ship that she went towards. It was an older model that had been revamped, repainted, and Saburo would not have doubted if the interior was quite fetching. The symbol on the side of the ship--Saburo imagined was the name of it--was one that he could not identify. He had originally misconstrued it as the 'no' character in his native Japanese. On closer inspection, and not out of the corner of his eye, he realized that he had no idea what it was.

After a moment of watching the woman, he turned back to the man and looked at him. He pulled his trench coat back slightly and dug around in a hip bag that was secured over his shoulder and hidden under his jacket. Saburo perched his sunglasses on his head, causing his hair to spray out from it in a rather nerdy fashion. But there was no one here that Saburo needed to impress.

Laying down eight hundred credits, Saburo nodded to the man, and turned away, not wanting to prolong his interaction with him. He had better things to be doing, and after thinking about it, knew he would probably be able to find a better mechanic on his own than asking the super.

Striding back over to his ship and looking it over a moment, Saburo glanced around over his shoulder and smiled to himself. Since he was here, he ought to check up on his friend. If anyone would know a good mechanic, he would. And if Saburo remembered correctly, he lived just around here. Couldn't be parted from where he bought his ship. Digging around in his hip bag a moment and fishing out his comlink, Saburo tapped in his friend's code.

"Ryosuke Sakai," came a voice.

"Moshi moshi, Sakai-kun. Sono anata no yuujin, Imai. Watashi haanatano minato nikokoniiru," Saburo said, with a slight smirk.

"Ah! Imai-chan! Sokonokotsu. Watashi ha ichi byou inai niaru," came the reply. Saburo nodded.

"Hai. Matane."

[Litika Dor]

It was about a standard hour later when Litika made another run out to the engines. She seemed to have found the problem--some bad relays which were making the thrusters delay. With a soldering iron clutched firmly in one fist, she clomped down the aft hatchway and scaled the engine plates to perch on top of one exhaust port.

A few seconds and assorted swearwords later, Litika's ears pricked to the sound of loud and rapidfire chatter in a foreign tongue. She knew she had heard it before, but the memory was distant, and anyway what caught her ear was that it was loud, and closeby.

She turned in the cramped space to peer behind her under her right arm. Two men were walking down the gangplank of the stylish black ship, the pilot and a lankier character who was smiling all over his face and yammering delightedly.

As subdued as he had been when he'd first arrived, the pilot was now just as talkative and gregarious. He and his friend were apparently oblivious to the looks they were getting from miffed mechanics trying to work or chill out. They also didn't notice the compact woman crammed into an exhaust port, watching them curiously as she tried to figure out why the pilot's loud, lanky friend seemed as familiar as the language they were speaking...

[Litika Dor]

EDIT

[Saburo Imai]

Saburo laughed as his friend clutched his arm and began talking quickly about something that had recently happened, the reason why his wrist was bound and he was unable to help Saburo in his need for a mechanic.

"Kikaikou no kenri ka?" his friend asked as they strode around his ship. Saburo sucked in a breath through his teeth. He nodded, motioning to his ship.

"Hai, hai. Ee. Kanojo ha watashi notamenoamari ima dearu. Shikou ka?" he asked. His friend stroked his chin a moment, looking around the port. For a few moments he said nothing, he merely scanned the area, looking at every face, every person there. Saburo chewed on a lip. "Sakai-chan?" but his friend seemed intent to stare around. His gaze was fixed on the woman Saburo had seen earlier as she was emerging from her ship, looking a little dirtier than she had before. And then, as if a light had gone on inside Sakai's brain, he made a happy cry. Saburo's eyebrows popped.

"Nani?" he asked. Sakai grinned down at him and then grabbed his hand, striding towards the woman and her ship. He threw a hand up in the air.

"Litika!" he cried out at her, laughing loudly and waving widely at her as he pulled Saburo over. He looked down at Saburo as they stopped near to her ship. "Mottomo yoino! Mottomo yoino, Imai-chan! Mottomo yoimo; how are you, Litika!? I imagine you don't even remember my name!" he laughed loudly.

Saburo took in situations quickly. Obviously her name was Litika and it seemed they had worked together before, but probably a longer time ago. Saburo watched her a moment, looking from her, to his friend, and back again. Saburo listened as his friend spoke to her in Basic. He had always been much better at it than he, and it made Saburo smile a little as he had not heard him speak it for a long time. After a moment, he looked back at the woman to see if she would in fact recognize Sakai as he had recognized her.

[Litika Dor]

She had. There was only one Nippic man she knew who was both that fluent in his native tongue and that unabashedly outgoing.

"You know, as I recall, you owe me something in the neighborhood of a hundred and fifty creds, Sakai. With interest...you could be paying my docking fees." She grinned evilly. "Which the super wishes would include something a bit more...personal than cold hard cash."

[Saburo Imai]

"Oh, Litika! You don't ever change do you, dear? Well, I'll have to get right on that docking fee bit, in the meantime, my friend...Imai?" Sakai said turning and looking at Saburo who had stepped back to not interfere in thier conversation. He raised his eyebrows and stepped forward looking up at Sakai and then at the woman. His friend patted his arm lightly. "This is my friend. Why don't you introduce yourself?" Sakai instructed. Saburo nodded. He looked at the woman and stepped forward, bowing slightly, extending a hand towards her.

"I am Imai Saburo. Please, say I am Imai," he said quietly to her, looking back at Sakai who grinned and looked at the woman.

"He means, call him Imai. He, in fact, is in need of a mechanic that would be willing for longer term employment. He is on his way to Tattooine," Sakai explained. "He just acquired the ship and its...a little unweildy, to say the least. And, as everyone knows, you are the best," he said, his words dripping with sarcasm, suger, but most of all, tease. He grinned wide at her. "Of course, he would have to give you all details if you were interested, but those are the bare bones of the matter. And I just know that you'll want to do it, just for me?" Sakai said leaning forward, burying his nose into her shoulder, kissing it playfully. "You're the sweetest, prettiest, smartest, smoothest, coolest mechanic, Litika. I love you, Litika. You might as well just accept that you love me too and you're going to do this for me."

Saburo watched his friend and chewed his lip. Oh, Sakai had always been so touchy. Saburo didn't get touch. What so great about it?

[Saburo Imai]

EDIT (So sorry!! Won't happen again! *I hope...*)

[Litika Dor]

Litika laughed and smacked Sakai's arm. "Okay, Ryosuke, I'm revoking your flattery license for blatant and agregious abuse." Then she sobered.

"Mechanic? Long-term mechanic? How do you mean? I'm not going to be on-planet for very long, dearest. Not even for you would I stay in this hole in the wall a second longer than necessary. No offense," she quickly added.

[Litika Dor]

EDIT!!!!

[Saburo Imai]

"Oh, none taken. See, he's on his way to Tattooine so he'll need you at least till he gets there, maybe longer. Like I said, Imai will have to give you the full skinny, but the that's pretty much the extent of it," he said, looking down at Saburo and smiling at him. Saburo looked back up at him, curious as he listened to them talk. Sakai patted his shoulder again. "Soregaaruyouni. Watashi ha ima iku. Hanashi, hanashi, hanashi, Imai-chan! Hanashi! Mottomo yoino! I ought to go. Litika, my beautiful Nihongo flower. I will see you again!" Sakai said, leaning down and kissing her cheek. He nodded back to Saburo and leaned in towards her. "Be careful with him. He isn't exactly on the amazingly familiar terms most would like him to be." He leaned back and patted Saburo's head. "Sayounara, koibito." Saburo smiled.

"Arigatou, Sakai-san. Sayounara! Daijobu?" he called as Sakai began to walk away from them. Sakai nodded.

"Daijobu! Daisuki!"

"Daisuki..." Saburo said, then turned back to the woman, looking at her. He motioned back to his friend. "I am sure he is unaware if exactly what he means. I would not ask a woman to work for a complete stranger, Miss Doru," he said monotonously, thinking about her last name a moment. He nodded to her, and then bowed in respect to her.

[Litika Dor]

Litika valiantly shook off her somewhat dazed expression as Sakai turned and sauntered away. He always did that have effect on a conversation.

She looked at Imai and felt the warmth Sakai had brought to the exchange suddenly suck out of the air. Imai's expression and tone were flat, though she knew he wasn't trying to be rude. She knew that's what all the bowing was about. The very brief time she'd spent among Sakai and his mechanic buddies those years ago had acquainted her with dozens of bizarre Nippic practices that she knew some held more dear than others.

Still, this Imai character could barely speak Basic, and didn't seem to know whether he was coming or going.

Of course, Sakai always sort of had that effect, too.

"So," she began, somewhat awkwardly, shifting her weight. "Do you need a mechanic or don't you? I'm willing to work, and, I won't lie, your ship's...incredible. I'd love to take a closer look. But what's this about traveling to Tatooine?"

[Saburo Imai]

Saburo looked back at his ship and nodded at it, digging his hands deeper into his pockets. He nodded again.

"Yes, I need a mechanic. And I am going to Tattooine to visit a friend," he lied. Well, half lied. He wasn't a friend, but Saburo was going to Tattooine to visit him. It had to do with a drug drop he had been appointed to make. Even though Saburo had technically left his gang a while ago they still paid him handsomely to do odd jobs for them, and this guy was an old acquaintance. He paused a moment, then nodded back to his ship. "I'm going in if you'd like to have a quick look around." He did not wait for an answer, but turned and began towards his ship, glancing back once to see if she was in fact following.

"Angel's a little too big for me to memorize all at once," he said over his shoulder to her. "Even with everything reprogammed into Japanese, its not easy to pilot alone. I need someone a little more knowledgable in this model, which, by the way Sakai talked with me about you, you are more familiar with it, yes?" his voice was, as it always was, low and rather unemotional, as he didn't really know Litika, and his voice could become abrasive, even to him.

[Litika Dor]

Litika didn't have to be asked twice. She followed the pilot into his beautiful ship.

His proposition, however, wasn't sounding so hot. "Wait, you mean...is there something wrong with the Angel, or do you need a co-pilot?" Had this guy bought a ship he couldn't handle, or had he just ignored the instruction manual and needed someone to handhold him while he learned the machine? Either way, Litika was fairly certain she wasn't Imai's man. So to speak. Take a contract job teaching someone how to fly?

Sounded dubious.

[Saburo Imai]

Saburo shook his head.

"I can pilot the ship fine. I just need someone to keep an eye on mechanical aspects of the ship. The model is different from ones I have worked with before and I have not worked with this engine type before. I would rather be safe with a mechanic more knowledable, than being caught in a situation I am not familiar with," he explained leading her through the ship and to the cockpit. He hit a pressure plate on the wall and the black metal cover slid away from the view screen shedding extra light around them.

"Konpyuuta. Me gasameteiru," he muttered. After a moment, the panels slid up to reveal the controls. Saburo typed in a code on a keypad near the right. He glanced back at the woman. "Let me show you the engines and what I mean."

[Litika Dor]

Litika nodded and moved closer to watch. The cockpit was gorgeous, aesthetically--oy, was that a leather pilot's seat??--and all the controls were state of the art.

Yes, Litika would have to consider shivving this guy and jacking his ship...

Oops, he was talking.

Litika listened to him reel off specs and point out points of interest. She began to see familiar systems and soon understood clearly how the ship worked.

The engines, too, were a model she knew well--in fact, she'd worked on very similar ones while in Sakai's employ--and absolutely marvelous pieces of machinery.

"You realize, Imai," she interjected during a lull, "that, with a ship this new and in such good condition, you probably won't run across many mechanical problems. I mean, this ship's computer is a monster; it'll practically take care of the Angel by itself."

[Saburo Imai]

"Mnh, yes, it will, but would you really want to put your ship completely in the hands of a moody computer that hates new things, and doesn't like you too well?" he asked, smiling a little at her then emerging from the engine room, pulling off his trench coat and adjusting his wife beater. He thought a moment then glanced over.

"Konpyuuta. Puroguramu notameno Basicu," he instructed the computer. After a moment he was satisfied and turned back to Litika. "It can program nearly any language, whatever is most comfortable for you, and it can reprogram all controls for you so that you can work with it as smoothly as absolutely possible. He can also learn to recognize voicses, and will sometimes choose to ignore you. But most often, he is fairly cooperative," Saburo explained, glancing breifly back into the engine room. What all had he not said?

[Litika Dor]

Litika noted the tone of finality in his voice, and shook her head, crossing her arms.

"Look, Mr. Imai, I can understand your predicament, but I'm not sure I can help you. Much as I love your ship, I have one of my own. I can't just strand it somewhere with no money to pay docking fees and no way to ensure it is well-kept. I mean, I suppose I could slave it to the Angel, but..." She shook her head again. "I'd really rather not. I'm sorry to say it, but you're going to have to make this job worth my while. From what I hear of Tatooine, it's not exactly the dream destination of the galaxy."

[Saburo Imai]

Saburo nodded; the last speed bump. It wasn't that Saburo had a big problem paying her more than enough money, he had more money than he knew what to do with, he was just figuring how much to give her, although he could afford whatever she asked. He turned back to her.

"I have enough to pay for your docking fees for however long we will be out. I can also supply your pay, however much you ask," he paused and glanced down at his gloved hands. Then he looked back up. "And my friend, Sakai, would be more than happy to look after your ship if you want someone to keep an eye on it."

[Litika Dor]

Well, he just has it all figured out, doesn't he? Litika mused, drumming her fingers against her arm where they crossed. It was a job, and her ship would be housed and, presumably, looked after (and she could always call Sakai to pester him and ensure the job was done) while she was gone. It was a bit unorthodox, admittedly, for someone to just randomly hire a stranger as an on-board mechanic, but she supposed that was just the extent of Imai's trust in Sakai. And, to be fair, Sakai was nothing if not trustworthy, especially when it came to matters of ships.

Still, Litika had doubts. She didn't know Imai from Adam, and there was always the possibility he meant her harm, or, if not contemplating it now, was capable of conceiving it. One woman stranded in the middle of space with a male stranger...not the most auspicious of circumstances. Briefly sizing him up, Litika was fairly certain that, though she was shorter, she probably weighed as much or more (he was skinny and human, and so didn't have her dense Imrani bones or quite as much hard-earned muscle) and could likely hold her own in a straight-up brawl with him, if it came to it. Still, there were all sorts of things he could be capable of, and Litika was not at all sure she wanted to risk any one of them.

"Tell you what," she replied finally. "Let me think it over awhile. I still have a few repairs to make to my ship, and I'll need to check a couple of variables regarding my rate. I'll also need an itinerary and a list of my expected duties under your employ. Does that sound fair?"

[Saburo Imai]

Saburo nodded at her, waving his hand in a big sort of way motioning away from himself, indicating that she do whatever it was she needed to do. He turned and began down the hall again.

"Take our time," he said, then paused in his step to think. He glanced at the floor. "Take your time. I will be with Sakai in his home near here; I will make out those things for you and discuss Sakai with the upkeep of your ship..." he paused again. "Do you want my comm number should you need information? Or would you surrender yours should I need information, Miss Doru?"

[Litika Dor]

Okay, Litika thought to herself, descending from the hatch of the Angel and walking back to her own ship. Call Sakai, first. He and I need to have a few words about this guy before I go running off round the Rim with him. Tatooine. Gag. What a hellhole. He'd better be willing to reimburse me for sunscreen...

She climbed into her ship after eyeing her work at the back end of the Epsilon to make sure none of the other mechanics had "borrowed" any of her tools. Then she went to her computer, searching through half a dozen contact files before finding Ryosuke Sakai, and punched him up on videophone.

After two buzzes, the screen flashed and showed his surprised-looking face peering back at her.

"About your friend, Sakai..."

Ryosuke watched Litika on the screen for a moment and then grinned at her as if he had just realized what the hell was going on. Then he nodded, probably a little more emphatically than was really necessary.

"Yes, yes, Imai! What about him, Litika? Did he talk to you about what he needs? I know that he needs some Basic lessons, but he can convey pretty well, I am sure. Unless he got worked up with you? Is there something that happened? I can help in any way you need me..." and he continued talking, for that was what Ryosuke Sakai was best at.

"Sakai...Sakai! SAKAI!" Litika glared at him as he finally stilled. "Shut up."

Ryosuke clamped his jaws down and grinned at her, his Asian eyes almost disappearing for the intensity and sincerity of the smile.

"Sorry. Please...Continue."

Litika shook her head. "No, nothing went wrong. He does have problems with Basic, but that doesn't bother me overmuch. He was very pleasant and generous and well-prepared and I would absolutely kill for the opportunity to work on that ship." She licked her lips unconsciously at the thought. "But what I want to know is that he isn't gonna knock me out, rape, and murder me halfway to Tatooine."

Ryosuke looked at her in a slight stupor for about half of a second before bursting out into hysterical laughter. He didn't want to seem so irrevrent of her concerns, but to have anyone think that about Imai was about the most humorous thing Ryosuke had heard. Ever.

After a moment of trying to control himself, he finally achieved it by clamping a hand over his mouth and biting his tongue viciously. For another second, he simply sat like that, getting his breath, then he shook his head.

"You'd be hard pressed to get Imai to lay a finger on you in a friendly sort of way. The last woman he was with broke it off because he didn't want to hug her. Imai is the last person you have to fear rape wise. He's a smart-aleck, a prankster, and a pleasant, honest kid. But you'll never know. What you've seen of Imai is about all you'll see I wager," Ryosuke explained, shrugging at her. "He isn't that comfortable with others he does not know and, or, who don't speak Japanese. So, you're the safest with Imai as you could ever hope to be. No worries in that department."

Litika lifted her eyebrow. "So, he's unstable? Any chance he'll snap?"

Ryosuke shook his head again, leaning forward to get comfortable. "No, no. Not at all. He isn't unstable, he is just averse to touch. Probably hates it more than anything else. Or at least intimate touch. But he is quite sane. And smart. He's a good kid."

Litika pondered, then nodded. "Do you think it a good idea for me to take this job?" Litika had not known Sakai that long, and hadn't spoken with him in quite awhile, but, just as when she'd first met him, she found it so easy to talk to him, even to the point of asking for advice. Probably because Sakai wouldn't know the meaning of "shy" or "taciturn" if one of them were to mug him in a dark alley.

Ryosuke thought a moment. If it had been him, he would have taken it in an instant. But that was also because he knew Imai like the back of his hand, and had the kid figured out to a tea. However, Litika was in a different boat. She was trying to decide if she wanted to board a ship she didn't know, with a man she really didn't know, and go somewhere she was unsure of, putting things into the hands of the man she didn't know, and his friend whom she didn't know well.

"Well, Litty..." he said, pausing a moment as he pondered his hand. "You see, I think it is a good idea. I know that Imai really could use the help, and I am sure that you could use the money. And if it helps any, I would trust Imai with my ship, and my life, any day. And if it helps further, I can watch out for your ship, call and check up on you guys every so often, to make sure no raping and killing has gone on." Ryosuke teased with his last statement, grinning at her and winking. Then he nodded. "Yeah, sure. I think it would be a great idea. And you'd get to make love to the Angel," he taunted. "And believe me, she's a good one."

Litika maintained her poker face a moment longer, then split into a wide grin. "She alone would be worth the trip...Okay. I'll do it. He'll be calling you soon, so don't tell him I spoke with you." She winked. "Don't want him to know how bad I want to get my hands on his ship; he might gyp me."

Ryosuke smiled.

"Touch his ship and he'll do more than gyp you, Litty!" he said with another grin. "But anyway, I won't say anything to him. Besides," he said with an exaggerated wink. "It's much too hard for me to translate Basic to Japanese."

She laughed. "You always were a lazy bum," she said. "Thanks a lot, Sakai. I appreciate your help...and for your reccommending me for the job."

Ryosuke nodded at her and bowed a little. "Not a problem, Litika. Always up for helping the most beautiful woman in the universe..." he paused, chewing his lip, then leaned in secretively. "Is this earning me any brownie points?"

"Well, it was until you started fishing for them." She grinned evilly. "Just take care of my ship while I'm gone, Sakai, and then we'll talk about brownie points. Deal?"

"Hai, hai...baka..." he muttered, then grinned at her. "You run a shrewd business, Miss. But I'll make that deal for you. Epsilon will be in tip-top shape when you return. Maybe even better. As if she were my own, Litika!"

"Well, I could never ask for better than that, Sakai." She smiled earnestly this time. "Thank you. I guess I'll talk to you whenever you contact us aboard the Angel. Take care til then."

"Okay, Little one. I'll be talking to you again. Bye-bye."

[Saburo Imai]

Saburo lounged back on the couch as he heard Sakai messing about in the next room with something that Saburo hadn't put forth the effort to look in and see. His head was leaned back and he was dozing slightly when Sakai finally joined him again with a booming "Well, m'boy, what're you thinking!"

Saburo jumped slightly, leaning up and looking around through his hair at the other man standing there. Ryosuke Sakai was not a small man by any stretch of the imagination. He almost hit six feet, about an inch under, and he was certainly muscular, yet Saburo could see his Asian heritage in the small waist and slanted eyes. Saburo blew his hair from his face and pulled himself up into a more sitting position on the mighty comfortable couch, crossing his legs and leaning back a little into the soft cushions.

Ryosuke crossed the room and settled himself down in a chair across from Saburo, folding his arms behind his head and giving Saburo a big grin.

"So, Sabby," he said jovially, laughing a little through his Japanese that was more or less unaccented at all. It sounded like a non-Japanese speaker speaking it. Saburo just guessed it was his lack of speaking it for so long. "You're taking Litika Dor on your ship with you?"

Saburo cocked his head slightly and wet his lips taking a deep breath and letting it out. He looked down at his hands in his lap and worked his mouth over nothing before answering.

"I suppose," he answered back in Japanese. Ryosuke slapped his knee and laughed loudly at his answer. Saburo furrowed his brow a little as he watched the man have a feild day with whatever Saburo had said that was funny.

"You suppose! You suppose?!" Ryosuke laughed. Then he shook his head and leaned back, settling himself down. "Well, you better do a little more than suppose. She's ready to rock n' roll!"

"Yeah, okay, I'm taking Litika Dor on my ship with me," Saburo said rolling his eyes and looking back down to his hands. He absentmindedly fiddled with his belt buckle, opening and closing it, listening to the sound it made when he did so. Then he looked up at Ryosuke and smiled a little. "She's good, yes?"

"Great!" Sakai beamed. Then he sighed. "God willing you'll get along with her. I have never met someone with something stuck as far up their backside as you, Saburo Imai," he commented with a snort. Saburo nodded, getting up and stretching.

"Hai, arigatou."

[Litika Dor]

Litika sighed, gathering up the last of her tools and leftover scraps. Slowly she wandered toward the back of the Epsilon to close the main hatchway. The main hangar of the spaceport was nearly dead at this time of night, a single pilot smoking on his ship's aft gangplank and one lone decades-old cleaner droid sparking and stuttering uselessly across the dark tarmac. The night-shift super nodded drowsily behind his smudged glass enclosure, the muffled rhythmic thudding of bass-heavy astropop bouncing from his headphones.

Litika shoved her handtools into their container near the hatchway and dropped unceremoniously to the metal gangplank, facing the darkened front entrance to the spaceport. Picking up a datapad she'd abandoned earlier, she tapped out a few more figures and yawned. She rolled her shoulders a couple times to ease the tense muscles and glanced to her wrist chrono, then to the doorway across the lonely tarmac. She hoped Imai wasn't planning on being much longer at Sakai's place. Litika needed to give him these last estimates (and she was fully expecting him to haggle over them) and then get some sleep.

[Saburo Imai]

Saburo wandered slowly back into the main hangar of the space port, his sunglasses perched on his head happily. He had donned his trench coat again when he had left Sakai--"Don't get so excited, Imai!" Sakai had said--and was now kind of regretting it. It was warm in the hangar probably due to the machines and ships that had been running all day.

But it was mostly quiet, very few people here now. Saburo cast about, seeing his ship not so far away on his right, and the Epsilon not so far away on his left. He didn't immediately see Litika, but then his eyesight was nothing to fear, so he moved towards The Space Angel, putting a hand on the hull and sighing contendedly at it. It was true, Saburo was not the mechanic type, but he still had put a lot of work and money into this ship--"More than you should have," Akio Miyazaki had said--and he still cared for it a great deal.

Saburo diengaged the hatch lock and it hissed and sputtered at him, falling down with a loud clank. He glanced once again around for Litika, but was greeted with empty space, the Epsilon looking deserted. He sighed and boarded his ship without a word.