Mulling

[Dasquian Belargic]

Dasquian sat, alone, staring into the object in his hand. What he held within his palm had great significance to him, and he treasured it dearly. It represented all that he had lost in his past, and reminded him of the things he'd left behind upon taking up that fateful mission that had landed him here.

"Ice water,"

The droid that rolled over to serve him departed. It returned within a minute and Dasquian took the metallic jug, setting in on the table before him.

"Thank you."

After receiving his drink, he returned his attention to the small locket he held. There was a tiny picture in the right hand side of it, with a family of at least 8 huddled into the frame. Two small boys stood in the front row, each with identical grins on their faces. Looking at the children brought a smile to his face for a moment. Tonight, he felt, would be a nice night to remember things that had transpired, and perhaps even to plan out what would happen in the future. Only time would tell.

[Tevit Ramadon]

"Family?" Sounded a youngish voice from over his shoulder. Slowly steppign around aside of Dasquian, Tevit craned his neck to see if he could get a better look.

The yellow mongoose garbed in a set of mechanic's coveralls smiled warmly to cover some of the surprise he must have caused the man. Takign another step further in front of him, Tevit reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, flipping it open to the small plastic photo insert pages it held. "You're not the only one who carries family pictures."

He wasn't sure if his approach was welcome or not, but Tevit didn't have anybody else to talk to, not many folks went out of their way to associate with him for a reason still unknown. Flipping his wallet back shut, Tevit shrugged lightly and added, "Um, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, you jsut looked liek you could use somebody talkin' to you. I'll go, if you want to be alone, I know what it's like."

[Dasquian Belargic]

Dasquian glanced up with a smile at the man. He saw that he was attempting to see the picture he was looking at, so shifted it so that he would have been able to get a better look.

"Family, yes. Such a precious thing..."

He shook his head lightly and gave one last glance at the picture before slipping it into the folds of his robes. He clapped his hands together and took in a breath, nodding to himself.

"Good evening, sir," he said looking back up at the furred man.

"I'm Dasquian Belargic. Pleased to meet you."

[Tevit Ramadon]

Tevit nodded after looking at the small picture in the locket, then dropping his walled back into his pocket and buttoning the tab that held it there shut deftly.

"Nice to meet you, too," He replied, sitting down across from him, "M'name's Tevit Ramadon, but just clal me Tevit, or Tev, or something short." The Nehantite spoke, then procured an empty glass from a droid's tray as it passed by, not paying attention to the automaton's grumbling. Pouring himself a glass of ice water from the pitcher as well --it was free, if Dasquain wanted more, they could just get more-- then takign a slow draught of it.

"Mmm, sometimes I forget just how good off-world water is." He mused to himself, then remembered that most didn't know what he was, or where he came from. "Oh, I mean, off my world, that is. Desert planet and all. So, what brings you in here, if you don't mind my asking?"

[Dasquian Belargic]

Dasquian smiled before answering. The man was of a curious race he had not seen before, much like many others that he encountered around the Order.

"Pleased to meet you Tevit..."

He gave a light nod.

"I'm just here to relax. I've been training quite a lot recently, it is rare that I get the time to just come and sit, whether it be to talk or simply to collect my thoughts."

[Tevit Ramadon]

Taking another drink of the clear water, Tevit leaned back in his seat and looked around the bar for a moment before replying, "Training? You a Jedi? I'm not. Nope, no super powers in me. Unless you count fixing a overheated hyperdrive on the fly, or programming a clock on a VCR as super-powers."

An honest smile lit his face as he straighted back up in his chair. "I know what it's like being busy, trust me. I'm in here killing some time before I head back home to work. Mechanic, y'know." He tugged at the front of his oil-stained coveralls. "From spacecraft to toaster ovens, I can fix most things. Well, decentlly, that is, I'm no wonder-boy, that's for sure. Sorry, I'm rambling here."

[Dasquian Belargic]

"We each have our talents. I confess, I could not fix or mend anything to save my life. My abilities are best suited to the vocation I am in currently."

He gave a nod, then took a sip of his drink.

"How long have you been working as a mechanic, Tevit? I imagine that if it is a long time, you will have some interesting stories to tell of crafts and such you have worked on."

[Tevit Ramadon]

Taking a drink of water while Dasquian posed his question, Tevit snorted good naturedly and wiped his mouth with the back of his paw before chuckling and replying, "You really don't know about us Nehantites, do you? Heh, I'm a mechanic because that's one of the only jobs we can do on a ship because it's completely necessarry. I've had more near death experiences than you could shake a stick at. I never made many glamorous repairs, but quite a few that kept the fur on my back and my brain in my skull."

Leanign abck, he smiled and continued, "See, we're new in thsi whole space thing, and my planet's pretty poor, so we get those old clunkers nobody else wants. Every other day the drive about melts down or explodes, the fgravity generators and life support are always on the fritz, and you wear full-body clothign to keep occasional sparks form singing your fur. It ain't no glamorous job, I'll tell you that. But it pays my bills, and gets me the snot away from home."

Taking another drink, he got back to part of the Jedi's original question, "And I've been a full-time mechanic for off and on two years, ground tech and lackey for another two. Guess I've been working on ships since I was sixteen, then. Oh, I've done a few sweet things, over-running the full bore of a few hyperlight drives, modifying drive computers and wahtnot, but nothing really spectaular."

[Dasquian Belargic]

"You sound like you have had quite the interesting life, Tevit."

Dasquian sat back more comfortably in his chair, and looked over the 'Nehantite'. He resembled a Cizerack loosely, but had more of a bear feel about him than a cat.

"Do you not have any other aspirations for the future aside from fixing things?"

[Tevit Ramadon]

"Well," Tevit started, then looked down to the gold ring on his index digit on his right paw, minding the crest of his family that it bore, "I'd like to do a job for my smarts rather than my mechanics, actually. Not really a desk job, mind you, but, something like a lead technician. If it were possible, I'd love to open a Rho'istaan school out here somewhere. I'd specialize in the Slow Fang style of martial arts, and maybe dabble in teaching some weapons, too. But that takes money, and clout with your family name to be allowed to open a liscensed school."

Finishing off the water in his glass, the yellow mongoose then cracked his neck to alleviate a stiffness that was there from too much being upside-down to fix a recent breakdown. "If anything, I want a job that could support a family. I don't mind being single right now, but, y'know, a guy does start thinking about taking a wife eventually. I know I'm only twenty, but, still. Anywho, there's not much of a chance for me to make a living in anything besides mechanics right now, so I'll stick with it. What about you? I've never understood how Jedis make a living with all your adventuring. what do you do?"

[Dasquian Belargic]

Dasquian listened to his little story of what he wanted and it brought a smile to his face. To raise a family would be nice, but as a Jedi he did not have the time for such things.

"We help the universe. Where ever there is someone in trouble, we will be there to aid them. It is our vocation in life - to protect and serve. Some of us work with the New Republic also, but all our creature comforts come straight from the Order."

[Tevit Ramadon]

"Well, every now and thern, when I can spare it, I do try and donate what I can to your odrer, so, I guess folks likem us help you all out, too. Hmm, never thought of that before." Tevit thought aloud.

Refilling his glass from the pitcher, the red-eyed mongoose took another drink and leaned and elbow on the table. "One would wager that someone of your abilities would have more interesting stories than a mechanic would. Have any?"

[Dasquian Belargic]

"How I came to be here is a story in itself," he said with a sad laugh.

"I was sent out on a mission to explore the furthest reaches of the galaxy by the Republic... Master Yoda said we would be held in stasis for a time, then released once we reached the outer most rim of the universe. However during the flight the craft was sabotaged and crashed ... everyone on board except myself and my brother was killed ..."

Dasquian fell silent for a moment.

"We survived only because of a malfunction in the cryostasis chambers, which held us alive up until a few months ago when we were awoken..."

[Tevit Ramadon]

Tevit was going to take another drink, but stopped before doing so and slowly set his glass back down. He had heard horror stories of stasis malfunctions, and had vowed never to do it himself.

Looking Dasquian over again, he collected some resolve and asked, "Just-, just how long were you in stasis for by the time the malfunction occurred? A few weeks? A couple months?" What he didn't have the nerve to ask was years, or possimbly a great number of years.

[Dasquian Belargic]

He calmly took a drink and spoke.

"The error in the system occured some over a hundred years after the time when we'd originally set out."

He noticed the immeadiate look of disbelief on Tevits face.

"There was some discomfort at first after leaving our transport ... inability to move limbs, constantly feeling cold, not being able to think straight ... but that wore off soon."

Wore off was a bad way to put it, more like it was shot off by storm troopers.

[Tevit Ramadon]

Tevit's mouth went dry, buit he knew it would be rude to take a drink at the moment; it would appear he was stalling for time. Blinking his eyes, he thought about what it would be like to be out of the loop for over a hundred years, and how much the universe must have changed. Dasquian had probably never even seen Tevit's species before, for Nehantites had onlt been in space for the last thirty-five years.

"A hundred years?" He finally managed, "Wow... I, I guess things have really gotten different, huh? I mean, oh, dang it, now I'm getting nosy. Sorry about that."

[Dasquian Belargic]

A quiet laugh passed his lips.

"Yes, things have changed a great deal - the rising and falling of Empires, the passing of great figures ... time has worked quickly and left the galaxy in a totally different shape to how I remember."

How he remembered was still not vividly clear yet, but that would all come back eventually.

"And you aren't being nervous ... We have an equal curiousity here, for you have not seen the past, and I am only growing to learn the present."

[Tevit Ramadon]

I'd fill you in on some of it, but, I never was too good with current affairs when I was in school." Tevit replied, though there was some humor in his tone. Lifting his glass, he made a mock salute, "To the present; because it's wehre we are, and it sometimes beats the pants off where we've been."

Taking a gulp, the Nehantite set his glass down and tugged lightly on the rolled back sleeve of his left arm to make it fit better. "So, you've probably never seen any of my species yet, have you? Not a rare thing, there aren't too many of us out here, and less that do anything but live on the ship most of the time. Except the Shadow pilots, but guys like me don't associate with them unless we have to."

[Dasquian Belargic]

Dasquian nodded and rose his glass in a toast, smiling more sincerely now.

"To the present."

He took a long drink, then settled his glance down once more, chuckling.

"It's true that I've not seen one of your kind before ... but I thought it rude to mention that," he said with a wink.

"Plus, I have seen many strange things since I've arrived here - I'm learning to take life with a pinch of salt!"

[Tevit Ramadon]

"Aww, it's no big deal, I'm used to funny looks and the like. even at home." Tevit said to diffuse any kind of tension about talking about his specis unfamiliarity to Dasqian.

"Yeah, lots of odd stuff going on, especially around here. Heck, you can almost set your watch by the Jedi-Sith fights that go on. I never get too involved in those, 'cept for maybe taking a pot shot with a tumbler to somebody's head or whatnot. You know, mess up their concentration and watch what ever Force power they were trying to use backfire." His face turned up with reminiscing laughter. "Pegged one guy pretty good, once. Oh well, only so much us normal guys can do. What's this 'pinch of salt' phrase? I'm still hearing new ones, so I don't always know what they mean. Then again, I've got some most others don't know, too, so, I guess it's even."

[Dasquian Belargic]

"I try not to get into too many fights either, but it seems the Sith come looking for me. As for the 'pinch of salt' expression ... well it means to try and not take life all that seriously, I think. A lot of strange things go on, and if you didn't look at them with a bit of a slant then you'd go mad."

[Tevit Ramadon]

Tevit nodded with the logic of what Dasquian said as his tail flicked beneath his chair out of an old habit of fidgeting a little. "I've seen my share of strange things, that's for sure. Sometimes I kind of wish the empire hadn't pushed us into space as much as it did. I mean, it's cool and all, but, you start to miss home, and family, after a while." Sudden;y he remembered that all but Dasquain's brother was gone form him, and what he had just said probably hadn't been a good choice of topics, but it was too late.

This time Tevit didn't bother covering with a change of subject; he himself didn't have much family left to care about, or have care for him.

[Dasquian Belargic]

"It is hard to ptu the past behind you, but it is something that must be done," he said reassuringly.

"You just have to try and forget what you have lost, and concentrate on the here and now."

[Tevit Ramadon]

As if on cue, Tevit's stomach grumbled noisily, and he pulled an embarassed smile as he rubbed it. "Well, I guess here and now I should concentrate on getting something to eat. You hungry?"

[Dasquian Belargic]

"Most definetly! I haven't eaten in hours!"

Dasquian chuckled.

"But what to eat, can you recommend anything?"

[Tevit Ramadon]

The B&G had fast become on of his favorite places to eat, for it usually offered good, affordable food, and most often you got some kind of show--be it fight or argument--to watch while eating for free. Tevit didn't even need a menu anymore, instead able to pick out his favorites by memory.

"Well, I'm going to get the baby back ribs, myself; they're messy, but good. The T-bone is a good choice, but order it slighty under what you normally do for cooking time, they seem to ahve the grill turned up a bit high here. Pasta salad's not bad, and neither is the chilli, but I reccomend asking for a glass of lemon water if you're going to order the chilli, it's pretty hot stuff." Tevit explained before pulling out his wallet and thumbing through the rows of credits in the billfold. "Well, if you buy the drinks, I'll buy the food. I got enough to cover that."