Windfall

Chapter 2 "Assemble"

A beat up, rusted ship comes to a screeching halt out of FTL in orbit of a light brown planet, dotted by the occasional river flowing from the poles down to a planet-wide lake, circumnavigating the equator. Flint sat in the pilots' seat, looking in awe at the surface.

Kai; "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Kai came over to sit in the co-pilots' chair, adjusting the poncho overlaying her bodysuit.

Flint; "Dang purty, Kai. What brought'cha to this neck of the woods?"

Kai; "You've never been to Aludia?"

Flint; "No, ma'am. Most foreign place I been to was Mayberry in Georgia."

Kai chuckled a bit before speaking again, resting her hands in her lap.

Kai; "They're not an official colony of the Empire, but they're symapthetic. I've been here a few times to escort ambassadors, and for my fiftieth... Er, five hundredth hatchday. For shore leave."

Kai took a deep breath before speaking.

Kai; "It was the only time I felt I could get away from the Empire."

Flint smiles gently and looks toward Kai, removing his hat.

Flint; "But yer with us now, eh? Y'all got a good head on yer shoulders, an' I sure hope ya keep it."

Kai; "Thank you..."

There's a moment of silence after Flint sets the ship to land on the surface before Kai turns to speak to Flint again.

Kai; "... What was it you called me? Yaw?"

Flint; "Heh, I said y'all. Jus' ma Texas tongue."

Kai; "... Yaw."

Flint; "Y'all."

Kai; "Yaw."

Flint; "Y'all!"

Kai chuckled a little and shrugged as the ship landed.

Kai; "I don't know, I'm hearing yaw."

She stood from her seat and walked for the exit, leaving Flint there a moment before he put his hat back on and followed her down the ramp. Once they show identification to security, they're allowed through the gates into the Aludian city of Merkez. Flint looks around at the cityscape all around him; The closer they got to a shiny, blinding palace of silver, the more ancient and weathered the buildings got. Towards the edges of the city is where the most modern and advanced structures were, and getting closer to the palace was like going back in time. There were vendors at the bottom of the palace selling produce and questionably valuable souvenirs.

Flint; "Purty careful to keep old stuff like that still up."

Kai; "Merkez is millions of Terran years in the making... A lot of those skyscrapers weren't there when I was here last."

Flint; "Heh... Y'all got a better memory than I do. Can barely remember what I had for dinner yesterday."

Kai; "If yaw didn't remember, maybe it wasn't that good."

Flint stopped a moment to process what Kai said, as Kai turned around with a growing smirk on her face. Flint laughed as soon as he saw her expression and patted her on the forearm, walking ahead of her up the palace steps. Kai chuckled quietly, holding the spot on her forearm she was patted on, following Flint before eventually going ahead of him. Once inside the palace, Kai approached one of the guards, a gunstock club firmly in their hand.

Kai; "Cho na par'ha n'geh jatlh n'geh li suvl Qi'ayh."

The Aludian raised an eyebrow before responding.