Incident at Saris

Chapter Three

About an hour later the pair of them along with with the transfer codes and that, they were walking through the shipyards towards their new ship, Ren still seemed a little unconvinced.
Rik said "Ren it'll pay off! You'll see! With our ship, we can run jobs and that! they pay well for couriers willing to travel into the more dangerous areas to drop off supplies to occupied areas; we're also Adept Knights and medically trained so that we can go on missions and the like, we also have an Apprentice to train as well remember?"
"I'm surprised that they let us have one," said Ren " seeing technically that makes us both Masters and I for one am not sure if we are yet worthy of that title, seeing we're both been sheltered since we got here by the Justice".
"There is also a war on" Rik pointed out.
"I know," said Ren " although I hope the ship is worth it though.....considering how much money it has just cost us to buy her, it has cost us both our entire combined salary for a year, we are lucky he didn't ask for more!"
Rik sighed, Ren was his deeper more thoughtful side, he'd been so when they'd first gotten split, although they both barely remembered anymore what it was like being One, it seemed like another life, a dream almost!
"Ren! Stop been such an old stick in the mud!!" he groaned.
Ren chuckled he frowned then " we need a crew though, we have ourselves and Kayla, we will need a mech-droid though eventually, might have to look into that".
"We have one remember?" said Rik " besides I think the ship came with two, who need a bit of maintenance".
"We have? Oh, right we do, yours, I forgot about yours" said Ren " although I thought he technically belonged to the Justice like a lot of our stuff does, that's what I mean, the Justice has sheltered us for all this time...".
"No! He's mine!" said Rik "I found him and fixed him when I got my Fighter! " he sighed "come on Ren stop worrying! You'll give yourself more spirals!"
Ren made a face at him, that was a bit of a sore point with them both, their kind tended to get spiral marks or marks on their skin as they got older, even as young as they both were, Ren already had a few spirals, they made him look older than he was, he and Rik were still quite young and he found it annoying that his spirals hid that fact, Rik just got marked, and Rik found that slightly annoying as well, but where Rik got marked, Ren, tended to spiral.
"People like my spirals," he said " although I still find them annoying" he sighed.
Rik chuckled "they don't look that bad!"
"Yeah well," said Ren facing him.
Rik said "Ren they don't look that bad honest! I feel the same way about my markings! You, not the only one who finds that little tendency of our kind annoying! I haven't got wrinkles yet, but I'm getting marked...".
Ren said, "guess so, and I didn't realise you felt the same way about your markings....".
Rik said, " of course I do!"
They stopped in front of their new ship and Ren opened the panel and put the key card into the slot.
There was a flash and a voice said: "Identify yourselves!"
"Ships AI," said Ren " makes sense" he then said, " ahem, er we're your new owners, our transfer files should be downloading into your databanks right about now, I'm Dr Ren, Adept Healer and Consular, rank, Commander, I also have my ID number if you want it".
"And I'm Dr Rik, Adept Healer and Guardian, rank, also Commander, I also have my ID number," Rik said, Rik often described himself as more of a Paramedic or Combat Medic, but he was a Doctor as well.
There was a beep and then the voice said: "I'm Sera, the ship's AI, welcome aboard Consular Ren, Guardian Rik" the door opened and a holographic woman stood there, clearly Sera, the ship's AI, she smiled at them " welcome aboard" she repeated.
"Your mobile?" said Rik astounded.
"I can walk all over the ship" she replied.
"Wow!" said Rik "um permission to come aboard Sera?"
"Permission granted," she said stepping back and turned off the forcefield.
"Thank you," said Ren " Sera" sensing that this was more than just a simple AI, this was the ship's sentience they had both felt.
The woman nodded " allow me to show you around".
"Ok," said Rik sensing the same thing as Ren, this was no ordinary AI!
Sera continued " I recognise your race..., I thought you were Artean but you are not are you?" this was aimed at Rik.
" We're a Corran Pair, " said Rik "but you mightn't recognise us as such, because we aren't typical of a Corran pair, that is probably why but I believe that there is a Mech droid aboard?" eager to get his hands on it and start to fix it, fixing stuff like that was a hobby of Rik's.
"Max2" she replied "or just M2, there is also Saffi, the translator/hostess droid," she said, "both need some repairs and maintenance, my former owner, she spent a lot of time on her own".
"What happened to her," Ren asked, " we were surprised to find one of these up for sale!"
"She is One with the Way now," Sera said, meaning she was dead "I'm all that remains of her....there have been others as well, but there was noone left to give the Serendipity too, she had no heirs".
"Oh ok," said Rik.
"Makes sense," said Ren.
Rik said then " so where's the Flight Deck? I wanna fly this baby!" he looked at Ren "although Ren would be the best to attune though, he is stronger in the Way than I am and better at flying ships like Freighters and that".
"No, we're just different," said Ren
"I can attune you both," said Sera " and right this way."