Renegade Star (Vol 1)

Chapter 6: Jax Just Can't Catch a Break

Content warning: Mentions of alcohol

The light chatter filling the conference room ceased as the doors slid open. Brooke strode in; a smug grin plastered across her face. Cassi followed close behind.

"Brooke. Cassi. Welcome back!" Andra said. "How did the mission go? I take it all went well?" She glanced between them. Neither appeared in any way maimed: always a good sign.

"Everything went perfectly!" Brooke announced loudly.

Jax rolled her eyes.

Brooke glared at Jax and Jax scowled back. Andra could feel the annoyance radiating off of both crewmates.

"Okay, well I do guess it might be slightly true that my good friend and comrade Cas did may have tried to kill us because we waltzed right through the front door of her lair cave evil hideout thing but that is okay, that is alright, that is fine and dandy because our great mission was a success!" Brooke said, with several grand hand gestures. A little too grand in Andra's opinion.

Andra studied the two of them. Cassi seemed perfectly alright, but something was off with Brooke. Her usually immaculate eyeliner was smudged slightly and she had an almost glassy look in her eyes. Brooke took a step forward towards a chair, but tipped dangerously as she lost her balance.

Suzanna voiced Andra's thoughts. "Brooke, are you drunk?"

Brooke collapsed in a chair and propped her feet up on the conference table, distorting the holographic display.

"Cas offered us something to drink because she is a fine and beautiful host, and I wasn't about to turn her down, because like, I mean she's got this huge wine cellar somewhere down there and about a million drinks of good taste, y'know, and it was after we made the deal so it was celebratory, y'know. And y'all'll all'll'lol know," Brooke stuttered, "Midnight Wine is my absolute favorite and she's already well stocked-"

"Okay, okay," Andra said, cutting off Brooke's rambling. She turned to Cassi who, thankfully, looked very sober. "Cassi, did you drink any?"

"Um, no. I just had a glass of juice. It didn't have any, um, it-it didn't have alcohol," she said quietly, looking, quite frankly, terrified at the prospect of drinking alcohol.

Andra nodded. "Good. You're too young, anyway."

"She's 15 Earthling years and 27 Mendelian years and 329 Ostanianic years that's adult! She is adult!" Brooke shouted. Everyone ignored her.

"Um, Captain?" Cassi said tentatively.

"Yes?" Andra braced her hands on the back of Brooke's chair.

"Sera'H'Cas'twsana said that she was going to bring her ship to rendezvous or something." Cassi said tentatively.

"Oh! Okay, that's, um, that's great, actually! When will she arrive?" Andra asked.

"Oh, uh, I'm not really sure. She didn't say, I don't think," Cassi replied.

"Is Captain Sera'H also drunk?" Jax asked.

Cassi nodded. "She had a lot of whiskey. But I don't think she's piloting! Xia only had tea," she clarified.

"Oh for fuck's sake!" Andra exclaimed. Cassi took a step back, looking petrified, and Andra muttered a quick apology.

"Xia?' Jax asked.

"Cas- er- Captain Sera'H's first mate," Cassi said quietly.

"Oh, yes. Of course," Jax said.