You're out of your depth, Kid
11 Feb 2024Zachariah "Zephyrus" Casterly
Zachariah stood there in silence, sweat crawling down his cheek. He watched in anticipation as the old mechanic was hoisted in the air. "Chamberin' malfunction most like." Old Grey leaned in to inspect the multi-gun that hung below the Hyperion. The old man's suspenders barely contained the plump belly that protruded out. His thick Grey beard and lack of hair had given him the moniker; "Old Grey." He was apparently an old Federation hero who had saved the F.N.S Archer from a core meltdown during a skirmish with Imperial forces. A local hero among the people of Faraday City, and a wealth of knowledge on all things regarding ship maintenance. Zachariah had known Old Grey for nearly 2 years now and was one of his frequent customers. If the Hyperion would be interdicted on it's trade routes near Sukurbago, Old Grey would be the man to see for repairs. Of course that usually meant Zach would get an earful from the old coot. "Can you fix it?" The boy asked as he stared up at the man. Zachariah reached up and scratched the back of his head as he watched the Old Grey work. A flash of annoyance struck the young Commander's face, his eyes rolling. He knew what was coming. Everything that would come next would be a slur of technical jargon that only few could decipher.
"You tried tango'n with an insect didn'cha?" The man's words came flat and blunt. Perhaps Zach hoped he could have evaded the conversation. But here it was, plain as day. Nothing would slip past Old Grey, and the boy should have known better.
"What's that have to do with fixing a stuck chamber?" Zach pouted, his hands in his pockets as he slouched. The thin lad stood there seemingly uncaring and cold. The last thing he wanted now was to be chastised after his near death experience.
The old man lowered the mechanical lift and stepped from his platform. His movement was off, and it let slip what was a slight limp. Old Grey wobbled over to the boy. "Listen er' lad, I've been around long enough to tell a Commander's grit..." There it was, the talk. It was predictable, a clear sign of belittling. The words would be a nod to how little he knew, and how great the gap in experience there would be between them. "You've gone and made this cargo ship into sum bug killin tug, but she ain't that, and neither are you."
"These bugs, they make even me shiver. It seems like every day that passes they throw somethin new at us..." The man trailed off, his hand finding his beard as he scratched. "Look kid... What I'm trying to say is that you ain't cut out for this. I don't want to see another fresh faced boy with dreams getting dusted out there in deep space."
"You don't understand. It's not like I expect you to, either." Zach mumbled as his gaze found the man, expecting Old Grey's face to have a flash of anger. Despite this, there wasn't a single hint of it written across his face. Only... Pity? The boy blinked, flustered. There was understanding there, something that came as unsettling to Zachariah. "Look, I... I can't be the only one who didn't fight when our worlds were on fire. I couldn't face myself."
The Old man's face softened. He looked up to the multi-cannon and sighed a deep breathe. "Gimmie an hour with her, I'll get the round dislodged. After that we'll look her over and see what else I can do..." Zach scoffed at that.
"What... Got no more words of wisdom for me?" The boy chuckled, gazing at Old Grey with a look of skepticism.
"Right, well the way I see it you've got two options... Either you sell all this anti-xeno crap and get yourself set up to carry escape pods... Or you get yourself a bug killin' mentor." Surprise washed over Zach's face. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was this old man actually going to help him? No... That couldn't be. He was supposed to shout and knock some sense into the boy, not encourage him.
A smile flickered at the corner of Zach's lips. At first the expression would have seemed genuine, but it clearly evolved into a cocky little smirk. "So have you got any leads for me, old man?" Zach spoke as his hands slipped from his pockets and onto his hips. This was his shot.
His first and only real encounter with a Thargoid left the Hyperion barely operational, and his flying had been messy, pathetic. The dual was sloppy, he had been caught off guard, his pants down. The only reason Zachariah yet lived and the bug didn't was because of a simple fact; his ship outlasted his adversary's. It was no dance of warriors, or cunning game of cat and mouse. It was simply a brawl, an exchange of blows one from the other, no art about it, no elegance. If Old Grey had a lead that could get him fighting the real fight, then Zachariah would happily give it all for that chance.
"You're out of your depth, kid. But if killin' bugs is what you want, I have some idea..." The old man grinned as he looked up at the Hyperion. "First thing's first... You better get yourself a Krait Mk 2." Old Grey chimed, a smirk visibly shown.