/start/
Location: Ryou, planet Daichi. Near the starport.
"Need a ride, toots?"
"Depends on where you are going?" Konpeki replied.
"I have a few pick-ups to make, mostly downtown and the warehouses. Doesn't matter if I'm a bit late, managed to make a real ass of myself before I left." Silic winced in a show of embarrassment.
"Well, downtown suits me just fine. So what do you do when you aren't making an ass of yourself that is?" she inquired.
"I sit in the backseat and press buttons." he said, casually dismissing it. He nodded his head towards the line of cars and started walking again. "It's all about the glamour. Any way, what brings you out to the frontier?"
"Freedom... less people trying to tell me what I can and can't do or interfering with my business. So I am out here where people have more important things to do with their time." Konpeki replied slipping into her persona with practice ease. She was still uncertain what Silic was up to, but at present she was content to go with the flow.
Silic grunted in understanding as he rounded to the drivers side of one of the identical white cars. "Sometimes freedom is a matter of attitude, not location." he said as he opened the door and stood with his arm leaning on the roof. "You com'in?"
"Beats walking." She replied and slid into the seat, she took a moment to survey the vehicle, and to check the various controls present out of habit. Out was fairly ordinary, steering wheel, pedals, one thing out of the ordinary was that it was a manual.
Silic slid into his own seat and gripped the steering wheel, his left hand whined as it tightened a little on the black plastic. "You know, sometimes I swear they only keep things like this around for oldies like me to drive." he joked weakly, then hit the ignition. The car started with barely a whisper, electric engine firing up silently.
Oldies? Perhaps he is tad exaggerative. Konpeki thought, "Well, you do not seem that old to me for a Nepleslian. You look to be in your prime. So how did you lose the hand?" she asked knowing how most Nepleslians enjoyed regaling their exploits that often ended with them replacing parts of their bodies with mechanical. The concept to her was just a tad repugnant, especially with the technology available in the Star Army, why would anyone want a mechanical limb.
Silic chuckled a little bit "I guess when you're over three-hundred-and-fifty percent the average age of a group, you just feel older." he pulled the car out of the parking space and onto the road, the streets were fairly empty, not many cars on a new colony like this. "As for the hand," his eyes flicked towards the gloved hand on the steering wheel "accident at work. Fluke, really. Just lucky I guess." he shrugged it off.
As they pulled up to a lonely looking set of stoplights Silic turned to her, "Do you mind if we do one of my stops first? It's not too far from here."
Konpeki gave a smile, "Hell, you're the one renting this car and doing driving, so who am to complain. You are saving me a few credits, and I did not have to leave a record at the rental place. You been to Ryou a lot?" she replied curious as to how he knew his way around.
"Never." he replied, driving ahead. "I just have some very specific instructions," he reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a much folded piece of paper "and a map." How he'd gotten his hands on paper in this day and age was a mystery. Some people were just old school.
Konpeki looked at the piece of paper in disbelief. Paper? He's actually using a scrap of paper to guide him though the city. In this day and age where satellite naviagation aids are inexpensive. Really?? she thought and looked back at the dashboard, This vehicle has a navigation system built into the dashboard.... so either Silic-San is incapable of using it, not bloody likely given he's an EWO in the squadron.. That just leaves one logical conclusion, wherever he is going he does not want to leave a trail, and people who don't want to leave evidence behind them are usually up to no good.
"Paper, how quaint, perhaps you would like me to read them while you drive? she offered.
"Nah, I got this." said Silic, tucking the paper back into this pocket and patted it protectively. The lights changed and the car started moving again. "Got a fair bit of it up here any way." he tapped his temple to demonstrate. "Just gotta check where Temata street is, again..." he muttered to himself but Konpeki's enhanced ears managed to pick it up clearly.
The car turned a few more corners then pulled into a small warehouse, it wasn't too far from the port and was probably a prime location for local importers.
Konpeki took a look at the area. Daichi was a new world and even here in the warehouse section things still had that sense of newness. It contrasted with the traditional idea of illicit deals being made in seedy alleys. To be honest Konpeki's instincts were not 'feeling it'. Sure Vas-San was making dealings off the record, but her gut told her that he could not be up to something seriously illegal. After all who would take a stranger with them to something significantly wrong.
"Please excuse me for a bit." Silic apologized, and got out of the car. A man peeked out the front of the warehouse and moved to meet Silic, the two shook hands formally and Konpeki could just make out the two speaking before they disappeared inside.
"Who's the broad?"
Konpeki watched from the comfort of the car as Silic met his 'contact'. She captured an image of the person with her sunglasses for later identification. "Broad?" she said, reading the guys lips. "Really?"
\pause\
