Bunkies - Part 2

He turned back to Fletcher, noticing the way he had already started clearing the tools toward his side of the table, not fussing, not making a performance of it, just giving him space because space needed giving. Ragnar gave him a small nod, the closest thing to thanks without making either of them suffer through one. “Don’t clear up your puzzle pieces on my account,” he said, glancing at the module, weighing up how much Captain Zedd had already told him. “I’m your new Combat Lead.”

"It's an old habit, I'll make sure to keep our shared area clear. Just got used to being on my own for a minute." The young man extended out his hand "Cormus Fletcher, Lead Support Craft Pilot. If it can fly, I can pick you up or drop you off faster than you can replicate an omelet. As far as combat, I haven't done much myself. A few skirmishes I had to fly through and I stunned a guy or two but with what Zedd says we're likely to see, that's new. But I did get Mei-Lin to fabricate my combat armor and environmental suit. You can hit her up for the same if you like, the Captain had some pretty cool templates."

Ragnar took the hand, meeting his eyes. “Ragnar Meral,” he said, giving the introduction a little more formality than before. He let go after a moment, tilting his head as he studied him. Mei-Lin. He made a mental note of the name, and another to go and see her when he had the chance. Templates were not that different from uniforms, not really. Combat gear marked you as belonging somewhere, and whatever was normal on this ship was probably what he needed to go with. Being too different in a crew usually meant vulnerability, and it was one of the reasons it had taken years for Ragnar to consider joining a ship again. “Good armour can help,” he said, moving to sit down on the bunk. “But without knowing how to take someone out quickly, it’s just death on a time delay out here.” His mouth pulled into a grin, dry enough to make it almost reassuring. “Don’t worry. I’ll teach you.”

"I look forward to it, it'll be good to learn. I suppose we'll see how eager I am when we get into the real crap. Although honestly my main focus is on piloting and getting us out of whatever we end up being in. The idea of being in a boarding party isn't quite my idea of fun, but considering what we're getting paid, I suppose I can deal with it. Plus the armor fits great. And it was free."

He said it lightly enough that it landed somewhere between a joke and an actual position statement, which was more or less where he meant it to land. The armor did fit great. Mei-Lin had looked at him for about thirty seconds, taken three measurements, and produced something that moved like it knew him, which was more than he could say for most things. He glanced back down at the thruster module case, clicked the latch shut, and pushed it to his side of the table.

Ragnar’s eyes followed where the younger man’s had gone. He gave a small nod, taking the words at face value. “I’d personally rather have you flying than drag you along into a boarding effort,” he said, raising an eyebrow as his smile relaxed a little. “But sounds like my job is making sure you know what you’re doing if the fight comes here. Or down on a planet.” He glanced at the closed module case, then back to Fletcher. “I’m fond of avoiding getting my throat cut. Seems like a healthy professional standard, so...I’ll show you that if nothing else.”

"Sounds like a plan then" Cormus said. "Since you haven't been able to yet, if you like, I'll give you a tour of the ship, and the shuttle bay especially." He brightened up a bit when he mentioned the bay. It may have seemed odd but it really was a place he enjoyed being and getting to run on his own. Sharing that and showing off what he'd done was something the young man also took pleasure in.

Ragnar saw the enthusiasm as much as felt it, and gave a small nod of acceptance. “Sure,” he said, because it would at least be something to do for now. More importantly, it would help him learn the ship, and ships were easier to survive when someone knew your name for reasons other than a duty roster. Allies were good. Someone to watch your back now and then. He pushed himself up to stand, green eyes meeting Fletcher’s. “Is the shuttle bay special, or just your territory?”

"Honestly a little of both" Cormus said, grabbing his jacket. "Zedd assigned me to run it so I check on the craft and make sure everything is running. Worker bees, escape pods, our runabout. I'm making adjustments here and there, so if you have any requests let me know and I'll work in what I can. I've already started adding weapons lockers for medium armaments in the support craft, never know when you'll need an actual rifle. Not that I have clearance to get into the armory, just a standard hand held disrupter in case."

He stepped forward towards the door. "Shall we then, Ragnar? You're going to love this ship. She'll grow on you."

Ragnar nodded and followed, but threw a quick glance back at his bag before looking ahead again. “We’ll see,” he said with a small smile. Not quite doubting, not quite wondering, but weighing up the promise, because love was...a big thing.

He’d settled for just being okay with it.