He made note of her positioning, not that he blamed her. Deciding it was best to take charge of the situation and help keep her at ease as much as possible, Zedd sat down and slid the tea over to her. He took a sip of his own, noting the flavor and smoothness of it. It was quite good, maybe something he would add to his afternoon routine.

"So I got your response to my posting for crew on the Dutchman, you made note of an extensive service history in the Romulan Empire, we don't judge here so not to worry. I think your skills would serve the ship well and we can make sure you're fairly compensated. We are looking for someone to lead our combat section, and I see you as the best candidate for it." He figured he'd get right down to business and see what her thoughts were on all of it as well.

Rhiana took a careful sip of her own tea and savoured the familiar taste while listening to Sykes. He appeared to be straightforward and she appreciated that. "That is good to hear," she said somewhat noncommittally. "Can you tell me more about your ship and crew? What kind of missions do you fly?"

Zedd was curious about how much Rhiana may have looked into the ship ahead of time "Well, we're all private, everyone gets a share of payouts from jobs. It's a pretty standard contract for becoming part of the crew. We'll discuss your percentage now, and your role, then we'll have a contract for you to sign. Thing is, the ship is leaving here fairly soon in the next day or so, so I would recommend if you are ready and we agree on everything here, that you join me back to it. As far as work, we freelance on everything. Could be cargo runs, transporting personnel, obtaining things someone else wants... salvage missions. At the end of the day, if someone else is willing to pay for something, we'll do it. However we don't deal in any sort of slavery or trafficking of kidnapped individuals. Only legitimate prisoners and folks needing to get from point A to point B."

He took another sip of his tea before continuing "What we mainly need is folks versatile in their roles, able to cover their duties across a variety of jobs and situations. We don't always know what we may be going into."

While Rhiana's expression was not quite as unreadable as a Vulcan's, she got close enough to it that it wasn't easy to know what she was thinking about the ship's missions. "My expertise, as you already know, lies in the tactical and security field," she replied. "I am willing to help other departments as needed, but I am not an engineer, medical doctor or scientist. If that does not disqualify me in your eyes, I am willing to join your crew." While the Romulan's tone was calm, the fact that she hadn't even asked about the percentage of the revenue share indicated that she was likely eager to join the Dutchman or at least get away from New Ferenginar as quickly as possible. "How many crew members do you have and how many of those are in the security and tactical department?"

"We don't have much in the way of expectations in folks working outside of their roles. Everyone in general can be asked to help move around cargo or otherwise if need be, but nothing extra requiring a specialty focus. As far as crew, our compliment is forty. We're close to it but a number of our senior roles are being supplemented by less experienced, transient crew. So having another permanent department chief would certainly be preferred. That way everyone gets to know one another and whom they are working with in a more long term sense. As far as share percentage, what do you say to four percent of everything we make?" Zedd took another sip of his tea and allowed his eyes to scan the room, just to be safe. There was no need to draw any potential attention so close to breaking orbit and who knew who was potentially watching him, or that had the fact that they had bought the one data token...

Rhiana had been taking small sip of the still hot tea while she listened to the captain. It was not a bad brew for a place so far removed from the Romulan Star Empire. Likely replicated, of course. But that did not change the fact that the tea reminded her of home. For a second, she asked herself what she was doing here, trying to get a job on an independent vessel that would very likely include assignments that were illegal. On the other hand, certain death awaited her at home. That made the decision relatively easy. "I expected a senior role to warrant a higher percentage," the Romulan said out loud. "After all, it comes with added responsibility. Ten percent of everything."

Zedd raised an eyebrow. It was certainly quite a bold swing in the negotiation for pay. "Ten percent eh? If I paid an average of that across senior roles I'd have nothing left to even operate the ship on, let alone have anything for myself or to negotiate with other crew. I can pay you five and a half percent, you'll be the highest paid Chief and while it may not seem like a lot, we're not a crew chasing after jobs for peanuts. The reason I'm looking for individuals with higher skillsets is because of the risk involved in what we're doing. There will be higher pay from jobs to increase what the yield will be from your percentage. I'll make sure you don't have to cross over into other departments to cover down and you'll be able to focus on what you are hired for."

"You are hiring me to keep you and your ship safe," Rhiana summarised. "I think that warrants a somewhat higher share. How much will you deduct from that share for overhead?"