“You’re a fucking asshole you know that Garrus? I used to think you were a decent guy, but you’re seriously going to try to fuck me over in a life or death situation? I wouldn’t be remiss for saying you’re a bigger bag of shit than Faulkner, but you know what, I’m not going to put you on the level of a murderer just yet. No, rather you’re just a pathetic con artist trying to rob one man and two women of not only money, but a decent chance to live. So fuck you Garrus, keep your dirty money and shove it where the sun don’t shine because that is the only love you’ll be getting from now on, I’ll make damn sure of that!” Swabbie hissed these words with all the hatred and anger he could possibly muster as Garrus just stared at him, not blinking and seemingly undaunted or phased by the words that the Swabbie had just uttered to him in his fury. Pealing his lips back slowly, the red headed pilot merely shrugged his shoulders before yanking the bag of credits away from the swabbie and putting them down beside the wall closest to him.
“If that’s how you feel about it, I don’t really give a shit. I don’t need loving and I don’t need anyone else; since you gave me all the money then you’ll be happy to know you’ve just got yourself a pilot. I’ll take care of my own fucking needs and I’ll be sure that you can take care of your own as well; otherwise, you just tell me where to fly and then stay the fuck out of my way. Cause you know what, we’re both run-aways now, fleeing form some intergalactic beast man who seemed to have a hard-on for tearing out human throats. So guess what princess, we’re in this together no matter what the fuck you say.” Spitting out that last part hatefully, Swabbie didn’t respond as he figured that Garrus was at least partially right about their situation.
Slightly defeated and now at least somewhat apathetic about his situation; the male looked backwards towards Tesla and Lily, the two girls both staring at him at the moment. Lily’s eyes were wide and it was clear that there was a blush on her face, she seemed more…shocked than anything else. “I wonder what she is blushing about, I can’t imagine that she’d think I’d value money over a human life, or rather would stink down to Garrus’s level at this point.” Thinking this to himself, he found himself examining Tesla who shot him a wink the moment their faces met; immediately afterwards, the Swabbie’s face turned a bright shade of red, almost matching and Garrus’s hair color before he swiveled back around in his seat to look out into the vast void in front of him. “We’ve got nowhere to really run to, sure we can planet hop, but that money is only going to last so long between the four of us…provided Garrus is willing to share, which he most likely is not going to want to.” Swabbie thought to himself once more, his head crashing backwards into the comfortable padding of his seat before contemplating the matter further in his head.
“Lily and Tesla will obviously have some skills that we can make use of wherever we land….hopefully, but regardless of what happens next, we just need to find a place to land and hopefully avoid detection from that beast Faulkner. Right now, none of us will be a match for him and the fact that he has a small army behind him only makes matters that much worse.” Swabbie’s mind continually ran over the options that were being given to him and they were repeatedly limited; meanwhile, Garrus just seemed to be focused on getting the pod as far away from the Thespian as possible. Granted, that would have been Swabbie’s plan as well, he still couldn’t help but to feel pissed at the arrogant slime ball for his actions earlier. “Still, the guy is at least agreeing to act as our pilot without pay thanks to the money he just got his grubby hands on; granted, he doesn’t have anywhere else to go.” Chuckling to himself, the Swabbie’s thought about what had just happened a bit more and how his life had changed so drastically in the last fifteen minutes.
“About twenty minutes ago, I was just another janitor aboard a trading ship; living paycheck to paycheck doing nothing but fantasizing about going back home or finding a better job somewhere. Now, I’m a man with a target painted on his back, I’ve got two women who are willing to do whatever is necessary to make sure we survive and are successful. I’ve also got this smart-mouthed, know-it-all, greedy prick of a pilot by my side who can at least serve a purpose from getting us from place to place. So, does this make me the captain of my own crew now?” Blinking that revelation, the Swabbie found himself looking down at his hands, these people…their lives were in his hands now, he had to make sure they survived, he had to make sure that they were feed and he had to make sure that they continued to be effective in the group. Almost immediately, he sadly recalled something the captain had told him about a year ago about properly managing a ship.
“Swabbie, when you get to this position, you realize that being in charge ain’t rainbows and butterflies or all sex and power constantly. It’s hard work, because you have to keep those under you happy or else they’ll turn on you in a heartbeat and then you’ll find herself dead, floating in the void of space with nothing on your body and your ship being sold for scrap. If you do ever find yourself being a captain of a ship just remember one thing; make sure that everyone or nearly everyone supports your decisions. You never know when someone could reach their breaking point and decide to stab you in the back.” The irony of those words wasn’t lost on the Swabbie as he remembered the gravelly voice of the now deceased man in his head; picturing his grizzled features and that shitty goatee he always wore. All this time, he preached about keeping people happy, but he pissed off the biggest, meanest and most deadly member of their former crew constantly. How could he have not seen this coming?
Looking forward once again with a sigh, he found his body bathed in a red light; shock and immediate understanding hit him before the explosion in the rear of the ship did. The escape pod rocked viscously going into a spiral as it began to rotate rapidly; Garru’s eyes were cut into rage, at least that’s what Swabbie saw before he had to close his eyes to keep himself from vomiting all over himself. Dizziness was already prevalent as they continued to barrel roll out of control; darkness had overtaken him and all he could hear were Lily and Tesla screaming in horror in the background before he heard Garrus shout at him over them. “HEY IDIOT, I’VE GOT SOME MINOR CONTROL OF THIS THING, BUT WE’RE GOING DOWN NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. SO I SUGGEST YOU PUT YOUR HEAD TO GOOD USE AND TELL ME WHERE TO LAND. THE LEFT ENGINE HAS BEEN BLOWN CLEAN OFF AND WE’VE ONLY GOT ENOUGH FUEL TO MAKE IT TO ONE OF THE THREE NEARBY PLANETS. I KNOW THIS IS A BIT MUCH ON A STRESSFUL MOMENTS NOTICE, BUT YOU’VE GOT TO CHOOSE BETWEEN A JUNGLE, A CITY OR A PLANET COVERED IN SNOW OR ICE. I WON’T BOTHER YOU WITH NAMES RIGHT NOW, JUST PICK A FUCKING LANDSCAPE AND I’LL TRY TO LAND US AS SAFELY AS POSSIBLE!”
As he yelled, the Swabbie was already trying to think over the downsides and benefits to landing on anyone of them; yet, the constant tumbling was continually rattling his brain and body, making it harder and harder to think. Suddenly, his mind went completely blank as the tumbling continued and a mysterious force began to exert its influence once more.
Vote: Which Planet does the Swabbie choose to land on?
A. The Bustling Metropolis Planet of Roshire
B. The Tropical Rain Forest Planet of Palif
C. The Mountainous World of Frost, Waquil
