A Good Day to Hire

Posted on Wednesday March 4th, 2020 @ 20:40 hours by Mayterial Droz & Maja Angelova

Mission: Safe Passage
Location: Cargobay 00, Starbase 32
Timeline: MD01 - 2145
983 words - 2 OF Standard Post Measure

Maja Angelova stalked around the edge of the circular pit, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. She grinned at her appointment, flashing red-tinged teeth.

"You look afraid," she said with apparent pleasure. Her stance was predatory, like a big cat back on Earth that stalked around the corner of a clearing while its prey sat frozen in the very center. A victim fallen to the center of its enclosure that it was happy to circle, ramping up the adrenaline on both sides. In this case, it was a human man. He was bigger than Maja and had believed this fight to be a sure win when it started.

Clearly, he thought otherwise now.

People usually underestimated Maja, and she made sure they paid for it. His blood was on her fabric-wrapped knuckles as she paced the opposite end. "What? Aren't comin' for me again?" she taunted him. "All balls and bluster five minutes ago, weren't ya?"

At this, the audience surrounding the small pit-like arena laughed. Her opponent looked up and around, his face darkening when he realized that he had lost the respect of the crowd. He was the champion here, after all. She was just some boastful upstart...and yet, was it really just boasting?

With an angry roar, he launched himself across the short distance. Maja waited until just the last moment and then she ducked, jutting out her leg and catching him across the shins. This sent the big man flying into the metal wall of the pit, making a satisfying THONK noise before she was standing, spinning, and on his back with the crook of her arm around his neck and across his windpipe--applying just enough pressure to knock him out but be able to stop prior to death. No broken hyoid bones here. No snapped vertebrae.

She wanted the money, not a jail sentence.

"You sure know how to woo a lady," Mayterial shook her head a bit looking at M'erah, "can we go now?" he had brought her here saying he'd found the perfect candidate for the now vacant Master-at-Arms position. They had sat through three of these fights and now they had just seen the big billed event.

"You wanted a masterrr-at-arrrms, didn't you?" M'erah remarked, "I was thinking the champion, but now I feel like you'd prrreferrr the challengerrr" he purred, with his tail wagging back and forth excitedly, "let's go talk to herrr."

Mayterial shook her head, "Fine, let's go talk." It wasn't that she was a pacifist or abhorred violence, she just didn't see the sport in hitting others over the head until they stopped getting up.

M'erah stepped forward excitedly and approached the woman that had just been declared the victor, "Good evening, miss Angel" he said, using the name that was used to announce her, "my employerrr and I would like to talk to you about a job offerrr."

Maja eyed the two standing before her, eyeing them briefly as she wiped the blood and sweat off her face with a ragged towel. After that moment passed, she nodded once. "Alright," she said. Jerking her head one way, she indicated for them to follow to an area they could all hear one another better. "I'm listening. What's the job?" She did have a vacant slot right now. Hence the pit.

"My name is Mayterial Droz, Captain of the S.S. Fawkes, a groumall class freighter," She looked over at her Caitian deck hand, "this here is M'erah," it usually helped to build up some sort of rapport, "we were impressed with your fighting and wanted to see if you were available for a job as a Master-at-Arms on our ship."

Fawkes... Maja took a moment to think over that one. Did it sound familiar? She thought it might, but her brain was the slightest bit rattled after a fight so she didn't try too hard. "I'm available," she said easily. "What's the pay and what's the expectations? Every ship has its own on that one, after all."

"Competetive rates, plus commission for any business attracted." Mayterial took a PADD from her pocket and handed it over to the fighter, it contained the standard contract for a Master-at-Arms and the specific rules for the Fawkes that she had drafted and honed over the years of running the ship.

Taking the PADD with one hand, Maja ran the towel over the back of her neck--under her long, long black-and-white hair--and read. It looked fairly typical to what she had agreed to on prior ships, with a couple differences for this specific ship, but nothing she saw was particularly sickening or obnoxious. She handed the PADD back. "When's the ship leave?"

"Day, maybe two. Need to fill our bays and guest quarters." Mayterial took the PADD back and pocketed it, "Will that work for you?" She pointed a thumb over her shoulder, "We have a doctor on board, might be able to look at any injuries. No charge, despite what he might want you to believe."

"Nah," Maja replied, tossing her towel over her shoulder and pushing her hair back from her face. "Nothing's hurt too bad. I've got some shit to clear up here on base." Already, she was running through a list of a few thumbs she needed to threaten to break if they didn't pay her. "I can meet you on board your ship tomorrow. Good?"

"Good." Mayterial put out a hand to shake on their deal. She liked having the physical confirmation and it did a lot to strengthen the bond between people, "See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," Maja echoed, giving the other woman's hand a firm, if slightly bloody shake. She watched them watch off with a curious smirk. Good fight. Win. New job.

Today was a good day.

[OFF]

Mayterial Droz
Captain

&

Maja Angelova
Master-at-Arms

S.S. Fawkes