Sturm noticed the new arrival and studied him closely. He might the one from Yamamichi-Gumi that Fynn told me. Better greet them first before anybody notices here who they are, Sturm thought.
He walked over to the table where the Kusarian man and greeted him, "Hi my name is Sturm, Chief Logistics officer for Tinker and Transport. My apologies if we couldn't give you a proper reception because as you've noticed most of the crew here are Junkers."
Sturm sat on one of the chairs opposite the Kusarian man and continued, "Fynn our foreman is kinda busy lately so I'll accompany you here for a while if you don't mind and if you have any questions, fell free to ask. May I have the honor to know your name please?"
Finishing his report in his native tongue, he turns his attention the man who introduced himself as Sturm. He stands, and offers a handshake to the man, making sure to make eye contact.
"I am Sato Ken. Mr. Sato will be fine. Thank you in advance for taking care of me."
He thinks to himself "Four sentences and he has already mentioned honor. If I didn't know better, I'd think I should be offended."
Seraph walked into the Cantina. She looked around, seemingly superficially, but in fact surveyed everything and everyone very carefully. She had a very slight hope of seeing Zettsu on the Haven, as she was really curious as to what's been happening to him since they last met. She didn't notice him and walked up to the counter. She had another thing to take care of on the Haven and she hoped Olsen, the bartender, could help her find the right person.
"Good day, old man," she said greeting Olsen.
"Seraph! You haven't been to the Haven for a while now. I hope everything's all right, hm? What can I get you?"
She took her seat at one of the stools and looked through the bottles sitting on shelves behind Olsen. "A glass off--" she hesitated in a pretended guilt, "Damn, I know I shouldn't-- But I'm not going anywhere else today, so get me a glass of that Gallic wine, would you kindly?"
She drummed her fingers on the table and when Olsen put the glass in front of her she asked the question she really was here for. "Hey, do you, by any chance, know someone who's into weaponsmithing and that sort of stuff here on the Haven? I've got something that would need such services." She looked at the bartender waiting for an answer.
"When one is made of glass, everything looks like a stone."
"Hey, do you, by any chance, know someone who's into weaponsmithing and that sort of stuff here on the Haven? I've got something that would need such services." She looked at the bartender waiting for an answer.
Whoah, a weaponsmith? Seraph, you did not seem to be a Gunslinger to me ...
Olsen was grinning as he poured the guest a glass of his finest white wine, and watched her closely.
Ah, so it´s not a Gunsmith you are looking for, and I take it you are not talking about any work on your ship, either ? Hm... let me think.
Basti Legionnes is a good engineer but I don´t know if he´s had any experience with forging.
You could always ask him, though, and if you want some speciall alloys smeltered at our furnaces he´s the one to speak to.
Then there´s Elmer or Forster - two old friends of mine ... hm wait.
I think I know who could help you. There´s a member of Captain Frances crew from the Big.Buggy who is known to have a knack with scrap and metals, and I recall Frances telling me that he was always reserving certain pieces of the scrap to rework them.
I recall that he was reforging them to lot´s of stuff, like knives or scissors or the occasional odd part for the Buggy.
Name is Jakob Bessemer, and he´s out at the fields with the rest of the Buggy´s crew at the moment.
Getting curious Olsen leaned toward the beatuiful young libertonian Pilot.
What are you up to, Lady ? And what shall I pass on to Jakob or to his Skipper ?
"Oh, don't judge lest ye be judged." She smiled and winked at Olsen. "I suppose whoever you've recommended is going to be good enough. I need a specific sort of polearm forged from a blueprint I got from Kusarian National Museum. Totally legally obviously--"
She laughed and took a sip of the wine. "Ah, great as always," she said looking down the glass. She sipped once again and raised her eyes to Olsen. "So where do I find this Jakob?"
"When one is made of glass, everything looks like a stone."
He usually takes his time off here at the Haven, only sometimes taking a shuttle over to Beaumont or Arecibo.
I will tell him you are looking for a crafter as soon as the crew of the Buggy comes in. They should end their shift tomorrow as far as I remember.
Olsen winks at Seraph, grinning broadly.
You´re well known here at the Haven, Seraph. He´ll be curious enough if he gets notice you asked for him to dance all the way from the dock to the bar. No need to tell him I gave you the tip. And he likes double malt most.
A lot of crew members keeping bugging Sturm while he was at the table with Sato, asking for advice, having papers signed. After a dozen or so crew members finished, Sturm turned back to their guest.
"Really sorry about that, being a logistics officer keeps me kinda busy and I usually do my duties here in the cantina rather than in my office since it near the docking ports." Sturm signaled Olsen to refill his mug with coffee, after Olsen poured coffee he continued talking to his guest.
"Ok, so would you care for some tea maybe?"
Sturm noticed a particular table of Junkers looking at their table. There was about six of them, Sturm guessed they were new since he only new one of them. The big one, named Burke with his beer mug in hand stood up and came to their table.
"Hey boss, I really don't understand why you let dem hogs come here. What da hell whas the foreman thinking letting em dock and get our hard earned scrap. and you went along with it too"
Sturm stood up, "Hey Burke, you forget this is a free trading station, we're not really going to turn down business if it comes our way as long as its legit. And beside have you heard any report Hogosha attacking any of T&T tranports in Kusari? I guess not. Like Fynn said to me, T&T is not about picking fights but its all about trading"
Burke turned to Sato and said "You have the guts to come here and sit down in our own turf looking smug and youalso get to buy our premium scrap. Well guess what, I think you the deserved this"
Burke tried to pour his drink on Sato but Sturm quickly grabbed his hand and turned it to his back pushing him down on the table. At the same time his buddies started to stand up from their table and go towards them.
Pulling out a pistol, he levels it at the group getting ready to charge. Hopefully they choose not to rush on him, or else this day ends badly for everyone involved.
"You have a product, we buy it. We have stuff, you buy it. It's commerce, you idiots! Quit acting like this is a Xeno hideout and sit the frack down and get back to your drinks. I'm not here to steal your jobs, we just buy some fancy garbage that you collect and sell to everyone who asks. You sell scrap and I'm your frackin' customer, show some pride in your work."
He is a little shocked at just how simple some of these people really are.
"You heard the man, get back to your drinks!" Sturm shouted. He was glad when he saw them go back to their seats, He thought it would have been hard get out of this mess if they did decide to rush the kusarian since he was already pointing his pistol at them, good choice too since Olsen had his shotgun already out too. Finn Mckannon was already running towards them."
"Hey Sturm, what seems to be the commotion?"
"Hi Finn, it seems that some of our crew here got a little carried away with their drinks. Would you mind escorting Mr. Burke here and have him sleep it out in the hold?"
"Sure thing, come on Burke, it seems you had a little to many tonight." Things still seem a little tense in the Cantina after the incident and Sturm decided to bring their guest to the back room
"Olsen? would you mind opening the backroom? I'd like to bring our guest here so he could have some peace and quiet" After they were settled in the backroom, "Welcome to our back roomm reserved only for our special guests and my apologies Mr. Sato, I hope our little incident their doesn't compromise you view of Tinkers Haven. I hope you realize that junkers will be junkers where ever they are."
FinnMcKannon was still outside and calming down the angry crewmen as Fynn entered the bar, alerted by Olsens silent alarm. The burly Freelancer mercenary was doing a good job of keeping Burke and his men down at their table, but he clearly did not have the personal authority to do more than deescalate the situation.
And all eyes turned to the lean Foreman as he strolled through the cantina and joined Olsen at the bar, ignoring the commotion as asking for a glass of wine.
Burke was the first to call out over to Fynn, his voice accusingly loud :
Hey, Boss ! Why is Sturm protecting the bloody Hog and why have you allowed him to enter the Haven at all ? Is this a snake hideout now, and no clean Junker base anymore ?
Fynn turned roound calmly, smiling at the joung hotblood crewmen all banding together behind the tall form of their deckmate. His voice was calm and clear, and loud enough in the suddenly silent bar that the people next door in the backroom behind the sliding pannels could hear every word.
Calm down, Burke. Im here to drink my glass. Offduty, like the rest of us, even the Hog back there in the music room. If I´m your Boss and all that at the moment , I wonder why you and your mates didn´t come over to my office and ask me about it, like some of our comrades. A lot of us are worried about the Hogs and their plans here, and if you think I´m taking it easy your deliberately being rude to me, trying to pick a fight. Sounds like you are looking for enough votes to change my policy, eh ? Looking for my job ?
Fynn slowly let the wine circle in his glass, smiling with a cold, thoughtful expression.
Feel free to give it a try if you want, this is no corporate slave mine here.
This is Tinkers Haven, and you and your crewmen have already earned yourself full status.
That is, most of you. But tell me one thing will you ?
The joung Junker Foreman carefulls set his glass of wine down, and turned to face the small group squarely, pointedly showing that he was not wearing a weapon belt or any concealed gun in a single deliberate and controlled slow movement.
This is a peacefull, civilian base, and a lot of us have family here. Or plan to have one at least, with all those pretty nurses around.
He winked at a bosomy girl not far from him , seated together with some other Paramedics and wearing a silver Clinic badge showing her to be a fully trained Crew member, and grinned broadly as a shallow ripple of laughter passed through the room.
I will keep it so, enabeling us all to live a good life here, trading and living without having to check the long range scanners every minute or so yust to survive. And it´s a free life, something to be proud of.
If you are so eager to pick a fight with any Hogosha pilot or Xeno fanatic, why are you not out there at the Spire, joining the Marauders or at least offering them fighting support in a Recycler or Bulldog ?
Now Fynns voice was cold and harsh, and nobody in the room failed to notice that he stood in an easily balanced and well trained pose, the body language of an experienced martial arts expert and knife fighter.
If you really want to pick a fight with one of our guests here at the Haven then remember that is our home.
This is no shady bar where you can bigmouth around for a laugh or pose for the girls. This is my home turf.
I hated the Hogs half my life and tasted blood before you ever left the safety of Puerto Rice for your first stint as a scrapper. I´ve been out there in small ships, no heavily armoured Sallys. I saw them bleed and got cut, traded a life for a life , not only some shots at far distance. So if you want to challenge me or my decisions then do it in an open vote to change the Havens policy or shut up and stop annoying me before you just might get the barfight you obviously are aching for. Don´t hide behind big words or great speaks.
Silence gathered in the big room, as the jounger crewmen slowely backed away from Burke, leaving him standing alone. And with a high colour Burke started stammering something about not fair and just saying his thoughts like any free Junker.
Fynn interrupted him curtely , his voice still loud enough for all to hear :
Every guest is welcome here at the Haven, and is asked to respect our code. And If you all want to keep your eyes open and stay carefull you are only doing what I expect you to do. The Kusari respect strength, and they understand buisness, same as we do. Treat them fairly till they give you a reason to stop them.
And now let me drink my wine, ´cause I have the same rights to this bar and my free time as the rest of you.
Turning around Fynn nodded to FinnMcKannon, gesturing the senior security officer to step back and let the men settle down again. And he ignored the chatter rising around the cantina till an old Freelance pilot sitting at a table at the other end of the room started slowely to clap, others joining in till the room was thundering with the applause of the guests and Haven members. Traders, medical staff and Junkers alike showing their support in one great and thundering appeal. Now you could see the colour rising in the joung Foremans neck and face, till he gestured and pleaded them to stop. It took some time till he could speak above the commotion, with all starting to laugh again as he coughed out theatrically till they where silent again.
OK, I get it, your after a free round again. Olsen will take it on my slate and thanks for your support.
Remember, friends. We work for a better life here, for us all. And the first encounter we have to master lies deep within ourselves. Think first, act afterwards. Now grab yourself a drink, and that means you too, Burke. There´s nothing wrong in speaking ones mind, but we want no vengeance trolling here.
The rest of the words went down as the room started to drone with voices and the normal noise of the buisy cantina, and with Fynn still standing at the bar several members closed in and started to discuss with him. Still visible through the half open sliding door to the backroom where Sturm and the Yamamichi - gumi guest named Sato where sitting. Fynn caught Sturms eye and nodded to them both, slightly raising his glass in a silent salute.
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