[Ari's hungry after all the exertion, but she holds up a hand, palm out, uncertain.]
It's very kind of you to offer, but you've got to let me give you something in return. Fair contract. [She can't be obligated to people, not even for small things.] Also - I mean no offence here, if your customs differ, but my people don't eat animal flesh of any sort. Would it be safe for me? [That's the diplomatic way to put it. They'd switched to lab-grown protein blocks a long time ago.]
[The introduction merits a smile and a nod, even if the place-names are unfamiliar, and Ari doesn't rightly understand what she means by verse. Not the same sector, that's for sure. Not even the same galaxy?]
I'm afraid your sector isn't familiar to me either, Captain. I suppose that means our recruiter really did search far and wide to find us all. I'm not sure of the translation either - if you're second captain, is that positional? I was second astrogator on my last ship; that meant I ran the astrogation department, but on second-shift. Or is it- [she hesitates, because calling someone a second-class captain is insulting, even if you don't mean it to be] - that you have grades of captaincy?
[Adela won't have to look too closely to spot the silver rank insignia on Ari's jacket, although their meanings are likely obscure. There's one to mark her as a lieutenant, another as an astrogator, and then, curiously, there's a round patch on her upper arm where the fabric seems darker, as if she'd once worn another badge there, but removed it.]
no subject
It's very kind of you to offer, but you've got to let me give you something in return. Fair contract. [She can't be obligated to people, not even for small things.] Also - I mean no offence here, if your customs differ, but my people don't eat animal flesh of any sort. Would it be safe for me? [That's the diplomatic way to put it. They'd switched to lab-grown protein blocks a long time ago.]
[The introduction merits a smile and a nod, even if the place-names are unfamiliar, and Ari doesn't rightly understand what she means by verse. Not the same sector, that's for sure. Not even the same galaxy?]
I'm afraid your sector isn't familiar to me either, Captain. I suppose that means our recruiter really did search far and wide to find us all. I'm not sure of the translation either - if you're second captain, is that positional? I was second astrogator on my last ship; that meant I ran the astrogation department, but on second-shift. Or is it- [she hesitates, because calling someone a second-class captain is insulting, even if you don't mean it to be] - that you have grades of captaincy?
[Adela won't have to look too closely to spot the silver rank insignia on Ari's jacket, although their meanings are likely obscure. There's one to mark her as a lieutenant, another as an astrogator, and then, curiously, there's a round patch on her upper arm where the fabric seems darker, as if she'd once worn another badge there, but removed it.]