can this thing go any faster?

Brendon Antill. Drag Racer. Crew of the Spectre. Space Pirate. Future Navigator. 623 points.

[brendonantill-blog]

jeremiahlocke:

If it were anyone else Jeremiah might’ve rolled his eyes, but by this point if he did that every time Brendon made a remark like the one he just did he was certain he’d have his eyes stuck in the back of his head by now. Instead, Jeremiah merely made a disgruntled sound and continued with what he was doing before the other man swept in.

“Depends, will I have to put up with lame jokes if I say yes?” he asked pausing only long enough to peer aside at Brendon one eye narrowing speculatively as he waited for his answer. After all, depending on that would depend on whether he answered in an affirmative or negative.

What a pair they were. The seriously comical one and the comically serious one. Jeremiah was the kind of person who wore his life story on his skin, featured of hard lines and an almost permanent frown, at least around Brendon anyway. You had to be a particular sort of person to get through to Jeremiah, Brendon had figured. Some personalities just clashed, but he wouldn't let himself be discouraged by it. He'd just continue to be himself, filled with ill-timed comments and badly delivered jokes.

"You know me too well. Although it depends what you mean by lame. I can make an extra effort to get you some quality material if you prefer." One look at Jeremiah's face told him that the man wasn't in the mood for his games, and so Brendon shrugged, still smiling as if unaffected by any of this. "Come on. It's not like I'm a caricature or anything. I can go a little while without joking. What'd you prefer to talk about instead?"

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Give us two truths and a lie about yourself.

“I ain’t ever had a pet, I only speak one language and I once ate an entire rabbit, bones included.”

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Is there anything you used to like but can’t stand now?

“Hey, I’m a lover, not a hater.” 

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Where and when do you feel the most at home?

“When I’m in a cockpit. Ain’t nothing like it. Too bad Kate chases me away from her deck.” 

[jeremiahlocke-blog]

As Kidri faded into the distance and the Spectre took its own course as swiftly as possible in the opposite direction from the planet Jeremiah sought out something to occupy his time with. With the rigging secure, the vibration of the engines humming throughout the ship and stars sailing past both port and starboard sides he could currently be found on the foredeck. On his hands and knees with a bucket of sud-laden water swelling with the slight tip of the ship as solar winds buoyed the ship in its flight, he worked methodically; using a stiff-bristled brush to scour the wooden boards underfoot leaving them glimmering and reflecting the galaxies overhead. 

He’d been working for the better past of most of the morning, only ever pausing to spread some more water over the deck. His expression set in a stern look of contemplation, mind occasionally going back to the naval officers he’d rather literally beaten to a pulp with his bare hands and the memories caused him to mutter something to himself and scrub a tad more violently. It was only upon hearing the sound of approaching footsteps that he spoke up lest someone accidentally slip and hurt themselves or fall overboard… “Careful, it’s wet” was the only thing he uttered as he continued to scrub, the sinewy muscles of his lean arms wound tight, coiling and relaxing with each movement he made.

[brendonantill-blog]

"That's what she said," Brendon answered, not skipping a beat and having no intention of apologizing for his terrible joke. He walked tall, perhaps even careless, always wearing something of a shit-eating grin on his face and yet somehow still managing to be endearing.

He didn't know very much about Jeremiah, and he figured that was by design. Whereas Brendon spoke far too much, Jeremiah barely said anything at all. He was the strong, silent type. Men like that usually bored Brendon, but it was also something of a challenge to try and bring them out of their shell, a challenge he often revelled in. "You want help with anything?"

[brendonantill-blog]

Beaches, mountains, or forests? Excluding the ones we've recently trekked through, of course.

“Beaches sound fun. Sun’s out, guns out.”

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What are some weird/funny quirks you've noticed in other people?

“Mama always taught me not to point out anything that’ll make someone self-conscious if they can’t fix it in thirty seconds.”

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What’s one thing you want to know about another crew member?

“Anything they wanna tell me. Oh, and how come Remy got my job.” 

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What's on the top of your bucket list? What's on the bottom?

“Top is taking a navigator job, even if I gotta take it from Remy. I ain’t thought about what’s at the bottom. If it’s at the bottom, it ain’t that important.” 

[brendonantill-blog]

katexwright:

Kate leaned against him for a bit longer, letting him bear most of her weight until they were well out of sight and earshot of any patrolling uniforms. Looking up when he said the coast was clear, Kate pulled him by the sleeve into an alcove between two booths. It was cool and dark, and Kate sat on a crate of vegetables, pushing her sweaty hair back out of her face. 

“That was pretty quick on the uptake. Thanks for not gettin’ us shot.” She gave him a lopsided grin before her eyes slid from him back to the street outside. “They’re startin’ to get suspicious. We need to keep it low key for a bit. No stealing. No fighting. No gambling. No racing. Low fuckin’ key.” She gave him a pointed look. 

The clatter of the market was a muffled a bit here, and Kate was tempted to stay a bit before going back into the heat of the day. “What were you doin’ anyway? To draw their attention?” 

Brendon was flying on adrenaline. His heart was hammering in his chest, and he was half-expecting the guards to come back at any moment and realise they had made a mistake, yet the other-half of him was floating on the waves of success, on victory. He kept Kate at his side, as if she really was the weary woman she had pretended to be. He kept moving until there were no longer eyes on them, then finally let himself laugh.

"Holy cow, that was fun. Terrifying, but fun." Kate was thanking him. Really? Thanking him? Brendon couldn't help but feel a swell of pride in his chest. He had done something good. And he'd done it in front of Kate, someone he was keen to impress. Brendon winked at her. "I can be much more than a pretty face if the mood strikes. We're pirates, right? We're supposed to lie, 'specially to protect our own asses."

He wished he'd had an answer for her other question, but he just shrugged. "I wasn't doing nothing. Guess I just got an untrustworthy look about me." He chuckled. "S'not important now anyways, let's just get back on the ship and get the hell outta here before they come back."

[brendonantill-blog]

If you were really hungry, really exhausted, AND really gross, what would you do first — eat, nap, or shower?

“I’d take a sandwich into the shower.”

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Favorite mode of transportation?

“Dragons.”

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Which is cooler: unicorns or dragons?

“Dragons, for sure. Unicorns can’t even come close.”

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A dirty secret.

“I don’t keep secrets, ‘specially dirty ones. Dirty stories are the ones most fun to share.”

[brendonantill-blog]

katexwright:

“I know they’re just doin’ they’re jobs, baby. But don’t you think they oughta know good, honest, hard-workin’ folks from… from pirates?” Kate asked, sounding incredulous. She opened her mouth to say something back to the office, but Brendon beat her to it. 

“Stole them! Right from under our noses!” Kate expanded. “We was all set to go to market… we woulda made enough money for the year… plus our weddin’.” Kate shook her head. “Then the next mornin’ my gates standin’ open and thirty of our prize heifers was missin’.” She clapped a hand over her mouth, looking distraught.

But the officers were still standing there. One thing about a short con: get in, get out. Don’t linger. They were approaching lingering status. So Kate did the only thing she could think of. 

“Water…” Kate murmured drowsily, her head rolling against Brendon’s shoulder as she started to sink to the ground. She fluttered her eyelids dramatically, and once Brendon had a good hold on her - a very firm, very tight hold, she noticed - Kate let her body go entirely limp. 

The officers had the good temerity to blanch as Kate swooned. They backed away, muttering their apologies again about both the loss of their cattle and the hard times. One even muttered a congratulations on the wedding before the entire troop moved off. To say they looked grateful to have avoided an ‘incident’ was low-balling it.

“They gone?” Kate muttered against Brendon’s neck, eyes still closed as she looked every bit taken by the heat. 

With every word that came out of her lips, every seemingly well practiced lie, Brendon was more and more impressed. He wore a solemn face, one that belied his true nature, the thrill of adrenaline that pounded through his body, the eagles in the pit of his stomach. "We're still tryna recover from what them nasty pirates did to us. My wife still ain't recovered."

This was something else. They were sure to be shot any second. And yet Brendon didn't let himself look worried, except over Kate's wellbeing. It was probably a good idea for her to sell it this way. It meant any of his fear and anxiety could be interpreted as being about his poor fiancee, while her superior acting skills carried the show. Everyone stared at a fainting woman.

The officer opened his mouth to speak and Brendon looked up with a hurt and somehow stern glance, stopping him. "Haven't y'all done enough? Thought this was a nice town. They're harrassin' us..."

They had started getting looks. Offended farmers who'd come here for the markets, actors, good old townspeople, they didn't tend to be a fan of people with uniforms and weapons. "You back off them nice people!" An older woman called from behind her cheese stand. "They're good salt of the earth folk."

It was working. The naval officers were already starting to get defensive, turn to try and calm the townspeople are more voices started speaking up. "Come on darlin'," Brendon whispered, pulling Kate to her feet. "Let's get you that water. They're gone," he added with a snicker, dragging her away through the crowd.  

[brendonantill-blog]

katexwright:

Kate didn’t care what part she had to play, as long as it got them out of a tight. And while she wasn’t the best, she certainly wasn’t the worst, as the confused looks on the faces of the men with Very Large Guns seemed to say. Thankfully, Brendon played along without hesitation. 

She was good at hiding. Her talent for it had started in the orphanage, and then on the streets, and then again in prison. Putting on a fake facade was the same thing. If you believed it, and could sell it, you could fool almost anyone. 

Kate gave a small laugh. “Yes, darlin’. Ring shoppin’. Honey, did I stutter?” she said, turning her head slightly to Brendon. “I know this weathers dry. Maybe I need a drink…”

She turned back to the officer as he asked about stolen money. “Stolen funds?” Kate said, looking utterly scandalized. “I’ll have you know that my fiance and I work very hard for every dime we have. Raisin’ Star-Seed Cattle ain’t easy, let me tell you what. And to stand here-” Kate’s lower lip started to tremble, and she blinked rapidly. “- and have you, Officers of the Law, accuse us of… of buyin’ our weddin’ rings with stolen funds… after we’ve saved up months… oh, I think I might just faint…” 

Kate swayed on her feet as Brendon spoke to the men again, eyelids fluttering against her cheeks, as she prepared to ‘faint.’ She only hoped Brendon didn’t let her hit the ground. 

She was better than even Brendon had anticipated, and even with the amount of heart-eyed admiration he already had for her on the virtue of her experience as a pilot and a navigator, Brendon felt himself grow even more smitten with the woman. He only hoped that he could keep up.

"Darlin', it's okay. I'm sure they didn't mean anything by it. These nice officers are just doin' their jobs." Brendon had a little bit of a rough accent already thanks to his childhood being raised by farmers. He wondered if his background was the reason Kate had picked cattle wrangling as their profession. He exaggerated his normal accent just a little, lightly patting her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," the man with the gun started, already beginning to feel uncomfortable with the prospect of a woman who was either about to get angry or cry. "I'm sure you understand, we just have to do a thorough investigation..."

"It's alright officer. Really. Man, I'm gonna take it in the neck for not standing up to ya..." He lifted a hand to rub the back of his neck. "But my girl ain't too happy 'bout the mention of pirates. They ain't too good for our livelihood. Stole a bunch of our best cattle not too long ago. Part of the reason we gotta save so hard for the wedding."

Before he could say anything else though, Kate had fakes a fainting spell, and Brendon had to rush into action, strong arms reaching out to grab her, clinging to her body. "God darn it... Kitty, sweetheart... s'alright, come on, you're alright..." He lifted his head to look at the officers apologetically. "I'm sorry sirs, I'm gonna have to get her outta the sun... It's a medical condition."

[brendonantill-blog]

katexwright:

Kate had come around the corner of the market stall in time to see Brendon talking to a group of uniformed men. They looked edgy, so Kate pretended to browse the stall next to her - full of jewelry and trinkets - in case things got ugly and Brendon needed back up. She casually flipped the tab on her holster as she browsed, making sure her pistol would be an easy draw. Though she hoped it wouldn’t come to that. They were on planet for a bit longer, and the last thing she wanted was to be stuck on the Spectre for the duration. 

But he had seen her, thank the Gods, and Kate looked up when he tapped his arm. “There you are!” she said, grinning broadly and affecting an accent that was much more suited to someone from the countryside rather than someone brought up on the unforgiving streets. “I told you yesterday we were here to look at rings, not eat up all the food in the market.” 

Kate wrapped her hand around Brendon’s upper arm, smiling like an idiot as she let her other -concealed behind him - drift to the handle of her pistol. “You boys wouldn’t know of any good places where one might find such a thing, now would you?” She leaned forwards, and whispered like it was some great secret. “These folks here don’t really have what I’m lookin’ for. Lots of colored glass back there, you know?” 

Kate grinned at the men, seeming to wait for an answer to her question, but her smile fell into a pout when they didn’t answer right away. “Well, don’t everyone talk at once. I figured you gentlemen would know this place back and forth. Good, respectable men that you obviously are.”

He must have messed up, done something to draw attention to himself. That bar fight probably hadn't been the best idea, but hell, it wasn't as if he'd started it. Or maybe he just looked like the unruly type with his long hair and slightly scraggly beard. Either way, he'd got their attention now. There was no going back from that. All that mattered is what he did next.

Kate was like a lifeline. He'd heard that she was handy in a tight spot. Being a pilot made you rely on your instincts, meant you had to make quick decisions. Brendon had done that every time he raced, but Kate had been navigator for years. He wasn't arrogant enough to think they weren't of more use combined than apart.

In true Kate fashion, she immediately launched into a cover, placing her arm around him. He played along, giving a smile. "Aw, I'm sorry darling, but you know me. I can't shop on an empty stomach, and we're gonna need some catering for our wedding, huh?"

He stood on Kate's arm as she played the role of the slightly snobby fiancee. Girl was good. Brendon wasn't that good at lying mostly because he wore his heart on his sleeve and told it like it was, but Kate, he almost believed her himself.

"Ring shopping?" said one of the Naval officers, eyeing both Brendon and Kate with suspicious eyes. "And you wouldn't happen to be paying for that ring with stolen funds, would you? We've had reports of your fiancee being involved in piracy."

Brendon snickered, shaking his head. "Probably just some jerk who's jealous I'm marrying this gorgeous lady and they aren't, right honey?" He leaned in to whisper toward the officers now. "She's got a lot of exes, y'know? Not that I mind. It's who you're wish last, not who you were with before."