Bidi's Diner Part 1

Jack slowly eased the ship out of light speed, "Ya think we lost 'em?"

Killian checked a module to see if any extensive damage was done to the ship, "Yeah I think so, but I think we're gonna have ta stop soon."

"Repairs?"

"Yep."

"Well, if we're stoppin' we might as well get something to eat. I'm starved!" Jack grinned as he stretched his arms out.

Killian huffed in amusement.

Jack and Killian were both pilots for their planet's government, tasked with transporting precious cargo to an ally planet to assist in the war. Both pilots had thought they would've been more inconspicuous in the junker they were flying, but the enemy and their luck proved them wrong.

"You don't think that they were attacking us cause they knew about our cargo do you?" Jack asked.

"Nah. Nothing about our ship says Everenian, so how could they know we come from Everen? Besides, we took all the precautions in disguise: non-government codes for our ship, the very design of our ship, why we had to go with a rust bucket, I don't know, and even plotting a route that doesn't look suspicious."

"Yeah, I know," Jack smirked, his hands locked behind his head as he leaned into them. Jack was the cocky type, the kind of guy who always loved the adrenaline and thrived under pressure. Jack was an 'alien,' he was a species named Jalkoln, known for their fur-covered bodies and unique patterns that decorated their face, arms, back, and legs. Where skin would normally be on a human, Jack had short sandy-colored fur, which was interrupted occasionally by a rich brown slash, swirl, or curve that collectively made an entrancing pattern across his body fur. Jack also had a sandy-colored tail to match, a dark brown tuft of fur on the end that hovered above the ground whenever Jack walked, and to add to his animal-like features, Jack pulled off a pair of furry elf-like pointed ears. Besides those few details, Jack had human features; many considered him handsome, with his shoulder-length brown hair that was partially pulled up into a ponytail.

Killian stared at him blankly, "Then why did you ask?"

Killian was the leader of their current mission, making him Jack's superior. Killian wasn't anything special compared to Jack, but he still took pride in his strengths and heritage. Killian was a native Everenian, inheriting rare traits only seen in his race. Killian had brilliant almost glowing emerald eyes, short, slightly wavy dust-brown hair, and a fit build. Killian considered himself a noble man, one true to his word, which is one of the reasons why he climbed up the ranks quickly. Even though Killian was Jack's superior, the two pilots considered each other good friends, especially after all the missions they had completed together.

Jack chuckled, "Would you believe me if I said it was because I love hearing you talk?"

Killian scoffed through a smile, blinking a few times at his partner, "Bullshit."

Jack gave a hearty laugh, holding onto his stomach as he almost doubled over, "Okay, but seriously, where are we headed to anyways to try and fix this piece of junk?"

Killian pulled up a holographic map on the console, "Says here there's a station a couple of light-years away."

Jack hummed, leaning closer to the hologram, "Says here the only things open on the station are the garage and 'Bidi's* Diner'... Never heard of it." Jack shrugged and leaned back into his chair, "Well, as long as there's a diner, I'm in... wonder if they have pie?"

Killian sighed, muttering, "It's always about the food."

Jack chuckled.

"Alright, flyboy let's focus on the task at hand," Killian stated.

Jack rolled his eyes, "Whatever you say starboy."

***

Jack steadily slowed down the ship, almost letting out a sigh of relief when the station came into view. However, that moment of relief ended when the ship began to rattle.

"Shit!" Jack exclaimed through clenched teeth.

"I'll try to keep er steady! Try to see if there's anything you can do in the back!" Killian demanded.

Jack unbuckled his seat and stumbled his way out of the cockpit, "Let me know when we're about to crash land!"

Jack stumbled through multiple sets of automatic doors before he made it to the main hallway, searching for his toolbox. Locating it on the floor next to an open floor panel, Jack made his way over to the box as fast as he could, but just as he was about to reach it, the ship made a violent jerk causing Jack to trip and fall into the open floor panel. Jack yelled as he flew headfirst, landing with a loud crash as his toolbox fell on top of him. Jack groaned in frustration as he stood and peeked his head over the gaping hole in the floor, "YA KNOW, THAT'S NOT HOLDING IT VERY STEADY, RIGHT!?"

"SHUT UP! WE'RE ALMOST THERE, SO FOLLOW YOUR ORDERS!" Jack heard Killian yell back.

"Yes, sir," Jack grumbled, and he crouched back inside the hole, picking up his tools.

The pipes underneath the floor panels were shaking violently, the fasteners holding them together slowly shaking loose. Jack quickly picked up a wrench upon noticing this and frantically began to re-tighten the fasteners.

"WERE ALMOST THERE! JUST HOLD ON A LITTLE LONGER!" Killian shouted as he neared the barrier surrounding the station that kept in its air supply.

"It's not like I have anything to hold on to," Jack grumbled as he moved from pipe to pipe under the floor.

Killian entered the station's field, causing the ship to shake as it switched from traveling through a vacuum to traveling through air. The violent quaking of the ship caused the pipe Jack was working on to burst, blasting him with hot steam. Jack screamed from surprise and pain as he lifted his arm to shield himself.

Killian faintly heard Jacks' scream as he began to touch down.

Shit, Killian thought.

The base of the ship touched down, Killian slowly putting more of the ship's weight onto the ground. Sparks flew as the ship gradually skidded to a stop on the space station. Killian panted, his heart still racing from the fear of crashing and dying. Killian quickly unbuckled and ran out of the cockpit, "Jack! Jack, where are you!"

Killian heard a groan from his left as Jack unsteadily stood from the hole in the floor.

"What did you say?" Jacked asked in a hoarse voice, squinting at Killian.

"Are you okay?! What happened?" Killian asked as he walked closer to Jack.

Jack furrowed his brow, sticking a pinkie finger into his ear, "Sorry, but your gonna haf ta speak a little louder my ears are ringing like crazy."

Killian began to get a little bit annoyed by this, "I asked, 'What the hell happened?!'"

Jack squinted up at Killian, "I could ask you the same fuckin' thing!" Jack said as he hoisted himself out of the floor, pointing a finger into Killian's chest.

"What the hell was that landing?!" Jack questioned.

"I don't know if you've noticed this flyboy, but were currently flying a damaged ship, so she's not gonna fly quite right. Were fine and the ships not exactly any worse! We didn't crash, did we?! You think you could do any better?!"

Jack didn't want to fight with his superior and friend, but his pride got the better of him, "Maybe I could've, but I guess we'll never know since you never let me pilot in these situations!"

"You're not qualified yet! Until you either get the proper training or you're flying by yourself, it's never gonna happen!"

Jack looked down in frustration.

Killian sighed, "You'll get there, I promise. And I'll be damned if I don't help get you there."

Jacked huffed, looking back up at Killian. Killian smiled, clapping his hand onto Jack's back, leading him forward as both of them walked to the ship's exit, "Now common, if they have marlimum pie I promise to get you a slice."

Jack's lip curled slightly, "What am I? Five?"

Killian squinted and frowned, moving his head from side to side in contemplation, "...Sometimes."

Jack laughed, "Hey!"

Killian laughed alongside him as Killian opened the hatch and walked down the short extendable ramp and onto the cracked asphalt their ship was currently sitting on. Jack followed suit, taking in his surroundings. The station was extremely rough, its grimy buildings matching their ship almost perfectly. Where shops were supposed to be were boarded up buildings, its broken windows giving the station an abandoned eerie look. The only things open at the station was a diner in the middle of the strip and the garage they hoped would get them on their way again. The diner's exterior was grimy like the rest of the station, its weak neon sign protruding upwards above the other shops, casting a faint glow upon the street. The garage sat at the end of the strip, its large garage door open and its interior exposed, hopeful for new customers.

Killian began to move towards the garage, briskly walking towards the glow of the shop lights.

"Ya know I've never heard of this place before... Are you sure this is such a good idea?" Jack asked, trying to catch up with Killian to meet his pace.

"We don't have a choice. We'll have to make sure to be careful, but otherwise, leave it up to the mechanics. The only thing that matters is that we make a successful run." Killian stated.

Jack sighed, "He can be so headstrong sometimes." he thought.

As the two neared the garage they got a better look at its details. From above the lifted garage doors was an awning where the shop's large neon sign lit up. The rich yellow sign towered over the two pilots, the words reading 'Bedo's* Garage'. Within the gapping garage doors was an elaborate setup. The place was littered with scrap, various parts, and electronics, all scattered upon the floor like child's toys. Wires snaked its way through the piles and dangled from the ceiling. The only light source keeping the shop illuminated was the occasional shop light that dangled from the mess of wires and pipes above.

"They should fix up their own shop first before they try to fix anyone's ship," Jack grumbled.

Killian ignored Jack's quip as he continued to peer around the shop. Metal scrapped and clattered as a small pile of scrap moved on the counter located at the far side of the garage, opposite of the garage doors. With the scrap clanging to the floor, a small robot was revealed, "May I help you with something?"

The voice was electronic, sounding reedy and as if it was speaking out of a tin can. The little robot was about the size of someone's head, with small retractable arms with pinchers at the end of each for hands, and tracks to move about. His face was wide and slightly narrow, making his three facial features stand out. His circular eyes were glowing bright yellow, and his mouth was a long blue bar that lit up with each syllable.

Killian raised an eyebrow and cautiously took a step towards the robot, "Are you the owner of this establishment?"

"Yes." His mouth momentarily flashed an electric blue.

Killian glanced back at Jack before continuing, "So yer name's Bedo?"

"Yes."

"Can you fix our ship? We had a rough landing coming in, and it seems like we need some minor repairs."

"This is a garage, isn't it?" Bedo asked his head and treads moving slightly as he spoke, looking up at Killian.

Killian's eyes widened in surprise at the snarky comment. Once again, he looked back at Jack only to find him trying to hold back a smile, Of course, he'd laugh.

Killian turned back to Bedo, his eyebrow raised, "Yes."

"Then I can fix your ship."

Jack then stepped in before Killian could comment, "All by yourself?"

"I'll have help."

Jack and Killian eyed the towering isles of scrap.

"If you're wondering where they are, don't worry about it."

Jack and Killian both looked skeptical, but Killian went along with it anyway, "I know you haven't looked at the issue yet, but do you have any idea on how long it'll take?"

"If it doesn't involve anything external as you claim, it should only take a few hours."

"Great. What are we gonna do in the meantime? There's nuthin ta do around here." Jack sighed, rolling his eyes as he flicked his tail in annoyance.

Bedo stiffly turned to Jack, "You can wait in the diner."

"Yeah, 'cause there's nuthin else in this dump," Jack muttered to himself.

"I'm guessing we pay when the jobs done?" Killian asked.

Bedo gave a stiff nod.

"Alright then," Killian said as he pulled out the ship's keys but stopped before he handed them over, "Now Bedo, I'd much appreciate it if you only touch what you need to in order to repair our ship. Seeing as it's our home... I'm sure you understand."

Bedo looked up at Killian's weakly smiling face, "Of course."

"Good," Killian dangled the keys out in front of him for Bedo to grab on to.

"I'll contact you when it's done."

Killian and Jack both nodded as they walked out.

Jack sighed, a look of worry on his face as he looked at the ground. Killian noticed, "I know what you mean. This place is kinda weird, and we can't exactly afford to have our ship down like this."

"I could've fixed it. We have tools."

"As much as I would've preferred that, we need parts."

Jack still looked skeptical despite Killian's reasoning.

"Don't worry. Besides," Killian leaned towards Jack, lowering his voice, "If they even found out about our cargo they wouldn't even know how to get to it."

Jack smiled slightly, remembering the peculiar security measures taken to keep their cargo secured, "Yeah, I guess you right."

Killian smiled at Jack, "Of course I am. Still want that pie?"

Jack chuckled, "I'm kinda surprised. Usually you're the one doing the worrying, and I'm the one who has to talk you out of it."

"Yeah, well you did enough worrying for the both of us. If we were both in a panic, things wouldn't be goin so well for us."

Jack raised both of his eyebrows in agreement.

The pair neared the diner, spotting a couple of other ships parked in front of it and a new customer pulling in. The sigh was rusty as well as the rest of its exterior. The diner had no windows, only a door under the massive awning. The pair couple tells it was once a shiny, utopian diner but had now fallen into disarray. Jack and Killian walked under the awning and neared the door as a new customer walked up at the same moment. The new customer seemed in a rush, wearing a long dark coat and a wide-brimmed hat. In his rush, the customer bumped into the fighter pilots as both Jack and the customer reached for the door. The group stumbled back from the door, Jack noticing worn weaponry clamped around the customer's wrist.

A bounty hunter?

The customer grunted and once again moved for the door, throwing it open and entering without a second look at the pilots. Jack and Killian looked at each other and simply shrugged before pulling open the door to the diner.

*Bidi is pronounced bid-ie

*Bedo is pronounced bee-doe