Chapter 11

"Grandma Boro's" Valin read.

"The cooking that makes your tastebuds go supernova!" His brow furrowed as he stared at the big sign over the restaurant's entrance. Beside the slogan was a picture of a giant head who he thought was Grandma Boro, winking at customers that would enter.

Feeling slightly weird, he turned to Sabe and Freia who accompanied him.

"Didn't you say that you were touring high class restaurants and that one of the best chefs would work here? But most of all, are you sure this is 'his' restaurant?" Valin asked sceptically. They did their research about people that were harrased and supressed and finally settled on trying to recruit the owner of this establishment.

"Don't let appearances fool you, the restaurant has 5/5 in every tour guide you'll find on Zeltros and is rumoured to have the best sandwiches on the planet." Freia explained with a nervous look on her face. It was true after all, the sign didn't exactly match the description they gave.

"She's right, it is said to be one of the best. We didn't find the time to visit, but it was on the list. And from the ones that Gunray is targeting, this one has the best reviews." Sabe affirmed Freia's statement.

"It's not that I won't try it, the food is only one of our goals after all. I'm just a bit surprised, that's all." Valin said as he entered the restaurant followed by the other two while ignoring the vandalized exterior from the shop. Broken glass was neatly put into one edge of the building. It was clear, that the windows were only recently replaced, and the sign cleaned with mixed results. There were still remains of paint at the edges.

What greeted them was a similar styled diner to what he remembered of his former life. There was a broken table or chair from time to time, but overall, it looked well-kept considering the circumstances.

On the far wall to the right was a clearly overweight male Kiffar wearing a white apron that had some food stains on it.

Just as he was about to continue walking, he heard a small voice in front of him. Seeing no one, he turned his gaze down and met with the eyes of two children, a young boy and girl with green skin, showing their Mirialan heritage. According to their appearance, they were barely ten years old.

Clearly it was wrong to apply his old world's standards here, but for Valin it was a weird sight to see small ones like those two working.

"Welcome customer, where do you wish to sit?" asked the small boy.

"Do you have a recommendation for me? Preferably I'd like a place where I can speak with the owner of this establishment while eating."

"If you want to eat, it's better to sit at a normal table instead of the bar. I will ask Bogo to meet you." The young boy stated as they followed him to one of the tables.

Sabe was cooing about how cute they were all the time.

"Who is Bogo? I thought this restaurant belongs to Boro?" Valin asked to make small talk. He already knew about their circumstances, but there was no reason to make those children on guard. From what he learned, they had it rough for most of their life already.

"Bogo is the owner and Boro was his grandma." This time it was the girl that answered, she was obviously more timid, but still doing her best.

It didn't take long for them to take their seat and get the menu to choose from. To say that they were surprised that every one of their three guests ordered at least three different dishes would be an understatement and the little ones directly went to convey the order and help Bogo. It was honestly heart-warming to see them do their best, even if they weren't much of a help aside from getting them settled in their table, which in itself was already a help.

Around an hour later, the two children came back with a food trolley. Bogo was slowly following behind them as they approached. They all patiently waited as they put the dishes on the table.

"Alright Tyria and Devos, why don't you go play or watch that show of yours while I speak with our guests?" Bogo said to the two children who quickly ran to another table where their whole focus was taken by the data pad that stood in front of them.

"You surely don't look like an old woman, but seeing you up close, I can definitely see the similarities with the sign." Valin said jokingly. "Why don't you take a seat with us?"

Bogo stayed silent for a bit as he took in their features. All three of them were clearly trained and knew how to use the weapons they were carrying. His eyes nearly bulged when he saw that the fiery looking one even had grenades attached to her outfit. It wasn't surprising that people carried weapons, but it was still rather rare to see people on this planet carry them openly if they weren't the guard detail of a rich person.

"Come on, we won't bite. I just want to talk." Valin tried to keep Bogo's mind from wandering and coming to conclusions before he even knew why they were here.

"How's the food, I hope it's to your liking." Bogo asked as he finally took a seat next to Freia and across from Valin.

"I will try it while we talk but it definitely looks good. Now, as for who we are and why we are here." Valin started as he saw Bogo tense slightly.

"I am Valin Beruss and these two are Sabe and Freia, part of my crew. We aren't with the people that are trying to get you out of business if that puts you at ease." He introduced themselves to the cook across of him.

"Then what is it that you want from me?" Bogo asked, clearly not calm. Since when would someone just get calm when someone told them to? The last few weeks were extremely stressful for him.

"It's easy, I want to invite you into our crew as our ship's cook. We all are tired of bland or outright dangerous food." Sabe eagerly nodded her head at that.

"And why would you think I would just join a crew. As you can see, this restaurant has some sentimental value for me." The Kiffar answered with a poker face, but Valin already understood that their chances were rather good. He didn't even outright refuse and was just vigilant.

"We did a bit of research about Nute Gunray and his plans for business in this region. To be honest, it doesn't look good for you. But from the face you are making, you are probably aware of your situation." Valin concluded. When the name of the Neimoidian Viceroy came up, he was visibly distressed.

"Your business is on its last legs and since you refused his continuous offers you have a big mark on your head. Well, you and the children. While I wouldn't call me either a good or an evil person as I make most of my decision based on my mood or benefits, even I wouldn't just target innocent children. Just look at it logically, even if you try to settle somewhere else, you already crossed Gunray or at least one of his goons. Depending on their character, they will have their revenge one way or another and those two are one of your weaknesses. In the end, your business on this planet is most likely dead and you obviously care for those children." Valin concluded.

Bogo was looking more and more defeated by the time he finished listening to the young captain. Sure, he could try to run away, but he had nowhere to go and no savings worth mentioning.

And the most important part was Tyria and Devos. They were only two of many neglected children that ended up on the streets, but he decided to take them in and help them grow up as respectable adults. He couldn't help every one of them, but he would do what he could. He would deny if asked, but Bogo was a big softy inside and selfless when it came to innocent that were dealt a bad card in life.

Valin clearly saw through it and thought that he would make a good addition to the crew, he clearly respected the man for the choices he made. None of the current members were somewhat peaceful and had an eye for the burdens weighing down their members. Someone focused on the wellbeing of the crew was a must-have as Valin could only concentrate on it so much and the number of people on board would only grow in the future.

"Considering I would join, I would have a condition. I want to bring those two and I want them taken care of properly." Bogo sighed in defeat. Honestly, he was at his wits end and if Valin was serious, they would at least have a chance.

"That's of no problem. The moment I saw you three, I already knew that you would want to bring them. They will get the best schooling on-board, we have the perfect droids for that. They can even apprentice under one of the crewmates in the future if that's what they want." Valin easily accepted.

"They will obviously become prodigal cooks. They take after me after all." Bogo proudly stated as a lot of his worries disappeared when he learned that his two children were most likely safe for now.

"Aside from that, you will get your own quarters, a big kitchen with the best appliances and a proper salary. That and safety obviously. Even if Gunray won't be able to come after you anymore, we will be dealing with him in the future." Valin confidently stated.

"You will wha-?" Bogo was interrupted with a sound of ringing.

Freia picked up her communicator and took it to her ear. Listening with complete concentration, she took it away after a few seconds.

"It was Dunn?" Valin asked as he finally managed to start eating.

"Yes, he said, that he settled a meeting with the other potential recruits for you after meeting them all over the course of the night. All of them accepted and only your opinion on it is left. Aside from that, they found the secret base that the Trade Federation uses for shadier dealings on this planet. Dunn said that he, Corvus and the brothers are ready."

"That went faster then expected, but it seems more food has to wait. It would be a waste to just leave it here though." Valin said as he picked his own communicator and typed a quick message to one of his droids on the ship.

It didn't take long for the dishes to just disappear in a small show of light. Bogo didn't even know how to react to this.

"I think you broke him, boss." Sabe laughed as she poked his chubby cheek.

"Well, it's time to go wild my Sabe and Freia. Bogo, I want you to pack your and the children's stuff, we will pick you up in around an hour."

Those were the last words that registered in Bogo's mind as Valin left with the women in tow. Sabe and Freia had their own bloodthirsty grins on their face. It has been a while since they got to battle after all.