Chapter Text
Pyke's head was pounding.
They were on their way to transport a few humanoids to a planet a few solar systems away. Usually they didn't do transport missions, but they offered good pay and Rett needed a few parts for the ship near that area so they agreed.
Their guests were a race that lived on a water-based planet, with oceans covering almost all of the surface. That meant that they were transported in pods filled with water.
Pyke was glad that that meant they wouldn't walk around the ship, potentially invading his privacy, however, while the pods could be secured, if there was too much turbulence the people inside would be shaken around quite violently.
Traveling through the Honk-stream was a no-go, risking injury to their guests. Traversing space the traditional way, even with FTL, would take days.
Days meant a lot of extra time for Chuckles to cause headaches.
Right now they were in an area with no close stars, which was stretching Pyke's nerves thin already. Chuckles started his antics way too early in the morning, ruining breakfast in the process wasn't helping. The shenanigans following after that were the last straw.
Now he was almost running through the corridors until he reached a familiar door. Chuckles didn't know when to stop but there was one border that he wouldn't overstep.
Without further hesitation Pyke tapped the pad next to the door, announcing his presence to the dwarf inside.
Moments after the door opened with a whooshing sound, allowing him entrance.
He stepped inside, eyes adjusting to the sudden change of lighting. Out in the hallway, there was light everywhere, Retts room was only lit by a small light standing atop a workbench filled with all kinds of mechanical clutter.
The owner of the space sat hunched over some project that he worked on in his limited free time.
Rett made no move turn around or otherwise acknowledged Pyke, who simply went to sit down on the bed in the other corner.
Nobody said anything for a while, the mechanical buzzing and clanking of Rett working filling the silence.
Pyke closed his eyes simply enjoying the peaceful silence.
They snapped back open the moment he heard the sound of squeaking shoes coming closer through the corridor. Pyke froze, staring at the door in horror.
The squeaking came closer and eventually stopped in front of the door.
"Captain?", came the anger-inducing voice of the clown that sounded through the comms, "Have you seen Pyke around? I wanted to give him something."
Rett stopped his tinkering and turned around looking from the door to the bed where Pyke was sitting, clearly unimpressed (and slightly amused, Pyke noted).
Pyke stared back, the look on his face almost pleading, tho he would never admit that.
Rett sighed, activating the comms: "He ain't here Chuckles. Have you checked the lounge yet."
That last part clearly wasn't a question.
For a short moment, there was silence on the other side of the door. "Sure thing Captain."
With that the squeaking started again, disappearing the way it came from.
Pyke breathed a sigh of relieve once the noise had ceased completely.
"Thanks, captian, I'm not sure if I could've handled him right now. I owe you"
Fishing around blindly in his pockets he picked out a pack of cigarettes. "May I?" The question wasn't needed. He knew that Rett didn't mind him smoking in his room.
"Give me one and we're even."
Without hesitation, Pyke took the cigarette he had just taken out for himself and threw it to Rett who caught it without problem. As the dwarf took a lighter from somewhere on his desk Pyke put the pack away again but not before snatching himself another one.
"So, what are you working on?"