Conrad barely gives them time to get up the ramp before he locks the door and starts talking, "Yas, we got ourselves a vargr waitin' to speak to Captain Crow.  I put her in the starboard side lounge to wait for y'all, figurin' we'd be better off with her well away from any controls."

He jerks a thumb toward the passenger side lounge, then turns to Jago, "Jago, I think we need to go fill the tanks, and prep for a quick dust off, just in case.  There's a destroyer coming in fast, Midu Agasham class, making about five gees, near's I can make out.  She's too big to land, but she wants to make low orbit for repairs.  Now, I don't have all the details, but it might mean trouble, so I'm thinkin' it could be good to be ready, see?"

OOC: I Take it that's GM hint no. 1001, "Stop pissing about, the plots over here..." : )

Tylen paid the cabbie as Jago fills them in.

"You want us to get ready to lift Captain?"

"Ah, just in time then!  Time to be captain.  Shall you join me, captain, as my first mate, or shall you deal with that little ship first?" Yas says with a chuckle and wonders why things always tend to happen at the same time and never wait in line like good little events.  Spread the fun, and all that jazz.

"Lucky for them we're on their side or we'd kick the butt just liek we did the Vargr's, eh, Jago?" she boasts in a very exaggerated manner and even hits her chest a few times as a sign of being powerful.  Naturally she begins to cough and wheeze from this display, to make it complete.

"A Midu?  Here?" Saskia looks a little surprised at Conrad's announcement.  "They're frontline ships, cutting edge, they wouldn't send one to some backwater on a pirate hunt.  Do you know her name?"

She plunks herself down on the deck and starts unlacing her boots.

"Did they say what's wrong?"

"Nope, di'n't say what was up, but I di'n't 'spect 'em to, neither.  Navy like to play their cards close." he says, with a chuckle, knowing that Saskia, like himself, had been in the Navy.

"It's the Shata Lunoqi.  Mean anythin'?"

"The Shata Lunoqi?" Saskia pauses in unfastening her boots, staring at Conrad, just for a few seconds, then finally kicks the boots off and stands up, flexing her toes in her thick socks.

"I think I might know her skipper.  At least I know who it was about five years ago."

“I was thinking of a run out to the gas giant to refuel, in the hope of tempting out our pirate friends,” Jago absently roles his cigar between finger and thumb, “things do seem to be developing here though.”

Coming to a decision, the captain pops the unlit cigar into the corner of his mouth, “right, we’ll move over to the pond and get fuelled up, can you prep for that please Sakia. It will take most of a day to process that, so we won’t be going anyplace, any time soon. ”

“Conrad, could you inform the tower then stand by on the comms, I’d like to know straight away if anything is going down.”

“Shui, we may have a house guest for a while, can you set up one of the state rooms for a Vargr.”

“Meanwhile Yas and I will have a little word with her, Dhakhingzuel, wasn’t it, you others are welcome to sit in if you like.”

“Can I have a quiet word Corlan,”

"Oh, right, yeah, Dashingfuel.  So, shall I be the captain, boss?" Yas says and looks ever so innocent as she poses the question, smiling like a little angel.  The number of guns she carries takes a little bit away from that picture, however, although she do manage to look almost harmless, especially if you squint a little and view her against the light where the gun barrels might be mistaken for wings or something.

”Sure, if you want to, but I hope you don’t mind if I sit in though.”

"Why, of course not!  You are my first officer, after all, and the one with the head for business," yas says and taps her nose knowingly before bursting out in a short but hearty laughter.

Saskia and Conrad head off to carry out the jobs that Jago requested, while the rest of the crew, with Corlan, head for the passenger lounges, or to their cabins, according to their own plans.

When the door opens, Dhakhingzuel is immediately visible, clearly in the process of pacing back and forth.  As the humans enter, she turns quickly to face them, "Cap-tain, you are here.  This is good.  I haave waited, such as you re-quest-ted.  We will hunt piraates to-geth-ther?  Yes?"

As she speaks, her head is bowed, shoulders slumped, and tail lowered.  She is not the same brash, confident Vargr that had approached them in the bar.  Her attitude now is clearly more submissive.  More polite.

"Hello, hello!  Well, let us talk business.  Just what exactly do you expect us to do, and why are you ready to pay for it?" Yas says without beating around the bush as she half returns the bow before taking a seat.  She leans forward and rests her elbows on her knees with the hands loosely held together in front of her, palm to palm.

"Any other questions, Jago?" she also asks, looking over at Jago.  He was the one who would be coming with the more clever stuff, she reasoned, with her being the ex marine and him the trader.

Tylen returned to his cabin nd cleared a space on the top of his locker for the music box. Looking round he realised the rest of the room could use a spruce, so he set to spring cleaning until he was sure it would pass an inspection like he'd had back at boot camp. Tidy, the little cabin looked very bare and he made a mental note to get some posters or art prints to liven it up, maybe even a potted plant.

”Why don’t you take a seat Miss, and tell us what you know about your brother’s disappearance,” Jago says with a smile at the Vargr, and a little nod to Yasmin.

Jago still feels that he’s fishing in the dark over this thing, and Dhakhingzuel is his best chance of getting a decent handle on it. There is no way that he’ll commit his ship and crew unless he knows what he’s getting into, yet eh more he investigates, the less clear the situation becomes.

Corlan gives the Vargr an appraising look as he passes her and goes into his own cabin, closing the door behind him.

The alien meanwhile perches herself on one of the softer chairs, right on the edge, with her tail tucked underneath herself and out between her knees.  "My brother, Oezzarr, was young brother.  Has work on Hoomaans trader ship called Big Deal.  Works two, maybe three year, as nav-igat-tor."

"All is good."

Her voice is pitched low, with the hint of a deep growl on the edge of it, and her ears are laid back, flat against her skull, as she continues to speak, her attention fixed on Yas, "Four times he comes to Gnavshroukt, what Hoomaans name Ark-kadia, with no troubles.  Then fiveth time, and Cap-tain of Big Deal, him hears story from other Hoomaan.  Oezzarr send message to me, at home at Dnarrouff, sorry, at Fren-zie.  Tells how soon he will be rich.  Cap-tain has hear about broke ship, will go find it, will claim it."

"I reads letter and laugh much.  Oezzarr always say he will be rich.  Then six day later, new letter.  Oezzarr is dead, kill by piraates.  I come here, fast as can, brings all save-ings, will see piraates dead.  Family pride say must do."

If the little canine is being truthful Yas can easily understand both why the Vargr wants to do this and why she can not offer any larger sum than what she does.  If it is true, she feels for poor thing.  But then, it might also be a scam - although, if it is, such a measly prize holds little incentive to any potential pirate hunter.

"Do you know anything else about this Big Deal, the captain and what ship they were going after?  Anything you can tell will help," she says, looking at Dashingfuel all the time.  First to learn as much as possible, she reasons, then she can chat with her captain before actually deciding things one way or another.

In her mind, if they want to seem desperate to make money and an easy prey - if this is a trap - then this is a good way.  Not without risks, but then neither is they everyday business on Profit Margin, and they do have their Letter of Marque.

The Vargr reaches into her jacket and removes a neatly-folded piece of paper, which she spreads out, flat, on the coffee table.  It is covered with precise columns of tiny geometric symbols, running top to bottom of the page.

"Here is letter.  Oezzarr says here... " Dhakhihgzuel taps one polished black curved nail against a section of what must be text. "... that Cap-tain says broke ship is very bigger than Big Deal.  Maybe twelve thousand khagh, ah... apo-logies... you says one thousand tons."

"In-form-mant say ship drive fail ten year back, after Jump.  People here, at Gnavshroukt not can get back, no ships.  Him say all think ship lost, and not re-mem-ber, but he see from other ship, some weeks gone by.  Him say not tell his Cap-tain, him not trust Cap-tain.  Him leave ship, let Cap-tain leave Gnavshroukt, then him start find new Cap-tain."

"I would tell Oezzarr be care-ful.  Not trust aenunel who be-tray own Cap-tain.  I not get chance to say this."

She thinks for a moment then, "Big Deal was what Hoomaans calls far trader.  Like size maybe same this ship, Profit Mar-djinn."

Listening in on the comm channels, Conrad chuckles, "Good ol' Navy social etiquette.  Don't go visiting someplace, 'lessin' y'all've introduced yourself properly."

He flicks the intercom to provide a direct link to Engineering, "Saskia, I jus' found out who's commandin' the Shata Lunoqi.  Name's Giata.  Is that who you thought it was?"

Jago takes a long pull on his cigar, and exhales slowly, ‘interesting’, he mumbles, then looks to his captain for permission before moving to the intercom.

“Conrad, can you check shipping records and news reports from around ten years ago, we are looking for a ship, around ten kay tons, that jumped in here, then suffered drive failure and was lost before landing, buzz us back if you find anything please.”

“Sorry captain,” Jago says turning back to Yasmin while hiding his smile behind the hand that holds his cigar, “do go on, I’d be fascinated to hear what the what eh authorities did over the loss of the big deal, and how you came to hear of it Miss, who sent the second letter?”

Saskia is on the Bridge almost before Conrad finishes speaking.  "Giata, eh?  She used to be my Commander on the Pugnacious before she transferred to the Shata Lunoqi."

"Let me see if I can talk to her.  Maybe she'll remember her old Engineer and tell me what's going on."  She moves towards the comm console.

Having been nodding and humming as the Vargr speaks she nods to Jago as he "asks for approval", Yas sits back looking thoughtful and pretends that it is perfectly normal for her to leave such menial tasks to her underlings.

She takes the letter and glances it over.  It is pure Vargr to her, and since she does not read it, it could as well be a shopping list or anything else.

"It's quite all right, Jago.  Yes, please, do go on!  I see the lure of such a prize, it would make quite the catch indeed," she agrees with him once he has spoken.

Tylen surveyed his tidy cabin with satisfaction. Still feeling energetic he strips and performs his routine workout before a quick shower and a change of clothes.

OOC - Desperately trying to play catchup, here and just get my foot back in the door... :)

Having carried out the Captain's orders to prep the stateroom for Vargr usage, and done a quick double-check on her medlab (and its 'guests'), Shui activates her dataglove's intercom link and pages Jago directly.

++ Captain Lanza - the stateroom is prepared and the medlab is prepped for emergency situation.  Is there anything else requiring immediate attention? ++

The Vargr nods energetically at Jago's question, "Second letter is from friend of Oezzarr who leave ship here.  Him get work on other ship, Oezzarr say here... " and again the claw-like nail taps the page of Vargr writing, "... ship name March Dancer.  Hoomaans gives ships strange names, so names easy for me re-mem-ber."

One ear flicks briefly towards the intercomm as Shui's voice sounds from it, then continues, "March Dancer land here three day before Big Deal go out, Oezzarr's friend get work as gunner, then March Dancer stay here five-six days, and Oezzarr is dead.  Con-nery, Oezzarr friend, mail letter when March Dancer reach... ah... what is in Hoomaani?  Ah... Garda Vilis, yes.  March Dancer reach Garda Vilis, and Con-nery give letter to ship come Frenzie.  I get six day after Oezzarr letter, and more two week after Oezzarr dead."

Her gaze fixes on Yas, "Cap-tain Lanza, you help will?"

---

On the Bridge, Conrad works from the pilot position, finding out what he can for Jago, while Saskia tries to place a call to Shata Lunoqi, where a Navy ensign tries to stall her...

---

Tylen, having tidied his cabin to the point where even DiGriz, his old IISS supervisor at Rabwhar, couldn't have complained about it, goes through his workout routine, and takes a shower.  Then, with nothing better to do, he heads out for a coffee, and encounters Shui as she exits the med-bay.

Bored out of his tiny mind Tylen decides to go for a coffee. Wearing his customary tight khaki pants and his customised boots he also sports another in his collection of red T shirts. This is a rich red number with the word "BLUE" in large letters across the chest in a shade of red so close to the original shirt colour as to be almost imperceptible. People who stare at it for long enough tend to get a headache. He steps out of his cabin, almost cannoning into Doctor Shui Tiesi as she comes out of Med Bay.

"Whoa!"

Tylen just manages to stop in time.

"Hi Doc, umm I was just going for a coffee, care to join me?"

His voice sounds hopeful, he hasn't much to do at present and with Jago busy he can't even go and ASK for a job.