With Arkadia's thirty-one hour plus day, by the time the business day starts, Profit Margin's chronometer reads 11:30.  Twenty minutes later two vehicles pull up outside the ship.

The smaller one has a consignment of groat steaks for the ship's supplies.

The larger one, a noisy, roaring monster, is there to collect the cargo.  A few minutes later a third vehicle, a van, arrives, and a dozen men spill out onto the field, along with three muscle-powered cargo trollies.

The van driver approaches the bottom of the ramp, with the paperwork for the collection.

Tylen signs for the meat and loads it into the freezer. He puts in a call to Jago.

"Hey boss, the guys for the cargo are here. You want me to handle it or do you want to come check the paperwork?"

(NPC'd)

"Just check they're here for the right cargo, Tylen, and get them to sign for it when they're finished.  Should be plastic polymers they're after."

Jago goes back to his own paperwork, and wonders exactly where the next cargo will come from.

Standing guard as always, Yas stays bck and lets the boys handle it this time around.  She is happy standing off to the side and keeping an eye on things, armed to the teeth as usual.

Tylen checks the paperwork and lowers the cargo ramp.

The paperwork is all in order, so far as Tylen can see.  The quantities and descriptions of the goods to be collected match the markings on the containers.  He drops the ramp, with its characteristic screech, and signals for the cargo handlers to move in and start work, shifting the containers, using the trolleys and raw muscle power.

Slowly, so slowly, the containers start to roll out of the hold.

The driver grins at Tylen, "Shouldn't be too long, I think.  An hour.  Seventy-five minutes, tops."  He steals a glance at Yas.  "Who's that then?"


In her quarters, making sure that everything loose is safely secured or stowed away, Shui hears the squeal of the ramp, and knows that the last obstacle to their mission is now being taken care of.


Saskia moves around Engineering, resisting the urge to make last minute tweaks and adjustments.  The ramp is heard only dimly here, but it's a sound she knows well, and has never been able to stop.


Strings of course data and vector calculations flow across Conrad's panel.  With a natural eye for the details, he bounces the best choices over to Jago's console, only to update them  moments later, to allow for orbital motion of Arkadia, and the two giants.


Jago studies the courses, overlays them, and picks out the ones that he likes best.  Some look a little odd at first, until he notes that perhaps  a slight, unexpected deviation here saves a couple of hours there, or means that their approach to one of the giants will put them in the shadow of a moon.  Conrad, it seems, knows what he's doing.

Having already checked on their passangers this morning (first thing, Jago had said), Shui is relatively secure in the knowledge that they are prepared.  But under the circumstances, it just might be a good idea to check again.

++ Mr. DeSant. ++  She strides quickly down to the passangers' cabins.  ++ Are you prepared?  We are close to lift-off. ++

Spotting the driver looking at her while talking to Tylen, Yas smiles prettily and waves her fingers at him before resuming her guardiong as if nothing had happened.  She do keep an eyecorner out for any reactions though while suppressing a chuckle.

Tylen looks across at Yas to only to catch her smiling and waving. he turns back to the Driver shaking his head.

"Buddy, that's one crazy, bad-assed, ex-marine."

He leaves the Driver to supervise the unloading, he wants to be one hundred percent sure that only the correct cargo gets unloaded and nothing else.

Corlan answers Shui's call, "Yes, I'm just securing the last of my belongings, per your instructions."  By the time Shui reaches his cabin, all the cabinets are latched shut, and everything is stowed away securely.  The stateroom's window currently displays a wide angle view of the landing field, piped in from the ship's sensors, and occasionally overlaid with datafeeds, neatly bracketing various moving objects and attempting to attach identification markers to them (though the computer keeps insisting that the groats are actually carbon-based asteroids).

The same goes for Dahkingzuel's quarters.  The Vargr had not been planning a long voyage anyway, and she has little in the way of belongings with her.  She smiles at Shui, though she doesn't show her teeth, and her tail wags.  "We go soon now, yes?  We hunts piraates, take ven-ge-ance for Oezzarr's death.  His spirit will rest easy after this."

"Please to say to Cap-tain Lanza that I am much grate-ful to her for help.  I hopes we find piraates soon, so will bring swift end to matter, and Profit Mar-djinn go back to true bus-in-ness."


The movement of the cargo takes closer to ninety minutes in the end, and none of the handlers touch anything that they shouldn't.  When all is done, the driver scribbles a signature on his paperwork, gets Tylen to countersign it, then hands the crewman the top three copies, and an envelope.

"That's a bank draft to cover the price for the cargo.  Tell your captain that he can cash it over at the Port Building, at his convenience, but he'll need to have ID on him."  He gives Yas another look, then turns back to Tylen, "Thanks for your help.  Have a good day."

Tylen ensures the envelopes contents are as described and then nods to the driver.

"Pleasure doin' business with you."

He strolls over to Yas as the heavy vehicle pulls off.

"I think you scored with the delivery driver Jarhead."

He says with a smile.

The doctor bows as she leaves the second cabin - not too deeply, it wouldn't do to be labeled as submissive.  "I shall certainly convey your sentiments to Captain Lanza."

Shui hurries away from the second cabin, moving deeper into the ship.  She wants to check on her own 'passengers' before lift off.  ++ Captain Lanza?  The passengers are well-stowed and prepared. ++  She palms open the door to the med-bay and enters, quickly moving to check on her two 'guests'.

++ We are prepared for lift-off.  Dahkingzuel offers her thanks and a hope for a speedy completion of the task. ++

Waving and winking at the man as he glanced over at her again, Yas had moved over to meet Quadman as he finished things off.

Her shotgun comes up over her shoulder, and when he mentions having scored with the fellow, she chuckles and shakes her head.

"No, no, no, I like it slow, no quickies," comes the odd reply as she moves towards him, grinning like a hungry wolf.  Nearly brushing up against him and she walks past, she puts all her femininity into her walk - an unusual sight indeed - and then she glances back at him for a moment.

"Beside, he's not my type.  But a bit of teasing is only fun!"

She stops and laughs, "Never mind me, I've been too long around stupid jarheads, remember?"

Somewhat confused by Yasmines display Tylen shakes his head,

"I think the Shotgun kinda spoils the effect Yas,"

He says as he heads up the ramp to deliver the draft to Jago.

He knocks on the cabin door before entering.

"Paid by draft Boss,"

He says proffering the piece of paper.

"You can cash it at the Port Building apparently but you'll need ID."

“Thanks Tylen,” Jago says, smiling broadly as he leaves his desk to take the envelope, then moves over to place it in the safe on the wall.

On the desk, in stainless steel tray is a a 30 cm dodecahedral structure of thread-thin struts.

“I’ll have a little chat with everyone in the passenger lounge before we lift off,” he goes on when the safe is firmly locked again, “say ten minuets.”

As Tylen leaves, Jago uses the intercom to inform the crew, and passengers, of his intended meeting.

Catching the intercom message from Jago, Shui hurries to the 'lounge'.  There isn't much time.  Ten minutes, in fact.

Coffee pot on, so quickly it's like watching a machine at work.  The movements have been practiced so often, they have become rote.  Heating milk for Yas' cocoa and kettle for tea.  Cream, milk, and sugar placed out on the table.  She quickly pages their resident Vargr - + Pardon me, Dahkingzuel, but given that the Captain has set up a meeting, I was curious as to your choice of beverages. +

All the while, her hands continue to move.  Measure out the cocoa.  Check the milk.  Pour the nearly-boiling water into the pot, and add the tea cozy.  Begin mental timing.

Only ten minutes.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:26, Tue 14 Nov 2006.

With a shrug, Yas waltzes into the lounge and catches Sushi there.  Briefly considering another "assault" she quickly dismissed the idea and waves to the doc, as that is what she is to the Ex Marine Captain.

"Hey, doc," she says, sticking to the more formal of her names for the doctor to avoid causing any further offence or such, "need a hand?"

With the shotgun still across the shoulder she looks like she is more likely to shoot the tea set than anything else, but then, impressions are often quite misleading, often intentionally.

Shui glances over her shoulder, and proffers a smile.  A very quick one.  Then it's back to the counter.  "If you could put out everyone's coffee mugs, Yas, save for your own, I would be much appreciative," she replies in a breathy, distracted voice.  Milk into the cocoa.  Tea is ready.  Her fingers expertly hook the cozy from the teapot, and place it carefully in a bowl beside the sink.  The coffee is dripping away, and everything else seems on schedule...but help with the cups would be a godsend.

The shotgun would be nervewracking, except that half the crew seemed to come aboard with a full arsenal.  For Yas, carrying a shotgun is 'Tuesday'.

"I usually don't put out, but for you, I will," Yas wisecracks but actually sets the shotgun down - in a place where she knows where it is but that is nto obvious to anyone else - and begins to place out cups.

"Hey, doc, once we're out and chugging along there's something you should take a look at.  Nothing serious, but it can't hurt, I figure," she informs Sushi while setting the table, apparently putting the cups in an identical position at even spaces although it seems to be automatic rather than conscious.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 15:17, Tue 14 Nov 2006.

The quip is expected.  What isn't expected is the question that follows it.  Shui frowns - it's not like Yasmine to ask for help concerning herself.  So either it's serious, or it concerns someone or something else.

"Very well, Yas."  She places Ms. Crow's cup, full of steaming cocoa, in the appropriate place on the table.  The teapot is put down in the centre, beside the insulated coffee pot.  All prepared.  Shui moves to the pantry, begins hunting for small biscuits.  Finding an assortment, she begins to arrange them on a plate.  "And it concerns yourself?  Or someone else?"

"Oh, just old me, I wouldn't dream of going in someone else's place unless it was a matter of security," Yas says with a shrug and looks around for anything else to help with.

"So, anything else you need help with?" she finally asks, failing to think of anything else that might be needed, short of a few guns and such for herself, half jokingly, which she keeps all to herself in case Sushi would misread it.

Shui absently notes that her use of Yasmine's chosen name appears to be doing splendidly.  "It might be better if we meet in my office, then.  At your convenience."  Her smile is small, and entirely unconvincing.  "I expect I shall be free for a short time after we take off."

And after that, she might have more work with which to deal than she able to handle.  This isn't making her feel very good about the future.

"I believe...."  Shui sets the plate down on the table, bicuits carefully arranged.  "...I am fully prepared," she finishes, stepping back to consider.  "Do you have any suggestions?"

"Yeah, well, I was thinkign when we hit J-space.  Until then I must keep an eye on things," Yas comments and glances about in case the Vargr is around - it would not do to reveal she is not the captain by accident, after all.  Then she grins at Sushi, big enough for both of them.  "It's nothing serious, as I said, no surgery or transplants, even if I probably could use a new head sometimes!"

As the doctor's petition for ideas, Yas steps back as well, as if knowing what she was looking at, or for, and put one arm across her abdomen, rest the other on it and her chin cupped in the hand of the latter arm - a finger tapping lightly on the tip of her nose.

"Hmm.  A couple of chocolate birthday cakes, for me?" she suggests carefully, sounding deadpan serious and looks over at Sushi, gently lifting both eybrows as if to firther ask for the doc's input on this idea.

"Understood, Yas."  If the marine said no surgery, then no surgery.  Shui trusted her to tell the truth, when not joking.  And this didn't seem like a joking matter, whatever the problem might be.

"I believe," she murmured, staring at the table, "we could all use new heads at times."

Yasmine's suggestion is met by a single, raised eyebrow; Shui continues to stare at the table as if envisioning the two cakes.  "If it is indeed your birthday, Yas, you should have informed me before and I could have baked.  Though two cakes might be a little far afield from my dietary suggestions."  She glances over at Yasmine, her eyebrow still high.  "Perhaps one?"

"Yes, especially dumb jarheads like me," Yas sighs and shakes her head slowly, remaining deadpan serious.

She looks over at the doctor as she suggests one cake, showing an expression of shock, more or less.

"One!?  I need two, for balance!" she exclaims, if gently, and nudges her upper torso area to show what she is talking about.  It was an old joke in the Marines, and old habits die hard, pretty much like Yas herself.

Before the doctor can react, consciously, the ex captain chuckles and smiles.

"It's not my birthday yet, no, but thanks for the offer, I'll keep it in mind...  As for a diet, you needn't worry about that with me, I'm stuck in an old Marine rut there..."

In her cabin, Dhakhingzuel hears the captain's male assistant announce that there will be a meeting in the passenger lounge.  She collects her tunic from the cabinet where she had carefully placed it, knowing that humans can be finnicky about that sort of thing.

It is good that the crew of this ship are inviting her to their meeting.  It shows that they recognise her abilities.

Then the other, the servant, contacts her, asking about beverages.  "If you has knaergrouckh, with lots sug-grrr, that will be good.  If not has thees, I can drink tea or cof-fee.  Vargr bio-chem-ist-ry very same to hoomaans."

She steps outside then, into the lounge, to await the arrival of the human captain, and her crew.  The human that she has seen here before is already waiting.

Tylen takes a seat in the lounge and waits.

Shui keeps a bemused smile on her face at Yas' joking.  As a doctor, most 'biological' jokes tend to go past her - she just doesn't have the sort of preoccupation with the body that one tends to find among soldiers.

Not that it's wrong - when people coming under fire every day, life boils down to a febrile desire to keep doing just that:  living.  Sex probably tops their lists, and when they're not trying to survive, it probably bounces around their heads like a ping-pong ball.

As a doctor, though, Shui has seen enough bodies, naked and living (as opposed to 'armed and dead'), that much of the humor is gone.

"'Dumb Jarhead'."  She shrugs.  "I am certain you could do better with your diet - everyone could - but that is hardly a reason to qualify yourself so.  Indeed, I was under the impression that a certain amount of common sense and practicality came with surviving so long in the marines."

She looks up as the Vargr enters, and gives a short bow.  "Good day, Dhakhingzuel."  It isn't an easy name, but Shui has been practicing.  "We may very well - there was a Vargr aboard at one time, and I based my list of food purchases upon the records of that time.  A moment - I will see what I may find."  The steward moves to the pantry, and begins searching.  At the scuff of another pair of feet, she pops her head out.  Tylen.

"Mr. Ogresh.  Please, serve yourself.  The coffee-" indicating the pot in the centre of the table "-is fresh."

Tylen smiles,

"Thanks Doc."

He pours himself a mug of the fragrant brew and sips it. It's good.

"Hey Doc, damn good coffee."

He calls out, then walks to the pantry door.

"Can you do me a favour? Call me Tylen or Ty. The 'Mr Ogresh' stuff makes me think of going to the Dentist or something."

Her world crumbles, another foundation stone pulled from beneath her feet.  How ridiculously melodramatic, Shui.  The doctor pops her head back out of the pantry, blinking with some surprise at Tylen's proximity.  "It is not my habit to people by their familiar name...however, I have come to recently realize that such may not be the desire of those to whom I refer."  She realizes, then, that she takes refuge in formality - the idea of using people's first names has made her uncomfortable.

With an effort, she presses away the tension.  "Tylen it will be, then.  I hope you will not hold it against me should I lapse on occasion.  It is merely...habitual.  Not a desire to place you in a chair and examine your teeth."

Suspecting that Sushi probably thinks sex is on the mind of her and every Marine more or less constantly, Yas decides to withhold any other jokes of that nature.  Why continue to feed that image when it is just that, a way to get by.

"Yeah well, that's how we're labelled.  Dumb jarheads, with only one thing on our mind.  It's easy to fall into that act too.  But if you're dumb, yeah, you won't last long.  I've seen too many rookies die on their first combat assignment," she says, sounding a little tired at the last bit.

Then the doctor is off on her duty, so Yas saunters over to the seatings and takes her seat where the cup of cocoa is waiting.  The sight of the Vargr reminds her about their little deceit, and she wonders if they will keep it up or not.  It does not matter either way to her, and she suspects she will know soon enough.

His Scout training had taught him a great deal about body language and he immediately registered the Doctors distress. He hurried to amend his error.

"I'm sorry Doctor, I forget you come from a culture where formality is considered polite. In my culture it is customary to invite ones friends to refer to one by your first name or even nickname. Please forgive me, if you are more comfortable with Mr Orgesh then I shall be Mr Orgesh to you."

He smiled,

"Or even Orgesh san if you prefer."

He gave his best impression of a formal bow.

One by one, the crew of Profit Margin find themselves in the unusual surroundings of the passenger lounge, with Saskia and Conrad the last to arrive, apart from Jago.

Corlan and Dhakhinzuel are there too, as requested, awaiting whatever words the captain has for them.  Though the Vargr does not yet realise exactly who the captain is...

Shui spared a quick glance for Yas, worried that she had said something wrong.  Ms. Crow sounds extremely tired and worn.  That can't be good.

She turns back to Tylen, as he comes to a realization of his own...an slightly incorrect one, as it happens.  The doctor cocks her head to the side, and then shakes it.  "No, Tylen, that certainly will not be necessary.  My people are not nearly as caught up in the 'face' of things as those of japanese descent."  She gives him a little bow, in return.  "And my family, despite their adherence to tradition, have never been followers of Kongzi."  Kongzi, also known in other cultures as Confucious. 

"You wish to be called Tylen - it is your name, and your culture.  Yasmine has made that point to me regarding herself?"  Going back into the pantry, she takes out the package of knaergrouckh, struggling to recall how it might be prepared.  "Would it not be rude of me to insist on my own means of addressing you?"  A small smile, to ensure he does not think her offended.  "You honor me, after all, by considering me a friend.  Should I not return this honor?"

"But excuse me a moment - I need to speak with our guest."  Hurrying to Dhakhinzuel, Shui inquires as to the method of preparation of the drink.  Once she has that information, she moves back to the counter in order to whip one up for the Vargr.

On the way, she passes by Yasmine, and pauses to whisper something before continuing.

Jago saunters into the crew lounge wearing a serious expression, and pauses to examine the assembled faces. Wasting no time, the captain begins his address as he moves over to the coffee machine and pours himself a cup.

“The situation is far from clear here, everyone I talk to has a different take on it so we are going into this thing with an open mind. Two ships have gone missing here recently, the ‘Never Say Die’, who’s distress call we heard on the way in, and the ‘Big Deal’, about three weeks ago, the engineer on that ship was Miss Dhakhingzuel’s brother,” Jago nods towards the Vagre. “Both ships were well outside any practical shipping rout, the Big Deal was intent salvaging another ship lost in this system ten years ago, but there is no explanation for the Never Say Die being so far out.”

Jago takes a sip of his coffee.

“What I intend is to head out there and take a look, nothing more at this stage, what we do then will depend on what we find. As I say, we are keeping an open mind here. It is likely that we will find a hostile ship, not necessarily pirates though, and I don’t intend to speculate on the various theories that have been offered up.”

“We will be accompanied by the ‘Ore Hound’ which has a powerful drilling laser that can also be used as a weapon, we trust that ship just as long as it doesn’t point that laser at us and we’ll keep an eye on it at all times to make sure. The government here has put up a reward, if we qualify, we split with the Ore Hound, and I divvy the rest up equal shares between everyone here. A reward would be separate to any prize money that might be forth coming from our ‘letter of mark’, if we were to qualify there, then we’ll do the normal spilt within the ship.”

“Although money is always nice, it’s not the reason we are doing this. If the navy have to deal with it they will need to pull resources away from the war effort, chances are that they won’t and other ships will fall victim, either way, I can’t just walk away if there is a chance that we can do something about it.”

“One final complication is the ‘Shata Lunoqi’, our hostile ship might want to have a pop at here if she’s in a bad way.”

“We’ll be leaving in about an hour, once I’ve cashed this money order, just in case we have to jump the system rather than coming back here for a cargo.”

“So, any questions?” Jago finally lowers himself into a chair and takes another sip from his cup, “nice coffee by the way,” he adds, raising the cup in Shui’s direction.

Tylen nods, the deal seems fair, the motive honest and altruistic. This system needs the mystery solved before more people die or merchants start avoiding this planet, plus the damaged Navy ship would be easy prey for a Pirate or Enemy Privateer.

"No questions from me on the mission Boss. You want me to watch your back while you pick up the cash?"

Shui listens quietly to the explanation.  The idea still puts a sick feeling in her stomach, but she is now resigned to their mission.  A quick glance to Tylen, as he speaks up regarding an escort, and then she returns her gaze to Jago.

"I second that motion."  Unsure as to the current status between the Vargr, the Security Officer, and the Captain, she uses no titles, no names.  "I believe it might be wise if Tylen accompanies you."

Dhakhingzuel is a little confused at first.  The wrong person is addressing the group.

The male, who does not look as if he could defeat the true Captain of this ship if it came to a physical dispute, seems to be acting as the leader here now.

For a moment, she opens her mouth to voice an objection.  Then she closes it again, as the male's words sink in, and realisation emerges.

She knows what is happening here.  The ship is going into danger, and her commander does not wish to put pressure on the crew (and possibly the elderly passenger too), forcing them into going along if they don't wish to do so.  So she lets the lower status male make the announcement, and thus avoids bringing her own klaegzoukhin to bear on the situation.

A wise move, and one which gives the crew some freedom of choice, without forcing them into conflict with their leader.  Any decision not to go along will be seen as a dispute with this male, not with the Captain.

Later, when the mission is over, the Captain will be able to approach any who dropped out, and persuade them to rejoin the crew, and nobody will lose face.

The Vargr smiles. not showing her teeth.  She has made a good choice, it seems.  The ship has a commander who displays surpassing cunning.

Her eyes are fixed on Yas, as she says, "I will fol-low.  I will see piraates all dead.  For ghost of Oezzarr."

When Sushi whispers to her, Yas looks confused and then shakes her head with a shrug.

"You haven't," she says and gives a quick smile, wondering what had given the doctor such an impression.  Sometime she suspects they are way different, simply, which on its own easily creates misunderstandings.

Sitting back to enjoy her cocoa she listens to Skippy, Quadman, Sushi and Dashing Fuel in turn.  No need to speak while the cocoa still is warm and everyone else is talking, after all.

Apart from not being in the military at all the mission reminds her about a couple of old stories in which she was taking part, and although she can tell the doc is not too happy about the prospect, to her it is partly her life - perhaps that was why she joined up with the Marines, despite having had other options available.  Options no one knows about now except for her.

She merely nods to Jago and then cracks a crooked grin at the Vargr, along with another nod.  If she has nothing to say, there is no point in saying anything.

Conrad says nothing, looking around the lounge from face to face.

Finally he stands and stretches, "Well now.  If'n nobody else has anythin' to say, I guess we should be gettin' ready to move out then.  Y'all want me to put in the call to Ore Hound, let 'em know it's time to go?"

With nothing else left to do now, Conrad places a call to Ore Hound, followed by another call to Traffic Control, requesting clearance, which is granted with no difficulty.

Jago makes a quick trip to the tower collect the payment for the cargo, and then lifts Profit Margin as soon as he gets back.  Her tanks are full, and she could Jump as soon as she hits the hundred diameter limit, if Jago decides that's what he wants.  Despite Yas' numerous references to missiles, her magaxine is full, as is the autoloader on the belly turret.  With any luck though, potential aggressors will think she's poorly armed.

The plasma guns should come as a surprise too.

By the time she reaches the edge of the atmosphere, Jockram and his crew are close behind.  With a little more luck the two ships might appear as a single object on any long range scans.

Conrad's best course plot gives them about 100 hours to kill before they reach the closest giant, at full acceleration.

Ore Hound slides in closer, less than twenty metres away now, and Jockram sends a low-power tight-beam signal.  "This is your close pal.  You want I should snuggle up, or keep my distance?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:02, Sun 26 Nov 2006.

”Snuggle up close Jockram, we’ll try to appear as a single blip,” Jago confirms over the tight beam.

Sunk into the deep and familiar comfort of his pilot chair, Jago relaxes as the automatics take over.

"Roger, we'll hold close in, and match course all the way."

A quick burst of her manouvering thrusters, amd Ore Hound narrows the gap to eight metres.  Conrad sends them the course data, to assist in their attempt to stay close.

Shui waits during lift.  Regrettably, there is little she can do at the moment.

Once the ship is up and moving out of the gravity well, once it could be considered perfectly safe to move about, Shui does so, heading for the galley.

++ Should anyone wish refreshments, ++ she sends over the intercom during a quiet period, ++ please do not hesitate to ask. ++

Tylen settles into the familiar cocoon of his turret. He runs his systems checks and powers the laser. After that there's nothing to do but wait.

Keeping track of what she needs to keep track of, Yas soon has nothing to do and so decides to see if the doctor if free to see her.

"What's up, doc?" she asks as she steps into the crew lounge and spots Sushi.  "When you got a moment, let me know," she continues and walks onwards towards her quarters.  "I'll be back out in a moment."

Shui looks up as Yas wanders in, and returns her greeting with a quick smile.  "Preparing refreshments," she answers.  "If you have time now, Yas, I am available.  Here, your quarters, or my own - whichever would be more conducive to discussion."

"Oh, better make it your place.  Mine's a mess," Yas replies, the last bit clearly a joke, judging from the tone of voice and the grin on her face.

"Back in a minute, just need to fix a few things," she continues, a bit louder, stopping outside her room a moment to see if Sushi requires something else.

"Very well."  Lacking any orders for food for the nonce, Shui packs up her work, places it in the fridge, and heads for her 'office'.

Once there, she puts on a small pot of tea out of habit, and stops to say hello to her passengers.  One of them backs away in an ornery manner - she doesn't stick her hand in that container.  The other is more than happy to say hello in return, and she lets it investigate her fingers for a moment before moving to pull up a second chair and soften the lights a touch.

Now the room is no longer sterile, but comfortable.  Good.  She places the 'good' passenger on the desk, in the container - it might help Yas feel more at ease.

Useful little creature.

Dodging inside her cabin, Yas is gone for maybe half a minute before she comes out again and, after glancing at the lounge, steers her steps towards the doctor's quarters.

Knowing that Sushi is waiting, she knocks and enters at the same time.

"Come here often?" she asks with a cheesy grin as she walks deeper into the cabin and looks around, and something catches her eye - a little critter.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know you had company.  I hope I didn't interrupt something?" she asks, sounding completely deadpan serious, and somehow managing to look it too.

"He drops by every now and then," Shui replies, also deadpan.  "He stays for tea, then leaves.  Quite quiet, too - likely as not, you will never notice he is even here."  She smiles.  "Please, come in Yas."

She isn't seated behind the desk.  Instead, Shui has taken one of the chairs in front of the desk.  Standing, she pours herself a cup of tea.  "Regrettably, I have no cocoa.  Should you wish some tea, we have that."  Unless Yas takes some, it will remain untouched - for the moment, Shui is enjoying the scent.

"Thanks.  Ah, I see.  A tippy-toe-tea-totaller," Yas comments, still all deadpan, making certain to articulate well to make sure the jokes comes across.

"Ah, tea is fine.  Too much cocoa isn't good.  Well, it's good, but not good good, if you knwo what I mean?" the ex Marine captain says as she bends down to peek closer at the little thing.

Shui carefully pours the tea.  "Curious little creature, is it not?  It is empathic, and capable of projection.  Quite a clever bit of evolution, in fact.  It's perfectly harmless," she notes, passing a teacup to Yas. "It only eats vegetation."

She sits down again.  "So there was something about which you wished to speak, Yas?"

"Ah, a brainiod, as we called them.  Well, they ate brains or something, but they did seem greckingly friendly up to that point.  So, he's a vegan, eh?  Good to know," the ex Marine comments and chuckles, waves to the thing and turns to walk over to where Sushi sits once more, taking the cup with her.

"Hmm?  Oh, yes.  Well, sort of.  Not sure if you can help, but it's worth a shot.  Well, not a shot as such, but, oh heck, you know what I mean!" she tries to explain, confusing the issue as she tries.  She ends with a chuckle and sips the tea to allow her a moment to collect her thoughs and get them back on track after the meeting with the bug.

"Vegan," Shui agrees, with a small, amused nod.  "Just like me."  There is a wonderful symmetry there.

"But let us set aside diet for a moment."  She leans forward.  "I may not be able to help, Yas, but I will do my best.  Of that, I can assure you.  So - take your time."  The woman is uncomfortable.  Well, everyone is, talking to a doctor.  Especially soldiers - all of that 'suck it up and take the pain' business.

So she waits, patiently, for Yasmine to find the proper words.

"Yeah, like you, and you affect people too, in your way," Yas points out and then scratches the tip of her nose, looking about as if to see if anyone is there.  Since she closed the door it would not have been easy for anyone to sneak in, though.

Then she looks as if she is about to speak, and... scratches her neck.

After a moments silence she appears to start to say something, and... scratches her neck.

Then she sips some tea.

"Uh, well, this is one of those patient-doctor things, right?  It stays between us?" she finally says, although it is probably not much of an enlightenment for the good doctor.

Shui waits.  As long as this takes, she will wait.  Assuming there are no other interruptions, of course.  "Certainly, Yasmine," she responds.  "Though if it threatens the safety of this ship, I will urge you to speak to the Captain."  She sips at her tea.  "Should you choose not to do so, I will still honor your privacy."

Privacy in these matters is critical and absolute.  If it varies, for whatever reason, nobody will confide in her again.  Ever.  And her effectiveness as a doctor will sharply diminish.

Plus, there's the matter of the fact that it simply shouldn't be done, breaking confidences.

<i>Though if it threatens the safety of this ship, I will urge you to speak to the Captain.<i>

With that phrase grabbing her by the hair and running around like a mad monkildeer during mating season and it takes the woman with the generous hair a few moments to gather her wits enough to speak.

"Nah, it's not that bad," she tries, her attention kind of wandering to the vegan bug.  The teacup is held in hand as if uncertain where to go next, the plate or the mouth.

"Probably nothing, really.  Just another war injury making itself reminded," comes the next comment, the eyes returning to the doctor and the cup to the plate.

And then, a silent pause.

Shui raises an eyebrow.  Then she slowly nods.  "Yasmine, I will not bite.  Neither will I tell anyone without your expressed permission.  But," she continues, without a hint of impatience, "if you are to help yourself, I will need to know the nature of the problem."

She leans back in her chair, sips at her tea.  "Neither will I judge you, in any way, shape or form."  That could be a difficult promise to keep, but Shui is all business, now.  She says what she means, and means what she says.

Bursting out in a sudden laughter, Yasmine Crow shakes her head.

"I'd like to see you try to bite anything apart from a vegetable, doc," she chuckles as she calms down a little.

With giggles still escaping her now and then she continues, "We all judge, all the time.  All we can try to do is to get it a close to the real deal as possible."

Still dodging the issue it seems.

"It's nothing major, but who knows, maybe it's old age too.  It's my back, but only sometimes.  Muscle or not, you better tell me, though."

Or maybe not.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:26, Wed 29 Nov 2006.

Shui concedes with a nod.  Of course everyone judges - Yasmine is correct.  It's just what people do with that judgement that is important.  But she grows more serious when Yas explains the situation.

"All right.  It may be nothing, Yasmine.  We will do a preliminary examination, and I'll take some imagery.  Anything I find will be reported to you when I have confirmed the results - good or bad," she notes.

"How does that sound?"

If it is good for Yasmine, she motions the woman over to the examination table.

"All rightie then," Yas says, sweeps the tea as if it had been a quite stronger beverage and chuckles dryly, stands up and moves over to the examination table.

"No new scars since last, though, so no need to document that," she tries to jest as she sits down, preparing for the examination.  There are a fair share of scars on her, even with the armour having been worn most of the time.  Cuts, shots from slug throwers and lasers alike, shrapnel and some burns.

Push and prode.  Scan and examine.  Shui manipulates the flesh, first, with her own bare hands.  After that is finished, she runs a variety of devices over Yasmine's back, checking the area with her electronics to verify her physical findings, and to search for deeper problems.

Finally she is finished.

"You can put your shirt on again, Yasmine," she notes.  "My apologies that this took so long."  Moving away, she studies the holographic imagery on her dataglove's 'screen', runs a closeup or two, then moves to put on more tea.

The amount of scarring on the woman's body is horrific.

"First of all, put your concerns to rest," she says, pouring the steaming water into the pot.  "I find no signs of any disease or neurological degeneration.  In short, the problem is neither terminal nor impossible to ameliorate."  Moving back to the table, she offers the former marine one cup.  "Now that we have leapt that hurdle, let us move on to the problem."

"You have extensive scarring in the area, and my scans detected a piece of shrapnel - glass, by the look of it, which may explain why it was missed by earlier scans.  It was, apparantly, lodged in the BONE, harmlessly.  Recently though, it has come loose."  She shakes her head.  "I cannot speculate as to why.  In any case, now it is causing discomfort.  Painful discomfort, I imagine."  Another raised eyebrow.  "That, coupled with the scarring, is hindering mobility in the region.  I would suggest a small, local anesthetic, and then removal with a quick operation."  Her lips thin.  "I do not know if we have the time now, and would rather not rush.  If necessary, I can give you some mild - very mild - painkillers."

Silent and only moving as asked, Yas waits and watches as Sushi examines her.  Not until it is all over does she speak again.

"Ah, so it's not my advanced age then, at least not yet," she chuckles, putting on the Brave Marine face as she finishes getting dressed.

Taking the cup she sips it and allows the taste to linger before speaking anew.

"So, the little bugger is trying to run away, eh?  As for pain, well, I just hadn't gotten used to that one yet, and it seemed like a good idea to kill some time letting you have a look at it," she says, brushing aside any pain and joking away any other reasons and concerns she may or may not have had.

"Sounds like a plan to me.  A quick, surgical strike, right at the heart of the problem, just the way we did in the Corps!  Keep you PKs, I prefer to be one hundred percent clear.  No offence, of course," she finishes with a crooked grin, sounding perhaps a tad too affirmative.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:50, Wed 29 Nov 2006.

"Insomuch as your 'advanced age' is causing the scar tissue to reduce your mobility...yes, to some extent it is aging."  She looks up from the scans to Yasmine, gives her a wry smile.  "Something we all must face, every day."

"However," the doctor continues, going back to her data, "a regular exercise program will limber you up again.  I suggest Mr. Ogresh's 'class'.  As for the pain killers, no offense taken - I felt reasonably certain you would decline.  Hence my offer of 'mild' drugs."  She looks up again.  "These ones will not impair your performance - they're only slightly more strong than headache pills.  Should that still be offensive, you can try the headache pills, of whatever brand you use."

"Surgery now..."  She glances at her clock.

"Hey, calling me partly old, are you?" Yas grins at the doctor and then shrugs.  "It's life, aging."

Then an eyebrow lifts.

"Surgery now?  Is that necessary?" she asks, not too fond of the idea of letting someone cutting into her on with her approval.  Being shot at and having someone trying to cut you up or blow you up while you struggle against it is one thing, but to let someone hurt you.

"I'm sure it can wait a little, no?  It's not like it's urgent, right?" she tries and shrugs as she glances towards the door, as if she wants to make sure it is still there.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:21, Fri 01 Dec 2006.

Shui nods.  "It is up to you, Yasmine.  Likely as not, nothing will come of it for months.  It is quite possible nothing will ever come of it."  She moves to the desk, begins transferring the files from her dataglove to the computer she keeps for storage.  "Nothing, save possibly a worsening of the pain you feel, and likely an increase in the amount of stiffness in that area of your body."

She looks up.  "I cannot force you to take this surgery, though I reccomend it.  Strongly.  And I will not speak to the Captain regarding it either.  I have given my word.  So the decision is in your hands."  She smiles, there and gone.  "It is a simple operation, with no side-effects and no downtime.  Perhaps a little stiffness for two, three days following."

With a crooked grin that would make a croc blush in envy, Yas shrugs.

"We'll save it for later then, when this is over.  In J-Space it doesn't matter if I'm a bit slower for a day or two," she says with conviction, figuring it will take some time before they actually do jump the next time, and perhaps by then it will all have sorted itself out anyway.

"So," she says and claps her hands together in a gesture of "that's that", the grin turning into a more normal smile as she looks over at the "guests" again, "you got any other vegans or non-vegans hidden in your quarters, eh?  Not that is is my business, but anyway..."

No doubt trying to steer the conversation to another topic.

Shui offers Yasmine a small smile.  "Well, that would be fine.  Please come to see me when you are prepared for the procedure."  There really isn't any more to be said on that subject - it's obviously a point of concern for the woman, and it would be senseless to press.

"These, I'm afraid, are my only guests, and only one of them is vegan, as you know."  She taps the cage with the ferocious-looking beast - it is slowly coming back from its near-fatal poisoning.  "This one is a voracious omnivore.  But then, its species was designed as such."   She looks in on the other one, and smiles into the cage.  "On the other hand, this one is a most impressive example of an advanced organism.  Harmless, vegetarian, it defends itself without harming its attacker by simply rendering itself...friendly and harmless.  Indeed, no doubt it can become 'unpalatable' if it desires, pressing a loss of interest on any potential consumer."

She sighs.  "Advanced, indeed."

Letting the first topic drop, Yas looks at the two guests, beside her.

"Hmm, are you saying being vegetarian makes you more advanced?" she asks, glancing up at Sushi with an inscrutible look, impossible to tell whether she was serious or merely pulling the good doctor's chain.

"If so, why the sigh?" she inquires as well, looking back at the two bugs, trying to decide which one she liked the least, if ignoring the attempted brainwash by the goody-two-shoe one.

"Philosophically, karmically, being of a vegetarian species that uses gentle methods to defend itself makes this creature more advanced than it might have been," Shui replies.  "It harms nothing save the plants on which it feed, and needs very little of them.  Its energy consumptions are minimal compared to carnivores.  It likely spends less time with thoughts of hostility running through its head."

She looks down at the creature in the cage for a long moment, then back up to Yasmine before speaking the plain truth.  "I am envious."

"Not of being this creature, of course," she clarifies after a moment, a small smile on her face.  "But of being part of a species where such things come easily.  I suppose there is a lesson in that - when things come easily, perhaps one does not value them quite as much."  Another wistful look at the small, content animal.  "I should merely count my own blessings, and continue.  Imperfect creature that I am, though, I wish for more."

Listening with a face that reveals no emotions whatsoever, Yas shrugs once Sushi finishes.  A small exhale, nearly huffing, proceeds her words.

"Well, you're less imperfect than me then.  But you do know plants react to pain too, right?  Who knows what they feel," she comments with an attempt at a grin that becomes more of a grimace before turning to leave.

"I'll guess I should get back to my duites now.  Thanks for the tea and the chat," comes the parting words from the Marine who is heading for the exit, face averted and a hand lifting up to open the door.

Unless the doctor stops her it is clear that she will depart.

"Plants react," Shui says quietly, in agreement.  "If I could live without consuming them, I would.  But something must be used for fuel, and as best I know eating plants causes the least harm overall and is the healthier of the two options."

She glances up.  "I do not compare myself to humans, Yasmine.  I compare myself to myself.  Other people's lives are their own business, until they intersect with my own.  Let us not speak of one of us being 'more perfect' than another.  There is imperfection, and there is perfection.  I am of the former, not the latter, as are we all."

She stands, smiling again, seriousness dispelled.  "Good day, Yasmine.  I hope your day goes well."

"Nah, human's are not much to compare anything with, savages and egoists as most of them are.  You have a good day too, Sushi," Yas says before she steps out of the doctor's quarters and heads back to her duties, such as they are.

It is mostly to get away from the surgery anyway, that she wants to leave, as she enjoys the company of that quite sensible if slightly different young woman.  Now, for the next few days she will have to hold a clipboard to keep up the appearance of being busy whenever she is around, as most doctor's seem to enjoy slicing and dicing things, be it patiences or not.