Saskia stands, and stretches, flexing her toes against the lounge carpet.

"If somebody can grab me a missile out of storage, and fetch it through to Engineering, I'll start converting it into a drone.  Should be easy enough to do.  Most of the systems are already in there, so it'll just be a matter tweaking them a little."

It's tricky with Jockram - he hasn't given his full name (or if he has, she certainly hasn't heard it), and one really shouldn't call him 'Captain' on Jago's ship.  Shui opts for something a little more formal than his first name.  "Thank you, sir," she answers.  "Should you desire, as I escort you to the lock I can give you the brand name and the method I use."  Which involves washing the pot and filter regularly, something she doubts is done aboard his ship.

Stepping out with Jockram, she heads to the airlock.

Jago nods his agreement with the arrangements so far and makes his way across the empty cargo deck to the passenger’s lounge, and then on to the make shift cell where he knocks, pauses just long enough to pull a lung full of air through his unlit cigar, and enters.
.

Tylen nodded,

"I'll get down to the magazine and sort out the ordanance for you Sask,"

He offered,

"I take it you'll want it unarmed?"

Jago and Yas find the unwilling passengers in reasonable health, despite the cramped conditions of their confinement.  Their leader smiles nervously at Jago, as Profit Margin's captain, and his Chief of Security, enter the "cell".

"Captain Lanza.  Is there something wrong?" Harper asks, getting to his feet.


Jockram follows Shui to the airlock at Engineering with Saskia just behind them, as they discuss the proper care and feeding of coffee pots.  Jockram sighs, "I don't even know what brand we use, or where we get it, to tell the truth.  I generally leave supplies and spares up to the other pair."

"That way, in an emergency, I can always take the Plausible Deniability option." he finishes, with a chuckle.  After a moment, he adds, "Hegerich will be working on the cargo transfer, with Yas.  You might be better talking to him, if you see him, since he knows more about where he gets the supples from than I do.  Of course, if he tells you, it might give you nightmares... "  A broad grin, then, as he starts to suit up.


Tylen makes his way into the hold, and opens up the missile magazine again.  This time, though, he'll need to remove one of the missiles from storage.  Luckily there is a winch attached to the ceiling, that he can use for the job.  Then it's just a matter of moving the weapon through to Engineering.


Conrad suddenly finds himself all alone...

Tylen considers his problem and sighs, it looks like he's in for some backbreaking labour. Before he winches the missile out of the magazine he takes stock of his options. What he REALLY coud use is some kind of trolley.

"The brand does have an effect on the flavour," Shui notes quietly, "but a great deal can be done with methodology as well."  Her answering smile may not be as wide as his, but it is certainly just as genuine.  "I believe I would do well enough with the details...I have most certainly seen worse."  The 'tea', for example, that they discovered in their recent salvage operation.

Her parents would throw fits.

"I will certain see to speaking with Shipman Hegerich," she finishes smoothly, not insulting Jockram by offering to assist with the suiting up.  Not like he needs the help, in any case.

“You can relax,” Jago says., feeling suddenly rather tired as if the air of defeat and resignation in this room, is rubbing off on him.

“I really can’t remember if you’ve already been told, but when we next make landfall, I’ll be putting you off, I wont be handing you over to the authorities.” Jago pauses to let that sink in a bit. “Before then we have a busy schedule, starting with the salvage of whatever we can lay our hands on from a derelict ship that’s parked on this moon with us.”
.

"That's right, you're all off the hook.  But, next time you get in a jam like that, please, think twice.  You're damn lucky you met us, I'll tell you that, and that the skipper is such a soft-hearted man," Yas says, shaking her head slowly - whether it is over their previous choice or Jago's soft heart is perhaps unclear.

"That's right, hard work.  You could volunteer, but all it'll get you is a change of scenery.  While I'm sure no one wants trouble, please note that I'm always prepared for it," she continues, hoping Jago does not mind her filling in after his statement about salvage work.

"Any questions?"

"That's very generous of you, Captain." Harper answers Jago with an oddly formal bow, then another to Yas.  "At the end of the day, though, a bad decision was made, and I was the one who made it.  If it comes down to it, in the end, I'm prepared to face the consequences, but I'd be grateful if my crew didn't have to."

"And we'd be happy to help with the salvage operation, or any other work, in any way that we can.  You'll have no trouble from myself or my people.  We've realised that we just aren't cut out for a life of violence and crime."


Jockram picks up his helmet, and grimaces at Shui, "Yes, I heard about the tea.  How does that happen?  I mean, how does somebody just happen to discover that the dead skin some bug grew out of can be used to make a drink?  And that the flavour depends on what the little crawlers have been eating."

"Plus, as I understand it, they shed their skin every couple of months... so how come the price is so high?  The whole planet must be knee deep in empty bug skins, yet there are still them that are prepared to pay for the product."  He shakes his head in wonder.

"I suppose that some people just have more money than brains."

Lifting the missile out with the winch, Tylen carefully removed the inspection cover, checked that the fuse was not primed, and gently began to unscrew the warhead.

With the warhead safely removed and stowed away, he made the weapon secure, and headed down to Engineering to see if Saskia could lend him a gurney or some other way of transporting the heavy missile.

"Hi Sask. I've drawn the missiles teeth, but the darn thing's too heavy to tote all the way back down here. I seem to remember you had a gurney or some kind of trolley to move heavy stuff about, mind if I borrow it?"

The question was moot, but Tylen always liked to ensure that he checked with whoever was responsible for equipment before he used it. Some folks could get awful touchy if you intruded on their domains, even when you were shipmates.

Shui grimaces at the frank description of the tea.  "People will ever pay high prices for that which seems forbidden due to ethics, morals, or simple social values, I fear.  The more debased the practice, the greater the payment."  More money than brains?  Most definitely, she considers silently, though does not speak her judgement aloud.

Her parents are well-acquainted with such people, though the family only associates with them once, and very briefly.

"Safe journey back across, sir."  Shui moves to key the airlock, prepping it for Captain Jockram's exit.

"Sure.  Just a minute." Saskia replies, then heads towards her main systems console.  Kneeling, she opens the equipment storage underneath the console, and scoots back as several items spill out.  One, she picks up, "So that's where you got to."

There is a click, and a short-lived fan of green laser light, then the engineer places the device carefully on one side, before sticking her head back under the panel.

"Here it is."

She hauls out a device consisting of two spheres, each about 15cm in diameter, connected by a 20cm stalk.  There are several bright orange straps attached to the stem.  When she places it on the deck, it makes a very solid thump.

"I picked this up at Mora a while back, and it's paid for itself in easier work.  Just strap it to the missile, and hit this green button."  She taps the green button, and lifts the device, easily, with one finger.

"It's got a couple of grav modules inside, rated up to about a hundred kilos.  They'll make your whole package, the missile and the unit, weigh a bit less than a kilogram, so you can carry it."

She drops it to the deck before hitting the button again.  "Just don't switch it off until you've put it down, or you'll be asking Shui to graft your arm back on."

Getting to her feet, she hands the suddenly heavy machine to Tylen, after checking a readout next to the button.  "It's got a full charge, so you're good to go."

Tylen picked up the device and examined it keenly.

"Neat."

He said,

"I'll be back in a jiffy."

He returned to the magazine, attached the device as instructed, and powered it up. He slid one arm under the missile, then gingerly released the winch. Saskia's estimate had been correct and he hefted the missle easily with one hand. He carried it along the corridor, hindered only by the weapon's size, and carefully maouvered it into Engineering.

"Here you go Chief, where do you want it?"

He asked the Engineer with a smile.

With the missile, minus its warhead, safely delivered to Engineering, Saskia sets to work on making the necessary modifications to convert it into a spy drone.  Most of the required systems are already in place, in the form of the weapon's targeting and telemetry equipment, and it's just a matter of tweaking the settings.

There are a few things that need more extensive work though, and those are the things that will take the time.


With a smile, and a wave to Shui (the wave is visible, even in a vaccsuit, the smile, not so much), Jockram departs Profit Margin and makes his way across the ice to where Ore Hound lays partly buried.


The prisoners all seem keen to help out, so perhaps the novelty value of all being locked in a single room (even one with good food) is starting to wear off.  Only one man seems reluctant, and since he has a broken arm, it's perhaps understandable that he doesn't want to do much lifting and carrying.

He is, however happy to offer his services in any other capacity that Jago, or Yas, can think of.

His task completed, Tylen goes in search of Jago,

"Sas has the missile Boss. Anything you need me for before take a walk?"

"Good, good.  Some honest work never hurt anyone."

"Well, actually it has, but anyway," Yas says with a big grin and briefly ponders what to do with the man with the broken arm.

Some people might object him playing the role of a target dummy, so that idea goes out, especially since some might actually think she meant it if she would suggest it.

"I am sure we can think of something for you to do, Mostly 'Armless.  Well, I don't know you name yet, so unless you want a new name, how about telling me?" she tells the guy and steps out to let them taste the freedom of the cargo hold.  "Got any skills, for starters?"

She looks over as Tylen shows up, and briefly considers asking if he wants to be a target dummy.  Once more, she decides against even asking.

"Volunteering again, eh?  I can tell you never been in the military," she chuckles at the scout.

Tylen grinned at Yasmine,

"Darn, what gave it away? My irrestsitble charm or my table manners?"

He looked down at his shabby, but practical, outfit,

"Sure can't have been my dress sense."

He chuckled.

"No, you're hiding those things too well," Yas replies with a grin of her own.

"First thing you learn is to never volunteer.  Ever," she chuckles and the looks Tylen over, as if judging his dress sense - or something, anyway.

"You could always take it off, if you find your outfit... lacking," comes a slow, thoughtful suggestion, with an obviously faked deadpan expression.

“I don’t trust you guys enough to give you the run of the ship,” Jago tells the prisoners, “so anyone not coming will have to stay in here, but I’ll open up the library for you, there might be some ‘trids’ you haven’t seen yet.”

“Any one who’s coming, let’s go and get suited up.”

“Yasmin, could you oversee that please, lend them one of our suits if their own look to far gone.”

“I can’t think of anything else right now Tylen, thanks, we’ll be leaving in about fifteen minuets so just get suited up.”

Jago heads back to his cabin to done his own vac suit.

.

Tylen rolled his eyes at Yasmine's suggestion, but his retort is pe-empted by Jago's reply to his original question.

"Aye boss."

He responds and returns to his cabin to don his suit. Leaving the helmet off, he slings his carbine on his back, then walks back down to the airlock, the Visored helm beneath his arm.

"Sure thing, boss," Yas replies, sends Tylen a chortle at his reaction, and then starts to in a rather militaristic fashion line them all up for inspection, including the one-armed would-be bandit, but the last mostly to keep a check on him.

"All right, let's see what you've got, people.  Trust me, a leaking suit's something you want far less than I.  Hmph?  What's this?  You're lucky to have made it over here, is that duct tape?  Look at the state of this... thing, it wouldn't pass even a brief inspection!  And what's this?  Nononono... You do not, I repeat, not attach 'accessories' like this to your suit unless you which to get stuck somewhere and either rip your suit open or run out of air - you pick your favourite death.  Me, I prefer to both keep breathing and moving," she goes on as she inspects the suits one by one, critically and as if she was still in the Marines.

Shui pauses on her way back from the airlock, turning sideways to allow the suited Tylen pass.  People with suits on definitely take priority ship-board.  "Good luck, Mr. Ogresh.  One hopes you will find something profitable on the other ship.  More than beetle tea, in any case."  She considers for a moment.  "And that any encounters with curious creatures end equally well as the last."

Tylen gives the Doctor a friendly grin,

"ANYTHING has got to be better than beetle tea! Thanks for the good wishes though, don't worry too much about any hostiles though,"

He pats the stock of his Laser Carbine,

"We got that covered."

Shui raises an eyebrow at the shaking of the carbine.  "Well, there are some problems your weapon might not solve, but as long as you are adequately protected...and certainly none of you will be alone."  She offers a small bow and a wistful smile.  "Do be careful, Mr. Ogresh."

It would break her heart to have an extra cup of coffee on her tray.

Letting him pass, she moves down the hallway into her room.  Things to do, equipment to prepare, reports to go over.  Shui would at least like to prepare certain reccomendations for the next doctor.  Hopefully they might even read them.