WORLD DETAILS

NAME:              Frenzie
HEX LOCATION:      Spinward Marches 1116
UWP:               A200436-A
PBG:               110
TRADE CODES:       Nonindustrial, Vacuum
BASES:             Imperial Naval Base
ALLEGIANCE:        Third Imperium
STELLAR DETAILS:   Primary Star:   M2 III   Mass: 6.80    Luminosity: 5.568
                   Secondary Star: M3 D     Mass: 1.11    Luminosity: 0.07

SATELLITE DETAILS: Number: 1

SIZE RELATED DETAILS
Basic World Type:  Planet - molten core.
Diameter:  3,680 km    Density: 0.98  World Mass: 0.015    World Gravity: 0.25 G
Orbit Period: 30,082.425 Std Days     Distance: 19.6 AU    Eccentricity: 0.01
Rotation Period: 13.057  Std Hours    Axial Tilt: 26°  Seismic Stress Factor: 0.0

ATMOSPHERIC RELATED DETAILS
Composition: None.
Surface Pressure: 0.0              Mean Temp: 150.0°C  Native Life: No
Terraforming - Atmospheric: No     Albedo: No          Greenhouse Effect: No
Weather Control: No

HYDROSPHERE RELATED DETAILS
Composition: None.
Hydrographic Percentage: 0            Tectonic Plates: 1
Terraforming - Hydrographic: No       Terrain: No

POPULATION RELATED DETAILS
Total World Population:  10,000
Starports and Spaceports: A/C/A/A
Primary Cities: 4                     Orbital Cities: Yes

Social Outlook:
    Progressiveness:  Conservative, Advancing
    Aggressiveness:   Unaggressive, Neutral
    Extensiveness:    Harmonious, Friendly

Unusual Local Customs: Almost 95% of Frenzie's population are vegetarians.  Meat was in short supply
                       after the colony was initially founded, and gradually dropped out of the
                       diet of most inhabitants.
                       Divorce is illegal on Frenzie, unless the marriage has lasted at least five
                       standard years.
                       When dealing with Frenzie's population, visitor's should be aware that many of
                       them belong to secret guilds, clubs and societies.  Finding which of these
                       organisations a person belongs to (and espousing support for it) can often have
                       favourable results.


GOVERNMENT RELATED DETAILS
Representative Authority: Self perpetuating oligarchy.
Representative Authority: Several councils.
Division of Authority:    No division.

LAW RELATED DETAILS                   TECHNOLOGY RELATED DETAILS
Uniformity of Law:     Personal       Technology Profile:

Legal Profile:                        High Common TL:        A
    Overall Law Level: 6              Low Common TL:         5
    Weapons Law Level: 4              Energy TL:             A
    Trade Law Level:   2              Computer/Robotics TL:  B
    Criminal Law:      7              Communicationss TL:    A
    Civil Law:         5              Medical TL:            C
    Personal Freedom:  1              Environment TL:        C
                                      Land Transport TL:     A
                                      Water Transport TL:    9
                                      Air Transport TL:      A
                                      Space Transport TL:    B
                                      Personal Military TL:  9
                                      Heavy Military TL:     B
                                      Novelty Tech Level:    C

RESOURCES AND GOODS
Resources:
    Natural:        Ores, crystals, chemical compounds
    Processed:      Metals, Non-Metals
    Manufactured:   Durables
    Information:    Documents

---

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Frenzie system."

Profit Margin drops into normal space, almost 3,000 million kilometres from where the system's two mismatched suns, one a sullen subgiant, the other a hot dwarf star in a fast tight orbit, the pair linked by a curved streamer of plasma.  Of course, at this range, and to the naked eye, the two suns just look like any other star in the sky.  But much brighter.

Jago runs through the figures, "Good job, Ash, we're right on target."  The ship has arrived just under 400,000 kilometres from Frenzie itself.  The planet is far less interesting than the two suns, a barren, airless ball of rock - no water, no forests, no farms, no cities.  At least not on the surface.

Frenzie is a mining world, and the population lives and works deep underground.

While the planet might be uninteresting, the space immediately around it draws a low, "Damn!" from Jago, as he sees the sensor readings.  Then, activating the intercom, "Attention all crew, please report to the Bridge immediately."

It'll be crowded with everybody in there, but he doesn't want to leave his station just now.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:02, Sun 13 Dec 2009.

As he hears the summons, Tylen  pulls himself upright off of his bunk.  Long ago he learned that if you were out of sight, you were often out of mind when it came to 'special' orders.  Anyway, he already knew how long it will take him to get to the turret from just about every where on the ship.

His eyes glint for a second and a fleeting smile crosses his face  Shall I run and measure it?  See how long it takes people to get out of the way of a gunner on a mission?  he shakes his head then, still grinning, makes his way in an orderly fashion, to the bridge.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:54, Tue 15 Dec 2009.

It has been a typical trip, the only 'excitement' being Ash Tescali's physical, breaking Shui's routine.  With more passengers on the vessel, she finds herself busy day-in, day-out, assisting the passengers in first class, tending to the other passengers, checking the vitals of the monks in the Low Berth chambers, and seeing to the crew's needs for food and libation.  Also, the usual cleaning of the common areas occupied some time; the more technical areas of the ship are the purview of those crewmembers in charge of that area - Shui would not dream of cleaning engineering, for example, as Saskia has her own methods of doing so and would likely be put out if things were stowed differently.  With good reason - Shui would feel the same if someone rearranged her medical area).

She had her exercise routine as well - jogging around the ship and, more often, going through her own routines in the privacy of her medical office/cabin. Then there was her study of the world ahead, to better prepare herself to assist the passengers and crew upon landfall.

In the scant hours outside her duties, she continued her studies of her 'guests' - the organisms she keeps in her cabin - and takes time to shadow the crewmembers in their duties.  After inquiring, of course.  Shui makes sure to request some time down in Engineering with Saskia Blake, should the engineer be amenable.

It might help to have someone with at least a passing familiarity regarding repairs if things go wrong - an assistant, if nothing else.

But now Jago's request comes out over the com lines, and Shui, already prepared for drop, immediately thumbs the general intercom.

+ Would all passengers please remain in your quarters until informed otherwise by a crew member. +  This said as she slips out into the hallway, breaking into a jog.

"Mr. Ogresh!"  Spotting the gunner ahead, Shui picks up her pace a touch, falling into place beside him.  "Do you have any idea what this might be?" she inquires in low tones.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:32, Tue 15 Dec 2009.

Tylen slows slightly to allow Shui to catch up with him, but shrugs his shoulders at her question.  ”None at all.” he replies just as softly, as he stands back slightly to allow the Doctor through the hatchway in front of him.

"Distressing."  Shui's lips thin as she marches onward, inclining her head in appreciation of Tylen's chivalry.  No doubt things would be different were there danger on the other side of the hatch...

There could be, she reflects.  Jago isn't likely to have good news, given the request.

So she merely continues for the bridge, glancing at the state of the coffee-machine on her way through.  The coffee is perking, hot water boiling - she had prepared herself for the Drop, and set them on timer.  Should it be required, Shui will at least have something to offer the crew.

I should make sandwiches, comes an inane thought.  But no - Jago requested her presence, so off to the bridge.

*edited for continuity*
This message was last edited by the player at 12:32, Tue 15 Dec 2009.

Saskia almost doesn't hear the announcement, what with her head being inside an inspection panel.  Fortunately she does hear the part about going to the bridge immediately.

She doesn't go quite immediately, though, taking the time to close the panel and secure it, before returning her tools to the case.  Then, and only then, she heads for Jago's meeting.  Ahead of her, she can see Shui and Tylen.

By the time they step through to the bridge, Saskia is right behind them, and just as baffled as regards what might be happening.

Ash nodded to Jago as he complimented him on his Astrogation skills, "Thank you, Captain.  I've had plenty of practice."

He glanced at the Captain with a furrowed brow when Jago ordered the crew to the Bridge.  However, he did not attempt to pry any further figuring that everything would be explained in short order.  No use in making the Captain explain everything more than once, he thought to himself; so, he kept his mouth shut while he waited.

When Shui, Tylen and Saskia entered the bridge, Ash looked at them and gave them a small shrug as if to say that he didn't know what was going on either.

"Typical, just when I'm in the shower," Yas sighs as she steps out of her gun control room, in which there is no room for a shower at all.

"So, wassup?  Did we forget someone or did someone forget to go to potty before we took off?" she inquires as she leans against the wall using her should, crossing her arms as well as her legs in a very relaxed posture.

Once everybody is present, Jago says over his shoulder, "I thought you might want to see this... it's fairly impressive."

He hits a stud which transfers the sensor display to the main holographic HUD, and a large image fades into view in the air above himself and Ash.

A planet.  A barren ball of rock, entirely devoid of any sign of life.  And something else; hundreds of tiny points of light which form a partial ring around the planet.  The display switches to false colours, each point is surrounded by a reticule, most of them blue, and each reticule is connected to an equally tiny numeric tag.

One section of the ring, though, is marked in red.

"Ships in orbit." Jago explains, "The computer says there are just over eight hundred of them.  The ones tagged in red, a little more than a quarter of the total, have transponders which say they're Imperial Navy."

The display jumps, zooming in on the red portion of the ring, and resolves to show that there are a wide variety of ships.  "None of these ships is bigger than five thousand dtons, and as near as I can make out, they seem to be older models."

"I can't see any signs of trouble, and Frenzie has a Navy base, so I'm guessing they're just here on peaceful business.  But I want everybody to be careful while we're here."

"Oh my goodness," Shui breathes, a rare exclamation of surprise.  She studies the display intently, but keeps her ears perked for Jago's commentary.  Old ships.  All small.  None of them cutting edge for the Imperial Navy, but still...a massed quantity one does not often see.

Why?

"Shell game?  Or an escort, but for what?" she whispers, then shakes her head, eyes clearing.  "Thank you, Captain Lanza...indeed, the ports will be full of spacers looking for time on planet."  No doubt the Profit Margin's crew knows what that means - possible drunken brawls, possible belligerence, possible unwanted attention.  And quite possibly every huckster and con artist on the planet gathering close to the spaceport.

The doctor cocks an eyebrow at Yasmine and Tylen, then studies their new pilot, gauging his reaction.  Oh, she'll likely have some skin-sealing to do before their time here is finished, but on who?

"We should counsel the passengers on the situation before disembarking, Captain Lanza," she quietly suggests.

"Reserve units." Saskia suggests, "Escorts, destroyers, fleet couriers, that sort of thing."

She pauses as she studies the holographic projection, then continues, "Probably just been pulled out of mothballs and are here to resupply before moving on to their assigned deployments.  I bet if we'd arrived a couple of days ago, there would have been even more of them.

"Either that, or somebody in INI has seriously underestimated the frelling threat."

"Heh, reminds me of the time my unit was tasked with the assault of Mirened Tertiary, a minor operation blown up by those in command of it, for no good reason as the strategic value must have been...  Ah, ne'er mind, but yes, quite the sight, seeing a ringworm, as we called it in the Marines," Yas comments with a chuckle and then continues, "Not that I'm a Navy expert, if there is such a thing, but in my experience they're building a force.  Well, sort of, seeing the age of the ships..."

"Or an evacuation ...." Tylen says quietly, trying to make sense of the number and mixture of vessels.

"All  of vessels that you would expect to find in a sleepy naval base and berthed at the ports on a vacuum world.  All in  orbit at once ....." he continues softly.

"Ha!  If so it seems we arrived just in time, eh?" Yas grins at Tylen's slightly darker take on the scene before them.

Saskia shakes her head, "Frenzie's a Navy base, a big one, so it definitely would serve as a resupply centre.  There's any number of reasons the fleet might be stuck in orbit - all the berths at the base could be occupied, or those might be the ships that are ready to depart, parked while they wait for their orders.  Or they might be on high guard duty, in case an enemy fleet Jumps in and tries for an orbital bombardment."

She leans closer, trying to see one of the blue reticules, "What are the other ships?  Any idea?  And what about the orbital stations?  What's going on there?"

Ash listened to the crew chatter in the background as he stared at the display.  He watched the various points of light dance on the screen, admiring the poetry of movement, but also wary of the sheer number of ships.  He was more worried about the logistics of trying to dock - they did have passengers and cargo to deliver, after all.  He started to scan the comm channels to try and get a clue as to what exactly was going on.  Ash's fingers tapped with ever increasing speed on dynamic display as he began to pull in more and more frequencies to scan in his information survey.

Theories bounce back and forth like pinball pixels, Shui following them while continuing to study the fleet about the planet.  Her eyes, of course, tell her little - the discussion is far more illuminating.  Evacuation, perhaps.  Fleet creation.  And maybe the more modern, more potent ships are filling up the berths.  All make more sense than her own first assumption, a product of her childhood.

Perhaps Ash can find the missing puzzle-piece; obviously the pilot is hard at work searching the tac-net for some kind of enlightenment.

"I pray it isn't an evacuation," she murmurs.  That means trouble, in many possible forms - plague, imminent invasion, chemical poisoning of the atmosphere...shaking her head, the Steward dispells the conjectures.  Buddha!  The places to which her mind automatically leaps.

"The others look to be a mix of commercial ships, nothing too big." Jago responds to Saskia's query, "Probably pretty typical for this system, but a bit more than usual.  Could be that the navy is using civilian ships to bring in supplies, I suppose.  That would account for the traffic."

He pauses, and an idea occurs to him, "Or it might be that a lot of captains along the border are nervous, with the fighting going on, so they've run to a system with decent defences, in preparation for moving further from the trouble."

The Captain scratches his ear thoughtfully, then looks at Ash, "Anything interesting?"

Ash frowned slightly as he reviewed the various comm channels - there was a huge amount of extraneous chatter going on.  The amount was understandable given the amount of traffic, but what he found most troubling was ...

"Captain, I ... I am not sure what is going on, but all civilian traffic is being put on hold at this point.  Nothing is being explicitly broadcast as far as I can tell about the nature of the situation." he stated flatly.  Ash pursed his lips for a moment, then continued, "All docking berths are full.  Unless we have an emergency, we are being told to assume a holding pattern in high orbit, to download our position and transit information, and then to wait for further instructions."  He hmmm'd and then noted out loud, "There are no general announcements or system-wide emergency broadcasts that I can find; which is a good thing, I suppose.  But, it does leave us in the dark about what is really going on.  Someone is going through a lot of effort to coordinate all of this activity for a non-emergency."

After rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Ash tapped at his displays for a moment to run some calculations, then a blinking, spiral arc and an 'X' appeared on the main tactical display, as he pushed a proposed positioning and route there.  "Might I suggest the following parking orbit, Captain?  It offers enough freedom of movement options, while putting us reasonably close, but not too close, to the action."

Not having anything of value to add to the conversation, Tylen withdraws to the back of the bridge and slides the door to his gunnery station open.  Swinging the seat around to face the bridge, leaving the door open, he settles himself comfortably and waits to see what the outcome is.

"Looks good to me." responds Jago, and eases the ship onto the course Ash has suggested.  "If there are no emergency broadcasts, all we can do for now is assume that there is no emergency.  Maybe the traffic is just unusually heavy right now."

For all that he seems calm, though, the set of his cigar suggests, to those who know him, that he is actually somewhat tense.  He slides increases thrust, taking Profit Margin up to her maximum 2G acceleration.  "Just to be safe, though, everybody should be ready for trouble."

A little under two hours later, Profit Margin makes orbit.  Jago reports their position, and intended destination.  While he waits for a reply, he instructs Tylen, "Be ready to turn on that little gift the Navy left us.  If we get too much delay, we might be able to use that to jump the queue."

Even dropping 300,000 km from the Jump limit to orbit hasn't really improved the view of the planet itself.  It's still a small, barren ball of rock.  It's just a closer small, barren ball of rock now.  The journey itself had been moderately interesting, though, with a fine view of the ship movements, and occasional Jump flares, as some of the ships reach the hundred diameter limit and depart for parts unknown (at least, unknown to Profit Margin's crew, though some of them could probably take educated guesses.)

A response to Jago's call comes through, and it is from a Navy ship, "This is INS Poni requesting information, Profit Margin.  Do you have passengers aboard who intend to disembark at Frenzie?"

"Yes, Poni.  We have passengers booked for Frenzie.  Including some in Low berths"  Jago reels off the names of the passengers.

"Roger, Profit Margin.  Granting priority clearance order.  Assume descent vector one-seven-niner by negative seven four.  Port Authority will issue further instructions when you enter their traffic grid."

It is as simple as that, apparently.  Tell them you have passengers, and they send you on your way.  Not quite with a smile and a cheery wave, but close enough.

The ship's nose tilts down, and she drops towards the planet's surface.

And Jago, somewhat relieved, issues last-minute instructions, none of which are really needed by the crew, "Everybody get ready for landing.  Yas, Tylen, stay alert until we're safely down.  Shui, make sure the warm passengers know we're almost there.  Ash, keep an eye on the sensors, there's a lot of traffic moving around out there, and I don't want the paint scratched.  Saskia, make sure everything holds together, I don't want to make a bad impression with such a big audience."

Then, as an afterthought, he adds, "Jago, relax.  They know what they're doing."

"Zzz, uh, what?  Who said something?" it comes over the com from Yas, followed by a huge yawn and the sound of someone stretching.

In her gunner seat, Yas grins once the theatre is done with and resumes her vigilance as it was before Jago interrupted her.

Tylen acknowledges Jago's instruction to be ready to flip the switch under his seat, but relaxes slightly as they are instructed to proceed towards the Frenzie down-port.

Even then, he stays at his station, checking out many of the vessels on his local systems.

"Of course."  Shui gives a little bow and moves to the back of the cabin, synching her dataglove with the intercom system and adjusting her mic.  Opening the intercom in the passengers' cabins, she subvocalizes the message after a warning ping to alert.  <dark blue>+ All passengers - we will be entering the atmosphere shortly, and landing directly.  I will be coming by to entertain requests and offer information on the planet below. +</dark blue>

Not her best, but the vista of the flotilla has unsettled Shui; her mouth a thin line, she departs the cockpit without pause, headed for the first class passenger cabins with the intent of working her way down.

Saskia simply reaches past Jago, and calls up some of the more vital engineering displays on the panel above the captain's shoulder.

"Everything in the green.  You worry too much.  The core is at one hundred percent output, so you'll have all the power you need, as soon as you decide you need it."

Ash nodded to Jago's order to keep vigil on the sensors; he wanted to keep his own skin intact as much as the next guy, if not more.  All the traffic made Ash especially nervous.  But not as nervous as the fact that the Profit Margin appears to have jumped the queue.  He quietly wondered to himself, what telemetry data from the INI's on-board black box was being sent at this point, but he kept such wonderings to himself.

It was either that or Tsort was about to have the last laugh.

Hmmm... INI or Tsort?  Talk about a rock and a hard place, Ash thought to himself.  The edges of his mouth twitched, but Ash tried hard to suppress the smile and busied himself by staring at the dynamic displays on his console.

Profit Margin drops like a stone, albeit a stone dropping very precisely along a predetermined vector.  Within a couple of minutes, most of the traffic is above and behind her, and Jago relaxes visibly

At five hundred kilometres out from the surface, Traffic Control starts relaying instructions, directing the ship towards what appears, to the unaided eye, to be just another patch of rock, like any other.  Closer though, details start to become visible.  This patch of rock is smoother, and dotted with small sensor blisters.

To Profit Margin's eyes, it is also radiating quite intensely on a variety of EM wavelengths, most of them at the high end of the spectrum.

At two hundred metres, four beams of laser light appear, brilliant lances piercing the sky, and marking the corners of a large rectangle, which is sunk about a metre into the surrounding plain.  They start to strobe sequentially, and Jago places Profit Margin squarely in the centre of them.  The landing gear touches the planetary surface with a barely perceptible jolt, and Jago cuts power to the thrusters.  "We're down." the Captain announces, somewhat superfluously.

A few seconds later there is a much more noticeable jolt, as the ground below the ship starts to drop, descending into a deep pit.  Eventually it drops low enough, and heavy blast doors start to close overhead, sealing the opening to the sky.

Finally, with the ship some almost fifty metres below the surface, in a large, brightly-lit chamber, she comes to rest, as a second set of doors close above her.  AS they seal tight, there is a rushing sound, and a swirling dust cloud rises beyond the observation ports, as air is pumped in to fill the chamber.

"That went well, I think." Jago remarks.  He hits the intercom swith, "All hands, I'm opening the ramp up.  Shui, make sure everybody who's going ashore is ready.  Immigration and customs is, apparently, through a door just off the port bow, according to the signs over that way.  Security, stand by to assist Shui, if necessary, and make sure the ramp is guarded."

As he speaks, he is powering down systems in a well-practiced sequence which doesn't even require him to watch his hands moving over the controls.  As if to affirm the truth of his announcement, a loud screech fills the landing bay as the ramp starts to open.

Jago stands and stretches, "Ash, you're with me.  I'm going to see if I can get a buyer for the speculative cargo, and find out more about what's happening here."

"I'll get the ramp." Tylen offers as he pushes himself out of his seat. Aware that Yas is much better at 'encouraging' passengers than he is, Tylen  heads back, grabs his gun belts on the way and straps them around his waist.

By the time he at the top of the ramp the revolvers are properly located, and he pulls the old fashioned Aviator shades out of  his jacket pocket and then slides them onto his face.

The revolvers and shades,combined with his combat fatigues and bomber jacket,   make him look a bit like a cross between a cowboy and a pilot from some low tech world.  Perhaps I should get a stetson .... he thinks as he takes up a loose 'at ease' position at the top of the ramp.

Shui waits and watches during descent - she doesn't normally enter the cockpit during landfall, and finds it a wonderful experience.  Ash handles the ship as well as their other pilots have, and even Jago relaxes.

Chief Engineer Blake, though?  Not likely.

"Of course, Captain Lanza.  Thank you, Mr. Ogresh."  Shooting him a harried, grateful glance, Shui hurries from the room.  The priorities are backward to her own feelings - first class passengers, then second, then the Low Berths - but that's life aboard a passenger-carrying ship.

So first it's the Selacci's and their mechanized servant.

Ash nodded to Jago, "Aye, aye, Captain."  He rubbed his right knee briefly and then stood and waited to follow Jago.  He was not too sure about what was to be expected here.  Every free trader crew did things a little differently, Ash thought to himself, and he was pretty sure that the given this crew that the Profit Margin would live up to that truism.

"Um... we aren't expecting much trouble are we, Captain?  I mean, I won't need to grab a weapon and be your bodyguard will I?" Ash asked as he fell in line to the right and slightly behind Jago.  He rested his hand on the pommel of his knife briefly.

Along the way out of the ship, Ash stopped by his quarters and grabbed his oilskin duster.

"I'll shoot anyone who looks like they might be considering even thinking about the words 'out of line', just to be sure," Yas says as she tags along with Sushi to herd their own little group of cattle, er, passengers out of the ship.

"So, enjoyed the view?  Rarely get to see it myself, being in the gun control under normal circumstances.  Not like just sitting somewhere with no clue what is going on, eh?" she asks the doctor-steward as they make their way to the passengers.

"Thank you, Ms. Crow."  Shui continues her way along to the first class cabin quarters, Yasmine's quirky humor an expected thing.  Truth be told, if the marine didn't make some kind of comment, the doctor would start looking for real trouble.

"I did, in fact, enjoy the view," she admits.  "Like you, I myself am often caught up in duties when we approach planetfall."  One eyebrow rises as she marches down the passageway to the Selacci abode.  "I had not expected one quite so...crowded, mind.  It leaves me unsettled, and concerned about the crew.  You know marines, Ms. Crowe, and how military personnel act on shore leave - may I have your opinion on the conditions in the spaceport, jam-packed with enlisted men of both the navy and the marines?"

A potentially explosive mixture in any taproom.

Jago consider's Ash's question briefly, and then shakes his head, "I'm not expecting trouble.  Mostly I just want another set of eyes and ears along.  That way, if there's a lot going on out there, some important little detail is less likely to get missed."

As soon as the navigator is ready, Jago heads down the ramp, with a cheerful nod and a, "Looking very professional." to Tylen.  He also hands the gunner a sheaf of paperwork.  "That's the docs for the thirty tons of grain, just in case somebody comes to pick it up while I'm out."

Then he heads away from the door marked, "Immigration", instead going toward a less conspicuous one, labelled as leading to the "Port Marshal's Office".


Shui and Yas find themselves in the passenger side lounge, where Conrad is putting is shipboard experience to good use, reminding people not to forget their belongings, and generally organising things.  Corlan, since he is not planning on leaving the ship here, is sitting in his cabin, with the door open, watching proceedings.


In Engineering, the drives are quiet.  Only the power plant is still in use now, and that is ramping down to the minimal output required, now that the ship is down.


Jago and Ash reach the door, just as a group of techs come through it.  Jago spots the one who looks to be in charge, "Crew Chief?"  As soon as the other man confirms his identity, Jago instructs him regarding the ship's needs, "I want fuel, water, data, and effluent lines.  No power linkage though... engineer likes to handle that herself."  He resists the temptation to add, "Wash the windshield, and check the tyres."

The ground crew set to work, opening a series of hatches along the wall, and running assorted lines from them to the ship.  Jago and Ash, meanwhile, continue on to the Port offices.

"Oh yeah, I know them.  There'll be plenty of fights, people on both sides venting frustration, some on the same side too, and also personal grudges being exposed during shore leave, but it'll be short and not overly brutal, seeing as the MP will be all over the place.  Throw a few punches and then scatter, kinda.  It's good, really, to vent I mean, and it'll make things easier once back on the ship," Yas says with a chuckle and then, for a moment, her face adopts an utterly blank expression while the voice carries a sharp edge, "in most cases.  Some things are... ...harder... to pretermit."

Another lifetime, yet still yesterday, so much anger and even more sadness.  She would do it again, though, eagerly.  Some things are harder to let slip without consequences, someone had to collect the debt.

With a visible mustering of willpower the ex-marine shakes it off and refocuses on here and now, and on the other woman, with the grin slowly returning, "So yeah, we'll be perfectly safe as long as we stay out of the arguments and avoid any stray bottles and chairs, if the owner is unwise enough to leave the latter loose!"

"Now then, who do we kick off the ship first, again?" she asks, quietly but eagerly, looking prepared to do so literally in all potential interpretations of the phrase, with boots looking like they would be painful to encounter on a personal level.

Not blind, nor tone-deaf, Shui doesn't miss the change in Yasmine's behavior and tone.  Certainly she isn't fully in the know as to the Security Chief's reason for leaving the Marines, and she wouldn't wish to pry - if Yasmine wanted her to know, she'd talk.  Perhaps sometime in the future...

...but from the sounds of it, what Yasmine speaks of might very well have something to do with it.  One can only imagine what it might have been.

"Indeed."  Shui grimaces.  "Some things are very difficult to dismiss."  Having gone through something along those lines herself, she can appreciate Yasmine's sudden closing off, though she doubts they had the same experience.

But as Yasmine returns to herself, so, perforce, must Shui - she nods to the ex-marine's assessment of the situation, a hopeful light entering her eyes.  "I can only pray that will be the case, Ms. Crowe.  As to the passengers - good day, Mr. Dietz! - we begin with the first class cabins, assisting them -" some emphasis on the phrase "- with an easy leavetaking.  After this, we move to the remainder as needs arise."

"Hey, Ditzy," Yas waves to Dietz as Sushi greets him and nods to her instructions, letting slip completely the comment about things difficult to dismiss.

"While I'm better with ass-cisting them off I'll do my best merely assisting them," she tries to reassure the stewardess and attempts, probably in jest, to adopt a meek expression which may be more scary than her usual business-like 'I am a bad-ass marine you do not want to mess with, punk' attitude.

"I'll get Jago for this, one way or another," she mutters under her breath, jokingly - or perhaps not.

With some luck one of the hoity-toities will go on a crazed rampage, for once.

"Aye, Captain.  I can manage that, I believe."  Ash said with a half-smile, half-smirk, "My reflexes may not be what they used to, but my eyes and ears work just fine."  Ash could and definitely did respect Jago's cautious side.

He followed Jago through the bustle in the hanger to the Port Marshal's office and beyond.  Ash kept his eyes and ears open as ordered, watching for anything unusual or any sign of what might be the cause of all of the commotion in orbit around the station.  As they walked through the hallways between offices, he configured his comm to tie into the public network.  Also, Ash pushed a feed into the Port Authority channel for any additional announcements or traffic updates.  And just in case, since there was a naval station on Frenzie, using his Naval officer identity codes, he tried to tap into the public and private armed services channels to see what type of chatter was going on there.   Ash pushed the streaming data banners through his comm onto the reticule of his HUD, which still shaded part of his left eye.

With everything except the most basic systems powered down, Saskia leaves her post and makes her way to her cabin, where she pulls on her one and only pair of boots.  Then she goes looking for Jago.

The Bridge is deserted, and so is the Captain's office.  With a start, she realises that there doesn't seem to be anybody else aboard.  At least, not as far as she can see in Crew Territory.  She smiles.  As far as she can tell from here, it's just her and the machines.

Perfect.

Then she presses the intercomm switch.  "Yas?  If Jago has gone dirtside, that puts you in command.  I'm requesting permission to go out and see if I can scare up some supplies for Engineering.  Spare parts, mostly."

"Well, let us perforce save our ill-wishes for Captain Lanza, shall we?" Shui brightly requests, hoping the security chief will go back to her customary expression.  The mask-like, innocent face she puts on won't win the Profit Margin any good reviews from the passengers to any guild or starport employment board.  "I doubt we shall see any trouble with our passengers..."  Trailing off as she reaches the Salicci's door, Shui puts on her own game face and chimes.

"Steward Tiesi and Chief Crow," she notes through the intercom.  "May we assist with disembarkment?"

Taking the papers from Jago, Tylen nods at the captain  and idly taps the papers against his leg for a moment or two.  Then with a look of irritation he slips then carefully into an inside pocket of his jacket.

Unable to bear the fake face for too long Yas finds herself wearing her usual dealing-with-customers face once they reach the first door.  So much for the hope to kick some butt off the ship.  Ah well.

As Sushi announces their presence she snort in a semi-failed attempt to cover up a laugh.

"Sorry, thought you were going to say dismemberment, you know," she whispers in a hissing attempt to not laugh.

The Selaccis, as it turns out, are almost ready to leave.  Their droid is in the stateroom with them, ticking quietly as it assists in packing their belongings.  It glances towards Shui and Yas, and gives a cheerful, "Good afternoon, ladies." as the steward and security officer appear at the door.

The Selaccis themselves are both in the room, and are a little less friendly. There appears to be a certain amount of tension between the two of them.  Jacob Selacci does manage a nod of thanks, "Thank you, but I believe everything is fine... "

"Hah!" Simone interjects, shoving clothes into a bag.

"... and we should be ready to depart shortly."


Outside the ship, the ground crew link up the umbilicals, per Jago's directions.  Tylen can see some of the work from the ramp.  They seem to know what they're doing. 


Jago and Ash walk some distance until they find themselves in an office area.  The signs above the door indicate that this is the Port Marshal's office.  Around the walls is a vast array of holoprojectors, generating a massive image of the planet and the nearby space just below the high ceiling.  The image appears to be real-time, showing all the ships in orbit, along with projected courses.

In the centre of the room is a circle of desks, each manned by a port employee clad in a port authority uniform.  Most of them seem to busy, either speaking into headset microphones, or talking to people seated opposite them at their desks.  Hundreds more people are in the room, apparently waiting to speak to one of the port employees.

Jago wanders slowly through the crowd, his attention seemingly fixed on the holographic orrery, with Ash following close behind.

Tylen lounges back against the nearest strut and plays idly with his data glove, flicking a button or two and then keying a message quickly.


With a chuckle at what ever he saw on the glove he lets his hands drop and rest lightly at the front of his belt.

Shui coughs after Yasmine's witticism, shooting her a quick glance as the door opens on the Selucci's.  Apparantly, however, the situation is somewhat less than marital bliss - the couple appears to be more than a little at odds, something she had not noticed during the short voyage.  A recent argument?  Or something simmering below the surface Shui hadn't picked up?

"Good afternoon," she replies to the droid - politeness as built-in to her as it is into the 'tronic.  She bows to the Selucci couple, giving no evidence she has noted their tension.  "As you wish - please comm me when you are prepared to go, and I will see about your leave-taking."

When the door closes, she cocks an eyebrow.  "I doubt they need any assistance from you, Ms. Crow - they seem quite capable of dismemberment, themselves."  She sighs, frowning; guests with issues are a sore point with Shui.  She'll be going over her own performance for the next two days, worried her own actions (or lack) may have catalyzed their difficulties.

"Mr. DeSant and Mr. Dietz are next," she frets, "then I will -" finally "- be able to release our low-berth passengers from their chambers."

She detests the low-berths - dangerous, dangerous things.

With no immediate response from Yas, Saskia considers her options.  As Profit Margin's Chief Engineer, and one of the longest-serving crewmembers, in the absence of Jago and Yas, then she is the ranking officer.

"Permission to go ashore, Lieutenant Blake?"

If Lieutenant Blake notices her sudden promotion, she chooses to ignore it.  "Permission granted, Ensign.  Bring me back some icecream.  Coffee flavored."

The engineer makes her way out into the hold, where she finds Tylen standing at the ramp.

"I'm just going to see if I can get some spares and replacement parts.  If you see Yas or Jago, can you let them know?  Shouldn't take long."

Ash follows Jago around the large holographic display.  He is watching the people as well as trying to take in all of the information on the three dimensional display.  He smiles weakly as he notes to Jago, "Well, Mr. Dietz should have no problems with his stated desire to reenlist here - the IN appears to have no shortfall of personnel or ships right now.  We can only hope that Mr Dietz has a quiet tour."  Ash knows that the latter is highly unlikely, nor quite possibly, does Conrad want it that way.  Still, in Ash's past experience, the quieter a tour the better.  All seeing 'action' really ever got me, Ash notes wryly to himself, was to get shot at.

Ash taps Jago on the shoulder and asks, "Is the plan to leave as soon as possible, Captain?  It seems that it is sort of expected of us.  I am not sure how much time the Profit Margin will be given once our passengers disembark..."

Tylen nods as Sakia goes past, "Sure.!" he responds to her request to inform Yas of her where abouts.

Bored, he pulls a coin from his pocket and starts flipping it idly, then rolling it around his knuckles.  The flips work out OK, but as he rolls the coin across his knuckles it drops to the floor and he has to bend down to pick it up again  more practice needed he thinks to himself with a grin.

Although he appears casually occupied with his toy, he stays aware of what is happening around the ship and, in particular, by the pile of crates.

Unfortunately, Shui's conversation with Yas is interrupted by an odd chirping noise which comes, hopefully, from the former Marine's pocket...

"Your pocket is beeping."  A small moment of humor from the doctor - understated, of course.  She continues to march for Corlan's room, knowing full well Yasmine can talk and walk at the same time, whatever another non-marine might think.

Some people might even be foolish enough to say so out loud and within earshot.

"I'm sure they are, sounds like they've got things to talk about.  Not shadow on you, though, rich folks tend to work themselves up easily enough, in my experience.  But, yes, onwards, hope still lives for more excitement," Yas comments as she glances back at the now closed door, briefly having pondered blasting the robot for calling her a lady.

"Ah, yes, it does that when it's happy," she says in response to the beeping pocket, although it is more her communicator near the pocket than the pocket itself making the noise.  But that noise means a priority message, by whatever form.

Bringing the device up she looks at it and humphs, clearly reading on the small display.

She pulls up her left sleeve and taps on her wrist, evidently typing something.  Then she grins evilly and says, "Now someone else's pocket is beeping too."

When his data glove buzzes discretely, Tylen check and reads the incoming message. For a moment his fingers play across micro keys, before he drops his hand to his belt again, the half bored smile never leaving his face as he starts to lounge again.

Once again the pocket is happy and Yas picks it up with a sceptical expression.

"Pardon me, I'm a wanted woman.  Not sure if that's a good thing or not, yet," she tells Sushi and then proceeds with reading the new message.

With a smile that grows ever so crooked she types on her wrist again and then mutters something about someone needing shooting somewhere.

"Thanks." Saskia responds to Tylen, then proceeds down the ramp.  She stops, and turns back for a moment, "I've got my communicator, if anybody needs me."

After which she decides that she really can't put it off any longer.  She moves out from under the ship's belly and looks around the bay.  Offices there, Customs there, and no door conveniently marked as the way to the shops.

With a sigh, she heads for Customs - there will probably be somebody there might who will be able to give her directions.

All out of hugs?  That probably saves me from traction Tylen thinks as he reads the message from Yas, a broad grin on his face, as he lounges against the strut watching the guys work on the ship.

However, he makes sure he keeps an eye on the crates.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:01, Thu 21 Jan 2010.

Shui cocks an eyebrow, waiting as Yasmine answers a pair of communiqué.  A slight smile touches her lips as a picture springs to mind - all over the spaceport, people's pants ringing.  "I see that as usual you are giving as good as you get," she notes, arriving at Corlan's door.  There's no reason to put on an official face, so she chimes him as they talk.

"Perhaps you have a date in port?" she probes, almost slyly.  "I can do this myself if there are places you must be...."

"Oh yes, I always send word for a date in ports we are going to," Yas replies with mock sigh and puts the back of her hand against her forehead in a dramatic gesture.  "So many planets and only one of me, oh, how the universe must suffer in vain desire and hope."

"No, no date.  Or are you asking me out on one?" she then quips and flashes a big, big smile at the other woman.

Saskia doesn't make it as far as Customs.  Instead she runs into a security patrol, two officers in light ceramite body armour and helmets.  A short conversation reveals that she is heading in the wrong direction, she needs to go back about two hundred metres and take a left...

Conrad Dietz, as might be expected of somebody with a military background, is all prepared to leave the ship.  His bags are packed, and having given what help he could to other passengers, he is now sitting in his cabin, with the door open, staring at a blank wall with a thoughtful expression on his face.

Jago moves towards one end of the open office, not so much threading his way through the crowd as scaring it out of his way.  At last he reaches a bank of terminals near one wall.  As soon as one is vacated, somebody rushes forward to occupy it.  Eventually Jago is the new occupant of one.  He studies the screen for a moment, then starts typing.  As he inputs the details of the cargo he wants to sell, the screen displays a list of possible purchasers.  "Most of them look like agents." he explains to Ash, "They'll put me in touch with somebody else, and take a cut of whatever they pay.  These last two look promising, though.  Do you want to call one, and I'll take the other?"

On the cargo ramp, Tylen continues to goof off, as the techs finish hooking up the ship, and start to move on to their next job.  As they go, the former Scout hears them joking about how much overtime they'll be earning this month...

Ash watched Jago work with the console.  He was curious as to how the large man intended to find a buyer for his wares.  When Jago asked him to contact one of the potential buyers, Ash's eyes widened for a moment, and then he shrugged.  "Umm..." he paused for a moment, and then acquiesced with only a small tinge of uncertainty in his voice "O-of course, I can contact one of them.  You are looking to move the ten tons of computer parts, correct?  I mean, the wheat is presumably a freight contract, right?  ... So, what kind of terms are you looking for specifically on the parts?  Or would you prefer I set up a face to face meeting to talk terms?"

"Forever with people awaiting your call?" Shui mumurs quietly, moving on to Conrad's room where the pilot awaits - Corlan not yet prepared for his disembarkment, she will return to assist him after dealing with the low-berth passengers.  "Myself?"  Both her eyebrows rise momentarily, then Shui smiles, patting Yasmine on the shoulder.  "My apologies, Ms. Crow; please do not take this the wrong way, but - as the saying goes - you are not my type."

Before any rebuttal is possible, she sticks her head into the next room.  "Mr. Dietz.  We can assist..."  Amusement fades.  "Mr. Dietz?  Is there something the matter?"

"That's all right, doc," Yas says with a wide grin and pats Sushi on the back a few times, since that is an obvious target with the head sticking in through the doorway.  The pats may be a tad hard but not overly so.  "I'm not my type either!"

Then, as she notes the change of tone in the voice of the other woman she tries to peek into the room, standing up on her toes, curious as to what is going on in there, but remain silent.  In the end she cannot help herself, but whispers, "What's up, doc?"

Conrad turns his head, and smiles at Shui, "Well, now.  I don't reckon there is, really.  Jus' thinkin', I guess.  Gonna miss y'all.  You, Yas, Saskia, Tylen.  Jago too, of course.  We've all seen some time together."


Jago grins at Ash, "Don't worry, I don't want you to negotiate terms or anything.  Wouldn't do for the two of us to make two different deals for the same load at the same time.  Just tell them that we have ten tons of assorted computer components, manufactured at Garda Vilis, and if they're interested they should contact Profit Margin, in Docking Bay 94, to make their offer."

The captain removes the unlit cigar from his mouth and regards it curiously, as he adds, "Not expecting to make a lot on them, but you never know."  The cigar returns to his mouth, where it remains unlit.

Saskia finds the right place, at last, a warehouse full of components, ranging from carbon nanotubes all the way up to replacement drive housings.  She looks about, until she sees somebody who looks like they work here.

"Hello.  I'm looking for some bits and pieces."  A folded list appears from her pocket, "First of all, I need - oh, wait.  All your stock is at least TL 10, right?"

Ash nodded to Jago, "Understood, Captain.  Your cargo, your perogative."  Ash scrutinized the number that Jago had designated for him for a pregnant moment, before tapping it into his wrist comm and pushing the number onto his p-comm to initiate a call.  Ash waited for a moment for the connection to go through, then he waited for someone or something on the other end to pick up...

Not quite wincing under Yasmine's pats, Shui keeps her focus on Conrad as he slowly considers his response.  Worry turns to sorrow almost immediately - with all of their concern over the fleet, the landing, their former pilot has been forgotten.

Hurrying forward, she sits down next to him - a change from the norm, and places one gentle hand on his shoulder.  "Mr. Dietz...Conrad...you will be well-missed, yourself.  I truly wish you would stay, but I understand your reasons."  She studies him, searching his worn features.  A good man, Shui thinks.  "You must be careful.  Please.  And...and do not go so quickly - we should go out, take you somewhere for dinner," she finishes in a rush.

A last chance, perhaps, to speak to their laid-back, easy-going pilot.

"Heck yeah," Yas says and moves into the doorway, finally understanding the situation, "and if dinner ain't your style we can see who lasts the longest drinking the strongest thing we can find on this ball.  Just say the word and we'll throw you a party you either won't remember the next time you wake up or one you'll never forget!"

Too much mushy stuff will not do, she has a reputation to maintain after all, and starting to bawl - or just look a tad too sad - simply would work at all.  At least not unless she catches Ditzy alone.

"Oh, I were plannin' on bein' very careful." Conrad replies, with a chuckle, "I'm a navigator.  Can always claim I got lost on the way to the battle, if'n it looks a mite too dangerous.  Nobody could say I di'n't.  Leastways, they'd have a hard time provin' it."

The employee in the engineering stores, who looks to be barely out of school, nods enthusiastically at Saskia, "Oh yes, Miss.  Most of our stock meets Tech 11 specifications.  What did you need?"

"Wolfram Thorne and Partners." a female voice answers Ash's call, "Kaela Deranios speaking.  How can I help you?"

Conrad runs a hand through his hair, and nods, "Yeah... reckon I could handle a few beers an' a bite to eat."

Ash was standing there idly, slightly slouched until someone picked up on the other end.  Then his posture straightened and seemed to be concentrating on some spot on the wall up and to the right of Jago's head.  "Ah, Ms. Deranios, ..." Ash said in his monotone 'professional' voice, "I am calling on behalf of my employer.  We have ten tons of assorted computer components, originally from Garda Vilis, which are need of a home.  Your firm was referred to us a potential buyer for that cargo.  Who would I speak to at Wolfram Thorne and Partners about such a matter?"  Ash tapped away at his wrist comp, as information continued to scroll across his HUD's reticule near his left eye.

Lounging still, Tylen goes back to fiddling with his coin as he keeps an eye on the  area.  He stays aware of the whole area, but behind his sun glasses his eyes dart, occasionally, towards the crates and the movement he saw earlier.

Suddenly a thought crosses his mind Hmm. What is he's not a stowaway?  What if he is waiting for one of the passengers?  Languidly he reaches down for his wrist and keys buttons again.  However, this time he opens a voice channel to Yas.

Aware that Yas is in the passenger quarters, he chooses not to say too much.  "Security Officer Crow,  to the cargo ramp please."

"What a surprise, told you I'm a wanted woman.  Now, Ditzy, don't run out on us, you hear.  Got some business to take care of, but I'll be back," Yas says after hearing Quadman's voice come over her earpiece (making assumptions here).

"On my way, Quad, keep your pants on.  Please," she says over the com-link back to Ty and waves a goodbye to the doc and their ex-pilot but hopefully never ex-friend.  Even as she walks away she hefts her little shotgun to ready in case it is needed, since she never knows for certain until she finds out, or some such.

Quad? Right? he muses to himself with a  grin as he contemplates, just for the briefest of moments, removing his trousers.

Flipping the coin one last time, he reads it as it lands in his hand heads then grins as he slaps his palm down onto his wrist, turning the coin over or tails - shrugging gently he pockets the coin and resumes his wait.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:41, Fri 29 Jan 2010.

Shui watches Yasmine leave, frowning faintly.  Might there be some kind of problem?  But Conrad is the issue here - Yasmine has her duties, and this is one of hers.  "I will hold you to that, Conrad."  She taps a finger on her lips.  "I need to open up the Low Berth passengers as soon as possible - would you like to accompany me?  You need not assist, and we might talk as I work.  The difficult part of the trip is over, and while the electronics need someone to monitor them, they do all the work."

Stepping through the hatch into the cargo bay area of the ship, Yas looks around before moving on towards the ramp where she hopes to find Ty with trousers on and not off.

She spots him, and his pants, and approaches him.

"So, what's up?" she asks, keeping a more serious tone now that she is here face to face.

Tylen continues to lounge as Yas approaches, and responds with  broad grin  "Keep it light for the moment." he says through the grin, But then continues in a more conventional tone.  "There is someone hiding out behind a  bunch of crates down there.  Not sure what he or she is about." the ex-scout continues with a bit of a chuckle thrown in.  "I was letting it run, not really any of my business, so long as he leaves the ship alone."  he says leaning slightly closer into to Yas for a moment, as if he is  in in a personal conversation with the woman.  "Then I wondered if he might be after one of the  passengers ...." he says swaying back again, well aware that Jago, Ash and Saskia have already passed this way without precipitating any action from the figure behind the crates.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:58, Sat 30 Jan 2010.

"Really now?  And what makes you think that?" Yas replies at a normal conversational level and then nods slowly, with a small smile, and whispers without moving her lips, "Worth checking out.  You take left, I go right."

"Careful what you wish for, boy," she says louder again and then laughs briefly as she starts down the ramp with a casual stroll.  "And do try to not stare at my rear too much, you might trip again," she adds with words as she adds a bit more sway to her hips.

Saskia starts reading items off her list and, one by one, they are checked against the store's inventory by the young employee...

Kaela Deranios seems fairly cheerful as she replies to Ash, "Mister Thorne himself is out of the office at the moment, but I am one of the 'and Partners'." the sound of a keyboard being used reaches Ash.  "From Garda Vilis you say?  That would make them suitable for use on most modern systems here on Frenzie.  We'd certainly be interested, if a mutually acceptable price could be agreed upon."

Jago, meanwhile, is involved in a conversation of his own.  From what Ash can hear, it appears to be quite similar to the one Ash is having.

Conrad nods, "Why not?" and stands.  Suddenly, he laughs, "The party ain't even started yet, an' we're already fixin' to disturb folks' sleep."  He gestures towards the door, "Lead on, Miss Tiesi."

Yas moves around the crates, to the right, and encounters an odd vision standing there.  At an impressive 140 cm tall, and resembling something that may have once taken part in a biology experiment that she vaguely remembers from her school days, the creature is, however, clearly sentient.  For one thing, it is wearing clothes (in a sense - its idea of fashion appears to extend to a collection of loosely-draped wet towels).  And, as a second sign of intelligence, it backs away from the former Marine, almost tripping over its own tail, and finally colliding with Tylen, who has quietly circled around the crates from the other direction.

The sudden impact with the ex-Scout jars the creature, and causes it to drop a very expensive looking holorecorder, which it promptly bends down to pick up, while speaking frantically to itself, "Do not be broken.  It must not be broken.  It seems intact.  Yes,intact.  Just a small dent in the case.  It is not broken!"  It looks from Yas to Tylen, who now has a large wet patch on his trousers, following the collision, before brandishing the recorder triumphantly, "It is not broken!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:47, Sun 31 Jan 2010.

"It is not broken yet," Yas corrects the little, sorry, big bwap and pats her shotgun absentmindedly, or so it would appear at least.  "As in, what the frell are you doing here with that dren, and, who the swut are you?  Tick tock, tick tock..."

She taps her wrist since it is a common place for a timepiece, even though not all species uses those - but the gesture tends to be universally understood, in her experience.  A brief glance at Tylen's now wet trousers spawns no response - at the moment and her gaze fixes on the little, compared to her, amphibian.

Might as well try the tough routine, if it turns out this creature is innocent of anything sinister she can always apologize later.  Yeah, right.

Ash catches himself nodding to no one in particular, as he talks to Ms. Deranios.  A slightly sheepish grin crosses his face, as he replies to her, "Ah, ... I am certain that a mutual acceptable price can be found, Ms. Deranios.  Unfortunately, I am not authorized to discuss specifics at this time.  I hope that you understand."  He bites his lip for a moment, before continuing, "You must forgive me, Miss Deranios.  I am sorry that I have not properly introduced myself.  My name is Ash Tescali and I am the navigator of the VanRijn Frontier-Class Merchant ship, the Profit Margin."  He rattles off, the Profit Margin's ID code, so that Kaela can verify that he is on the up and up, shouid she desire.  Something that Ash figures that she will do, if she is a professional.

He then rejoins the topic at hand, Jago's cargo.  "Thank you for expressing such immediate interest.  If you are amenable, my employer, Captain Lanza, will be more than happy to discuss a price for the computer components once we get back to the Profit Margin - Docking Bay 94.  Either in person or by comm.  Would that suit you?"

While muting the microphone to his comm, Ash motioned to Jago and whispered to him, "Thorne and Partners is interested - when would be we be back at the Profit Margin, should they ask for a face to face meeting?"

Tylen just grins behind his shades, sure he is going to get shit from Yas later, but she will get as good back as she gives.  Anyone would think from the way she was swinging her ass coming down that ramp, that she hadn't hit port for weeks and was desperate to try out the local men.

But for now his hands rest on his gun belt waiting for the creature to respond to Yas's questions -  only now, rather than resting against buckle, his hands rest closer to his twin revolvers.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:05, Mon 01 Feb 2010.

Relieved at hearing Conrad's laugh, Shui smiles gratefully and stands.  "Of course, Mr. Dietz.  You are...most gracious."  Giving him a small bow, she strides for the door.

"I must admit, it will take some serious adjustment to be used to another's piloting."  Her lips quirk.  "If ever.  Did you feel anything odd about how we were brought in, anything you would have done differently?"  Leaning closer, Shui drops her voice to a whisper.  "The assessment of an expert would help me relax...planetfall can be a touch disturbing for me, I admit.  I..."

Rocking to a halt, Shui pauses, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.  "A moment please, Conrad."  Blindly, she reaches for his shoulder.  "Apologies, but I..."  A sick, lost feeling crawls up from the pit of her stomach.  Another part of her family - her adopted family - gone.  She had just become accustomed to the banter, the various drinks, the peoples' habits and interactions falling over her like a warm cloak.  Now things have changed again, and realistically it seems likely she will never see Conrad Dietz again.

The small alien looks nervous, clutching the holorecorder close to its scrawny chest.  "Forgive, please.  I am named Shewanjathinmabray.  I have an interest in starships.  You understand, yes, yes?  I record images and registries of ships I see.  This ship is VanRijn Class frontier merchant.  Rare ship.  Very uncommon in these times.  Look, I show you."

It reaches into its sleeve and pulls out an electronic book.  Typing deftly, it then holds the device up to display a ship which, apart from the paint scheme, looks a lot like Profit Margin.  Odd alien text scrolls across the page.  "Design is two hundred years old, and never popular.  Only one thousand two hundred and twelve built across whole of Imperium.  One hundred and forty of those known to be destroyed.  Frontiers are dangerous place to trade, yes, yes?"

"This one very much rare.  Non-standard weapons."


"To tell the truth, Shui," Conrad says, lowering his voice conspiratorially, "this here old gal's always been a touch erratic.  Saskia, she swears up, down, an' three diff'rent sideways, that there ain't nuthin' wrong with Profit Margin, but sometimes it feels like the ship's laughin' at me."

"That's why I generally let Jago handle her, an' I just figured the courses."

The two of them reach the Low Berth chamber, and the iris valve slides open to reveal the berths themselves.


Jago mutes his own comm, "Tell them we'll be back there in an hour.  That'll give us time to get back and grab a coffee.  This place doesn't seem that interested."  He shrugs, "They've got me on hold right now."

Yas quirks an eyebrow as she listens to the little alien explain the holorecorder and the intent of sneaking about, or at least the intent of being near the ship.

"Some good advice for you.  Never, ever sneak around, some people will shoot lurkers like that at sight.  As for Profit Margin, yes, she is one of a kind, but she is also my home.  Would you like if I snuck around your place taking pictures without asking?  No, I don't think so."

She shakes her head, putting on a stern face, even if she doubt the little fellow is up to anything bad.  Still, caution has saved more lives than the absence of it.  But she can understand its interest;  ships can be quite a subject to dive into.

"Tell you what, you can take a few more photos if you like, and if you want I can get you a little something from the ship, call it a memento if you want," she suggests and then looks over at Tylen, "We still got that battle with the Vargrs, figure that will be something for, uh, to keep, no?"  She avoid saying he or she, realising she has no idea what gender, if any, this little lizard is.  She looks back to the lizard and motions in Tylen's general direction.  "How about that?  Ty here can keep you company and show you some good angles, right?"

She is not about to invite it aboard, but a few more external shot can not do any harm, she figures, and perhaps the memento is a kind of small way to apologise for scaring the little critter.  Perhaps.

Non standard weapons? Tylen thinks as he forces a smile to his face.  Yas sure is trusting today…

Still he is lumbered with the little creature now, and surreptitiously looks around for the thermos flask and the anorak.  ”Let’s got round the front.” he says loudly stepping out from behind the crates, wanting to see how the ground crew react to the small alien.

Recovering herself, Shui brushes a hand across her eyes, laughing quietly.  "You do little to heighten my sense of security, Mr. Dietz."  Centered again, she slips into the Low Berth chamber, sealing the door behind them and moving to the panels, checking the tell-tales, hoping for All Green.  "Please go on.  I am interested in your feelings on the matter."

She shoots him a quick smile.  "Of course, not a word of this will pass from my lips.  Especially not to Ms. Blake."

The panels shows green telltales all across, with the occasional momentary flicker of amber indicating that one of the cryoberths' systems has detected a slight fluctuation in its occupant's minimal neural activity, or a tiny increase in the almost non-existent heart rate.  Probably the result of  a particularly vivid dream.

People do dream in cold sleep.  Strange dreams too, as the neurons in the brain cool down and approach a state of superconductivity, allowing all kinds of bizarre links to come into existence.

Conrad grins, "Oh, she ain't a bad ship, an' she ain't dangerous, that's for sure.  But... " he pauses, searching for the right words.  "Well, y'all know that Saskia acts like the ship's alive, right?  Jus' 'tween me an' you, sometimes I think she's right.  I don't reckon Profit Margin'd ever hurt us, mind, but I get the feelin' that she sometimes likes to have some harmless fun with us."


As Yas heads back aboard the ship, Tylen fetches the alien out into the open.  There aren't many of the ground crew left working here, most of them having finished up and moved on to the next job.  Two men and a woman are still working though, apparently making adjustments to a fuel line and the attached pump assembly.

The woman points out the alien to one of the men, who shakes his head and grins.  Then she calls out, "Hey, Shew, I hope you're not bothering these people with your questions!  You know what the Super said about that, right?"

The little creature moves its right hand in a horizontal chopping motion, "Not bothering people.  They ask all questions, not me."  It doesn't look at the woman though, instead gazing at the ship, and it starts muttering quietly, "Aaaah... yes, yes.  Forbes-Kalyushin model grid with auto-rational red-shift governing.  Old.  Old.  Not like new ships - no Jump field flux restablisation.  Can make image?"  That last question is directed at Tylen, and even as it is asked, the recorder comes up to point at a fairly nondescript section of hull, studded with a similar, seemingly random, assortment of widgets, gadgets, and gizmos to those on most other hull areas.


Jago suddenly breaks off his discussion with Ash, and returns his attention to his comm, "Hello?  No, from Garda Vilis.  That's right.  No, just components.  Alright.  Thank you for your help."  He shuts down the unit, "That lot weren't interested at all."

Ash noted the exchange between the Jago and the other party with some amusement - he had expected his exchange with Thorne and Partners to be more like the one that Jago had experienced, but was quietly happy that it was not.  He stated with a deadpan tone acknowledging Jago, "Definitely not interested...".

He then unmuted his line and turned his attention back to Kaela, "Ms. Deranios?  Are you still there?  Would you be willing to contact Captain Lanza, either in person or by comm, at the Profit Margin in an hour or so - after he concludes is current business - to talk particulars?"  Ash's head tilted slightly as he waited for a response, though no one, but Jago would have seen it.

With her list in hand, Saskia starts explaining just what she need.  It soon becomes obvious that she isn't really reading the items from the list at all.  In fact its only purpose seems to be that it allows her to check off which items the depot is able to provide.

There are occasional diversions, as she requests alternatives to units which are not held in stock here.

"No carbon nanotube plasma manifolds?  Frell!  Okay, do you have any in extruded crystaliron laminate?  Five millimetre bore."

Throwing a look back to make sure Ty has not squished the little alien - you never know with scouts, after all - Yas continues onwards until she spots the first computer terminal.  She begins to search the system until she finds what she is looking for; the picture of them blasting the Vargr.

If the little critter can tell by a glance that they have non-standard weapons she is pretty certain it will appreciate this image, which really only proves that there is a Vargr ship near what might be the ship Profit Margin.

Just for the sake of it she makes it as big as she can get it from the printout, suspecting the little alien will analyse every inch of the Vargr vessel as well.  While she waits for the output she goes over her arsenal to make sure it is all ready in case she do decide to blast someone or something.

Once that is done she takes the "trophy" and starts walking back outside to find Ty and their little guest.

"We always tend to ask questions of people who appears to be watching us from behind things." the scout responds dryly.  "However, our head of security has cleared him to take a few images." he continues on a lighter note, pleased that the ground crew have confirmed the alien is some type of weirdo ship-spotter.

"Yeah.  Go ahead." he responds nonchalantly to the little alien's question of whether he could take pictures.

Shui slowly begins bringing the travellers out of their coldsleep - she knows of the sorts of effects it has on the system, having experienced it herself in the past (she would not feel comfortable being in charge of it, had she not been through at least one trip in stasis).  All the while, she keeps a small part of her attention on the pilot.

Finally she pauses, when convenient, and turns to face him.

"A curious statement, Mr. Dietz, but one with which I will not argue.  There is certainly more to 'life' than flesh and blood."  Perhaps odd coming from a doctor, or perhaps not.  "I was wondering - you have been the pilot for a while, so I feel it likely you have at least researched the ship, its past, its model.  Did you discover anything interesting while poking about?"

Kaela Deranios confirms that she, or one of her partners, will be glad to call Jago in an hour or so.  And actually manages to sound as if "glad" is exactly the right word.  Ash's comm is practically dripping cheerful enthusiasm all over his boots.

Conrad smiles at Shui, and shakes his head, "Mostly been a nav, but I do have a pilot's ticket.  Knew Jago from way back, 'fore I even signed up, an' he used to talk 'bout what a good ship this is."

"Ain't never been on a VanRijn 'fore this one, so I did do a little pokin' 'round.  I know they're supposed to be tough ships, and can take a beatin', then turn 'round an' bite back."  His smile widens, "Saskia reckons this ship wouldn't never let her down, but she's an engineer, an' they most all say that 'bout every ship.  Engineers're all mad, and Navy engineers're the maddest of them all.  'part from Scouts and Vargr, that is.  They're much madder."

Yas reappears at the top of the ramp, holding the computer printout carefully.  The first thing she spots is the strange little alien wandering about, snapping images of apparently random sections of the ventral hull.  It appears to be getting pictures of some areas multiple times, and not always from different angles.

As it records the images, it is talking constantly, "The Super would not terminate me.  No, no.  It is a bluff.  A bluff.  I am an excellent worker.  My office would function 12.1743% less efficiently without me."

"Now, if I find out that you're up to no good I'll have to make your office less productive, so remember that," Yas says with a stern look at the little alien as she approaches them.  She nods to her fellow crewman as if to confirm that he has not yet shot the little critter.

"And also," she adds as she bends over to get more on level with the shorter of the two, one hand resting on her knee for support, "if you ask before starting to snap picture you never know what you will get in addition, as opposed to being shot at."

Having rolled up the poster into a cylinder she gently taps the amphibian over the head with it before holding it out towards it as an offering, a big grin conquering her features.

"I think you'll appreciate this."

While she waits for the alien to accept it she glances over at Tylen, looking up as it were.  "Had fun, I trust, but not too much?"

Ash frowns slightly as he perfunctorily taps his earpiece to close the line, even though, Kaela has already dropped the connection.  Then he shrugs, and says to Jago, "Well, they are interested."  He gives a puzzled look to the Captain, "I would have almost said that they were too eager.  Unless the words 'computer components from Garda-Vilis' mean something different here."  Ash notes rather self-deprecatingly, "I'm pretty sure it was not my natural charm shining through..."

Then the moment passes and Ash looks at Jago, "You mentioned something about coffee?  Perhaps we should grab something to eat, as well?  And take something back for the rest of the crew?  Or are there more errands we need to run before that?"

Tylen maintains a deadpan expression as he watches Yas deal with the alien, a bit surprised at the approach she is taking.  Must be a body clock thing he thinks as he watches her mother the small, slippery creature.

However, his response is measured "Indeed." the scout responds "I have been learning that we have a Forbes-Kalyushin model grid with auto-rational red-shift governing.  Which is, apparently,  old and does not have  Jump field flux restablisation."  he continues dryly.

"Still, I had better get back to ramp duty before Jago gets back?" he half questions as he turns back towards the ship, happy to leave the little alien to Yas's version of maternal instincts.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:45, Sat 13 Feb 2010.

"As long as it gets us where we're going in one piece it's good enough for me," Yas says with a grin at Tylen regarding his newly accumulated knowledge.

"Yeah, you head on back, can't leave the door open and unguarded for too long, evidently," she tells him with a stern glance at their little visitor.

Still checking readouts, Shui smiles.  "You have an interesting scale of madness, Mr. Dietz.  Where do pilots and doctors fall?"  She considers his explanation with regards to the ship, the smile fading slightly into a more thoughtful expression.  "You knew Jago before you signed on?  From where?"  The Captain's background is a mystery to her.

"As for the ship, that is good to know.  The...tough part, in any case.  I'm not sanguine about biting back."  A shrug.  "But then, I understand if others are willing to go to such extremes."  She cocks an eyebrow.  "I wonder where that places me on your scale of madness?  And is your scale linear...or circular?"

"Well, now, let's see... " Conrad says, staring at the overhead briefly, before bringing his gaze back down to Shui, "Back 'fore I joined the Navy I was workin' merchies, an' Jago was, pretty much, doin' the same.  Signin' on as stand-in crew can be a good way to learn about a lot of stuff.  We ended up on the same ships a few times, jus' for a Jump or two, an' other times we'd run into each other in some wretched hive of scum an' villainy, which I'd only gone into to try an' get me some directions to somewhere more high class, of course."

"Both bein' from Llanth, we had a bit in common.  There was this one time we... "  Conrad stops, and grins, "No, that story's way too long.  Maybe another time."

"I signed up for the Navy, 'cause that's a good way to learn stuff too, once y'all know what you want to learn.  I served four years, and got me my navigator's papers.  An' 'bout six months after I got out, I ran into Jago.  He had the Profit Margin by then, some lucky breaks down the years let him finally get the mortgage deposit together, I guess.  He had a full crew for her, includin' Yas and Saskia, so he never took me on."

"Couple of years later, his navigator quit, and I was in the right place at the right time, so here I am.  Quittin' too."

"Should that light be red?" he points at the top edge of the panel, where one of a row of six telltales is blinking rapidly.

He then waits quietly, while Shui deals with the (presumed) emergency.

"Pilots ain't even slightly mad.  They jus' enjoy flyin' like they are.  Docs must be mad, 'cause they enjoy pokin' 'round in stuff that'd make a normal person, like me, sick to their gut.  An' the scale's kinda linear, it runs from pilots and navigators up aroun' here, through regular folks, 'bout here, an' on down to Engimeers an' Marines, somewhere down... here."  His hand indicates three different points, at eye-, chest-, and about knee-level.

Jago nods as Ash explains  the result of his conversation, and his opinion of it, "I've given up trying to explain why people react the way they do.  If they seem too keen, I just try to get a little more cash out of them, and hope it doesn't backfire.  Maybe the Navy bought up a lot of computer parts for that fleet that's sitting in orbit, and the civilian sector has run short of them?  Or maybe the person you spoke to is new in the job and wants to make a good impression?"

"I'll check the news feeds when we get back.  Maybe there's something in there that'll explain it."

He looks about, and then points towards an exit, "Come on, let's grab some coffee to take back.  I'm sure Shui would appreciate a break from making drinks for everybody while she's thawing the cold berths.  I could murder a groatburger too.  You want one?"


"Making my office less productive would harm you also.  I work in Port Authority Traffic Centre.  File requests for landing and departure, and prioritise them.  Very good for me, I learn when interesting ships arrive.  If the office is less efficient, then your departure might be delayed.  Yes, yes."

The little alien takes the image* from Yas, and peers at it, "Vargr ship.  Gaeradzugr class.  Technically a heavy merchant, but often used by smugglers and corsairs.  Interesting.  My thanks."

OOC: *The image can be found here: http://bigbadron.net/file_art/...20pages/Pic-0013.htm  Of course, this one is slightly less holographic.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:49, Sun 14 Feb 2010.

"Oh, but it'd hurt you more, I bet," Yas with a grin as she straightens up to watch the little alien study the image of their past battle with the Vargr.

"Yes, they made the mistake to mess with me and my ship," she explains to the Port Authority Officer, somewhat relieved she did not shoot it at sight - paperwork can be a pain even to an ex-marine - and then remembers something from the past that makes her add, "as in, I'm second in command on Profit Margin, Jago being captain."

"So, I assume you're off duty at the moment, or do you tend to sneak off as soon as 'an interesting ship' lands, hmm?" she asks him with a slightly mischievous look, before asking with a more serious - but perhaps not completely - expression "What did you say your name was, again?"

"My name is Shewanjathinmabray.  And indulging hobbies while on duty is strictly prohibited.  My duty shift ended shortly after this ship requested landing directions."

She wan ya thing... ...what!?

Yas never ceased to be amazed and confused by the nature of alien names.  Clearing her throat she simply puts the "name" aside and nods.

"So you lucked out.  You'll never see one of these babies again, not in this condition."  She nods at Profit Margin and then sticks an index finger upwards.  "Say, do you know what the big line-up above is all about?  Didn't look quite military to my eye, anyway, unless they're getting lax.  I'm an ex Imperial Marine, you see, so I've seen my share of formations by the Naval Farc..., er, Forces..."

She decides to try to get something back, having been - in her mind - quite accommodating.  Never know if this little fellow sits on important intel.

An interesting story, Conrad tells; Shui drinks it in.  Interesting, how fate placed him where he needed to be at the proper place and time...and again, now.  Fate?  Or simply the vicissitudes of life, Shui?  For that, she has no answer.

"That?"  Shui shakes her head.  "No, it merely informs me that the temperature in that berth -" she detests the slang 'casket' "- is above the freezing point.  Should not be long now."

Then the assessment, and her smile returns as she works.  "I see.  Of course pilots and navigators are the soul of sanity."  One eyebrow quirks, a common gesture for her on this ship.  "You would never be biased, would you Mr. Dietz?  And where would Stewards fall upon your scale?  After all, I am six of one, half a dozen of the other...."

"Oh, many are military.  Yes, yes." the little alien bobs its head enthusiastically, sending a few droplets of water dangerously close to Yas' boots.  "Many smaller ships have come for refit and supplying.  Crews take time off, in port, but ships land only at Naval docks.  When they first came, numerous civilian captains were afraid.  They thought it was an invasion fleet."

"Was much disruption for traffic patterns.  Now they assist in making right problem that they made."

An odd gesture, and a sound something like a cross between a belch and a whistle follows, "But their ships never land where I can see them.  Only at Navy docks, if ever."

Thinking for a moment, Conrad finally replies, "'round the mid-point, I'd say.  Bit above regular folks, y'know, the ones who ain't crew, but not quite as sane as flight crew."

He nods towards the panel, where more red lights are blinking, "Two more of these boys jus' stopped bein' icicles.  That's one thing I ain't lookin' forward to in the service.  I mean, I know why the Navy keeps part of a crew on ice, it saves on space and supplies, but I hated bein' on any ship that did it.  'specially if I got rotated onto the Frozen Watch.  Always gave me weird dreams."

Ash shrugs when Jago notes that he'll check the trade feeds and the splash pages when they get back.  Ash does a quick tap on his dataglove and p-comm to see if he can pull anything up immediately over the public net.  He also puts in a search for the name 'Kaela Deranois", just for the heck of it.

But in the meanwhile, Ash nods in agreement with Jago's suggestion for burgers and coffee, then notes enigmatically, "Mmm.... groat."

"One thing the scouts taught me," Ash notes enthusiastically, "well, besides how to get shot in the leg,... is that you never know where you next meal is going to come from.  Let's eat, I'm famished.  And some synthetic caffeine would be good, too..."  Ash gestures for Jago to lead the way, since he appears to know where he is going.

After stifling quiet laughter at Conrad's assessment - putting her in the 'less than sane' catagory by the average - Shui grows more serious as he expresses his concerns over low berths.  "Yes," she quietly agrees, continuing about her business.  "I dislike these things, myself."  Lips thin, she checks the vital signs on several passengers - while some ships refer to cold-sleepers as 'cargo', she detests that sobriquet.  "I wish you did not have to undergo the ordeal."  Over and over again.

"Conrad, do you think it will be possible to keep in touch with the Profit Margin?  Is there somewhere one can send mail - electronic or otherwise - that will reach servicemen in less than a year?"

Jago and Ash make their way out of the offices, and follow a series of signs (and the almost unintelligible directions of a maintenance droid) until they reach the nearest fast food emporium.  As with most such establishments, this one seems to be staffed by people who are barely adult, dressed in badly fitting uniforms.

The problem with the uniforms is not helped by the fact that they were probably designed for humans, and not all the staff are of that particular species.

Jago and Ash have their order taken by a cheerful and hyperactive young Vargr, whose name badge declares that he is, apparently, called, "Temporary Employee 1138".

With the food secured, the two start looking for a way back to the right docking bay.  No easy task, given the maze of almost identical tunnels to be negotiated.

Fortunately, Ash is a qualified Navigator.

Tylen strolls back to his position at the top of the ramp and  continues to lounge.

"So, a mixture, uh?  But mostly military?  Not top of the line, though, evidently," Yas muses as the new information, whereupon the little alien seems to sneeze or something.  "Gesundheit."

"Say, do you know of a good place to relax and unwind around here?  For humans, I mean.  That is, I have no clue what your kin do to relax, and it might not be the same for all I know," she inquires and fries of a crooked grin, trying really hard to not picture what amphibians that liek to wrap in wet towels enjoy doing.

Saskia finishes her list, and checks her hard copy.  They seem to have most of the stuff she's after, or a close approximation thereof.  Good.  She charges the bill to Profit Margin's engineering account, and arranges for her order to be delivered to the right dock later today.

As she leaves, she stops in the corridor and looks about.

She likes vacc worlds.  They aren't like her original home, with its open spaces and even more open sky, but they are like the sort of environment that she has called home for a little over half her life.  All those tunnels, with air circulated through ducts and pressure doors at regular intervals, ready to close at the first sign of sudden decompression.  It's almost like being on a huge ship, right down to the continual hum of distant machinery and the faint traces of lubricants and ozone in the atmosphere.

She decides to do a little exploring.

The byzantine maze of corridors that comprised the main body of the Frenzie station reminded Ash of one huge ship.  Right down to the gentle hum of machinery in the background.  And though, that should have made it easier to get around due to familiarity, Ash would have been the first to say, that there was more than a small amount of luck involved in he and Jago making it back to Berth 94 and the Profit Margin before the coffee was cold (at the least the non-iced versions).

Trying to follow the crowds didn't help, since one was never really sure if most people were trying to get on or off station, especially in the current circumstances.  And since everything look amazingly the same, Ash could see that extreme measures might be in order.  In a near final act of desperation, Ash had resorted to an old trick that he had seen work before in rare cases - a trick that he used as a Scout: he had consulted a posted directory placard.  Ash thanked his lucky stars that he wasn't require to actually ask someone for directions; that probably would have killed him, his head exploding right there and then.  At the very least, he would have had to turn in his Navigator's certificate.

Conrad sighs, "Wish I could say for sure, but, with Profit Margin always on the move, an' me signin' on with the Navy...  Give it three weeks, an' y'all could be at any one of 'bout a dozen systems, with me at any one of 'round four dozen others, dependin' on what I get assigned to."

"Best I can say is drop a message in at any Navy base y'all're near, an' it'll likely get to me within six months or so.  I can do the same, post somethin' on the public boards at any port I come to, an' address it to Jago.  The system'll tag him as skipper of Profit Margin if she touches down there, an' deliver the message."

He looks at Shui glumly, and spreads his hands helplessly.

Ash and Jago make it back to the correct docking bay, and find their Security Chief talking to a short alien, wrapped in damp towels (the alien, that is, not Yas).  Tylen, meanwhile, stands up on the ramp, watching the conversation with a somewhat amused expression.

"... so I will not go to those." the alien is saying, speaking rapidly in a fairly high-pitched voice.  "There are other places, just for entertainment or food, if those are of interest?"

Saskia wanders, revelling in the enclosed spaces and uniform construction.  She turns a corner, and finds a door which bears the legend, "Sky Dome Elevator." neatly stencilled across it.  Below that, somebody has taped a piece of paper, with some writing on it, "See the orbiting fleet with your own eyes.  Spectacular display of lights as they cross the terminator into sunlight."

OOC: This is what Yas' new pal looks like:  http://members.tip.net.au/~dav...s/libdata/2bwaps.gif

"Six months."  Shui sighs.  Well, at least the volume of correspondence won't keep her up at night - small satisfaction, given how much she will miss their pilot.  "And you will have to put up with the most foul coffee."  It could be a joke.  It isn't; taking care of the people aboard the ship, the crew most especially, is a very serious task for Shui, one which grants her enormous personal satisfaction.

The readouts rise higher, the sleepers moving toward full conciousness.  Shui checks them all again, then turns toward Conrad.  "I will make up a small care package for you before you leave us, Mr. Dietz, and deliver it to you at your farwell dinner.  Certainly the coffee will assist you in making friends - just remember to clean whatever machine you find with a cup or two of vinegar every dozen or so uses."

She grimaces.  "Perhaps four cups before you use it the first time."

"Have to admit, I'll miss the coffee almost as much as I'll miss the folks hereabouts." Conrad responds, with a chuckle.

A telltale flicks from red to green, ad there is a gust of cold air as the seal on one of the berths breaks.  The front starts to hinge open, and a loud groan comes from within, followed by an fit of coughing.

Then a voice, faint and hoarse, "Holy Tsort!  Why did I volunteer for this?"

Conrad winks at Shui, and says quietly, "Sounds like one of our boys might be considerin' travellin' home protected by a diff'rent god."

Saskia studies the sign on the door for a moment, and the additional notice.  Then she shakes her head, "Nah." and goes to look for something more interesting to do instead.

This is a busy port, attached to a fairly important Naval facility.  There must be something going on.

Mildly poisonous? Isn't that, perhaps, the purpose? Tylen muses as he eavesdrops on the conversation between Yas and the alien.

Stifling a yawn, the ex-scout continues lounging at the ramp leading into the Profit Margin.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:30, Thu 25 Feb 2010.

"Perhaps I can send you a care package every six months.  Assuming it manages to reach you."  Shui pauses to consider, tapping her fingertip against her lips.  "They have strict rules about people stealing mail, do they not?"

Then a berth cracks open, and Shui hurries to the passenger, a small package in hand.  She offers only a smile to Conrad in reply - she can't very well let out her own opinion on the matter in front of the passenger, but her wry expression speaks volumes.  Deftly, the steward inserts a small straw into the drink, a concoction of sugars and electrolytes, and moves to assist her charge from his 'tank'.

"Allow me, sir.  The discomfort should fade shortly -" after a good night's rest "- and you need to drink this."  He doesn't, but Shui has found in the past that it helps.

Jago starts towards the ramp, he nods to Yas as he draws level with her, "Got coffee and a snack, if you're interested.  Wasn't expecting guests though, so I've got nothing for your... er... friend."  He gives the little alien a curious look, noting the holocam, and the familiar image of a Vargr ship being hit by a missile.

The stranger studies Jago and Ash as they walk past, "Hello."

Jago doesn't answer, continuing on his way up the ramp.  "Coffee and a groatburger, Tylen?  Burgers aren't bad, but I'm afraid the coffee tastes a bit like something you might drain out of the engine of your bike."

The monk accepts the fluid, but doesn't taste it straight away.  Blinking he looks at the container, "What is it?"  Only after Shui has assured him of the safe blandness of the contents does he start to drink.

taking advantage of the passenger's distraction, Conrad replies, "Oh the mail's secure alright."  He grins, as he adds, "Not too surprisin', considerin' that the Navy uses armed couriers.  No, the only real problem is the Laws of Physics."

Saskia finds herself moving into more populated areas of the Port, and from somewhere up ahead comes the sound of a lot of voices shouting and cheering, interspersed with the occasional scream...

Ash stands next to Jago and nods to acknowledge Yasmine.  "Ms. Crow.", he intones quietly.  He smiles slightly as Jago designates the small alien as Yasmine's 'friend'.  Ash then nods to little amphibian when it addresses him and Jago, he pauses and tilts his head to the side for a moment, "Hello, to you as well, Ms. Crow's 'friend'."

Ash nods in agreement with Jago's assessment of the food as they approach Tylen.  He taps his diaphragm a closed fist and notes with a slightly pained expression to his fellow scout, "I've had some pretty rancid stuff on various planets, but this coffee just keeps on giving...  And not in a good way.  We were hoping to give Ms. Tiesi a break from her stewarding duties.  But I fear we may be replacing them with additional medical duties."  Ash stifles a small burp and then notes, "Hrumph... Excuse me."

Shui continues to prepare further drinks for the monks, all the while keeping an eye on the readouts and assisting whomever requires it.  Another one down, so it seems, though it's a little early to be counting this a victory.  Still, she has high hopes...and a knotted stomach.  The doctor will worry until each and every one of the Low Berth passengers is safely out of their induced coma.

"Physics, being the spaceflight travel time issues and the lack of interstellar communcation."  Shui sighs.  "A pity things are not more like the science fiction vids - it would be nice to have wormhole technology and instantaneous communication."  She glances at their former pilot sidelong.  "I do watch the occasional movie or read the occasional book," Shui admits, a trifle embarassed.

"It's a guest.  What was the name again?  Name's not my strong point," Yas says, first at Ash, giving him and Jago a wave, then asking the little alien about the name.

"Anyway, hope you got what you need, and remember to not sneak around people's 'homes' as some might take offence," she tells her "friend", glancing after Jago and the promise of something yummy - as in the groatburgers.

"Ah... classic stuff." Conrad responds, with a chuckle, "Radios that transmit faster'n light, an' ships that can turn on a credchip."  He moves to take an empty drink container from one of the monks, "Sure would make life easier, all 'round."

All six berths are now open, and the occupants seem to be recovering nicely from their week-long sleep.

The alien looks up at Yas and says, with what might be a note of exasperation, "Shewanjathinmabray.  My name is Shewanjathinmabray."  Then it looks back at the image of the Vargr corsair, "Thank you for this, it is an interesting image.  I will go now.  In future I will seek permission before approaching ships."

"Ah, that was it.  Trust me, I give everyone a nickname, that way I can remember it.  You I'd call, hmm, Bray, I think," Yas says with a grin and then shrugs as "Bray" thanks for the picture.

"Yeah, you never know what you might get then, probably less chance of being fired upon, at least.  Take care now," she rounds of, waves to the alien and begins to trek after the burgers, albeit slowly so she can keep an eye on where the little amphibian actually does.

Tylen takes the burger and coffee with a shrug of his shoulders.  After all he had been loitering here for a while already, in between babysitting the little alien,  and there was little chance that Shui would come up with decent stuff any time soon.

"Soon have it smelling just like a type S." Tylemn comments in response to his fellow scouts belch.

"If only," Shui murmurs, studying the monks.  Of course, this bunch would certainly not be pleased with that - it would make the travel too easy.  "Thank you, Mr. Dietz.  Gentlemen," she calls out more loudly.  "You will find your belongings in the chest before your berth.  Please take your time, and be aware that you may suffer discomfort or lingering sluggishness for the next day.  If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask."

She turns a raised eyebrow on Conrad, as if inquiring his assessment of the performance.  "Only a few more jobs," the steward notes with a smile.  "I might actually be free at some point tonight."

Ash stifles a chuckle and nods to Tylen, "We aim to please."

Ash pauses for a moment to regard Tylen, glancing down and gesturing discretely at Tylen's er... moistened ... attire.  Then Ash couldn't help himself and had to note, "So, I take it that Ms. Crow's 'friend' is your 'friend', too, Mr. Orgesh."  He gives him a wink and a crooked smile as he makes his way into the belly of the Profit Margin, his oilskin duster flapping slightly behind him.

"Nope.  Its just the way Ms Crow swings her ass." Tylen replies laconically before taking another swig of his coffee.

Ash cannot suppress the guffaw that comes out for a moment.  He pauses and glances back at his fellow scout, his smile is still there, when Ash notes, "I suspect that you meant, 'Ms. Crow's assets', did you not?"

"Very possibly." Tylen responds with a wink, "Very possibly."

Ash turns back towards the ship's interior nodding, he intones quietly, "Very wise, indeed.  Like I said... watch out for the coffee."

As an afterthought, Ash adds with more volume, "Oh, and representatives from Wolfram Thorne and Partners might be calling.  If they do, let the Captain know.  They're a local trading company and he's expecting them."

Saskia follows the noise.  Normally she would avoid crowds, but this one sounds like there is something going on.  It might be interesting, and it can't do any harm to take a look, from a safe distance.

It turns out to be further to walk than she thought.  The sound carries a long way in the passageways.  Eventually though, she begins to think that she's getting close.

"What can I say?  I walk by and men tend to lose control, one way or another," Yas explains and then sighs sadly as she approaches the two men at the top of the ramp, "it's my cross, my curse..."

"Then again, scouts are a bit odd, even my sister," she adds with a grin as she reaches them and glances at the still well marked trousers.

"So, burgers and coffee, hmm, Mister T?" she queries Ash, trying to see where the goods are, or if Jago already has run off with it to his office and locked the door behind him.

Shewanjathinmabray turns to leave.  Without so much as a backward glance the newt-like alien hurries towards the exit from the docking bay.  Still gazing at the image of the Battle of Wypoc, the little creature almost runs into the last of the port techs, who is kneeling on the ferrocrete fiddling with something down in an access panel set into the floor.

The tech shoos the aliem away, before returning to her work.

Jago makes his way directly to the crew lounge, pausing only to slap the switch on an intercom panel as he passes it, "All ship's personnel please report to the crew lounge."  That should get Shui's and Saskia's attention...

In the Low Passage room, Conrad cocks his head towards the  intercom.  "Guess y'all'd better get movin'.  I can take care of things here for a bit."  He gestures towards the recovering passengers, all of whom are now awake, and sipping at plain, unflavoured nutrient cocktails, with added electrolytes, just for a frisson of scandalous (by Tsortian standards) decadence.  "Jus' keep 'em nice an' quiet-like, until they're all woke up, right?"

In the lounge, Jago sits and starts setting up search parameters for Profit Margin to access TNS and other interstellar news services, via link to the downport's datanet.  As each crewmember appears, he directs them to the bag of fast food.

There's even a nice healthy vegetarian meal for Shui.

Finally the fact that somebody is missing sinks in.  "Where's Saskia?"

Shui frowns, nodding thoughtfully at Conrad.  "But Mr. Dietz," she notes quietly, "they are my responsibility at the moment."  One eyebrow cocks.  "While I have absolutely no qualms about your own abilities," she quickly corrects herself, "I would be remiss if I did not..."

The steward rubs her forehead.  The captain should know better than to call her up before she finishes her tasks.  It puts her in an unenviable position, and now she risks insulting Conrad to boot.

Much as Shui dislikes passing the buck, it seems appropriate at this time.

Thumbing a holocontrol, she patches back to the captain.  + Captain Lanza, I have not yet completed my rounds, and our low berth passengers are still in their chamber, recovering.  Mr. Dietz has offered to take care of them for the nonce, if this is urgent. +

"She went shopping Boss."  Tylen responds to Jago's question about Sakia.  Not all that long after you went ashore. Something about spare parts ..." he offers before he takes another bite of his burger.

Ash has been sitting quietly in the corner, perusing a dog-eared copy of Imperial Mechanics magazine, when the question about Saskia is asked and Tylen responds.  He looks up with a slightly worried look on his face, "Should she be out there alone?"  Ash pauses for a moment, wondering if he has spoken out of turn.  He stammers slightly, "I... I mean, I know that she is a grown woman and all, it's just that it is kind of a zoo out there.  Easy to get lost and easy for something to happen..."

"It's not urgent, exactly, Shui." Jago assures the steward, "While we were ashore, Ash and me grabbed some lunch for everybody.  There's some barely poisonous coffee, and I got you the healthiest thing they had on the menu.  They call it a 100% Vegetarian Platter, so I'm assuming the green stuff is supposed to be that colour."  He laughs, "Just teasing.  It actually looks quite tasty.  It'll be waiting for you when you get over here, assuming none of these animals eats it first." (That last said with a glare at at an empty container, which used to contain barbecued darkel nuggets).

The captain takes his thumb off the intercom stud, and nods as Tylen explains Saskia's absence.  "Yeah, come to think of it, she's been talking for a little while about getting some supples and spares in, next time we were at a place with decent tech and a good starport."

To Ash, he replies, "She'll be okay.  If she's following my standing orders, she'll have a communicator with her, and she'll be keeping clear of seedy spacer bars.  She's not the sort to wander off, so she'll probably head for the nearest supply storage, order what she needs, and come straight back."
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:36, Tue 09 Mar 2010.

+ Thank you, Captain - for both information and vegetables.  And, hopefully, your success at guarding them from the others.  +  Snapping off the intercom with a small smile, Shui cocks her head at Conrad.  "There.  Apparently I'm not needed quite yet, so I can enjoy your company a tad longer while we see to our guests."  The monks are looking better, but far from 100%.  Shui hopes they found what they were looking for with their choice.

"Gentlemen, if you please?  Be certain to finish your drink.  A small suggestion - getting the blood flowing assists in dealing with the discomfort; sitting at rest only prolongs the situation."

All true, and also quite useful to getting recalcitrant passengers to move.

No sooner has Jago settled into his seat again than a musical chirp sounds from the Bridge, indicating an incoming message on the external comms.  "Must be those clients, calling a bit early." Jago says, getting up again.  "Keen.  That's what I like to see."  He heads through to the Bridge to take the call...

Conrad smiles, "Pleasure's all mine."  He gathers empty drink containers from the passengers, and assists in getting them on their feet and performing simple stretching and bending exercises.  In less than a minute, the Abbot is exhorting them to greater effort, pointing out that, while their bodies may say it's only been a few hours since they boarded Profit Margin, in the eyes of Tsort it has been a week since they performed their daily callisthenics.

Soon they are all stretching, bending, running on the spot, and jumping up and down, with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

In the crew lounge, Jago's voice suddenly cuts through the air, as a loud exclamation comes from the Bridge, "Frak it!  Frak!  Frak!  Frak!"  A moment later he appears in the doorway, his face a strange mixture of rage and stunned shock.

He flops down into the nearest chair, which manages to make a heroic effort to resist the stresses placed upon it, and sits silently for a few seconds.  Finally he speaks, and he sounds far calmer.

"That was Saskia.  She's been arrested."

Shui winces at some of the monks' 'enthusiasm'.  It might be better to keep things a trifle low-impact and energy until their muscles completely limber up.  But she holds her tongue, having the definite feeling that if she says a single word on the matter, the Abbot will only increase his demands upon his followers, with some kind of Tsortian reasoning that boils down to 'no pain, no gain'.

There's a lot to be gained from pain, and not all of it is anywhere near 'good'.

Instead, she and Conrad toss out the empty drink containers - into the recycling with them!  With that task complete, Shui has nothing more to do than wait for her passengers to finish their various exercises.  "Conrad," she quietly begins.  Hesitantly, in fact.  "I would not ask, but...is it so necessary for you to re-join the Navy?"

"She's been a bad girl, uh?  Wonder what is it, did she say?" Yas says with a chortle, shaking her head slowly.  In her mind she conjures one unlikely cause after another which only serves to widen the grin on her face.

Jago looks a little embarrassed, and looks down at the floor for a moment, before responding, "Well... apparently there was a brawl in a seedy spacer bar, and Saskia got caught up in it somehow.  I need somebody to go bail her out.  She only has the credit card for the Engineering on her, and Port Security won't accept anything but cash from people who are in their holding tank."

He thinks for a moment, while that sinks in, "In fact, all three of you should go.  Maybe.  Clearly it's not safe out there.  I can take care of things here, and I'm waiting for a call from that client, so I can't really go."

Conrad sighs, "Well now, it ain't a matter of 'necessary', as such.  More like doin' the right thing.  I learned a skill from them that they can likely use right 'bout now.  Ought to at least offer my services.  Never know, mind... they might not want me."

"I do not see how that would be possible," Shui murmurs, suspiciously close to a grumble.  "Highly competant, experienced, willing?  Three things in your favour to assist them in fighting their war."

She checks the monks again - they seem just about finished removing their personal effects (such as they are) from the lockboxes.  "Gentlemen, your journey is almost complete.  If you might follow me, you may now step foot on the soil of your destination."

Or the ferroconcrete landing pad, but it's the thought that counts.

A look of surprise crosses Tylen's face as he hears that Saskia is in the clink for getting involved in a brawl.  He could see it with Yas, but Saskia?  With a shrug he puts that aside for the moment, before he asks "What are the rules on weapons here?" his hands dropping to rest lightly on hid gun belt.  "No point in us getting arrested as well."

Jago nods at Tylen, "Good point."  He moves to the nearest console, and makes the appropriate checks, "Okay... looks like guns are prohibited here, with the exception of shotguns." a quick glance at Yas, who has been known to express a slight preference for that very weapon, "Did you write this?  No?  Anyway... blades of all sorts are permitted, along with assorted means of delivering a concussion.  Explosives, nerve agents, other toxins, and nuclear weapons are also not allowed."  The captain briefly ponders the conditions which must have once existed here to make the local authorites specifically include a ban on the bearing of nukes.

"Openly carrying any weapon, including legal ones, is considered extremely bad manners, and will draw attention from the boys in... er... red."

"If you give me a minute, I'll grab you some credits from the petty cash."

The monks, with murmured thanks, and the occasional steadying hand from Conrad, follow Shui out of the chamber, and into the hold.  They seem much less interested in studying every label, notice, and hazard marker than when they first came aboard.  This is, perhaps, not too surprising, since approximately 85% of cryoberth passengers report a feeling  similar to a cross between old-fashioned jet-lag and an even-more-old-fashioned hangover upon reaching their destination.  In spite of having just slept for a week in an unlit coffin, most of them just want to go and lie down somewhere dark for a while.

The Abbot stands at the top of the ramp, and smiles at Shui as his charges file past, and proceed to familiarise themselves with the local gravity, which is slightly less than a quarter of what they are used to.  One of them stumbles, but rights himself quickly, without actually falling.

"It will take some getting used to, I suppose.  And we have to return home in a month, which is, unfortunately, just long enough to forget how to cope with the heavier gravity.  I expect to see at least two of this group with broken bones within a week of getting back to Garda Vilis."  He shakes hands with Conrad, and then extends his hand towards Shui, "My thanks for taking good care of us on this voyage, and may Tsort bless this ship."

Ash nods to Jago quietly in acquiescence to his request.  He hasn't much to say, as he still is having severe problems figuring out how their unassuming engineer got 'caught up' in a brawl.  While, it is true that Ash has not known her very long, and that she may have many hidden talents - drunken fighting is not one of the talents that he would have immediately associated with Saskia.  Perhaps that is what makes her such a good fighter.  Ash can only shake his head at such thoughts - and besides nothing is proven yet.

Since he is still in his duster with his old naval blade at his side, Ash is pretty much ready to go when ever Yasmine and Tylen are.  He quirks an eyebrow after Jago give his rundown of the local law levels, "Ready whenever Ms. Crow and Mr. Orgesh are, Captain."  Given Yasmine's status as second in command, Ash assumes that she will be the one to hold on to the purse strings.  And that also means that she is 'in charge' on this away mission; so, he looks to her to lead the way.

With a slight grimace, Tylen returns his revolvers to storage, and slides the dagger and its sheath onto his belt before returning to the others.

"Ready." he says with a slight nod of the head.

Shui manages to keep her disbelief off her face as she shakes the abbot's hand.  Broken bones as a matter of course...she can hardly believe it.  It's one thing for a religious order to be prepared to suffer for their beliefs.  But to expect it?

And you?  Does she, herself, not expect something similar?  Wait for it, in fact, with dull resignation as she moves from job to job?

With a blink, she tightens her grip on the abbot's hand.  "I wish you and your people the best," the steward states, giving the abbot a warm smile.  "Please take care...as best you can.  And a safe journey back to your home."  Releasing him, she watches the man shepherd his charges away.

"Hypocrisy," Shui murmurs.  "Interesting how one sometimes needs a mirror to spot it."  Drawing in a deep breath, she turns to Conrad.  "Well, Mr. Dietz.  I believe I have a meeting to attend."  One finger flicks a holocontrol.

+ Captain Lanza, I am finished with the Monks...and I suspect our Mr. DeSant can manage without me, if I am needed. +  Corlan being an old hand at this game.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:19, Mon 22 Mar 2010.

"Shotguns, eh?  Could've wirtten it, but nah.  However, I've got two of those, in case one of you want one.  Beware the recoil, though, in case you've never fired such a thing under low-g circumstances," Yas says with a small grin and waits to see if any of the boys want the second gun before she goes to retrieve the needed items.

Moments later she returns, wearing a long coat with no sign of the shotgun, at least not until she flashes her coat to reveal the automatic shotgun underneath, hanging along her right side in a strap for ease of access and use, should the need arise.

"That'll keep it concealed and with enough firepower to level a building, should Sassy start another brawl," she chuckles and conceals the weapon again.

"Let's go save the damsel in distress then, boys," the security officer states and turns to move out.

"He's already got the coat...." Tylen flicks a glance across at the navigator, indicating that he should take the shotgun.

However, he makes a mental note that he does need to develop some sort of combat skills for  this sort of situation.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:21, Mon 22 Mar 2010.

While Yas, Tylen and Ash discuss weapons, Jago heads into his office and opens the safe.  The... thing... is in there, and today it resembles an amber ellipse, balanced on one end, with a blue spot moving slowly across the surface.  He ignores it, not really having time for its blatant disregard for the more commonly applicable laws of physics.

He brings out, instead, a thick wad of Imperial credits.

Shui's call comes through, "Thank's Shui.  Sorry, I'm a bit busy just now.  We've got a... situation over here.  Oh, remember that Corlan is only going ashore for a few hours, he'll probably need something to eat later."

Reentering the lounge, he holds out the cash and asks, "Who'll take this?  There's ten thousand here.  If Saskia's bail, or fine, or whatever, is any more than that you'll need to call me.  And I expect to see change from this.  And get a receipt.  Got to make sure the books are straight."


Conrad nods, "Sure, go 'head.  I'll go make sure the lights're off in the low berth room, and make sure there's no trash been left layin' 'bout.  I'll call in when I'm ready to go ashore."

Ash notes Tylen's glance and the presence of the scattergun.  He holds up a hand and shakes his head, noting, "No, thank you.  I-I'd probably do more damage to myself than the opponent.  Plus, while, I believe in being prepared, and it is a zoo out there; it is not a warzone."

Ash looks at Yas, as he presumes that she will be holding the cash.

Frowning, Shui closes the channel, turning to Conrad.  "There appears to be a 'situation'."  She offers Conrad a wan smile.  "Thank you for all your assistance, Conrad.  Please do call us - we absolutely must get together for dinner before your final leaving."  Reaching out, she touches the pilot's arm - a moment's contact between friends.  "Please excuse me - I should really find out what transpires above."

With that, she is gone, moving quickly through the ship - not quite running, but faster than a walk.  Jago's voice - uncharacteristically tight - and his choice of words has triggered alarm bells in her head and, praying that nobody is injured, Shui hurries to discover the nature of the problem.

"As you wish.  More fun for me then," Yas says as the boys decline the offer and quickly dodges out of the sleeve of the coat to slip the scattergun onto the other should, then slips the coat back on and conceals both gun with a small smile.

"Don't worry, boss, we'll get a receipt," she tells Jago as she picks up the cash with a florish, tucks it into a deep internal pocket and begins to move out, only to stop to avoid entering a head-butting contest with the doctor when ducking through to the cargo bay.

"Wassup, doc?" she says as she offers the doctor passage.

Raising his eyebrows slightly at Yas's quip, Tylen slots into place on her right shoulder.

Shui halts before the small knot of crewmembers, stepping back a little to give room.  "My question exactly, Ms. Crow," the steward returns with a tight smile.  "Is there something the matter?  Captain Lanza sounded less-than-sanguine."

All three of them, all heading out simulaneously, and she can just about smell the tension in the air.  Something is certainly wrong - the question is, would she be of assistance, or simply in the way?

"Ah, that matter.  Well, seems our esteemed engineer somehow was involved in a bar brawl, be it by proxy or participating, only she knows for now.  We're heading over there to bail her out," Yas explains with a shrug of her shoulders as she moves on slowly, giving her time to explain the situation to the other woman.

"A bar brawl?"  Shui's voice scales up in disbelief, and she glances at Ash and Tylen, both eyebrows raised.  "I...see."  A few blinks, and she shakes her head to clear it.  Something...something did not quite seem right about the procession.  Three people to bail Saskia out of jail?  Why three?

Were they expecting trouble?

Reversing course, Shui hurries along beside Yasmine.  "Ms. Crow," she begins, "perhaps I should accompany you.  If Saskia is in any way injured by her altercation or...overly-enthusiastic officers of the law," she temporizes, "it might be wise to have a doctor present to examine and treat her on the spot, rather than subjecting her to a potentially painful trip back to the ship."  Her lips thin, and she glances back at the two men.  "I realize it will mean quite a procession, and it is certainly not my decision on the matter, but.  As ship's doctor, that is my recomendation."

Of course, the final decision is the Security Chief's.

Ash falls in quietly behind the other Scout.  A slightly pensive look is on his face, as he is not sure what, if anything he will be able to do in this situation.  Well, except be a human shield - though, that may be tough seeing as he is bring up the rear.

Ash slows as he sees the Doctor approaching, and then stops and leans against the bulkhead as his group yields right of way to Shui and the Doctor and Security Chief exchange information.  Ash adjusts the reticule on his eyepiece, straightening the arm and tries to otherwise occupy himself by adjusting various pieces of current apparel as the women talk.  After the HUD headband, he moves onto his duster collar, its belt strap, and then finally the sleeves.  Ash endeavors to keep his mouth shut, but his eyes and (rather large) ears open.  Still, he can't help himself and says, "You should join us, Ms. Tiesi.  Your presence can only be comforting for Ms. Blake.  And I'm sure that your medical expertise would be useful, even if the Captain did not explicitly mention that Ms. Blake had any physical injuries."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:14, Wed 24 Mar 2010.

"What he said," Yas says and waves a thumb in the direction of Ash, "besides, if things go sideways you can always patch up the officers of the law..."

She winks at Sushi at the last statement and then marches off to find her shipmate, the bar brawler, ah, the engineer.

Alone in the crew lounge, Jago sighs and slumps down into a seat.  A moment later, there is a soft chime from the computer terminal.  It has finished checking the news feeds, and has a selection ready for reading.  With another sigh, the captain leans across and hits the appropriate key.

• Rhylanor/Rhylanor (0306-A434934-F) Date: 243-1107
  Long quiescent, the Ine Givar terrorist organization seems to be taking advantage of the dislocation caused by the current war to increase their activities. In addition to reports of activity throughout the war zone, in recent months the Ine Givar have been implicated in numerous acts of destruction and sabotage, including (most recently) the disappearance of the merchant ship Harun-al-Rashid, now six weeks overdue from Equus (Lanth 0807), an explosion and fire in scout base facilities at Meleto (Mora 0407), and the release of a deadly viral toxin into the water supply of the Imperial Naval installation at Bendor (Glisten 0706).
  
  Spokesmen for Naval Intelligence refused to comment on speculation that the Ine Givar might be receiving support from the Zhodani or their allies. A high-placed source, however, said that the possibility of Zhodani or Sword World financial support cannot be discounted.
  
  The most famous pre-war act of terrorism attributed to the Ine Givar took place on Efate (Regina) early in 1105. Until now, no acts have taken place which could be directly attributed to the Ine Givar with the possible exception of the explosion in General Shipyard's Pixie Facility (Regina 0303) later in that same year.
  
  
• Regina/Regina (0306-A788889-A) Date: 245-1107
  Unconfirmed reports have been received that His Grace Norris, Duke of Regina, has died of a lung infection. A spokesman for the Duke's seneschal today declined to answer questions on the Duke's condition, or to reveal the Duke's whereabouts.
  
  
• Turedad/Lanth (0804-C465540-9) Date: 251-1107
  Authorities on this agricultural world have announced the discovery and arrest of a number of "sleeper" agents in high places in the planetary government. A press release issued by Naval Intelligence did not reveal names, but said that the agents were citizens of the Sword Worlds, disguised as locals, who had apparently spent years (in one case decades) working their way unobtrusively into the highest councils of the planetary government.
  
  According to the press release, the agents were to break the vital jump-1 route to Regina and the war zone by turning the world against the Imperium, and destroying or impounding supply vessels on their way to the front.
  
  No information is available on how the "sleepers" were discovered. The press release explains that Naval Intelligence does not wish to compromise Imperial agents in Zhodani or Sword Worlds territory.

The rest of the crew leave the ship and make their way out of the docking bay.  The brightly lit corridors of the port complex are crowded, and there are a lot of uniforms about, both Navy and Marine ones, as well as local security.  The Marines, while armed, are wearing normal shipboard duty uniforms, rather than armour. 

However, there doesn't seem to be much sign of actual trouble.

Everything is well signposted, and the port security staff seem happy to give directions through the sprawling maze of tunnels and passages.  So it is that less than a half hour after leaving the ship, the quartet find themselves standing before an armoured door marked as leading to the Port Authority Security Central.

Inside it is a lot less crowded.  A tired looking officer at reception desk glances up as the group approach him, "Yes?  Can I help you?"

Having left a message with Jago, a deeply concerned Shui follows along after the trio of security chief, gunner, and pilot after a quick stop in her quarters to pick up her 'black bag'.  The medical pouch is indeed black, in this case, and completely without anything offensive.

Despite the massed quantities of military personnel in the halls, they reach the police station without incident.  Perhaps someone has ensured the crewmen and marines retain their discipline (perhaps through rigorous shouting and the occasional use of physical reinforcement).  Shui continues to trundle in the trio's wake - it's easier than trying to stay beside them, given her own size and lack of any kind of impressive presence - and finally the group arrives at Security Central.

She's support in this - along to help, more than anything - so Shui steps back and checks her bag and pockets to ensure nothing has vanished into the crowds at their back.  This would, after all, be a good place to report a robbery.

Marching in the door Yas notes the ruggedly handsome fellow near the door and fires a suggestive smile at him, allowing her eye to rest there for a fraction longer than on any of the other Marines she has seen around.  But duty calls and she turns to the clerk when he asks if he can help.  Besides, Mr. Handsome is a bit young.

"I sure hope so, officer.  We've come to collect our friend, Blake, Saskia," she replies, offering him a small but more businesslike smile.  It is one of the few names she knows correctly without having to think, having been around the nutty engineer for quite some time.

"Seems like a calm enough place," she comments, having noticed on their way in that there is no real heavy duty sentries around, "mostly paperwork, I bet?"

Tylen chose the scouts as a career partly because he didn’t like crowded environments such as  this - so it is with a slightly downturned mouth that he follows Yas through the star-port.

Naturally wary, and uncomfortable with the crush,  Tylen’s  eyes scan the crowds as the group walk towards the security office, trying to make sure that he isn’t hustled or jostled too much.  In all, he would rather be back at the ship or in a quiet bar somewhere …

When they get to the security office he steps back and leaves the conversation to Yas, however, he stays alert, taking an interest in what is happening around them -  although not quite so much of an interest that he stands out from the crowd.

Having already been out and about in the station with Jago, Ash sort of knows what type of crowds and decor to expect.  The decor is still not that impressive, but it does seem slightly less monotonous and more worn than his first trip through it.  Whether it is just this part of the station, or the company, Ash really can't say.  Part of Ash's attention is occupied with his p-comm as he tries to keep his eyes and ears open with respect to the various data feeds as they stream past his field of view on his HUD.  Any additional news on the current situation might be useful.

He follows Tylen and Yasmine, glancing back intermittently, to ensure that Shui is still there.  He doesn't expect any trouble and would have preferred to be the rear guard, but since the diminutive doctor insists on hanging back, Ash doesn't push.  He merely tries to keep an eye on her - after all, even though she is an adult and an accomplished professional, he did insist on her coming.  So, he does feel a more than a modicum of responsibility for her well being.

Ash lets the ex-Marine do the talking.; he stands dutifully of to Yasmine's left.  He does shift position, slightly over and back, to let the doctor approach and be in view, if she is so inclined.  But he doesn't try and make that too obvious to the receptionist on the door.  Or the doctor for that matter - he would not want to insult her.  No, that would not do at all.

The officer calls up a display on a terminal set into the desktop and starts a search for the right prisoner, "Blake.  Saskia.  Let's see... the only one I have here is Saskia Naomi Blake.  Current address given as the trader Profit Margin.  Would that be her?"

Before he even has his answer, he is already going through the rest of Saskia's newly-acquired (as far as any of her friends are aware) criminal record.

"She's already admitted to the crime of striking an enforcement officer while said officer was engaged in performing her duty, and the standard fine of 250 Frencs must be paid before she can be released into your custody."  He taps a couple of places on the touch sensitive display, "If you prefer to pay in Imperial currency, that would be 112 credits, including a handling charge."

"That would be her, yes.  Imperial Currency it is, just a moment," the security chief says, keeping it all businesslike.  She starts to count up the money, an easy enough task although she has no change with her.

"There you go," she says and hands over a hundred and two tens, fully expecting both change and a receipt back.  "What will happen now?  Is she free to leave, with the ship, or is she needed for further procedures?"

Striking an officer.  It is hard to imagine Sassy doing that.  This has got to be a story worth telling - and dear Naomi has better spill the beans or Yas might keep asking her over and over until senility or death strikes, whichever comes first.

Striking an officer? Tylen's eyebrow quirks upwards at the charge, but on the whole his face stays fairly impassive.  That would have been interesting to see he thinks as he watches Yas count the money out and complete the formalities.

Shui listens with growing disbelief.  It is indeed their Saskia.  Their Saskia did indeed strike a police officer.  And in the course of their duty - not, for example, an off-duty, inhebriated detective a trifle too free with his hands.  Ridiculous.

And only one hundred twelve credits Imperial?  That seems a trifle short for the crime of striking a police officer.  Accessing her dataglove, Shui calls up the planetary information again for a refresher.

...exceedingly odd, given the law level and the degree of personal freedom afforded to the citizens.  And yet, 'standard fine'.  Curious.  Not that Shui will complain, no indeed.  So she waits in silence as Yasmine pays the fine, bargain for their engineer's release, and allows her gaze to wander over the people and faces in the law enforcement station.

Ash frowns slightly at the statement of the charge.  He shakes his head slightly as if clearing some cobwebs, or as if the act will dispel the seemingly unreal situation.  Ash still has definite problems envisioning the Profit Margin's rather unassuming engineer striking anyone, especially an on-duty officer, especially in ... a bar brawl?!?  Well, Ash noted to himself, at least, she is not accused of starting the brawl.  Though at this point, Ash is ready for, nay, almost expecting news of that nature...

He watches Yasmine count out the money with pursed lips, then he scans the rest of the personnel in the office, just to pass the time.  He keeps one ear open as Yasmine asks if Saskia's presence back here at the station will be required again in the near future.  Good thing she asked, he noted to himself, lest we be wanted for evading justice, given the law level...

Tylen runs his thumbnail across his jaw, perhaps scratching at his light stubble as he watches the others.  For him, nothing is beyond the realms of possibility, athough he suspects the engineer probably has a good reason, in her own mind, for her actions.  Still it won't be long, he hopes, before she joins them and they can find out the whole story.  Although that should probably wait until they are safely back aboard the Profit Margin.

The officer takes the cash from Yas, and opens a drawer on his side of the desk.  The credits disappear, and he carefully counts out the change, again in credits, before pressing his thumb down on the touch screen.  A faint whirr comes from the desk, and a moment later a receipt appears from a slot in the surface, is added to the small pile of currency, which he slides back to Yas.

"Thank you.  Your friend will be right out."

Moments later a door in the nearest wall of the room opens, and Saskia appears, escorted by a female officer who seems to be limping slightly.  For a moment the engineer looks confused, until the officer turns her, so that she is facing her friends, and pushes her, fairly gently, in the right direction.

Saskia signs the papers and then follows the security officer out through a door that she has never been through before.  There is a brief period of panic.  The room is bright and busy and somewhat crowded.  The engineer doesn't know quite where she is.  Her attention is drawn by one of the lights, which is flickering slightly.

Probably a faulty capacitor, she thinks, automatically assessing the problem.  If they change it, they'll prolong the life of the tube.

Then a hand on her arm turns her away from the faulty light, and propels her towards - Yas!  Shui and Tylen are there too.  And Ash.  They all came to find me.  Except Jago, but it's the first day in a new port, and that's always busy for him.

By the time she reaches them, she doesn't know if she should laugh or cry.

In the end she settles for a simple (and predictable), "Hello all."

Counting the change herself as it appears from the machine Yas accepts it along with the receipt and pockets it.

Then there is a movement in the outer field of her vision and just as she expected, there is the rest of the cash, or rather, the sinner that struck an officer of the law.

"Hello yourself, Sassy.  Let's get out of there, shall we?" she replies to the greeting from their fellow crew member and waves a thumb towards the door, where that handsome fellow stills stands.  A crooked grin, if only a small one,  plays on her lips.

Shui waits, calm on the exterior.  A roiling storm gnaws at her inside, a host of what-if's chewing at her certitude.  Then Saskia appears, whole and hale, along with (presumably) the officer in question...who seems to hold no grudge.  Limping?  Did she stamp on the woman's foot, or kick her thigh?  That might explain the low severity of the crime, the casual way the police are treating it.

Likely the story slants in favour of the engineer.

Finally Saskia reaches them, a little lost, a little torn.  Biting her lip, Shui reaches out to take her arm - gently - and draw her a pace closer, from out of the circle to well inside its protective ward.  "So good to see you unharmed, Saskia," Shui murmurs, her gaze flicking first over Ms. Blake's body in search of any signs of distress, then rising to study her face.

A half-smile quirks her lips for a moment.

Then concern returns.  "You are unharmed, yes?"  She shoots a narrow-eyed look past the engineer at the officers, and for an instant something cold, diamond-hard, and very un-Shui glitters in the Doctor's eyes.  There and gone, for it disappears a moment later as she returns her concern to Saskia.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:42, Sun 04 Apr 2010.

"Yes, I'm fine." the engineer replies to Shui.  "I haven't been tortured, or beaten, or anything.  They wouldn't let me look at their broken vending machine though.  I told them I could fix it, but they wouldn't even let me take a quick look."

She gives the officer at the desk a glare, "They'll just have to do without frelling snacks.  Let's go.  I have my stuff."

Ash quietly watches saskia approach; he breathes a small sigh of relief to see that she does not appear to be any worse for wear.  And that she is as distractable as usual - it wouldn't do to have her any other way.  He nods when she greets them and says quietly, "Ms. Blake."  Ash steps to the side as Shui pulls Saskia into the group, and then steps back into place; so, that he is part of the buffer from rest of the crowd.

When everyone appears to be satisfied and ready to go, Ash follows them out; a slight smile plays on his face.

Tylen waits, letting himself slip into the background slightly, as he waits for Yas to lead them back to the ship -  although he will certainly be interested to hear the story once they are all 'home' safely.

Without further ado Yas gestures for the others to move out and takes the opportunity to shoot a smile at the fellow at the door.

"Hiya," she tosses out to him as she passes, giving him a once-over before he is gone from her view.  She kinks her head with a chortle once outside of the room and then sigh.  He is probably stuck up about his looks anyway, and prefers younger girls.  Such a cruel, cruel life.  She could cry.

Yeah, right.

So she marches on, leading them back to towards Profit Margin.

The tension fairly pours off Saskia as she attempts to reassure the group.  Shui shoots a quick look at Yasmine, but the Security Officer hasn't missed it either, judging by her swift decision to exit.  Falling in beside Saskia, she gives Ash a brief nod of thanks for his help in circling the wagons before returning her attention to the young woman.

"A shame about the machine, but their loss."  Shui's tone, for once, holds very little sympathy.  "But the Profit Margin awaits, Saskia."  In anyone else, the peculiar mix of strains she senses might indicate near-hysteria, and Shui wonders exactly what transpired.  Something worse than a mere, brief incarceration, despite Saskia's explanation?

"There were some odd fluctuations in the Low Berths power," she continues.  "Nothing outside parameters, mind, but given my own worries, I think they might be worth examining."  Something to take the engineer's mind off the situation, perhaps.  Then Shui releases her breath in a sigh and takes ahold of Saskia's arm as they walk, squeezing gently.  "Ms. Blake, it is good to find you well.  I was very concerned, most concerned indeed."

"Not as concerned as me, I bet." Saskia says, quietly.  "I wasn't worried you would all leave without me, or anything, but I was worried about how long they'd keep me locked up.  I know Jago likes to keep moving.  No profit in sitting still."

She pauses, just long enough to shoot a glare at the security centre door, "Stupid frelling shower of megra-fahrbot greebols.  All I did was kick her in the shin when she tried to arrest somebody I needed to talk to."

Turning away, she continues walking, "Didn't even kick the drannit hard.  I had my boots on, and everything, and she could still walk afterwards.  See?  Because the cop was a she I tried to be a bit less vicious."

The engineer pulls a scrap of paper from her pocket, and a pen, and quickly scribbles down a brief note concerning the power fluctuations which need investigation.

"Well, that, and she had no mivonks to kick."

"Really?  And who was it you needed to talk to that desperately?" Yas laughs, glancing back at Sassy and shakes her head.  "Oh, and remind me to always wear shin guards from now on, will you?"

The security chief figures it must have been something really important, at least to the engineer, in order for such an assault from the usually very gentle little lady that Saskia Naomi Blake is.  Either that or it is that time a month.

Shui winces.  It seems possible, by Saskia's impassioned outburst, that nothing at all happened besides being locked up.  Some of the stress, she decides, might be coming from being separated from the ship without her consent - it's one thing to leave on an errand, another to be locked up alone, unable to contact anyone, with nothing to but fret about what might or might not be going on in one's absence.

"A kick in the shin."  Mild amusement creeps through the concern, but only for a moment.  "Small wonder they decided it to be not worth more than a small fine.  I am suddenly well-pleased you were accosted by a woman..."  A more painful, damaging blow might very well have brought an equally greater trouble down upon the engineer's head.

Her voice lowers slightly.  "Captain Lanza called an emergency the moment he received notice of your incarceration, Ms. Blake, and dispatched the rescue party post-haste.  But not due to a loss of profit - our time here is as of yet unfinished.  You have been held for a little time...I should prepare some lunch when we return."

A pause.  Then, "One hopes you received at least some of the information you sought?"  Curious, that a police officer would arrest someone with whom Saskia wished discourse.  "If not, is there another route by which you might find it?  Or were they a friend of yours, and if so, may I offer assistance?"

Tylen listens to the engineer's tirade of expletives and gives particular thought to his own mivonks as the women speak amongst themselves, and decides that he is pleased that he isn't a police officer.

Then almost has to do a double take at the round-a-bout way the Doctor asks about the person the engineer needed to speak to.  Yas, of course, had been more direct.

Keeping station as they walk, he awaits Sakia's response.

With the newly-rescued damsel in distress in tow, the crew of Profit Margin make their way back through the maze of tunnels, corridors, and concourses which comprise the port complex.  They stay close, making their way through the crowds.

In front of the window of a tailor's shop a scuffle breaks out as they pass, but two red-clad, and armed, Port Security officers are close by, and hurry to break it up.  As the crew move on, they hear the sound of a siren coming closer, somewhere behind them.  It seems that arrests are the order of the day at the moment.

Further on, and more security officers are standing on a crosswalk, some five metres above the deck, observing the crowds below, while one of their number discusses something with the leader of a quartet of Marines.

Never overly comfortable in crowded areas, Tylen is starting to feel slighly uncomfortable.  It is clear that trouble of some sort is brewing around here, and it would be better that they were back at the Profit Margin before it kicked off.

One of the thought that runs through his mind is particularly disturbing If a kick in the shin gets Saskia a stay inside and fine, what would matched pair of shotgun blasts bring Yas?

Keeping a careful eye out, Tylen starts to work out how far it is to the ship ....
This message was last edited by the player at 20:35, Tue 06 Apr 2010.

"There was this bar, and this drunk was telling a really wild story.  Some of the other customers started laughing at him, and things turned nasty.  The cops showed up and started to make arrests.  I tried to stop them arresting the storyteller, and ended up getting arrested myself." Saskia explains, looking more than a little embarrassed.  "I managed to get the whole story out of him in the drunk tank.  It's a bit strange, but I think Jago will be interested in it."

"Hmm, only light armaments, no backup.  Nothing major, evidently, just plain, boring standard patrols," Yas comments as she glances around the place, counting and assessing the Marine presence.  "Minor civilian unrest, I'd say, and at the moment they don't expect it to escalate.  Maybe they're too busy with that, though, to bother much with shin-kicking ladies."

She chuckles as nudges Sassy, then flashes her coat.  "We'd have gotten you out of there on way or another."

"At least your career as an outlaw allowed you to complete your self-imposed mission then, eh?" she continues as she turns around again to keep up the pace on their march toward the Margin.

So much security.  So many people about.  There's a tension in the air - Shui feels it more than she had when they headed for the police station.  Has she simply become more attuned to it?  Or is it rising.

"Perhaps we should hurry," she quietly suggests before returning her attention to the engineer.

"I would be curious to hear the story myself," the doctor muses.  If it was enough to capture Saskia's attention, it certainly is worth hearing.  But Ms. Blake's own story hammers home the point of rising tensions - police coming to make arrests based on a bit of mockery in a private establishment?  It seems...excessive, even for a planet of this level of security.  "To hear it over hot drinks and lunch in the ship's lounge, mind.  I hope you are correct with your assessment, Ms. Crow," she adds, with another quick look around herself, searching for more pockets of trouble in the crowd.

Closer to the docking bay, the crowds are growing denser, and it becomes noticeable to everybody that a lot of them are carrying luggage.  Ahead another squad of marines seems to be trying to divert people away from the direction that Profit Margin's crew need to travel in.  They are having a certain degree of success, turning people around and sending them back the way they came.

One of them glances in the direction of the approaching crew, and nudges one of his fellows.  The two men start forward, avoiding other people and making a direct run towards Saskia and her rescuers.

They stop directly in front of the crew party, and the second man, a scarred veteran standing about two metres tall, with muscles which are obvious even through his light armour, which bears a sergeant's rank insignia, shakes his head, "Not a good day to be taking a walk, Captain.  Or should that be 'Citizen Crow' these days?  Do you have pressing business down that way, Ma'am?"  He jerks his thumb over his shoulder, indicating the exact direction back to the docking bay.

Ash listens to Saskia's story with more than passing interest.  He figured that it must have been one heck of a story for there to be an actual brawl instigated.  Ash still found it incredibly difficult to envision Saskia getting that worked up, but then he really has only known her for a week or so.  Given that and Saskia's ready admission that she is willing to 'go for the gold,' Ash doesn't take a chance and his hands, sequestered in his duster, move slightly to block access to his mivonks a little more readily.

He was about to ask a question about Saskia's adventures, when the two gentlemen approach the group and address the Chief of Security, in a rather disparaging manner.  His hands don't move, but Ash can feel the fingertips get a little clammy.  He eyes the two men warily and then glances back at Yasmine, getting ready to follow her lead.

When the marines walk up to them, Saskia steps back, behind everybody else.  She's working on the assumption that Yas and Tylen are definitely carrying, and Ash and Shui might be.

Which leaves me the only person here that I know definitely isn't packing firepower.

Her only real option, if trouble starts, is to run away.  A move that would be facilitated by being as far from the marines as possible.

So far though, they seem friendly enough.

Tylen groans internally and tenses slightly as the Marines detach themselves and head straight for their group.  The scout then steps slightly to the side offering a bit of a covering pocket for the Engineer and the Doctor if  they should choose to use it.

However, he visibly relaxes as the marines address Yas.  They clearly know her of old, and the question about their destination is politely phrased, and even implies concern for her safety.  Confident that Yas will handle the marines, Tylen turns  his attention back to whoever might be close by on his side of the group.

Just for a moment his hand drops to where his gun belts should be, but finds the place empty.  With a slight shrug he scratches his chin with his thumb, and then lets his hand drop down to his side.

Shui, on the lookout for trouble, spots the marines as the others do.  Her lips thin as the marines close in, and she hopes it isn't trouble they seek.  Then they speak...unfortunately, recognizing Yasmine still leaves the question open for discussion.

Ash seems ready to assist their security chief, and Tylen moves to allow both her and Saskia some measure of protection.  Good.  Saskia pulls back - wisely, given the circumstances - and Shui opts to join her, leaving it three crew members against two marines.  The marines, no doubt, would judge this close to even odds, shaded in their own favour.

Wrongly judge it so, in fact.

Shui knows of Mr. Ogresh's background, physical condition, and has heard something of his skill - she would, were she so inclined, bet on the hardened scout over an average marine six days of seven.  And Yasmine?  No contest.  Mr. Tescali she does not know, but at this point, he's icing on the cake.  The only question, if things go poorly, is how much of her own medical supplies she will have to use up getting them back on their feet.

As it happens, though, her own movement is not without a touch of tactical reasoning - with most of the attention faced forward, the doctor takes a moment to check the space to their backs.  Marines, as Yasmine has demonstrated, are hardly the lunk-headed idiots the vids like to make them out to be.

Especially not when it comes to their own tactical movement.

"Actually, that would be Security Officer Crow, also second on command," Yas says with a deadpan voice and stretches up a little, placing a hand on the coat near where she is packing a shotgun.

"Marcus, you old worm, been promoted to Gunny, uh?  Or did they discharge you upwards by mistake?" she near laughs and throws a mock punch at the massive chest of the man.  "What the frell are you doing in this arse-end of this miserable universe?  How's the old gang?  Bet I could still take you down too!"

There is a rather strong possibility that she knows the man.

"Is that you, Uukhudimakalaan?  Mac?  Grown a bit since last, eh?" she then asks the other man, appearing to pronounce his name flawlessly.  Without waiting for a response she then replies to the thumbed inquiry.

"Yup, on our way home to the Margin, with a really dangerous criminal in tow," she says and waves her own thumb in the direction of Saskia and then chuckles.  "You know how engineers can be!  Why, what's seems to be the problem?"

The Marines regard Saskia with some skepticism.

"We're mostly doing okay, Ma'am.  We're here with the fleet.  Resupplying and personnel rotation.  At least for the Navy.  No rotation for those that do the real work." the sergeant responds to Yas.  "Because things are so busy, the locals requested help with security, and our company is down here this week."

"Things were just calming down a little, but now there's a new problem.  News feeds are reporting that Duke Norris is dead, and the civilians are getting a bit nervous.  We've been ordered to keep them from panicking, and turn them away from the ships, because Command doesn't want riots as they try to get transport to worlds further from the border."

He frowns, "It's not good, but it needs doing.  Supposed to be reinforcements on their way down as we speak."

"I can let you through, since you have legitimate business here, but you should be careful.  We got a report that the second squad got swamped, and lot of people got through the checkpoint.  If you want, I can lend you a couple of jarheads to see you get home safe?"

Ash relaxes visibly, as the remarks are not nearly as disparging as he initially anticipated.  Apparently, just merely Marine banter, he notes to himself.  Ash scans the crowd, taking a backwards glance to make sure that the Doctor and the Engineer are still with the group, as he tries to keep one ear on the conversation between the Security Chief and the two Marines.  Ash winces ever so slightly when the remarks about the Navy are made, but he also recognizes that the Marines are on their 'home' turf and that their assessment is likely correct.

Besides there are a great many other things to worry, if what the Sergeant reports is true.  If the Archduke is truly dead, then banter between the services is irrelevant.  He glances at the others for their reaction, hoping that the churning in his stomach is just the station's coffee rebelling.  It can't be true, he notes to himself, but Ash's eyes dart to reticule on his headband as he scans the various public news and data feeds for more information.

It appears as if no hostilities are about to erupt, and Shui relaxes...only to stiffen at the news of the Duke's death.  Immediately, she raises her dataglove and begins searching the local net for any solid confirmation of this tragedy.  The world is about to destabilize for a short period, and now everyone knows it.  Which means...the period might be longer and deeper than first anticipated.

They need to get to the ship.

"Ms. Blake...perhaps we should move closer to the others," she murmurs, catching Ash's quick, nervous glance as the man runs his own check on the local news.  Seeing this, Shui abandons her search - his doesn't take as much of his attention off his surroundings, and she's concerned about Saskia, already the victim of a harrowing day.

Perhaps it is his Darrian background, but Tylen doesn't appear concerned by the death of the Duke.  A slight shrug of the shoulders, perhaps, as he hears the news, although he reaches into a pocket and pulls out a small coin.  Without thinking he starts fiddling with it as he continues to watch the crowd passing by.

Tylen is confident that Yas will make the right decisions to get them back to the ship in  one piece, it is his job is to watch her back.

The second Marine, Uukhudimakalaan, probably of Vilani descent judging by his name, keeps a wary eye on the crowd.  His weapon is cradled casually, not quite pointing directly at any of the passers-by.

The sergeant nods approvingly as Shui and Saskia move a little closer to their friends, "Good idea.  Things can get out of hand a lot faster than you might think."

"We'll be heading back to the ship, yeah, and if you can spare the personnel, certainly.  Wouldn't do to get one of my shipmates injured on the home stretch." Yas replies.

"Dead, eh?  Yeah, that'll make some people nervous.  Know who got to him?" she asks, having no doubt that his death was anything but natural.

"Reports are saying he got sick.  I'm not buying it though.  Norris was - is - tough, and he has his own doctors.  I just don't see some kind of 'flu taking him out."

The sergeant grins as Yas accepts his offer, "I'm glad you accepted the escort, Ma'am, otherwise I'd have had to arrest you and march you back to the ship under armed guard."

"This way, please, ladies and gentlemen."

He leads the way back to the checkpoint, "Bennes and Carson, front and centre.  Got a job for you.  You are to escort the Captain and her crew-mates back to their ship.  Take good care of them, the Captain is one of us.  I hear that she so much as scuffed her boots while under your protection and you'll both be on PD for a month."

So with two extra guns, and a pair of cutlasses, the group continues on their way back to the ship.

"Correction, you'd try to arrest me and end up forcing me to embarrass you in front of your men," Yas retorts with a grin of her own.

Waving for the others to follow she marches along with the gunny, looking over the two escorts as the are given explicit orders to see to that no harm befalls any of them.  She briefly considers kicking something in order to scuff her boots, just to see if her old comrade in arms will prove true to his word, but then she would not be around to witness it anyway.

"Hey, send me a call if you got time, Gunny," she calls out as they begin the trek back to Profit Margin.

Numbers and strength - two things valuable, Shui suspects, in getting them back to the ship in one piece.  Hopefully the mere presence of the marines alongside their own people will be enough to ward off the casual criminal, or near-hysterical citizen looking for someone to blame.  A sad situation, to be sure, made worse by the chaos to come.

She hopes the people of the planet survive it without terrible losses.

"Thank you very much for the escort, Gunnery Sergeant," she offers as they leave the rest of the marines behind at the checkpoint, then turns to address their escorts as they walk.  "Your pardon, marines, but if you have a moment when we arrive at the ship, I might be able to put something together for you and your friend - ah, your unit."  The Steward waves back toward the other marines, still holding the line.  "Perhaps a small meal and coffee, or something along those lines?"

Not for the first time on this trip ashore, Tylen misses the familiar weight of the pistols at his hips.  I must talk to Yas about that second shotgun.  Maybe a  canvas shoulder bag would disguise it?" we wonders as he takes his place on the flank.

He is acutely aware that his side of the party is not well defended.

Ash walks with the rest of the group.  His eyes are still scanning the crowd, but it is also apparent that his attention is split between his virtual and material realities.  Ash figures that he and Tylen as minimally armed as they are, are more the protected than the protectors.  And that may not be a bad thing. he notes to himself.  He purses his lips before he notes in a low voice to the rest of the crew, "Lung Infection.  Unconfirmed.  The worst kind of information - short and all too brief.  It leaves too much to the imagination..."

He shakes his head slightly, "And the lot here have a lot of imagination; we are much too close to the border for comfort; people here are really paranoid.  Rumors and speculation are rampant.  People are really scared."  Ash exhales slightly, before he continues, his voice ratchets down a notch, "Scared people are the worst.  They can act the most irrationally; especially if they figure that they have nothing to lose..."  He hunches over slightly, pulling his duster closer around him; all of a sudden the station's temperature seems just a little bit chilly to him...

Saskia hurries to keep up, glad now that she is no longer out here alone.  Even with the two extra guards she doesn't feel entirely safe.  After all, that bar had broken out into a brawl easily enough.  All it had taken was one man to throw a punch, and before anybody knew what had happened the owners had called for the police.

Still, she did manage to get some useful information out of the old man.

With a start she realises that she is falling behind a little, so she runs forward and grabs hold of the tail of Ash's coat, not wanting to lose contact with her friends.

The sergeant glances at Shui, and nods his thanks, "Just doing our job.  Thanks for the offer, but decent food and coffee would be wasted on these apes.  They've been eating Corps rations for so long their stomachs couldn't handle the real thing." he gestures towards Yas, "Ask the Captain."

"I'll try to get a message to you, Ma'am," he says to Yas as the group are preparing to move out, "but you know how it is.  I still have a real job, and I'm likely to be a little busy for the next few months."


Moving forward through the crowd is worrying... there is a certain amount of tension in the air.  And it's building.  One of the Marines glances back over his shoulder, "Ma'am, if any of your group are armed, I'd suggest carrying the weapons openly.  Means they'll be quicker to put into use, and when people see them, it might make them think twice about getting too close."

Without waiting to see if anybody follows his advice, the Marine returns his attention to the crowd.

The two men advance at a steady pace, their training allowing them to open a path without actually having to resort to physical violence.  There is a faint crackling sound from the second Marine, and he raises one hand to his ear, and says quietly, "Understood, Gunny,  Will wait for extraction."

Then he speaks aloud, "Sergeant says that when we get to your ship, we're to wait there for transport."  He grins at Shui, as he adds, "Guess we'll get to try some of that coffee you offered, after all."

"Yas?"  Tylen asks reaching an open hand across to the Ex marine, hoping she will pass the second shotgun over.  "I think it might be time to take you up on the loan of your old shotgun." the ex-scout says to his colleague.

The other hand still fiddles with the coin, while his eyes hardly move from the crowd about them.

"A shame, sergeant.  As a doctor, I'm a firm believer that one needs rest from exertion."  Shui nods her head at the marine's surrounding her, an amused shine in her eyes despite the tension.  "Certainly your men's stomachs and intestinal tracts could use a break from the cruel workout of digesting Corp Rations."

The smile goes like a blown-out candle when she feels the air thicken, almost with anticipation.  It's no longer 'if', but 'when', and the more people who feel it, the quicker that 'when' will be upon them.  Noting Saskia's death-grip on the back of Ash's coat, Shui moves up beside the engineer and takes her free hand.  "Not far now, Ms. Blake," she whispers, as much to assure herself as the engineer.

Caught in a seething sea of humanity, it would be far too easy to drown.

Carrying no weapons herself, Shui merely grimaces at the Sergeant's advice, taking in the scent of fear and and hunger with a sniff.  The marines might be cutting through the crowd like a laser through macaroni, but all it might take is the wrong stepped-on foot, even accidentally, and things will go south.  Fast.  "Hold tight, Saskia," she whispers again.  "Stay together."  A muscle jumps in Shui's jaw.

She does, however, manage a smile back at the marine, impressed at his sang froid.  "I shall outdo myself," Shui promises, then the colour drains from her face as Tylen requests Yasmine's secondary weapon.  Another shotgun?  Silly to ask where the chief had carried them, but two high-gauge weapons blasting in this crowd will deal carnage on a level she hasn't seen in...oh, years.

Years....

Shui continues to pace alongside the marines, but her eyes are blank mirrors, her face a porcelain mask.  With the tension beating down on her, old reflexes begin to bubble up through the silt of time, and she frantically struggles to bury them again.   Saskia's hand is a lifeline for the doctor, an anchor to the Profit Margin and her place upon the ship.

Shui Tiesi, Doctor and Steward, she reminds herself.  Shui Tiesi, Doctor and Steward.  Get them back to the ship alive.  Alive.

Ash's full attention snaps back to the material plane, when he feels Saskia's pull on his coat and the Marine at the front asks for weapons to be displayed.  He glances about for a moment, ensuring that the tug on his coat is a companion.  Once he has established that it is Saskia, the duster front comes open and he rests his hand on the pommel of his blade.  He may not have many weapons, but it would not do to have either the engineer or the doctor hurt under these circumstances.

If the people here are high strung enough to start a brawl over a random story, any quasi-plausible rumor about the Archduke's health can only feed into that unhealthy mentality.  Ash straightens slightly and gives Shui and Saskia a weak smile, "We'll get back to the Profit Margin safe and sound and in one piece, Ms. Blake.  You'll see..."  Ash really hopes that sounded much more confident than he felt.

Actually, he knows that any of Marine (or ex-Marine) artillery that the group is carrying is enough to cause a lot of spread out damage, especially in an enclosed space like this.  So, he is actually on edge more to make sure that Shui and Saskia are not anywhere near the fire zone for these weapons.  Once the doctor takes the engineer's hand, Ash makes sure he edges them both into the center (and putting himself slightly behind them, if there is no one else there).  He figures that should keep the two of them safe enough, even if he has to be the main physical buffer between them and anyone else for the short time it takes either Tylen or Yas to react.

"A real job", yeah, Yas had that once too.  She doubts he will get in touch, but at least she offered.  After all, that part of her life is gone for good, even if some of the events still lingers in her mind, some people still stalks her mind.  Even so, or perhaps due to that, she instantly falls into her blank yet hard mask from all those years ago, looking ready to ignore and blast someone at the same time without hesitation.

Long before Ty asks, her shotguns had appeared in her hands from under her long coat, with the scattergun being tossed towards him without even a glance the moment he asks.  She can tell where he is, where they all are, without having to look.  Another detail from her past.

Keeping the barrel down at the ground she marches on, taking up point out of old habit.  After all, you can take a marine out of the marines, but you can never take the marines out of an ex marine.

Tylen takes the shotgun with barely a glance, flicks the stock open, and holds it loosely.  One hand is around the  'grip' just behind the firing mechanism, his finger laying along side the tiger, the other hand holds it loosely on the grip partway down the barrel.  He figures that he might as well have the weapon  as obvious as possible -  it  might just add that extra bit of encouragement.

"Thanks Yas." he says softly as his full attention returns to the crowds.

The two Marines seem to know their business.  Crowds melt away before the group, and nobody appears to want to get too close.  Several times they take small detours.  Moments later the sounds of trouble echo through the corridors, coming from the direction of where they would have been, if not for the detours.  All in all, they are doing a good job of avoiding the worst of the unrest in the port.

They can not, however, avoid the traces of smoke which are becoming noticeable in the air, in spite of the best efforts of the atmosphere scrubbers.

Eventually the crew reach the docking bay where Profit Margin sits, still safe and sound.  Jago is sitting at the bottom of the ramp on a chair from the passenger lounge.  He is browsing through a magazine, Trader Captains' Monthly, while a stranger stands nearby, directing a trio of hulking yellow robots as they offload cargo modules onto a waiting hovervan.

As he catches sight of them, Jago stands, not exactly smoothly and gracefully, drops the magazine on chair, and studies them for signs of injury.  The Marines he merely glances at, with a sort of feigned, casual indifference, as if having his crew arrive at the ship escorted by armed guards is an everyday occurrence.

"You're back then.  Everybody alright?"

Relief spikes Shui's heartbeat hard - it goes from the slow, almost sleepy pulse to which it had dropped, to a sudden drumbeat in her chest as the tension comes off.  The doctor gasps with relief, colour flooding back into her face as she nods to Jago, seated in apparent ease at the ship's gangplank.  She wonders if he remains as sanguine within as he appears.

"All present, Captain Lanza," she offers, and waves at the marines.  "I have a responsibility to our guests, though, having offered a meal in return for their escort in these trying times."

Trying times.  Smoke in the air.  Shouts and screams in the distance. Crowds near to breaking into mobs.  Sickened, Shui realizes her Steward's smile has become a mask, and drops it.

"Things are not well at all out there, Captain Lanza," she quietly concludes.

Having kept quiet for the duration of the walk Yas allows the doctor to explain the situation, merely giving Jago a nod as she passes him and walks up the ramp.  Once at top she vanishes inside the ship.

A few moments later she appears again, without the coat and with more guns, taking up a position at the top of the ramp, almost as if standing at attention.

Jago sighs as he receives the information.  "This is something to do with the reports that Norris has died of a chest infection, isn't it."

He nods at the two Marines, "Thanks for bringing my people home, safe and sound." then a quick glance at Shui, "By all means, give these two their reward."

One of the Marines replies, "No problem, Captain.  Glad we could help.  Besides, our sergeant threatened to kill us if we didn't get them here.  I would recommend, though, that none of your people leave the docking bay again until after the emergency is over."

"Afraid you'll be stuck with us for a little while.  We're under orders to call in when we get here, and wait for extraction, and I've no idea how long that will be."

Jago speaks to his crew, looking at each in turn as he explains the situation, "The passengers are all off, except for Conrad, who decided to wait, and Corlan who thought better of going shopping when he heard the news.  These robots are taking the last of the computers.  Wolfram Thorne and Partners came through." he says with a grin at Ash, "Nice and efficient too.  As you can see they have their transport here already."

"Yas, Tylen, I'll need a security assessment from you two.  Is it safe to stay here?  But first, I just need to ask Saskia what the frack she thought she was doing getting herself arrested?"

While Yas disappears into the ship, Tylen stands his ground along side Jago, the marines and the others as he awaits her return.

Once she is back, Tylen takes his chance to head inboard and returns with his revolvers properly holstered at his waist.  He fetches the laser carbine and power-pack as well, but stashes that inside the ship near the entrance to the hatch.  "Might as well have the heavy stuff close to hand, just in case we really need to defend the ramp." he says casually as he moves across to lounge against one of the supports at the top of the ramp.

"I didn't plan it Jago!" Saskia practically wails.  Then she looks at the cargo handler, directing the robots, before adding, more quietly, "But, if it's all the same to you, I think we're better off talking about it once we're safely inside, and away from prying ears.  It was important though, and I think you'll be interested in what I have to say."

Her voice drops, almost to a whisper, "It has to do with the thing in the safe."

Ash is visibly relieved when the crew with their escort arrives at the Profit Margin without any real incidents and finding the ol' girl is not the source of the smoke in the air.  He nods to Jago's assessment of the cause of the tension in the air.  Ash breathes out a bit, nodding to Jago's acknowledgment of his help in procuring a buyer for the speculative cargo.

Given the state on the station, the fact that all of the passengers have been off loaded, Ash notes, "Captain, with your leave, I'll get on bridge and start plotting ... er... piloting solutions for getting off-station, whenever we are ready. I assume sooner rather than later is better, since it is probably best to be prepared."  He smiles weakly.

Ash stops on the ramp as he overhears Saskia start her story; he cannot mask his interest in hearing any details.  Ash also does mask his confusion, or at least his non-comprehension, about any reference that Saskia is making to any objects carried on the Profit Margin.  He shrugs and slowly continues up the ramp, figuring that the story will have to be continued inside.

Finally the last of the cargo is off-loaded, and the only passengers still aboard are the former navigator, Conrad Dietz, and the permanent resident, Corlan DeSant.  The two Marines, supplied with snacks and coffee, are gone now, having been picked up by a Light Armored Vehicle and taken back to their unit.

Jago orders the crew aboard, and seals the ramp, which closes with its usual loud screech.  With all of the ship's personnel ordered to the crew lounge, Jago heads into his cabin and returns a few moments later with a metal dish which contains an odd, fist-sized, truncated cone in shocking pink, which is standing, for some reason, narrow end down.

Profit Margin's captain tilts the dish, by way of a demonstration, and the cone remains vertical.  Then Jago taps the end of it, with a fingertip, and blue ripples spread across the surface.

"I take it this is what you're talking about, Saskia?"  He sets the dish down on the table, and the cone reverts to a solid pink.

"As most of you know, but not Ash, so I'll go over it again, I picked this up for a... not too unreasonable price, on Gungnir earlier this year.  The skipper who sold it to me said he wanted rid of it, because it scared him.  We haggled a bit, and finally I bought it.  At that time, it was a grey cube."

"I have no idea what it is, but I do know that it sometimes changes shape when I'm not looking.  I've tried keeping a camera on it, but I've never managed to see it change.  It also changes material - once it turned into a liquid, which is why I keep it in a dish.  Another time it turned into a stack of small spheres, and taking one of them away from the others caused it to warm up."

"Last night it looked like a spinning disk of blue glass, and it made a sound for the first time since I've owned it.  A continual humming, which went on for several hours, and when I looked today, it was in this shape."

He leans close, staring at the thing from short range, "I don't know why it does any of the things it does, so if you think you have some insight, Saskia, I might forgive you for forcing me to send an army to rescue you."

At one point Yas had walked down to chat with the two grunts, keeping it quiet-like apart from the occasional laughter.  Once they left in the vehicle she threw one last glance after it, almost a sad on, before entering the ship.

"Yeah, that thing will make you blind if you play with it too much," she comments, mostly towards Ash, arms crossed over her chest where she stands leaning up against the wall.

"Yeah, Sas, do tell.  Must be worth something if you were ready to kick shins over it."

Saskia sits in the lounge, as Jago brings in the object that he keeps in the safe.  She starts to blush at Yas's remark, and feels herself getting hotter and hotter, until she is suddenly struck by a worrying image of her brain undergoing an uncontrolled fusion reaction, and killing everybody in the room in a burst of plasma.  Impossible of course, since her skull doesn't have sufficient magnetic containment.

Still, it is worrying.

Still blushing, she starts to explain, "Y-yes, that's it."

"I w-went to buy some c-c-components, and after that I - " she stops, and looks around, "I need a glass of water."  Shui is, of course the first to react, and Saskia thanks her as she takes the proffered drink.  She empties the glass in a single draft, then takes up the tale again, "I thought I'd go for a little walk.  I like these underground worlds.  It's like being on a big ship, right down to the sound of machinery and the air moving through the vents."

A pause, while the engineer collects her thoughts, "Anyway, I heard a lot of people laughing and cheering, and I thought it sounded like they were having fun, so I went to take a look.  It was a bar, just like you'd see in any port, and there was this old man, dressed like a spacer, in a shipsuit and everything, and he seemed to be what most people were laughing at.

"He didn't seem that drunk, and he was going on about this thing that had been stolen from him.  Something that he said was worth a lot of money.  I listened for a bit, and realised that what he was talking about sounded a lot like this."  Saskia points at the innocuous looking object on the table.

"I sat down and started to talk to him about it, and he said he found it on a planet, inside Imperial space, in some sort of ruined alien base.  He also mentioned that this base was full of weird dren, that he thinks could have been sold for a fortune, but his captain got scared and refused to have any of it aboard, so he just took the smallest thing he could find and smuggled it back on to the ship."

Another pause, "Then it got stolen from him a couple of years ago, and he never heard any more about it.

"Anyway, before I could find out anything else, this farbotz local started calling him a liar, so he jumped up and punched him.  The local and some of his inbred friends objected, and a brawl started.  It spread, and the bar got damaged, and the cops showed up.  I tried to stop them arresting the old guy, at least until I had more information, but they wouldn't listen.  So I kicked one, to get her attention."

Shui is, of course, vastly curious about whatever information Saskia has to offer, but doesn't shirk at her duties - she deals with the issue of the marines with efficient politeness and efflusive thanks, ensuring they are settled and comfortable with their libations and victuals, and seeing them off when they go.  Fortunately, the others have had duties as well, so she still manages to be in the lounge with the gathered crew members, preparing their usual choices of drinks.

Jago's story garners a great deal of interest - she knows of 'the artifact', of course, but it's always a matter of curiousity for her, and hearing it doesn't take away the wonder in the slightest.  Of greater concern, though, is Saskia, the poor engineer potentially distressed by the day's events (lord knows she herself is...) then quite obviously flustered by Yasmine's off-colour humor.

When Saskia asks for the water, the steward moves with swift efficiency, offering the glass to the engineer in bare heartbeats - complete with ice.  She then takes up a position behind the other woman's chair, using that vantage point to cock her eyebrow at the captain, her placid features unusually stern.  Shui doesn't think Jago is the sort to give Saskia flak over this, but better safe than sorry, for the engineer seems on the verge of meltdown.

And the tale comes out.

"How you came to 'assault' an officer was a mystery to me," Shui admits, "but one now unclouded."  The doctor touches Saskia's shoulder, a moment of contact for offered comfort.  "And quite understandable."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:26, Mon 03 May 2010.

Ash busied himself on the bridge developing various jump plots, optimizing in-system routes for optimal vectoring based on jump destination, and monitoring comm traffic until the 'all hands' call came to assemble in the lounge.  He generally found such things relaxing, of sorts.  At least, the solutions were definable and discrete - and had actual solutions.  Most other problems in life are never solved as cleanly, he mused to himself.

Ash finds himself a comfortable place to stand against the wall in the lounge closest to the bridge and watches the proceedings with a bemused expression on his face.  He takes a cup of coffee from Shui when offered and sips it quietly as he listens.  The banter between the crew seems normal enough, though the topic is what really piques his interest.  Jago's object is ... mysterious.  And alien.  And fascinating; he has never seen anything like it before - and Ash was under the (apparently false) impression that he had seen and experienced a fair few things.

He stifles a chuckle as Yasmine warns of the dangers of showing too much interest in the object.  Up until that point, Ash was considering walking over and taking a closer look at the thing, but now he thinks better of it.  Best, perhaps, for those type of things to be done in private, apparently.  And Ash can see the logic of it.  For the security chief, he holds his piece... er... peace and says nothing for the time being.

Ash continues to watch the morphing cone... er... cube... er.. whatever, quiver and move from his vantage point over the lip of his coffee cup, as he listens to Saskia's story.  Her story gets more and more interesting as she goes through it.  He rubs his chin thoughtfully as she finishes, and then Ash notes flatly, "Quite the story, Ms. Blake."  He makes a mental note to get some shin guards, in case Saskia ever wants to get his attention.  Ash purses his lips before he continues, "Hmmm... The object is potentially stolen then."  His brow furrows for a moment, "Captain, are you considering returning it to its 'owner' - or at least investigating, if that man is really the original claimant?"

Then he adds enigmatically, "And, Captain should I try to plot a course for this secret alien base, whereabouts unknown, full of morphing objects that has creeped out, at least, two other ship owners?"  He glances at Saskia and Jago, adding "I may need more information to go on..."

Saskia nods at Ash, "Understandable.  But after we were arrested, I got to talk to him a little more, in the drunk tank.  Nobody interrupted us there."

She takes a deep breath, and exhales slowly, "He told me a name.  Fulacin.  That's where he said he found it."

"Fortuitous, Ms. Blake."  Shui is already punching holocontrols. "Fulacin," she begins quietly.  "Subsector H: Rhylanor.  Starport and shipyard facilities, Class A-standard atmosphere, mid-high levels of water...small population despite the starport and shipyard." She frowns.  "That's strange."  A small shrug, and she continues.  "Company-owned...ah, now the population makes sense.  No prohibitions on weaponry, though."  Now one eyebrow rises.  "Curious."

Another strike to a holocontrol informs the glove that yes, it should continue to spool up further, in-depth information from databases.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:34, Mon 03 May 2010.

Ash nods to Shui's assessment of Fulacin.  For his part, once the name is mentioned, his wristcomp is already working, his fingers tapping away on the miniaturized controls, and the star charts dance harmoniousl in the reticule of his eyepiece.  ""Well, it is on the main..." Ash notes off-hand, "It would take a while to get there; I can't see a way to get there with the Profit Margin in less than 10 jumps.""

Ash smiles sheepishly, "Not a quick jaunt... more of a long term effort.  Luckily, most of that is on the main; so, we probably could trade our way there relatively easily.  Still, it is a long way to go on a whim.  How solid is this rumor, Ms. Blake?  Do you think that we should really trust this old spacer?"  Ash looks to the others, he is probably getting ahead of himself, since most of the crew have not voiced their opinion on the matter yet.

Once the ramp is closed and all the 'visitors' are ashore,  Tylen returns the laser carbine to storage and joins the others, lounging against a wall, to hear Saskia's story.  His fingers start to fly across his data glove as the other start searching for information, however his nods do little more than  confirm their findings.

Then he lets his hand drop to his gum belt as the others continue the data search.  "Which company?  What do they do?"  he asks surprised that a corporate world that has not exploited a source of items such as 'the thing'.

Jago stands and crosses to the nearest console and calls up the same information that others are accessing from the own personal links to the ship's library data.

Fulacin: Widespread taint in the form of heavy metal dust and oxides makes the atmosphere, otherwise quite ordinary, unbreathable without a filter mask.  The dust triggers allergies with great frequency, causes a wide variety of respiratory illnesses, and can cause carcinoma within years of exposure.  Great pains are necessary to keep food clean and uncontaminated; filter masks can be removed only for very short periods, such as when eating and drinking.

A covert Zhodani operation established the class A starport through an Imperial corporation before the last war. The scheme was discovered just in time: the Zhodani almost had a base waiting for besieging Rhylanor.

"I remember hearing about this, I think." he waves a hand at the screen, "The company that originally owned the world was a front for the Zhos, or something."

He requests further information, "The company was MagnetoDynamics.  They still run the place, but their operation was under scrutiny for a while, and the entire board were forced to resign.  They mine and refine heavy metals, and manufacture high tech goods."

He glances at the object on the table, "I don't think the Zhos made that though.  I've seen some of their stuff, and that doesn't look like that."

"I bet no one knows who made this thing," Yas comments from where she stands as an extra support for the wall.  "Probably something left from those who came before, narmean.  Could be a kids toy or a doomsday device, the shape signifying time left before the big bada-boom and we'd we none the wiser."

She cracks into a big smile and chortles.

Tylen listens to the description of the planet, and chews thoughtfully on a piece of gum for a moment or two.  "So in other words neither the Zhos nor MagnetoDynamics know about wherever the thing was found?" he surmises as he listens to Jago's description.

For a moment he fiddles with the top of his gun belt and then continues  "Maybe you should buy the guy out of clink and give him a  temporary job cleaning?  Or perhaps even let him work passage off this place?" he suggests to Jago.  "That way we could try and talk the location of the the site out of him, rather than having to search for it later."

Interesting.

Ash comes out with a viable plan.  Tylen continues it with an idea regarding their source.  The information about the company and the system is...disturbing, to say the least, but older news - Shui sets her glove to searching for current information on the world in question.

"Captain Lanza," she begins, speaking slowly, "this might be the only opportunity you have to discern any real information about the artifact.  While I realize it involves a substantial investment of time and planning, and possibly cost..." She shrugs.  "I am willing to subsidize the spacer's release and time aboard this ship, as if he were a paying customer."  She has the funds in her account, essentially unused.  A surprising amount of funds, in fact.

It's not as though Shui has ever been seen to spend money on herself, beyond the occasional trinket or small trip to a spa.

Ash has been staring at the object for a while now, he notes absentmindedly, "I wouldn't be so sure that the Joes or the corp doesn't know about them.  They may just not know what to do with them.  Or they may know something more than we do..."  He frowns slightly as states the latter.  Ash shrugged as he brainstormed, "I mean, what if they know what triggers the changes or the purpose of the objects are, and as Ms. Crow noted, it is not something pleasant?"

Ash looks at Shui for a moment, while noting thoughtfully, "The man would the closest thing we have to an expert.  Presumably, he has other skills; so, working passage may not be out of line, either."  Honestly, Ash can't really question the man's trustworthiness, he himself has not been on the crew for very long.  So, it isn't really his place to do so.

He looks at Jago as he gestures in the direction of the object in the bowl, "Captain, I know this may not look like a Zhodani artifact.  But that doesn't mean that it is not psychoactive - or whatever the term is.  Or that it is not of interest to them."  He muses aloud and little cryptically, "The Zhodani are not the only culture that are or have been interested in the powers of the mind..."  He looks around at the others realizing what he just said.  Slightly flushed, Ash stammers slightly, "Umm... At least, that is what I have heard..."  His voice trails off.  And Ash broods a bit, but really seems more lost in thought.  His fingers are still tapping out out a rhythm on his wrist computer, and data is still scrolling on his eyepiece.

Saskia lets out a long slow breath and relaxes considerably.  Jago has, it appears, been distracted by the mysterious object and the information she may have uncovered regarding it.  It doesn't look like she's about to be fired, and the longer Jago leaves it, the harder it will be for him to do.  He's not usually impulsive about such things, and the more time he has to think about it, the more likely he is to think of a good reason to let her keep her job.

Well, that's the theory.

"His name is Eneris - something.  Wait a minute."  She thinks for a moment, eyes closed, then says, "Armusezash.  Eneris Armusezash." as her eyes flick open.

Jago returns to his seat, and says nothing, while his cigar performs a slow dance from one side of his mouth to the other, and back again.  Finally he takes hold of it, and uses it to emphasise his points as he speaks.

"Right.  This could be worth a lot to the right people.  I don't know if we are the right people, but I do know that we'll never find out if we are, unless we look into it."

"Ash, I want you to come up with a course from here to Fulacin, just in case, following the Spinward Main as much as possible.  I know that'll probably lose us a lot of flexibility in choosing destinations until we get to the Main, and some of the places we'll have to go through are backwaters, but that can't be helped if we want to do this."

"Saskia, I'll leave it up to you to arrange the release of this, what was his name?  Eneris?  I'll want to talk to him before I decide on anything.  But ask me before you agree to spend any money on him."

The cigar goes back into his mouth again, "I also need you all to think, hard, if you want to get involved in this.  It'll likely end up as a long, tough job, with an uncertain payoff at the end.  Anybody got anything they want to add?"

Ash continues to lay out the facts, as well as some interesting speculation regarding psychic study.  Curious, Shui files this away for later discussion - perhaps during a full physical, when she has a captive audience - and awaits Jago's decision.

Given what she has observed of the stout captain, it comes as no surprise - well-thought-through, but simultaneously reaching for stars.  Her small smile returns, and she nods her head along with his words.  Then, as always, his request for input.

"I stand with the Profit Margin and its captain," Shui quietly confirms.  "I see no reason for that to change, Captain Lanza."  Again the smile. "Doom and gloom aside, I see a trip of the sort that will no doubt satisfy Mr. DeSant."  One eyebrow rises as she turns to Saskia.  "Ms. Blake, if you require company...ah, 'bailing out' Mr. Armusezash, I would be pleased to join you."

Tylen shrugs his shoulders, and a smile plays across his face as he lounges against the wall.  After a career in the scouts a few jumps doesn't faze him. Anyway, Profit Margin is the nearest thing he has to home at the moment.

However,the smile is wiped from his face just a few moments later.  "The marines waited until they were collected." he reminds the others that the area outside the ship is 'difficult'  to say the least.

"Well, since we're going out that way I'll be going over every weapon system to make sure they are at one hundred percent, plus taking manual inventory off all the ammo, well, 'cept the laser, to make sure we are maxed out.  There'll be no refilling out there, normally, and I wouldn't want to run out," Yas comments, taking for granted that Jago was not asking whether or not she will go.

This also clinches something I've been considering for a while.  If I can scramble up an escort to that place I can guarantee no one will approach us on the way back.  I'll get me a Heavy Cargo Dress," she adds and then, finally, "A little incentive to the troops in question might help me convince them that we need this.  A treat, so to speak, snack food or something they don't get but that we can provide, if you know what I mean?"

"Party?" Tylen asks with a grin.  In his experience one of the best ways to impress a few marines was snack food accompanied by a few litres of the hard stuff.  'And Yas knows these guys' he thinks to himself ' she probably wants to reminisce ....'
This message was last edited by the player at 09:23, Tue 11 May 2010.

"Of course, Captain." Ash said plainly, as his fingers once again began tapping out a rhythm on his wrist computer.  "Do we have a preference to remain in Imperial Space as much as possible?  We'll have to join the Main either at Rangent or Tremous Dex - both are outside of the Imperium proper.  Ash looks thoughtful for a moment, "Tremous Dex in the Federation of Arden, could be an interesting place to trade and visit, if we are so inclined."  He pursed his lips for a moment, "but that would restrict us to two rather poor prospects getting there: System 728-907 and Digitis."  Ash frowns slightly, "And after Tremous Dex, it would have to be either System 871-438, another potential backwater, or Tionale - an explicitly amber-zoned system outside of the Imperium."  Since all systems outside of the Imperium are considered implicitly Amber zones by the TAS, Ash can only imagine what must be going on in Tionale to warrant an explicit marking as an Amber zone.

Ash hmms for a moment his head tilted, then continues, "... If we do go through System 871-438 or Tionale, then we can jump through Extolay and on to Regina - both would be reasonable, if not good, trading ports."

"If we stay in the Imperium," he notes simply, "we would have to go through Denotam, either via System 728-907 or Mirriam.  And we would still have to join the Main at Rangent."  He shrugs, "But then, going through Rangent keeps our options open.  From there, we could jump through Phlume and Jenghe before heading to Regina or snaking along the spine both Trailing and Rimward."

His expression brightens, "From Regina, we could go through Yori, Treece, and Kinorb, to get to Fulacin."  He states in his rather monotone way, "That would get the Profit Margin to Fulacin in only ten jumps; though the last ones would not be on the 'main' spine of the Main."

Ash adds, "Honestly, I can't see going from Extolay through Dinomn, Rech, Echiste and Turedad being a much better option to get to Fulacin.  But that is also a total ten jump route.  And is more on the spine of the Main, I guess..."

"Of course," he notes off-hand, glancing around the room, "this analysis is only tentative.  Other input, which I'm sure others here are probably more qualified to make, such as viability of trading or political instabilities and so on within the various systems along the way, can greatly impact our routing.  But the voyage seems eminently doable."  Ash looks to the others, and especially the Captain, for any protests or additional constraints to the route that they might know of off-hand, "I'll start working up full astrogation solutions for the first leg of the journey - we'll have to go through either System 728-907 or Mirriam..."

Jago nods thoughtfully, "I'll take a look at the trade data, and see which route looks like it'll give us the best option for picking up a little profit along the way.  Once we hit the Main, I think we'll be okay.  There's a lot of traffic along there, of course, but many of them are Jump-1 only.  They'll get to any destination on the Main, eventually, but if there are people with urgent cargo, a Jump-2 ship, like this one, might look more attractive."

"Yas, the cargo dress might be handy anyway.  If we need to go through places where 'starport' translates to, 'we cleared the groats off the pasture, you can land now', then having the ability to shift heavy loads ourselves might be useful."  The skipper grins, "And the fact that it looks just like military grade hardware, to the untrained eye, can't hurt."

His eyes go back to the mysterious object, and he regards it, in silence for a few seconds, "Y'know, now that I might be about to find out what the damned thing is, I almost don't want to.  Almost as if it would lose something."

"Didn't I say that?  Well, I meant to.  It's good for cargo handling, escort and exploration alike.  'sides, makes me look cool," Yas chuckles.  "In time I might be able to install the 'missing' hardware anyway, given our contacts."

When Jago mentions starport levels, Ash chimes in helpfully, "Captain, of the planets I have mentioned: Mirriam, Rangent, Digitis and System 871-438 all have starports, and I used the term loosely here, rated as the bare minimum.  System 728-907 and Treece are only rated slightly higher."  He shrugs, before continuing, "Everything else is rated 'C' class or higher..."

But, when their captain waxes sentimental about the mysteries of the alien artifact, Ash raises an eyebrow and stops his summary of the starport assessment search.  He offers tentatively, "But if the Captain wishes to drop the matter and not pursue it any further..." and with that Ash stops typing on his wrist computer his fingers hanging in mid-air waiting, as he watches the others in the room especially the Captain for any sign.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:36, Fri 14 May 2010.

"I'd be grateful for any help." Saskia says to Shui, with a smile, "But I might call Security Central first.  His crime was less serious than mine.  He just got drunk and punched a spacer, so they might let me pay for his release from here.

"I hope so.  I really don't want to be walking about out there with cash on me."

She sighs, before adding, "Plus, if I can pay them that way, I get to leave them stupid boots off for a while."

Shui bows slightly, straightening with her customary smile.  "Of course, Ms. Blake.  I, personally, would rather pay his way from here."  A pained expression crosses her features.  "On the other hand, we have no reason to believe he would come to us, and as Mr. Ogresh mentioned, it is a dangerous trip for a man alone." She ponders for a moment.  "Perhaps if we secured some reliable transportation, we might be able to pick him up and convey him here without exposing any of us to the mob."

The smile returns, a touch brighter.  "And if we drive, you can most certainly leave off the offending footwear."  Her thin brows draw together.  "Though I am unsure if there is solid transportation to be found in this habitation," Shui admits.  "We may yet have to go on foot."  Concern darkens her face.  "I am certain, though, that I could manage, Ms. Blake - a single woman is unlikely to attract attention on the public thoroughfares, and you must be exhausted."

"If you can find somebody to drive, you could always take the air-raft.  Won't be able to get much altitude in the tunnels, but you'll have some speed to help you avoid problems." Jago suggests to Shui and Saskia.  "If nobody else wants to do it, I believe Conrad's still about.  Maybe Tylen could ride shotgun.  Literally."

He smiles at Yas' enthusiasm, "I'm sure you can install the missing systems.  If you do, though, make sure you keep it out of sight when we're at any civilised ports.  A lot of those systems aren't strictly legal."

He stands again, stretching, then picks up the object, "Ash, I plan on going after this thing, just as soon as we can get Saskia's new friend aboard.  I'm hoping that word will come in soon that Norris is still alive, and the trouble here will die down.  But I'm not going to hang about and wait for it to happen.  I plan on having a talk with Corlan, then seeing what I can do about getting a cargo for 728-907 or Miriam."

Ash nods curtly to Jago's reply, "Just confirming, Captain.  I will have the preliminary jump calculations available post-haste.  I'll leave them in a state where all we will have to supply is the final vectoring and jump window normalizations, since both of those are still in question.  The finalized numbers should take virtually no time to resolve after that."  He gets up and starts to shuffle off on his way to the bridge.

As he passes, Ash notes to Saskia and Shui quietly, "If Conrad is not available, I should finish the initial calculations in plenty of time and I can probably help out with the air-raft.  It is not my forte, far from it." Ash gives them both a sheepish smile, "But, I can probably get by without causing too much property damage."  He adds quickly, "Of course, I'm sure that you prefer Mr. Dietz with his more extensive experience.  I... I fully understand."

"I can drive," Yas says with an ominous grin, wondering if anyone recalls her last excursion in the driving seat of the hover and how much of the crowd would get out of the way in time.  "Either way I'm coming along for the ride."

"Yeah, yeah, Captain," she then chortles, "kind of like some of the stuff on Margin, eh?  It's not like I'd be waving it about.  'sides, most of it won't be evident unless you're in it anyroads."

Tylen groans slightly as he hears Yas's offer to drive.  He does remember the hair raising trip, and while he can't remember exactly how much damage that caused, he knew they had been luck to get away with it.

"You would be much better riding shot gun with me.  Not sure how well I would cope with just a shot gun..."  he lets it tail off slightly, hating to give he more ammunition for later, but prepared to take that if it means getting another driver.

"If none of the others can drive, perhaps we could ask Conrad?"  he suggests.

Shui ponders Jago's suggestion.  The Air-Raft would certain be safer than other choices - with a little altitude and some speed, only the most foolhardy would consider it something to board.  And it seems they have plenty of options for drivers....

"Nonsense, Mr. Tescali," Shui disagrees.  "Mr. Dietz has his own business to which to attend, and cannot be asked to continue meddling in ours.  I would rather a member of the crew, like yourself - who is no doubt eminently capable of flying an air-car." 

If necessary she herself could drive, and decently well, but it's not something Shui would wish to say to the offers.

"And with others in the raft -" an indication to Tylen, either driver or protection, and Yasmine, definitely protection "- depending who attends, we should have no issues there and back."  Optimistic, perhaps, but one has to remain cheerful in the face of danger - something a steward must learn with experience.

"Ms. Blake, does this meet with your approval?"

"Hey, how'm I 'posed to improve if I never get to try?" Yas complains in jest as others object to her driving the raft and sticks her lower lip out along with a scowl to underline her "sadness".

"After all, no one here can actually drive.  Unless you...?" she trails off and looks over at Ash, pointing a questioning finger at him.

Ash nods to Shui, "Doctor, if you and Ms. Blake wish it, I would be honored."  He pauses at the doorway in case there are additional instructions and is still there when Yasmine makes her query of him.

As Yasmine points a finger at him, Ash looks innocently and intently at the ceiling and door framing - they are apparently intensely interesting at the moment.  After a pregnant pause, his gaze returns to the Security Chief and the others.  He clears his throat uncomfortably, "Well... I ... have some experience - all of that time alone on a Type S with nothing but equipment to train on, but I cannot say that I am a certified grav vehicle operator."  He notes weakly, "I merely said that I probably could get by without crashing into anything.  Worse than some, better than most..."  Ash holds out his hands in contrition, shrugging a little, and gives the assembled a crooked smile.

Yas chortles at Ash reaction and comment, leaving it for the others to designate their next driver.  There is only so much a security chief can do, after all, if refused the driver seat.

Tylen turns to the Doctor as he listens to the discussions about drivers, none of then sound like they know what they are doing.  They all appear to have about as much ability with an Air raft as a cat with a tin opener.  The last thing he wants is to be riding shotgun on an out of control open air raft, careering down a closed corridor that will pose a threat to the already angry population.  It just has the feeling of a quick way to find himself in the clink, rather than Saskia.

"Doc?  On Guarda villis you offered to drive?" he says, recalling last time Yas was at the controls.  "Does that mean you are licenced?  Or at least know how to drive the damned things?"  he asks, his frown starting to become apparent.

From the sound of it, the crew is short on drivers.  Conrad will most certainly be sorely missed.  Shui's eyebrow rises as Ash temporizes in response to Yasmine's question - it seems his own qualifications are somewhat lacking - and she turns toward Tylen with a smile on her own lips, Yasmine's deliberate over-acting amusing as always.

"Unfortunately, should you examine my credentials you will not find any license.  However, I have a fair bit of experience driving such vehicles in admittedly non-stressful situations - that is to say, in my work on other ships I found it useful to gain a modicum of ability with the operations of cargo loading."

Not exactly what one might expect from someone of Shui's size and demeanor, but factual.  She doesn't bother adding that some of her 'lessons' involved crewmembers who found it a good excuse to get her alone.  Unpleasant situations, but always escapable.

"Therefore the answer is yes, I am familiar with the operation of the aircar."

OOC: Shui can operate the vehicle with the equivalent of skill level 1 - better than 0 or 'doesn't have the skill at all'.  Or Yasmine's apparent skill level of -5.  :)

Jago starts out of the lounge, still carrying the strange alien whatever-it-is.  "I'm going to talk to Corlan.  Before you leave, let me know who's driving, then I know whose salary I should dock to pay for the damage."  More encouragingly, he punctuates his statement with a wink.

"Have a good trip, and try not to get in any trouble out there.  If you do get in trouble, I saw on the boards that the Lucky Credit is in port.  Tell the police that you're part of her crew.  I'll see you all later."


OOC: The air-raft will be crowded with everybody along for the ride, bearing in mind that there will, hopefully, be an extra passenger on the way back.  Yas might also need space for her new toy.

It's not going to be comfortable, but it is doable.

Just have to hope that Saskia's new pal doesn't smell, or have some sort of parasite infestation, or something.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:22, Thu 20 May 2010.

"So.  Can I borrow your 'spare' shotgun again Yas?" Tylen asks with a grin, happy that Yas will be riding shotgun with him.  "We don't want to make a big show of having too much illegal fire power." he continues  patting the revolvers at his hips.

He pauses for a moment, "And I bet they wouldn't let me shave in clink." he says running his thumb mischievously through the day old stubble on his chin.

"It's not a spare, not when I'm on the Margin.  But sure, just remember which end in the dangerous one, or at least which end makes little things fly out of it," Yas says to Quadman with a friendly, friendly smile.

"And I'll think it's best if I walk back with the suit.  Less crowded on the raft and it gives me a chance to terrorise civvies, I mean, get used to being in one of those again," she adds and lifts her right hand, "I promise I won't step on any."