Ash continues to walks, but slows to a comfortable pace to speak with Yasmine as she makes her query.  He glances nervously in the port direction towards the airlock and states quietly, but plainly, "Well, the battle cruiser, Children of the March is about 25 meters, give or take three meters, off of our port side."

"Captain Lanza suspects," he ventures, "that our 'supplemental' transponder signal is the reason.  He wants Mr. Dietz to be treated as a VIP - one that is worthy of transport on a battle cruiser.  There is no need to give the March any reason to think we are wasting their time; they came pretty far out of their way to rendezvous with us..."

Ash glances back at the Security Chief, "The Captain wants you and Mr. Ogresh to be Mr. Dietz's official escort."  He gives her a slightly crooked smile, "Best behavior and all."

Another smile for Yasmine - the security officer's concern touches the Steward.  "Of course, Ms. Crow."  Pregnant and alone does red-flag Keryn as a potential innocent in a potentially ugly world.  "I shall see what pearls of wisdom I can dispense," she assures the other woman, with a hint of amused irony at her own expense, "though I suspect your own advice would be just as useful."

Shui recalls a time not so long ago - galactically speaking - when another young woman set foot on a journey, alone, afraid, and desperate.  Wisdom comes through making mistakes, she reflects, and learning from them.  I have done plenty of the former, but how much of the latter have I achieved?

Enter Mr. Tescali, Stage Right.

Shui cocks an eyebrow at Ash's announcement, curious at the whispering and the pomp and circumstance surrounding Conrad's exit.  Yasmine appears to have that under control, though, so she hurries to where Conrad is rising, snagging a bag from a cabinet as she does.  "Mr. Dietz."  Moving carefully the low gravity, Shui offers him the bag.  "Only a few sandwiches - I used the leftover roast, as you seemed to enjoy that - some of the coffee, already ground, and a box of my personal tea."

One can always hope to educate the savages, after all.

She checks his clothing with a critical eye and smooths out an epaulet with a palm before snatching her hand back.  "Apologies, Mr. Dietz...Conrad."  Shui's dark eyes shimmer, but she manages a smile.  "I hope you find what you seek in the navy, and that you are very, very careful in the search."  Her smile wobbles, then firms.  "It is, of course, a very large universe, but I trust we will meet again?"

A pair of eyebrows rise up and then a snorting chuckle ensues.

"It's about to dock with us and I was not told before?  Well, can't promise parade uniform or too snazzy looks then, given the amount of time left, but I'll do my best," she sighs and shakes her head slowly.  "But... I am going to say good-bye to Conrad first, I don't care if the whole Admiralty is waiting, we won't let them aboard until I say so.  Security and all."

She cracks a grin and turns around, giving Ash a wave, shaking her head again as she walks away, muttering "Children of the March, uh?  Totally fahrbot.  Stealing for schools, even today, ha!  That's frelling Navy for you!"

Children of the March holds position at a respectful distance from Profit Margin.  On the bridge, the comm channel opens again.  "Children of the March to Profit Margin.  Please stand by.  We are despatching a shuttle to transport your passenger."

Jago glances at Tylen, "So... they move the whole cruiser all the way over here, then send a ship's boat for the last couple of metres, rather than send the boat all the way, which would have been quicker and burned less power."  He shakes his head, "Bastard's are just showing off.  Letting everybody see that they have a big one, and know how to use it."

"The laser can't hurt, I reckon." he smiles.  "Make a good impression and all that.  Glad we bought that shiny new airlock now."

Conrad accepts Shui's parting gift with a smile, and a small bow, "Well now, we will, if'n I've got any say in the matter."

And then he turns to Yas, who waits nearby with what is, for her, remarkable patience...

Grinning, Tylen collects his laser carbine and attaches the power-pack around his waist, above the double pistol belts.

Then practising his best 'stand at ease with he carbine across his chest' stance, he take up a position close to the new airlock. Po-faced he starts humming a marines march as he stands his guard.

"Here we go." Jago says, unsure if anybody is still near enough to hear him.  The shuttle, so-called, from Children of the March is about double the size of Profit Margin - the oversized scoops on the belly indicate that it's probably a refuelling tender for the cruiser.

Jago hits the ship's intercomm, and broadcasts a shipwide announcement.  "Attention all crew members.  Please report to the crew lounge."  He briefly considers adding, "This is not a drill." but decides against it when he realises that it might cause Corlan and their new female passenger to have some kind of medical emergency.

"Now, before you run off to this little boat of yours I'm going to say good-bye, Conrad," Yas says to him with her usual grin and then steps up to give him a bearhug along with a few sound pats on the back.

Before it gets too awkward for either she steps back and grabs his hand with both of her, shaking it.

"Here's a little something to remember us all by.  You can show it off next time we meet, all right?" she chortles and more or less closes his hand around the small object.  "Was good to serve with you, you just make sure to tell all the sissies in your Navy that you've served on a real ship and not an oversized compensation for certain shortcomings, you hear?"

She winks at him and then steps aside to allow him to make his way, should he want to.  If he wants to stay she will not throw him off the ship.

Having just arrived back at the bridge, Ash sighs slightly when the Captain orders them back into the crew lounge.  However, one glance at the main display reminds him what all of the hoopla is about (as if he could forget).  The fact that even the shuttle dwarfs the Profit Margin by a fair bit only underscores the dangerous game being played on Frenzie.

Ash knows all to well the thought process behind the Imperial Navy's standard 'Show of Force' mentality.  He self-consciously tries to smooth out a couple of the rumpled pleats of his coveralls, to only limited success.  Then with a slight shrug, he falls in line after Jago - dutifully waiting for the Captain to make his way off of the bridge as well.

As he makes his way through the doorway to the hall, Ash casts one last glance at the battle-cruiser that fills the main tactical display of the bridge.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:19, Sat 11 Dec 2010.

Coughing lightly, Tylen makes his way to the lounge in time to watch Yas trying to break Conrad's back.  The pseudo military fatigues along with the laser carbine and a pair of pistols in a 'western looking' gun belt doesn't really feel right for security.  More like a pirate in training, but at his age the training part is probably long gone ...  but if that is what Jago wants -  well it is his ship.

Once in the lounge he stays towards the back of the group as he waits to see how Jago is going to handle their 'guests'.

Shui turns away from Conrad, letting her smile collapse when his attention moves to Yasmine.  Sometimes it's a relief setting aside her masks - the ones she keeps up for other people's benefit.  Conrad would only be distressed at the sight of her misery.

Turning to a mirror, she straightens her clothing and struggles against the grief twisting her features...successfully.  A few long breaths, and she is prepared, just as Jago's announcement echoes over the PA.  Pleasant mask back in place, she turns back to the lounge.

Mentally, she runs over her list.  Conrad has his coffee.  His sandwiches.  There is nothing else, really, she can give him that would not clutter up his naval barracks.  Nothing more she can do for him but pray.  Pray he stays alive.  Pray they do, in fact, meet again.

Yasmine is giving him a proper send-off.  That's good.  She doubts she could have without breaking down and embarassing him.  The others are coming, and Tylen has already taken up his position at the edge, watching and guarding as always.

She thumbs her dataglove, private line.  + Captain Lanza, should I meet the naval delegation at the lock? +

Saskia rolls her eyes, "What the frell does he want this time?  Doesn't he realise how busy I am?"

Giving the panel one last check, she makes her way out of Engineering and into the crewside lounge.  Her bare feet pad quietly across the carpet as she heads to the forward part of the lounge, adjacent to the Bridge.

"Don't want to make him walk too far from his seat, after all." she mutters under her breath.

Conrad doesn't even look at the item - better to look really casual about the whole business, rather than let Yas think he's being sentimental - but just shoves it into his pocket instead.  "Thanks Yas, it'll remind me of y'all when I'm loungin' at my luxury, Navy issue workstation, with servants to operate the panel at my every command."

Jago's announcement comes from a nearby intercom panel, "Well, sounds like I'm about to be kicked out."

"It's been a pleasure workin' with y'all, Captain Crow.  Hope I can do it again some day."

"Just come over to the crew lounge, Shui.  We can decide what sort of reception we're going to give them once you're over here." 

One by one the crew gather in their lounge, Conrad with them, away from the prying eyes of the other passengers.

Jago steps up to the former navigator and shakes his hand, "Good bye, Conrad.  Good luck with your new job.  I know the Navy pay far too much - (Conrad snorts) - so you should be able to afford to stay in touch."

The captain steps back a pace, and actually salutes, his face deadly serious.

"Now, if everybody will just sit on him for a moment, Tylen and Yas will search his pockets and bags for stolen ship's property."  The serious expression stays in place for almost a whole second, before breaking into a broad grin.

"Yas patted him down already." Tylen deadpans, wishing he had a dead cigar that he could waggle like that cowboy from the really ancient films ...  what was his  name ...  Westwood? ...  something like that.

"Sure, Dietzy, you'll be king of the hill," Yas chuckles as Conrad claims he will have the others bow to his smallest whim and then shoots off a grin at him in response to him calling her captain.

"Would be my pleasure too, Ensign," she says and then hurries as best she can to get at least something semi-professional looking on before they are boarded.

...

"You're just jealous, Quad," she replies to Tylen's claim that she patted Conrad down, although she leaves it unclear exactly what he is supposedly jealous off.  Then, to none and all, "But I'm sure we won't miss Jago's desk, right?"

Maybe I did miss something Tylemn thinks as he tried to work out what Conrad and Yas might have been doing with Jago's desk.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:35, Tue 14 Dec 2010.

"Well, I'm glad to see that we still hace certain standards of efficiency." Jago replies with a grin.  "But if my desk really is gone, we'll be opening fire on Children of the March just as soon as we have a target lock."

There is a loud thump, several slightly quieter bangs, a long whirring sound, and then silence.  Followed, shortly afterward, by a chirp from the direction of the airlock

"Sounds like our guests have arrived.  Mister Dietz?  If you will please stand ready to be kicked out of the airlock?"

Jago moves across to the airlock himself.  "Everybody ready?" he asks, one hand hovering over the control panel.

"Mr. Dietz already has all he needs," Shui notes in response to the amusing request for a pat-down.  Recovered, she moves to stand near the captain, ready to assist should he require anything upon the navy's boarding of their vessel.

A few gears turn in her head as she does.  People board into the lounge - an open area, not a bottle-neck, permitting rapid deployment close to our command centre.  Not a particularly defensible situation.

Closing her eyes, Shui takes a deep breath and lets it out, banishing the thoughts.  Not her business, not her concerns, not truly her interest - she must be upset indeed for Conrad's leaving if such thoughts are bouncing through her head.

And pirates would hardly be 'boarding' a ship this size, much less shooting holes in it and then clearing out what remains...

Another deep breath.  Another release of tension.  Then she nods.  "Yes, Captain Lanza."

Moving slightly closer to the bridge, Yas chuckles to Jago and then says, "If we hit the sweet spot they'll never know what hit them."

Truth is that they probably would not even notice anything hitting them, but that is beside the point of the joke anyway.  Then, to the departing crewman, "Hey, Conrad, try not to rise too quickly to admiral, eh?  Part of the fun is outsmarting those outranking you, no?"

She hefts her gun in her best Marine fashion, in case someone do bother to leave the airlock and see her, although odds are they will simply wait for Ditzy to get over there.

Ash fidgeted slightly as the sounds from the airlock came up.  He was in an at ease position near the doorway to the bridge.  Ash had never been that comfortable with the protocol of the Imperial Navy, despite having been part of the machine and an officer to boot.  Well, he thought wryly to himself, an Ensign for all of 12 months.  A slightly crooked smile crossed his lips as the rest of the crew bantered a bit.  His main hope was that this was not all gallow's humor.

Ash had to admit that the Captain was taking a bit of a gamble.  Still, they if they needed to look as though they were deep undercover, then they looked fine.  This crew was nothing if not unorthodox: plenty of secrets and even more eccentricities.

Jago checks the readings on the panel, then activates the controls.  The outer door opens.

Another quick check reveals that the lock is still pressurised, so Jago overrides the safeties, and the inner door slides open too, almost totally silent in operation, since it is still new, and hasn't succumbed to the general wear and tear which plagues any ship of Profit Margin's age.

Outside, a tunnel can be seen, running perhaps five metres to a closed hatch.  An officer in a Navy uniform hauls herself out of the zero-G zone beyond the ship, and manages a graceful movement which places her feet firmly on the floor inside the lock.  "Captain Lanza?"

Jago nods a confirmation.  "Yes.  That'd be me."

"Lieutenant Rodrigues, here to assist with the passenger transfer, Sir."

Jago smiles, "I'm not sure he needs, or deserves, any assistance, but thanks anyway."  He beckons to Conrad, who steps forward, into the airlock, and hands one of his bags to the lieutenant.

The navigator turns back for a moment, "Be seein' y'all.  Take care."

And then he steps into the connecting tunnel, following the Navy officer as she pulls herself back towards her own ship.  The weightless environment doesn't seem to worry Conrad much.

Jago closes the airlock, inner and outer doors, and leans back against the wall with his eyes closed, "As soon as they disengage, we're out of here.  Before they realise who they've been used as a taxi service for and start shooting."

"Goodbye, Conrad."  Shui bows as their former pilot lofts himself along the tube with consummate ease.  A quiet sigh escapes her lips, and a pensive expression adorns her features when she straightens.  Well.  Another chapter in her life closed.  A short one.

She holds to hope that Conrad Dietz survives whatever the Navy has in store for him.

"Is there anything necessary at the moment, Captain Lanza?  If not, I should probably assist our guest to her quarters, and then schedule a medical examination."  One eyebrow cocks slightly, and she eyes Ash.  "Mr. Tescali also needs an interview, when it is convenient.  Oh, and Ms. Crow, I'll need to speak with you at your convenience."

Tylen stand rigid, Las carbine across his chest as he tries to look the part of a high powered security guard during the transfer, restricting himself to a curt nod and a wink  with the eye furthest away from the naval officer as Conrad walks past.

Once the hatch is closed he lets the stiff posture drop as he turns back towards the others in the common room  with a grin.  "Hope that looked OK ..." he comments, and then nods as Jago speaks about getting out of the system quickly.

"I'll turn the signal off as soon as we are in Jump Space ..." he half asks as he starts heading back towards his gunnery station.  Sure the weaponry wouldn't be any good, but at least he can see exactly what is going on from there.

Neither moving not saying anything until the airlock is closed, Yas makes a smacking sound with her tongue and stares into space for a moment before moving towards the crew lounge, hefting her gun over her shoulder.

"So, you ever going to see me?  I've been waiting, you know, got stuff to do.  Chop chop, busy busy, work work, bang bang, y'know?" she says to Jago as she passes and then looks over at Sushi.

"Sure thing.  In what capacity?  Doctor, steward...  Friend?" she shoots of at the other woman, although despite the somewhat cocky attitude there seems to be no jest in use of the last word.  "Whichever it is, it's Yas.  Or Yasmine if you prefer to do more work."

Ash watches all of the proceedings with slightly bemusement, but tries not to let any of this show on his face.  His stance remains neutral, hands clasped behind his back.  Once the airlock doors close, Ash does let out a measured exhalation.  "Well," he notes offhand, and to no one in particular, "that went well."  Then when Jago makes his wishes known that they are leaving the system posthaste, he notes dutifully, "Aye, aye, Captain."  And he turns to make his way back to the bridge.

"Of course, Ms. Tiesi." Ash notes quietly and genially to the Shui when she makes another request for the forgotten full physical.  "At your earliest convenience... after we enter jumpspace." Ash notes with a crooked smile on his face - and then it is back to the bridge, plotting vectors to the jump point, finalizing jump calculations and their input, and getting the Profit Margin safely on its way to Mirriam...