Shuttle #2
This message was last updated by the GM at 06:59, Sat 22 Apr 2006.

Wei-Li scouted out the shuttle and nodded approvingly.  It would work well.  She quickly began pulling her units into the shuttle so she could work on them.

If she could fix the two crated units tonight, she'd be back on schedule

Wei-Li Uncrated Unit two and began breaking it down so she could get to the problem.  It was amazing how relaxing breaking apart a peice of equipment could be.  She was about to open the solvent bottle when she heard something behind her

Kyron froze just inside the doorway to the shuttle.  The new passenger was there working on something.  He couldn't let her get in the way.

He slipped in behind her, shifting his grip on his gun.  As she started to turn, he became ruthless, pistowhipping her with the gun butt.

He listened carefully as she dropped to the ground and smiled.  Some people were so trusting.

He moved to the controls and got to work.  He didn't have much time.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:15, Wed 25 Jan 2006.

Kyron quickly sat behind the controls his fingers flying over the buttons, then he leaned under the terminal and quickly found the wires he was looking for.  He gave a quick tug and a few sparks flew as he pulled the wires out, and then reconnected them.  Nice thing about this older ships is that they were so easy to sabatoge.

He then looked at the girl lying on the floor, too risky to leave her there in case someone walked by, glancing at his watch he still had a few minutes before Destiny picked up the delayed signal.  He grabbed her under the arms and pulled her under the bench in the shuttle - out of site.  Kicking her slightly to force her all the way hidden.

Wei-Li groaned as she opened her eyes and tried to keep the shuttle from spinning around her.  She remembered the impact, and then, she was pretty sure she'd lost consciousness.

Then... she was being dragged... Kyron.. It all came back in peices.  She had to warn the others...

She pushed herself out from the wall, and tried to stand.  She felt something tucked up her sleeve and smiled, his mistake.  She staggared towards the door, trying to figure out how to warn the others.

It was still coming to her in peices... A scream... the room listing to the left, and then to the right...

She moved forward, afraid it was too late.

Wei-li looks up, startled at the sound of gun fire.  "This can't be good," she thought.

She forced herself to move.  She had to get somewhere.. the shuttle was a dead end.

---- To Cargo Bay ---->  (a little shakily)

---> From Dining Hall

With Kyoko's support, Rhaef dragged his body into the second shuttle. His leg screamed in pain, and he pretty much was running on fumes, he collapsed into one of the seats, exhausted.

   ((From: Dining hall.))
   Lei stepped into the shuttle, and immediately went to the bulkhead on the far side. She leaned with her back against it, and slid down until she was sitting against it. She drew her knees up, and sat there staring at the floor in front of her.

Geoff entered the shutle slowly after Lei and moved to stand next to where she sat. He leaned back against it, hoping to keep the knife sheathed behind him hidden from view, and kept his eyes on the man who had herded them in here. If he slipped up even once, Geoff would make him pay and pay dearly...

---- From Cargo Bay ----->

Kyoko helps Rhaef to the bench and then looks around for the first aid kit.  "Rhaef.  I need you to try and stay awake. I'll be right back.

She moved to the front, grabbed the kit and came back, opening it and getting to work stopping the blood flow.

As kendra reaches the door way of the shuttle, Kendra pauses turns to look back at kyron and walks forward.
(She tries to position herself facing kyron and so that she could possibly get of a shot-he'd have to let Acacia go, even if it were to toss her in here-all she needed was a second)

Rhaef grimmaced with a grim smile, "Stay awake, Kyoko, the pain pretty much assuring me of that."

Kale was the last to enter the shuttle, eyeing Kyron/Datton coldly as he did, his mind racing, trying to come up with something, some plan to get them out of this.  However the gun was still pressed firmly to Acacia's temple - there was very little he could do.  So he joined the rest in the shuttle.

Kyoko gave him a gentle smile.  "Don't be a smart ass.. and help me get your pants off so I can clean your wound"

Her tone was teasing, but it was clear she was concerned.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:12, Thu 26 Jan 2006.

Kyron waited for everyone to get on the shuttle and then said, "Oh and Captain, if you could kindly launch the shuttle for me, I'll stay here until you have - wouldn't want to miss seeing you off.  Bon voyage!" he said with a smirk.

Rhaef grimmaces back and removes his suspenders and then unbuckles his holster and undoes his pants. He can feel the fabric ripping away from the wound where the blood had soaked in. It was creating a whole new wave of pain.

Kale casts one last angry glance at Kyron and closes the shuttle doors.  He doesn't say anything to the rest of his crew, he can't even bring himself to look at them as he heads to the shuttle controls.  How could have been so stupid, how could he have gotten them into this mess.  He took a seat, looked at the controls and frowned.  Kyron had done a number on them.  He didn't know much about mechanics but something told him that once they launched they'd be dead in the water.  There was nothing for it though.  He hit a button and the engine roared to life and then they were shooting out into the black - and for the first time he didn't feel like he was heading home.

Kyoko puts a hand on Rhaef's shoulder and helps him finish getting his pants clear of the wound.

"Looks like it missed anything vital, she told him as she began cleaning the wound.  "Didn't hit the artery."

She knows it's little consolation, but at least its something.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:22, Thu 26 Jan 2006.

"Well that's good to know. I'll live long enough to die when our air runs out." Rhaef replied with a morose laugh, his gallows humor returning.

Kendra paces, shuffles her feet-She yells, "I couldn't even get a shot off!  Ben tian sheng de yi dui rou!" she bows her head down and puts her palm to her forhead.

Kale was right - no control now that they had taken off.  "Ai ya wo men wan le." He looked back into the shuttle. "Is Rhaef okay?" he asked.  He sure wish he had Charlie right about now, but Rhaef was the next best thing, maybe he could try to make something of this mess that Kyron had made out of the shuttle controls.  "If he can move I need him up here."
This message was lightly edited by the player at 05:29, Thu 26 Jan 2006.

Kyoko gives Rhaef a chiding smile.  "We still have air, which means we still have hope," she said.

Then turned towards Kendra, her voice quiet but firm. "Kendra.. you're using more air doing that..."

"noted" Kendra murmers,looking at Kyoko. She leans up against the wall and slides down, sitting with a thud. Knees drawn up towards her chest.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:32, Thu 26 Jan 2006.

   After listening to the shuttle's engine's fire, Lei climbs to her feet again. Destiny wasn't a big ship, but the shuttle was tiny. Too small, and too crowded. She tried not to look at how small. If she didn't know, she wouldn't be able to work out how little air there was. Lei didn't want to know how little there was...
   Lei crept towards the front of the shuttle, and looked at the control panel from a distance.

Rhaef hears the Captain as Kyoko finishes cleaning the wound and applying a makeshift bandage. "On my way, Cap." He adds with a determined grit, as he crawls/limps to the controls. "What can I do, Cap?"

Kale speaks lowly as to not alarm the rest of the crew.  "We got nothing Rhaef.   Nav's down, steering offline, no communications, can't even send out a beacon.  He humped us hard." Kale voice was more of a growl now then anything.  He glanced back at all the people in the back of the shuttle.  They were all going to die because he couldn't figure a way out of this.

Geoff was now silent as he stood, leaning against the wall. There was nothing to say. Nothing to say and nothing to do except wait. Wait and hope that they would live through this. Geoff, however, was a realist and held no great hope that they would survive. As much as he hated it, Kyron had left them for dead and there had been nothing any of them could do. Geoff idly wished that he was a religious man, but knew that no amount of prayer would save them. He had learned that prayer did nothing a long time ago and knew that they were dead no matter what few trivial phrases he would send towards whatever god there may be.

So he just leans against the wall with a grim expression on his face as he looks about the shuttle. When his gaze falls on Lei, he feels a pang of regret and dispair within him. He had promised to watch out for her and now he had failed her as completely and utterly as anybody could fail another. It was strange to him that that thought caused him more despair then the prospect of his own death....

"Well, I see what I can do," Rhaef replied, as he ducked under the console. Gorram it, I wish Charlie was here. He done us bad, Cap. Might be able to get comm back online, but even that's gonna take spell." Rhaef did not wait for orders but set to work to get try to get their communications system online.

"Just do what you can. Anything, get something online, we don't got much air with all of us breathing it." he stood up to get out of the mans way, but still couldn't bring himself to step into the back of the shuttle.  He felt like a coward not being able to face them all.  He felt like a failure not being able to save them ... and that's when he noticed.  "Where's Wei-Li?"

   "Not here..." Lei says in a quiet voice. "Still on Destiny?"

Rhaef was uttered a string of curses that'd make the most hardened IC marine blush, but kept working. He was getting woozy and weak, he knew he was going to pass out soon. Yet he willed himself to focus. He was going to let the others die, or let Kyron kill Charlie and the others, not if he could prevent it.

Kale allowed himself a tiny moment of hope.  If Wei-Li was still back on Destiny Kyron hadn't found her - and knowing Wei-Li she probably would be found.  Kale didn't exactly trust the girl but right now he allowed himself to hope that she would take it upon herself to help them out - it was really all the hope he had.

Rhaef pulled back from the console, Tian-Ling-Ling Di-Ling-Ling he said somewhat satisfied. "Captain, I got the comm channels online and open." He added as he tried to stand. Reaching his feet, he staggered and collapsed. His last thought before he blacked out was that he had given them a bit of hope.

Kyoko rushed over to Rhaef.  If she ever laid her hands on that son of a bitch ... Kyoko tried to calm herself and focus on Rhaef. "Help me." she said to Geoff in a business like tone, they couldn't just leave him lying there like that.

   Lei looked at where Rhaef had fallen over on the deck. She could hear his breathing from here, but it was much shallower than it should be. Wide eyed, she crept back to Geoff's side, looked up at him and asked quietly _{"Are they going to come and take him away?"} It's clear she's referring to her past again...

Geoff looked first to the downed man and the companion who looked to him for help and then he looked down to Lei. He sighed lightly and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "No, Lei. Ain't nobody gettin' taken away. I told ya that....and I meant it.", he said in a quiet tone as he walks over to help Kyoko, kneeling down beside Rhaef and lifting him up with a grunt,"Where do I put him..."

Kyoko pulls her robe off and lays it down on the floor, "Lay him here." she says pointing to the spot she just prepared.  "I have to stop the bleeding more, he's losing too much."

Geoff nodded lightly as he laid the first mate down slowly and as gently as he can manage. He sighed lightly as he stood up and looked down at the man, feeling all the more sorrowful at the sight of him. But sorrow doesn't last long within Geoff, sorrow turning into anger without much effort. Anger at the situation and anger at Kyron. Anger that he woud let sit and wait until he had a chance to unleash it. He now knew he had to live, if only to make the core worlder suffer. That was more than enough of an incentive, in his mind.

Kendra looks up, stands and looks around for something else to help staunch the bleeding. Not seeing anything obvious she removes off her top, rips the arm off and hands it to Kyoko. (OOC: Just so you all know, she's wearing a tank top under her shirt/blouse)

   Lei slid down the bulkhead again, and sat staring at the hatch. They're not coming. They're not coming. Don't think about it. They're not coming... Shuttle's about 8m long... 4m wide... 2.5 tall... That's 80 cubic metres... Plus whatever is in the tanks. Not enough... Don't think about it. Don't think about it...
   Lei huddled into a ball, and tried to forget everything.

"No thank you." Kyoko says, not taking Kendra's shirt, there was still supplies in the med kit and she didn't want to risk getting Rhaef's wound infected.  She pulled out the gauze and tried to wrap it more tightly around the injury, starting it a bit above to hopefully cut of the circulation and thus blood flow.

Rhaef bolts up in pain again, his eyes blood shot, and sweating profusely, its clear he suffering from delirium. "Lao peng you, ni kan qi lai hen you jing shen. When I get my hand on that Liu kou shui de biao zi he hou zi de ben er zi, I'll kill him." He continued to babble incoherently, fading in and out of consciousness.

Kale made sure that Kyoko was alright in helping Rhaef and then slipped up to the controls, he sure hoped that Rhaef was right.  He turned on the communications and tried to connect to the signal, and sparks from under the panel began to fly.  "Ai ya!" he said, under his breath and glanced back at Rhaef.  They were humped, majorly humped.  And now Rhaef was far too gone to be of any use.  He bit his lip and hoped that somehow Wei-Li had stopped Kyron.

Rhaef can vaugely hear the Captain's complaint through his delirium, and he shudders again, the pain still intense, "Da xiang  bao zha shi de la du zi" Then he collapsed again.

   The sound of the Captain's swearing get's Lei's attention away from her thoughts. She looks up in time to see the last of the sparks flying from the console. She stands and wanders towards the shuttles control panel for a better look. She runs her fingers over the console in front of her.
   _{"Broken. Broken. All broken."}

"Lei, snap out of it. I need you to hold yourself together." Kyoko says as she looks to Kale. "Captain, see if you and the girl can fix the system enough for us to pilot this shuttle back. Don't you dare die on me, Rhaef Sorandash! I lost too many patients already."

Rhaef growled something unintelligible and convulsed with pain.

Kyoko slaps Rheaf on the face gently, to keep him awake. "Look at me Rhaef! You can't pass out!"

Rhaef shakes his head, and looks at Kyoko, "What'd gorram do that for? Just let me die, it'll save the air for the rest of you. Hell, a first mate's as expendable as a doctor. I thank you kindly, but you all matter more." With that, Rhaef, despite Kyoko's current efforts passed out again.

"I am NOT letting you go.. no one is giving up." Kyoko says as she continues to work on him. She wasn't going to lose another patient. That girl had died on her watch, nothing she could do about that, she knew that. But Rhaef just needed to hold on till they could get the shuttle back on line.

Rhaef seemed to drift momentarily in and back out of consciousness, but he did not fight Kyoko's attempts at assistance. On occasions he even tried to stay awake, but the pain and blood loss would pull back down into the oppresive black. It was like drowning, he could pull his body up for air for a few moments but then the current and the waves pulled him back down.

Kale was about to say something about Kyoko barking out orders to him and the rest of his crew but decided against it.  For once he was just not in the mood to get into it with the hopelessly confrontational companion.  A quarrel was truly the last thing they needed right now.  So he set to work seeing if there was anything at all at the controls that he might be able to get up and running - praying to whoever would listen that they got out of this and that Kyron hadn't already killed Ren, Acacia, and Charlie.

   Lei was still looking over the sabotaged shuttle controls. She didn't know much about all their functions, only the basic ones, but she could tell that most of the controls weren't working the way they should. Everything was broken.
   Something towards the back of the shuttle caught her attention, so she quietly  walked away from the consoles and towards the rear of the shuttle, keeping away from where Rhaef was unconscious on the floor. She approached one of the crystal growing units that was still there from when Wei-Li was working on it, and crouched down next to it, pressing her ear to it's case. Something was happening, the unit was emitting a rythmic beep.
   "Geoff? What's it doing?"

Geoff had only been standing silently in the same spot while Rhaef bled slowly to death while Kyoko tried to save him. He didn't know what else he could do so he just stood, feing a little useless. No need for a guy like him at a time like this. In fact, he was more of a liability now, his larger size and lung capacity therin surely not helping their chances of survival. Hesighe d lightly and was actually kind of glad when he heard Lei speak as it distracted him from his thoughts for a bit.

"What's what doin'?", he said as he turned to Lei and gave the case she was listening so intently to a bit of a quizzical glance. He walked slowly up to it and mimicked Lei, crouching down and pressing his ear against it. Sure enough, it was beeping. In Geoff's experience, beeping is either really good or really bad. He was really, really hoping it was some good because they had all they could take of bad. "Uh...Cap'n? This here thing is beepin' at us and I don't rightly know what to do about it...", he said as he stood up and gently pulled Lei a bit away from the case, worried it could still be something of the explosive type.

Kale stared down at the controls not even really seeing them anymore.  He could feel control slipping away again and he hated that feeling. Nothing up here worked, and Kale just didn't know enough to get things going again.  Then he heard Geoff's voice and turned around.

"What's that?" he stood up and started walking towards where Geoff and Lei were standing and grinned.  "The units!" he said, "Of course, Ren musta activated the beacon - he'd be the only one with it and I can't imagine why Kyron would have- they must have ... done somethin'." he knew he might be getting excited over nothing but he couldn't help it.  It was the only logical explanation - someone must have stopped Kyron.

At about the same moment, Rhaef came too, and forced himself up a little bit to look around the cabin, his voice raspy, he tried to get Geoff's attention.

Geoff had nodded to the captain's words about the units, hearing them but not understanding a single one. Beacons and units and such. Geoff didn't know anything about that. He did get that the captain was suggesting that Ren had don something, which meant they might end up saved, after all. He grinned about this and turned away from the unit to go back to where he had been standing. It was then that he noticed Rhaef sitting up, looking to him and apparently wanting Geoff's attention for some reason.

Geoff shrugged lightly and walked over to the first mate, kneeling beside him with a questioning expression on his face. He had no idea what the man wanted, but it must be important if he was getting himself up from his blood loss induced stupor to say it.

Rhaef looked at Geoff and despite the pain and blood loss, there was fury in his eyes. "Geoff, if you all get out of this, make that gorram son of bitch suffer. Make the hell you send him to feel like heaven after what you put him through. That's an order." His piece said, Rhaef collapsed again, but still awake his eyes darted to the crew. He sensed a new hope. Maybe they'd be rescued. Well he hoped for their sake, they would be - none them deserved to die.

   "They're coming to get us?"
   Lei stayed in Geoff grasp, she could still hear the beeps from the box from here. Then Rhaef called Geoff over, leaving Lei free again. She went over to the other unit, and pressed her ear to it. This one was beeping too, playing out a different pattern. She leaned back against the unit, and stayed listening to the music that meant the difference between life and death for the people on the shuttle...

Geoff couldn't help the short laugh that escaped him and the feral grin that came to his face at Rhaef's words. "Oh, don't ya worry. I have plans fer him and all of them involve plenty o' pain. Death is too good fer the likes of him. I'm gonna make him hurt fer what he did. I guaran-damn-tee you that.", he said in a low tone and clapped Rhaef gently on the shoulder. It seemed like there were sometimes that even he and Rhaef could see eye to eye and making Kyron suffer was most definitely something they could both heartily agree with.

"He's not afraid of us, Geoff, I say we let those he is afraid of have him. Here, hold this compress in place while I see if we got any more kits on board." Kyoko asks as she works. "Personally I'd like to see him spaced.. but I always favored the traditions of the spacers."

Geoff did as she bid him to do, holding the compress in place. "Oh, I don't need him to fear me. I just need him to hurt. Ain't nothin' more honest than pain. The ones who want him can have him after I'm done with him, more than likely in a small box with broken limbs.", he remarked with a nod.

"There are ways to inflict pain without having to stoop to violence.. however appealing it might be at the moment. I personally think that the regulations and rules on pilot certification are cruel and unusual things to have to read. Kyoko says as she returns with a pack of instant gel and uses it to seal Rheaf's wound.

Something very large appeared off of the starboard bow.

Kale turned his head and let out a sigh of relief - he had never been so happy to see anything in his life.  There was Destiny.  He quickly made his way to the controls - the engines were still on and Ren couldn't scoop them up unless they powered down.  His fingers hit the controls and turned off the engine - they were going home.

   Lei let out a startled yelp when the huge object appeared out the window, she had gotten used to the view bieng one of nothing but the black, and a smattering of stars. Then it disappeared, and a short time later, there was a jerk, and scraping from the side of the shuttle.
   Lei picked herself up, and looked over to the door, waiting to see who came through it.

Kale watched intensly out the front windows as Destiny came alongside the small shuttle and began to match her speed.  Come on, Ren, get us home. Leastwise he sure hoped it was Ren in the cockpit, and that everyone was still alive on Destiny - well except for Kyron, he could be dead for all he cared.  Soon Destiny was pulling the shuttle in and they were back.  Kale immediately ran to the door controls and opened it letting the light of the cargo bay flood into the tiny shuttle.

"We're back on Destiny." he said, and went to try and help move Rhaef down to the infirmary.

Geoff had to breathe a sigh of relief as he saw they were being brough back onto the ship he had started to think of as home. He knew that Kyron would never have let them be retrieved so he must have been taken out somehow and the others would be safe. Everything seemed like it would turn out just fine.

He moved quickly to help the captain lift Rhaef up to move him to the infirmary. Now that he was back on the ship, he felt like he could be useful again and wanted to make the most of it.

"Now let's get out stubborn patient to a REAL medic.' Kyoko says as she takes his other side to help Kale get him to medical.

   Lei cautiously followed the others through the hatch into Destiny. The other one was probably still there somewhere, and she didn't want to run into him suddenly. Once through the hatch, she took a couple of deep breaths. The air was so much nicer here, she hadn't realised how stale it had got on the shuttle.

   ((To: Dining hall.))

After getting their ship back the crew of Destiny began to pick up the pieces that Kyron had shattered.  Against most of the crews wishes Kyron was kept alive - although no official plans had yet been made for what to do with him when it became apparent that Wei-Li was falling into critical condition. Destiny needed medical help and fast.  They made way for the nearest planet at the time - Orisis.

After the fire fight at the Grand Yacht Party Kale worked out an arrangement with the Caddigan's.  Conveniently, the crews good friend Kyron Bates footed the bill with his bank card that he accidently dropped during his hijack attempt and which Wei-Li luckily found.  So finally the crew returned home ... back to Destiny.  Although slightly worse for wear.

They had been out in the black for a few days when Kale recieved a wave from his good friend and old professor, Walton Squires.  It was a pleasant surprise to recieve an invitation to his home on Regina and also to hear that he had a job for them ...

After successfully delivering the stamp to the Professor and despite the loss of their first mate, the crew of Destiny headed back into the black.  Back to work.  A few jobs later has left them with a crate from Xiaygin to be delivered to Torrance Station.  They've just docked at the space station located on the rim.

Its now been almost a month since the museum job and Rhaef leaving - the wounds are healing but they haven't been forgotten yet.

After their daring escape from Torrance Station the crew of Destiny was left broken and beaten ... and one crew member short.  The mourning had just begun for the crew but they had to press on.  They dropped the young boy which Kale, Geoff, and Wei-Li had saved off with his father and then turned to Paquin for Ren's funeral.  It was a short trip that left all of them with heavy hearts but Ren's death had effected no one as hard as Acacia.  So two weeks later found the crew of Destiny on Osiris saying goodbye to their doctor.

And although he was millions of miles away, as Destiny and her crew suffered ... so did Rhaef ...

The crew of Destiny has finally managed to get itself back on its feet.  After a trying past few months things are starting to go back to normal.  The absence of Ren and Acacia is still felt but the ships newest members have begun to find a home on board the old freighter.  Most relationships have been mended and although there are still some unanswered questions between members of the crew life has been peaceful.

However, after a few months of excitement and trials the crew has discovered that the cash flow has come to a sputtering halt.  The crew needs a job and soon.  First rule of the black is to keep flying.  Fortunately, one of Kale's contacts managed to put him in touch with the infamous Sin Twins.  The girls are probably the most ... unpredictable of contacts, one can never be quite certain what they're getting into when dealing with them.  But one thing is for certain, the pay-out is always good.  The crew has set up a meeting with the twins in a casino on Santo to get more details about the possible job.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:43, Fri 25 Apr 2014.