Ren skidded into the bridge, and jumped into the pilot's chair, Charlie had started the engines, so he began the rest of his pre-flight, he did not really worry about plotting a course at the moment, rather he began to make sure, he could get the ship and moving, as quickly as possible.

As Ren went through the system checks a red light began flashing on the control board, his eyes were immediately drawn to it.  In the most simplest terms it said: Destiny is going nowhere.  The rocky docking apparently was more of a problem then he had expected - this was not good ... not good at all.

Ren was going through his preflights when the console starting blinking, "Fuhn Pi" he hissed at the light, "my docking wasn't that bad, was it?" He said with a degree of disbelief, he punched the docking graphics, "Yi Dwei Da Buen Chuo Roh!" He cursed loudly, it was that bad.

[From Destiny: Cargo Bay]

Kale came, somewhat limping, onto the bridge just in time to hear Ren's litany of curses - his heart sank, "Now that don't sound good ..." he said, coming to stand behind his pilot but he could already see the red warning light flashing, "Tian xiao de!" he muttered, "Whatta we got?"

Ren shurgged helplessly, "Don't rightly know, Captain, this is probably one of those times I shoulhd have listened a little better to Rhaef, but I do know that flashing red light means we can take off. Something's wrong with the gear. What exactly, well I haven't a ruttin' clue." Ren added apologetically.

Kale frowned, then leaned over and grabbed the mic, "Charlie, we need ya in the cockpit." he said, trying his best not to sound too terribly worried, no use getting everyone all riled up.  Odds were Charlie'd be able to fix it in a pinch and they'd be sea worthy in no time.  At least that's what Kale hoped, "Pull up the schematics there." he said to Ren - pointing at the screen.

Ren slide back to the console, mentally cursing himself for not knowing more, in a manner of seconds, he'd pulled the scematics Kale was looking for and put them on the screen. "There you go, Captain."

Charlie bound up into the cockpit, stopping in the doorway as she looked between Ren and Kale, her brows arched expectantly.  "Yea, wha'cha need?"  She spoke quickly, but since they were still in a base that was under Reaver attack...well, it wasn't time to be making small talk.

Kale looked up as Charlie came running into the room, a frown painted on his face, "We got trouble." Kale said, and inwardly scoffed at his own choice of words.  That was the understatement of all time, "Destiny's stuck, Charlie.  She ain't goin' nowhere.  Whattaya make 'o this?" he said, pointing to the screen Ren had just pulled up.

"Well, lemme take som'f a look here, see."  Charlie half-spoke to herself as she stepped forward, peering at the computer screen as she did, taking a spot between Ren and the Captain as she silently looked over the screen.  Her arm was turning bright red from where she'd originally run into the bay door, and would bruise over soon enough...but nearly everyone was hurting at this point, and it was more important to worry about their own survival.

"Jao gao, there's all'n th'problem."  Charlie pointed to the screen, letting it zoom in on a schematic that brought up Destiny's electrical work.  "All'f these sorts'f stations gone'n hooked up th'lectric to us, sort'f like a tether.  For'm, means if'n we need t'be stopped by Feds, all they's gotta do's flip a switch'n we're stuck.  Ah..."  Charlie stopped, biting her lip as she stared at it for a long silent moment, her fingers twitching as she crossed them.  Things were obviously not good, and the light of the monitor could be reflected in her eyes as they started to grow misty.

"Cap'n..."  She spoke quietly, swallowing hard.  "This's...this's not like some sort'f bolt'r such that 's just gonna crank right off'f here.  This's...well...there's a part'f the station tha's basically in Destiny a'tha moment.  Ah'm not sure ah'd be able t'pull it out w'out breakin' th'hull, which'd...kill's all."  She was starting to break up her speech as she spoke, the reality of their situation dawning further and further on her.  They were stuck.  Stuck.

Kale scooted over as Charlie leaned between him and Ren to take a look at the computer screen.  Kale wasn't watching the screen though - he was watching Charlie.  If anyone could get them flying it'd be her ... so when she started biting her lip and twitching her fingers Kale felt his hope sinking.  These were tell tale Charlie signals - she had something to tell him that she didn't want to say.  This was reaffirmed when she grew extremely quiet, "You can fix it, right?" he prodded her, but there could be no mistaking it, her eyes were growing misty - this wasn't good.

"Charlie -" he started but she cut him off as she spoke.  Kale found himself feeling as though he were sinking into the floor.  The station was in Destiny ... they'd have to break the hull .... they'd have to try something though - they couldn't just sit around and wait for the Reavers.  Kale's eyes met Charlie's then.  He knew with a sudden clarity that this could be the last thing she ever tried to fixed - and suddenly Kale couldn't think of anything but the first ...

*~*~*~*~*~ F L A S H B A C K ~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kale lay on his back beneath the control panel, wires were hanging everywhere.  They all look exactly the ruttin' same ... he thought in frustration tugging on one with his right hand as the left tried to hold the thermal cap in place.  "Gorram boy gone made more 'o a mess a things then when we started ..." he grumbled under his breath.  He and Rhaef had been stranded on this backwater moon for going on a week now - stupid thermal cap done got busted and apparently the boat don't fly without it.  So they'd hired some kid - Alex Bourdain.  Met him at the local pub - which could hardly be dignified with that word, Kale believed Rhaef was more accurate when he'd called it a 'gorram' hole in the wall.  The place had looked like a pile of fei wu and had smelled even worse, but this Alex kid had claimed to know more then his fair share about the workings of a ship - and considering he and Rhaef hadn't been able to get things up and running, he'd figured he'd hire him to muddle through the mess.

Kale hadn't realized how big of a mistake this was going to turn out to be.  The kid muddled through alright.  Kale had returned to his bridge to find Alex sitting with his feet up on the console, a flask of whiskey and hand and wires everywhere.   The kid was running for the bay doors inside five seconds.  Unfortunately, there was still the thermal cap to be fixed - so the task fell to Kale.  It was his ship afterall.  He squinted up into the darkness and began trying to connect the green wire in his hand.  There was spark and ahock shot through his arm, "Ta shi suo you di yu de biao zi de ma!" he shouted load enough for his voice to echo out into the cargo hold, then as he tried to move he hit his head against the top of the console, "Aw! Ta mah de ..."

There was a soft knocking on the side of the door to the bridge, the metal ringing through the chamber and breaking the sound that was simply Kale's muttering.  "Pardon, M'ser."  A meek voice spoke up from back where he couldn't see, sounding both timid and cheerful at the same time.  "Y'tha cap'n of th'ship here?"

Kale was still rubbing his head as he leaned back down to hold the thermal cap in place as a woman's voice filled the room, "Rhaef send ya in here?" he said, he'd probably have been more guarded about the fact that some strange person was suddenly standing in his cockpit if he hadn't been focusing so much on trying to fix the damn thing, "I'm the Cap'n - who's lookin' fer him?" he said, he pulled another wire out and bit his lip trying to figure out what to do with it.

"Ah'm..."  There was a pause for a moment, and then the sound of footsteps as the stranger got closer.  "Ah know y'just...ah'm here ta, y'know...y'just had some sort'f run'n with mah brother, Alex.  He jus' got home, said sum'thin 'bout possibly makin'n enemy with th'wrong sort'f person, so...ah came t'pologize fer him.  He ain't been none th'same since...well, 's no matter."  It was definitely a woman's voice, and while it was rather hard to make out, it seemed to have an unshakable happiness behind the apology.

Two bare feet came into view of Kale's vision as she stepped up next to where he was, spotted with bits of dirt and grass almost all the way to her knees.  Whoever she was, she brought the scent of the earth with her...and maybe some other unfortunate things she may have stepped in.

Kale looked up as the woman continued speaking, peering out from under the console at a pair of bare feet - odd, not too many people went wandering around without their boats, "Oh I had more'n a run'n with 'em - hired the boy ta be fixin' my ship an' got nothin' but a mess.  He's yer brother you say?" Kale said, looking back up at his work.  He thought he had it now and he was moving quicker with his excitement.  If he could just get the wire hooked up the compresser ...

"Well, no need fer you ta be apologizin' for his misdoin's - though I appreciate the gesture." he said as he worked.  Ya, that was it. he smiled, he was getting the hang of this.

The girl stood at maybe five and a half feet, built like a stick.  She was somewhere in her early twenties, but looked like the type to be a kid at heart.  Her dark brown hair lay flat, recently combed as if she were trying for appearance...but the attempt had died somewhere in that process by the looks of it.  She was in an old sleeveless summer dress that was probably a bright shade of yellow at one point, faded from years of sun and washes into a dull white mix.  It clung to her and only rode to her lower thighs, and the hems were spotted with stains that varied between browns, blues, and greens.  Her arms and legs were bare, and her deep tan showed that it was probably how she spent the majority of her days.

"Ah'm jus'..ah did'n know if'n he'd..."  She kept trailing off as she watched what Kale was doing, dropping to a crouch and watching him try to replace the thermal cap.  She was silent for a moment, her head cocking to the side as he tried to get the wire back into the compressor.  "Y'know tha's a junk part, right?"

"Nah, don' ya worry, I mean, he did ya know, make 'o mess of things but - what?" Kale said, his brow wrinkling as she knelt down beside him and told him he was trying to install a junk part.  He finally actually turning his full attention on the girl.  Taking in her appearance - the worn dress and flat hair - the smile that glinted in her eyes.  Kale smiled and shook his head indulgently, she was a sweet girl - coming all the way out here to apologize for her brother and there was certainly a bit of spunk in those smiling eyes, but right now he really couldn't afford to have a farm girl leaning over his shoulder and trying to give advice, "I just bought this part, 'lil lady." he said, "It ain't junk - solid synthesized titanium.  Don' ya be worryin' about it.  I'll fix her up, I think I got it now anyhow."

"Nah, nah, th'part's made'f sumthin' solid, tha's for sure.  Ah'm sure'f ya chucked it straight 'gainst th'wall, it'd keep shape too.  Y'mind?"  She seemed to be asking, but before Kale could respond, she had sat down on the floor next to him and pointed to where he was trying to place it.

"Th'thermal cap's jus'there t'regulate all sorts'f heat exchanges 'tween th'sides of th'ship, y'know.  Th'way it tells ya all sorts'f things are goin' on one'r th'other side, givin' to all'f yer instruments here'n th'panel.  All sorts'f safety things'r installed'n a ship'f this sort, y'know...makin' sure tha'cha can't be takin' off'f things'r seemin' outta place, tha's why yer grounded.  Bein' a ship built like't, wouldn't take off'n th'seat wasn't properly aligned, y'know?  It's safe, but non'n sorts'f efficiency."  She spoke quickly, but directly to Kale as if she was instructing him, pointing out parts underneath as she did so.

"Y'r essentially hookin' up somethin' tha's jus' makin sure that th'main power transformer don'be overheatin'n seizin' up.  Tha's necessary, but it ain't gonna stop it.  It's jus'gonna shut'cha down'n th'middle'f th'black if'n things get too hot'n you'll be floatin' out'n waitin' for it ta cool off.  Y'know..."  She paused, reaching up into the exposed wires and getting her arm up to her elbow to disappear into the console board, reaching around as she searched.  "Y'got a coolant line runnin' up through here, y'know...blowin' cool air a'cha if'n ya need it, an'tha line is constantly runnin' w'tha freon t'keep it like some sort'f ice."  She finally grabbed the hose, pulling it down and wrapping it around the black box that sat like a heart in the midst of the wires, easily looping it with one hand.

"Oh, an'...here."  She took the thermal cap from him, rotating it and then holding it up.  For all of Kale's trouble, it simply snapped into place, the prongs in the back attatching with a soft click.  "Y'had that backwards, too..."

Kale suddenly found the thermal cap plucked from his hand as the girl began talking - quickly and using all sorts of words and terms he didn't even know existed, "Wait, it regulates the - what?  What's not aligned - hey I -" Kale tried to interject but the girl cut smoothly over him in her explination, casting looks at him every so often as though she were giving a lecture or teaching a class on how to install a thermal cap.  Kale could do nothing but just blink in shock.  Well ya hadn't been expectin' that now had ya? an ironic voice in the back of his head said.

A few more words and Kale was moving to the side to allow the girl access to the space beneath the console.  Her fingers worked quickly and deftly - and what had taken Kale the better part of the last two hours she fixed into place inside two minutes.  Kale was dumbfounded as she looked at him with an apologetic look at the end and told him on top of everything else he'd had wrong he'd also put the damn thing in backwards ... there was silence for a moment.  And then Kale smiled - then laughed, "Well I'll be ..." he looked at the girl again, seeing her all anew, "That was some fancy piece of work ya just did there - you get ta fixin' ships like this often?" Kale asked.

She slid the green wire back into the thermal cap, giving it a twist with her thumb to stay in until it could be placed down with any of the solvents that he might have had.  "Well...yes, an' no.  Th'twins...mah older brothers...they'd gone off'n doin' it'n ah'd just...y'know, jus' sorta been watchin' them do it.  They got all sortsa know how'n, y'know, bein' the two'f them.  What one doesn't know, th'other one does.  Ah guess, jus'bein' around them all'f th'time'n learnin', ah'd gotten th'best of both, y'could say."  She simply shrugged, sliding out from under the console, sitting up and putting her hands on the ground, holding herself up.

"So, yea...ah'd jus' come over t'be sayin'...y'know, don'go an set m'house on fire 'counta what mah brother did.  Y'know, he...he's troubled, 'n there's eight more'n people on th'farm.  Ah can't be payin' ya for anythin' he'd broken'r such, but, y'know..."  She trailed off some, looking more around the ship than at Kale.  She still had her cheer, but it was as if she was waiting for him to deny her apology and kick her off the ship...or maybe worse.

Kale barked out a laugh, "Set yer house on fire?  What sorta enemies is yer brother normally makin'?" Kale asked, mostly rhetorically.  His mind was churning though, replaying her story about her brothers and the quick work she'd just made of the complete mess on his bridge over in his mind.  It'd be a handy thing to have a live in mechanic - he loved Destiny but he wasn't gonna lie, the ship was old, and old ships tended to have creaks that needed working out more often then not.

He turned his focus back on the girl, she was nervously looking around the ship now, but she hadn't lost that smile in her eye, "What's yer name?" he asked.

"He's makin'...he's troubled, le's jus' leave't at that, y'know?"  She offered it up as a solution, as if it worked best for the both of them that way.  She looked back at him, offering a smile with her explanation, shrugging again.

"Ah'm Charlene."  She smiled again, holding out a hand to him.  "Obviously bein' one'f tha Bourdains, 'sa...y'know."

Kale nodded at her explination - not really caring much though to be honest, he wasn't interest in her brother - he was interested in her.  He grinned and shook her hand when she held it out, "Kale Galway, it's a pleasure." he said, offering up his name.  He cocked his head to the side then, "I got a question fer ya Charlie." he said, the name just rolling off his tongue without a though, "Ya ever considered flyin' in one 'o these birds?" he raised an brow as he watched her reaction.