"Yeah, ah'm...let'cha know."  Charlie said as Rhaef spoke to her, having drifted off into her own thoughts for a second.  She shook her head, looking around, seeing people beginning to clear out.  Following suit, Charlie stood up from her chair and started stacking plates, putting them in the kitchen.  She would allow Wei-Li and Walton to wash them, as three people would just be a crowd.  She didn't want to head back to the ship right away, but the reality is that there was enough stuff that had to be done in the engine room before they took off.

"Hey Cap'n?"  Charlie spoke from the other room as she lifted the large bag of books, pulling thme over one shoulder.  "Ah'm gonna go start pre-flight, kay?  You need me, you just tell Ren'r Acacia t'give me a holler n'all."  She smiled as she gave him a bit of a wave, heading out the door with the sack over her shoulder.  She gave Rhaef a smile as well when she walked outside, stepping off the porch.

"You, don'cha be worryin'.  I can get this back, an' you prolly got some sort'f first mate stuff ya'd be doin', right?"

Rhaef shrugged, "Yeah, probably, but its on the ship, so I'll walk with ya, unles you want to go up there alone."

"Don'cha be playing it like y'got nothin' t'do."  Charlie smiled a bit, re-adjusting the way that they hung over her shoulder.  "I've no need t'be alone'r anythin', I'm guessin'.  I mean, once I'm gettin' in the ship, gotta start doin' the pre-flight n'all, right?  Y'know, Cap'n said we're leavin' in an hour, an' I'm never one t'be all 'Hey Cap'n, we're not ready' an' such..."

"Fair enough, Char, I need to be checking the supplies, the 'tex and the armory for this job, so once we get back, I'm bettin' to be busy as well." Rhaef replied as he held the door open for her, "so it looks like we'll both be busy. Shall we be going?"

Walton smiled gratefully at the young woman, his characteristic twinkle in his eye.  He liked this new recruit of Kale's.  "Fair enough, fair enough." he said, and began washing the plates and handing them to Wei-Li to dry.  "You've picked a good crew to join." he commented.

Kale made his way through the house, smiling at Lei and Geoff as he did so and stepped out onto the front porch as Charlie and Rhaef made their way across the expanse of withered grasses and rocks towards Destiny.  He watched them for a moment and then pulled out his radio, "Ren, you're gonna want to be calling our esteemed companion home.  Hopefully you won't be interrupting her strenuous work."

Wei-Li smiled.  "I'm beginning to see that, she answered as she dried a cup.  She wanted to ask him more.  She liked kale and the others but... but they weren't the clan Latrans.

"How long have you known them?" she asked.

"Ah, Kale and I go quite a ways back.  I knew him before he got Destiny, you know.  I've known the crew as long as they've been flying.  Going on around two years now." Walton said.

"Char?  Yea, fair enough."  Charlie smirked, nodding to Rhaef for opening the door as she headed out, her feet crunching on the hard ground.  "So y'seem not too happy w'tha idea that we're gonna be helpin' people.  Ah'm sure it's not 'cause you're th'type t'be thinkin' of y'self only, but certainly, y'know...couldn't hurt t'be helpin' people, right?  I know you're not from, y'know...you're more growin' up on Core worlds, havin' no time w'the border livin'.  Haven'cha ever seen what Bowden's does t' people?"

Rhaef followed Charlie out, "Nah Charlie, I know what it does. And I know that the Alliance ain't much for carin' 'bout the rim, I'm just worried that Kale's gettin' played by the Professor, at least a little." Rhaef paused, "Don't get me wrong, Char, I'm all for helpin' people, just worreid about a run like this, seems like we're takin' an awful lot of risks, is all."

"C'mon, you'n I both know that Walton wouldn' be throwin' somethin' like that to us.  I know that, don'cha know, we'd best be just gettin' on'n doin' what we think's right.  No one's gonna betray any'f th'trust, y'know?"  Charlie smiled again, continually walking alongside, adjusting how the bag sat on her shoulder.  "An' I'm not speakin' out of just th'followin' that I'd do for th'Cap'n, nor'm I just doing what'm told t'do.  Ah'm serious when I say that, y'know...bein' from a smaller planet'n seein' what happens when thing aren't gettin' treated right'n proper?  It's always worth, y'know, givin' it what'cha got..."

"I know, Charlie, I really want to believe that, and yet, there's something in the back of my mind that keeps saying what happens if someone gets hurt on these mercy missions or the ship gets to beat up. Ain't like we can exactly be paying for a lot fixin' right now." Rhaef replied frustrated that these thoughts were coming, "I mean, Charlie. I want to be gorram hero. I want to ride with Kale and you and the others and save the day. And yet, my mind keep seeing all things that could go wrong...." he paused and looked her in the eye, "Is something wrong with me, Char?"

Wei-Li nodded.  "I've been with them..." she paused thinking.  "About a month."

"I hired them to help me do some spacewalks... and thinks kinda happened..." she sighed.

"Life has a funny way of doing that... " she added.

Walton smiled at the girl, "Yes indeed." he said, "Yes indeed."  He finished washing the last cup and handed it to Wei-Li just as he noticed Kale step back inside the house.

"Well, it looks like we're all set ta go." Kale said, stepping into the kitchen, "I'm gonna have ta steal yer dish washin' partner from ya, thinkin' I'll be needin' her if'n we're gonna get this job squared away." he turned to Wei-Li, "Go on an' head back ta the ship and grab Geoff an' Lei while yer at it."

Kale waited for Wei-Li to leave before turning to Walton, "I'll be in touch." he said to the man.  He looked as though he might say more but then turned to go.

"Kale." Walton called out before Kale had left the room.  Kale turned back around and Walton smiled, "It was good to see you again, son.  You should try not to be such a stranger."

"You too." Kale said with a smile, and then made his way out of the professor's house following after the rest of his crew.

[To Destiny: Cargo Bay]

Charlie smiled as she looked back into Rhaef's eyes, smiling and setting a hand on his shoulder.  "Nothing's wrong w'cha, Rhaef.  Y'know...look here.  We're all a bunch'f smugglers, thicker'n thieves w'some of what's out'n th'black, y'know?  If'n we're not dyin' here, we're gonna die 'cause we got shot runnin' from the law, or we're gonna die in jail'r sum'thin, or we'll die 'cause th'ship blows up.  This's a life that all'f us chose.  It's not gonna end pretty, y'know?  But we're all out here, runnin' the black day'n day 'gain."  She chuckled a bit, turning and starting again towards the ship.

"Way I see it, don't much matter.  S'not about how y'die, but more 'bout how ya live.  One'f the books Walton gave me told m'that.  And if I die, but it saves th'whole gorram city from gettin' Bowden's, y'd better believe that I'd accept that kinda death.  More honour'n dyin' here than dyin' when we're stealin' for ourselves, y'know?"

Wei-Li smiled and nodded at Kale's comment, then turned to the Professor.  She handed him her towel and shrugged.  "Guess I gotta go," she said with a sigh.

"It was nice meeting you," she added.  "And we'll see you when we're done on Athens I guess..."

Rhaef nods, "Guess, I ain't never thought of that way, Char," Rhaed says with a nod, "Thanks for helpin' me sort that out." Rhaef said with a genuine smile. "We best hurryin' back to Destiny though, Kale'll have our heads, if he sees us out here jawin' instead of gettin' the bird ready to fly."

"Yeah, yeah, we're goin'."  She smirked, giving him a light punch on the arm as they walked, humming a bit to herself as they walked.  The ship wasn't far, and they finally reached the open hatch in back.  Charlie smiled a bit as she looked up at Destiny, touching the ship with a hand.  "Here's my stop.  You..."  She poked him in the chest, narrowing her eyes a bit playfully.  "...just keep yer head'n your shoulders t'gether.  Things'll go finer'n any'f us coulda seen.  An'if they don't, y'know...y'all are capable.  Don't be throwin' any more worry towards it, kay?"

With those last words, Charlie went into the ship, climbing the stairs so that she could begin the pre-flight check and engine warm-up...

Rhaef nodded and smiled at Charlie, "You're right, Char. Thanks for listening and clearing stuff up for me." Rhaef replied watching her disappear into the ship. Rhaef began walking around the hull, making sure there was not any major damage, before starting his board-ship pre-flight routine. Despite his conversation with Charlie, something was not sitting exactly right with him, and Rhaef hoped some time alone would help him sort things out.

Her farewell to the professor made, Wei-li went looking for Lei and Geoff.  She found them in one of the many rooms filled with books, Lei trying to explain something she'd red to Geoff.

"Hey guys... Hate to interupt, but Kale says we gotta go..."

Lei nodded at Wei-Li and then looked at the pile of books she had chosen to take with her. Geoff carried some, but there were still some that she couldn't possibly hold, she looked at Wei-Li, "I don't have the strength capacity. Please assist."

Then she and Geoff made their way on the ship with piles of books in hand. Lei thanked the Professor generously.

The remainder of the crew all said their final farewells and made way for Destiny.  They had a job to do ...

[All crew to Destiny]