Rhaef shakes his head, Charlie knew him too well. Probably a factor of serving together for so long on this ship. "Damn, Charlie, it's that obvious. Well, just so you know, Kale's got me watching the new girl, the fare we picked up this morning. Ain't caught her name yet, but Kale seems to think she might have sticky hands, and don't want us being robbed blind. Being the shiny personality you are, figured you already talked to her. Besides, hidin' out for a bit, that's the reason I'm here." He paused and added, "'Sides, now that we're in the air, ain't got much for me to do. You keep the ship running, and Ren does the flying. Me, I wander around and try not to piss people off, though I'm even failing at that." He said with slight chuckle.

"Oh hush."  She wagged a finger at him, smiling.  "Things are gonna go grand, y'know?  She does have some...borrowing tendancies, I suppose, but we picked her up on Paquin.  Y'get on a gypsy planet, ya get t'pick up gypsies.  You go to th'core, you pick up people that don't have such thing as a callous on their hands.  Everywhere y'go, you reap what they sow, y'know?"  She shakes her head a bit, looking back into the engine block, doing a head count of the rotation speed.

Charlie reached into a pocket, taking out a wrench and getting on the floor, back on the grates as she slid under the loud machine, looking up at it.  "I don't know if I'm in the distrustin' sorts.  She was quick to follow me out'n talk while I was fuelin, which is just a boring process t'deal with.  So, way I see it, she's one of two things.  Cap'n is right and she's sizin' us up, gettin' ready for a haul...or she's just bored."

Rhaef laughs as Charlie slides back under the motor, "People get bored in space, I'd never thought that." Rhaef leaned againt a door frame, realizing he'd need to change shirts later, to get the grease and grime out of this one. "Well, then, you're telling what I needed to know, Charlie. Kind of think, you, me and Kale are all on the same page on this one. Just if you see anything else odd, let me know, 'kay?"

"Yeah yeah, i'm keepin' my eye out for anythin' wierd, you know that.  Who else'd I tell 'sides you or Kale?  Who else is gonna get somethin' done about it if that's what we're needin' to happen."  She laughed a bit, starting to work, muttering something under her breath.  "You need anythin' else?"

"Not that I can think of, unless you want something else, Charlie." Rhaef laughed quietly. "I'll be getting out of your way now, should have thrown any on my trail off."

"See ya around Charlie." Rhaef said as he slipped out of the engine room. He worked his way through the ship to the cargo bay, climbing up to one of the bay overhangs to observe quietly was going on. Seems their guest was out doing a spacewalk, and he figured he just hang out, and see what he could see. Rhaef grabbed an old can lying on the mezz, and pulled out his cigarettes, lit one and laid there and smoked.

Charlie slid out from under the engine for what must have been the tenth time in the past few minutes, letting out a breath and relaxing, looking up at the ceiling.  Things had been a little touch and go for a few moments, everything that you wouldn't want spitting out everywhere in the midst of, well...spitting out everywhere.

To be precise, the main fuselage that led into the engine had popped from it's spout due to increased flow.  The flow was increased due to the tanks being much more full, something that she probably could have compensated for had she thought to do it.  Of course, it would have been simple if it had ended there...but nothing is simple.  The fuel had leaked onto the main engine combine, starting a corrosive flow into the primary heatsink, which was causing pressure and heat to rise within the block.  One of those things that has to be cleaned more than fixed, and since they were out in the middle of nowhere, there was really only so much that could be done.

But it was done.

Charlie let out another sigh, slowly sitting up, wiping the back of her arm across her forehead, smearing her face with even more black stuff.  She tucked her head foreward, pulling out the bib of her overalls and wiping her face on it, leaving a large black mark.  Better there than in her mouth and eyes, as it goes.  She slowly stood back up, wiping her hands on her pants as stretched her legs, feeling good to be on them after keeping herself propped on her back and elbows as she rubbed fuel out of the engine's bucklers.  She needed water.  Some to drink, some simply to wash...and there never had been (nor ever would be) a faucet in the engine room.  She moved to the door, pulling it open, thinking about even finding a new change of clothes, or to even wash her-...

Charlie's train of thought stopped as she yanked at the handle of the Engine Room again.  It was locked?  She turned to the control panel next to the door, hitting a few buttons, muttering to herself.  It wasn't locked...it was barred.  Something was keeping it jammed, barring the door from opening.  She stood on the tips of her toes, looking through the small window and trying to see what could be causing it...which was a fair amount of nothing, that said.  Nothing she could see from here.  After a moment, she turned back around and leaned against the door, crossing her arms.  It wasn't the first time she'd been locked in the engine room.  It was the first time she had been without knowing what was going on, however...

Wei-Li moved in and pulled on the handle, only to find it had been barred.  Her pulse rate quicked as she thought of her father's stories of how hot it could get inside the engine room.

She looked and found where something had been wedged into the door jam so it wouldn't budge.

She grabbed it and tried to work it free.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:24, Thu 26 Jan 2006.

Charlie looked up at the sound of someone out the door, looking up after sitting on the floor for a while.  Her back had been against the door, waiting for someone to let her out.  It could mean something bad was happening before, she'd been locked in because of that once.  Then again, Kale once locked her in the engine room because he was afraid of her getting hurt...which would have been a lot nicer, had he remembered to let her out right after the confrontation.

She peeked through the window, seeing Wei and knocking on the glass, raising her eyebrows.  Not much can be heard through the doors, as it stands...

Wei-Li continuted to work on getting the object out, but she couldn't get a good grip on it.  She pulled out her multi tool, and starting working on it, the edges of the grip leaving marks in her hand.

It seemed to take forever, and then... it finally gave.  Wei-Li almost fell over, but caught herself.

She grabbed the handle and pulled the door open, afraid of what she'd find.

Charlie stood at the door as it opened, leaning through the opening and looking at Wei-Li, an eyebrow slightly raised.  "Ah...hello again."  She had honestly expected to see Ren or Kale, and seeing this passenger was even more of a shock than she was prepared for.  "Why'm I locked in here...did'ja throw me in, keep me closed up for a good reason?"

Wei-Li sagged against the door, her eyes still a little unfocused.  She signalled Charlie to be quiet as she quickly closed and resecured the door.

She she let out a slight gasp for air and then tried to explain.

"Kyron... took over.  He.. had a gun, to Acacia's head.. Shot someone... Rhaef I think... Put everyone in the shuttle... 'cept Doc, some guy.. and you... ."

"What?"  Charlie did her best to remain quiet, covering her mouth.  She'd been in dangerous spots before, but this...well, she hadn't liked him from the start, but that doesn't mean she suspected that it'd be deserved by him.  "Is Rhaef...y'know, is he okay?  I mean, he's not...layin' out there somewhere, dyin' at th'moment, right?"

Wei-Li thinks back, closing her eyes.  "He was walking... Kyoko was helping him... to the shuttle."

She looks up at Charlie, trying to stay focused.  "I was in the shuttle... he hit me... did something to the controls... "

Her eyes widen as she realizes the implications.  "... He wanted them out of the way... and dead... "

"... we have to do something.. or they're all dead... "

Charlie bit her lip, thinking, her eyes darting back and forth as she ran over the situation in her head.  It was just yesterday that she had been talking with Wei-Li about how she stayed out of the way of violent situations, let the captain and his gun-toters deal with them.  This was something completely different...not what she was used to.  Of course, Wei-Li had said it; they had to do something.

"Right, uh...they're...um..."  Charlie paced a bit, her bare feet lost below the sounds of Destiny's humming engines.  She ran her hands through her hair, exhaling another breath, trying to come up with a plan.  "Well, we've, uh...ah'm guessin' we're not alertin' anyone.  We're gonna have to do somethin'.  You're...you're not lookin' so good."  Charlie put a hand on the door, looking out the window.  She couldn't see any trace of them.  "Y'think you can stand, walk around'n such?  Y'know, 'cause if you're not doin' so good...y'know..."  She trailed off, looking back at Wei-Li, biting her lip again.

Wei-Li nods, and takes Charlie's hands in hers.  "I'll be okay.. the man.. not Rhaef.. not Geoff... or the Captain... the Pilot?" She asked trying to peice it all together.

"But why keep the Doc?... You're the mechanic.. needs you to take care of the ship... "

"Maybe he's got some kinda problem, I dunno...or maybe he's plannin' on shootin' more people."  Charlie let out a shaky breath, slowly opening the door to the Engine Room, looking out in the Cargo Bay.  Only boys on this boat caused trouble, it seemed.  She looked back at Wei-Li, squeezing her hand for a moment.

"Alright, I'm...I'm thinkin' we go down into th'Bay, see what we're seein'.  If he's takin' over the ship, he'd either be two places, y'know?  He'd go to th'Bay to rob us'f somethin', but I don't see him down there.  So he'd prolly be on the Bridge, pilotin' us wherever.  That is, unless he's raiding th'bins for protien or somethin.  You just..hang on, be quiet'n such, kay?"  Charlie nodded at Wei-Li, leading her out of the Engine Room slowly, stepping as softly as she could on the metal grating.



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

Wei-Li nodded and followed Charlie, trying to be as quiet as possible, trying to watch every direction at once.

She forced her eyes wide, in hope of clearing out the grogginess.

Charlie stepped back into the Engine Room, closing the door, leaning her head against the wall for a second.  It'd been a long day, and she really just wanted to shut herself down for a few hours, curl up in her hammock and pretend the whole day was over.  However, that wasn't happening until the crew was back on.  She took a few deep breaths, stepping away from the door and back into the Engine Room.

Charlie looked through the systems she had routed in the Engine Room.  The engine burned on the principle of being a percentage of the ships power, and therefore, the ship could burn at a faster pace if certain systems were willing to be shut down.  She went through the gauges, trying to find whatever she could to power down, re-routing all to burn out behind them.  After a minute, she reached out and held down the comm button, speaking up.

"Well, I've shut down our protocol for entering atmo, the power to our landing structure, all'f the forward pressure manifolds, and I'm shuttin' down the aquafiers for th'time being.  S'all I can give you that we're not gonna need.  Set it t'burn as much as y'need."

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.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:43, Sat 13 Oct 2007.

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 ...
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:44, Sat 13 Oct 2007.

Charlie slid out from under the rotating engine, sighing as she rubbed her grease-covered arms, the skin having turned a gray tone.  Her face is covered with the same markings, dark smears of oil and grime over her forehead and cheeks.  She'd driver herself in going over the lines, searching and heat-welding anything that leaked.  It was a small job, a mindless task that she hadn't intended to ever do...it was a lot of work to cover what would be "possible" leaks, being that they could literally show up anywhere.  It was the type of job you did when you had nothing to do, or simply needed something to do.

And this time, Charlie simply needed something to do, to keep her mind occupied.  Her moment with Rhaef had seemed almost surreal, that she had kissed him, or the chance that she'd finally told him how she felt.  There was a part of her head that told her that it was too good to be true, that maybe it had been a lucid dream.  The next day, she woke up with the worst hangover that she had ever known, her skull feeling as if it were cracking in two.  She had spent the whole day hidden in one of the empty bunks, trying to sleep off the alcohol, avoiding everyone on the entire boat so that they wouldn't have to see her at her sickest.  After that, it seemed like Rhaef had been avoiding her...keeping his distance, not saying much of a word.

Maybe she had said something, but it simply hadn't come out right.  Maybe she had said something that was simply wrong.  Maybe she had gotten sick, and didn't realize it.  She'd done something, that was for sure...something that wasn't right.  With a sigh, Charlie laid back down and slid back under the engine, going back to thinking about minute cracks in the tubing...

As the ship came to a gentle stop, Ren's voice came over the intecomm.  "And that would be landfall Mei Mei..."

Charlie picked up the comm, running a hand across her forehead as she clicked the button.  "Getting rocky, bear...you make more work for me, you'll never hear the end of it."

Charlie heard Ren's reply, clicking on the comm again.  "No, the...uh..."  Charlie clicked off the reciever, sighing and resting her arm on the wall.  She didn't want to run to any of the crew, throw her bleeding heart problems around...she didn't want to be like Acacia and Ren, spending so long throwing their worries around with each other.  Besides, Kale had said that the ship would go downhill without her...and what they needed was a smiling face right now.

"Nah, ah'm just...everythin's goin' fine, gonna shut down all but th'power manifold.  I'll see ya out'n th'bay, Kale's callin' roll'n such."  She clicked off the comm, turning back to the wall and beginning to go through the mechanics...another routine to take her mind off of what was going on.

It was only a matter of minutes before she was finished, taking one of the rags that she left in one of her boxes, wiping most of the grease and oil off of her face and hands.  With a self-reassuring sigh, Charlie stepped out of the Engine Room into the Cargo Bay.

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