Tylem fiddles with the mask hanging loose at his throat as he awaits further instructions.

"Yes, Ms. Blake." Ash responds dutifully to Saskia and her request to take the Profit Margin out nice and easy.  "No gunning it.  Burning wreckage." he repeats as well, before affirming, "Got it."

His fingers are still dancing on the dynamic display as he continues to multitask and check off items on the pre-flight list.

"Don't worry, Miss." the navigator adds after a moment, 'reassuring' the engineer during a pause in the action, "if my calculations are wrong, there'll still be burning wreckage - through no fault of the Margin herself.  And Ms. Tiesi will still be mightily upset at us for the mess."  Still, the smirk that Saskia can all, but see over the commlink, tells her that Ash is obviously joking.  Over a decade and a half doing such calculations means that the ex-serviceman knows when and which to cut corners.  And when not to.  And this is not the time to cut too many corners.

It is the time, however, to expedite the process.  Though the order has not been given, from what Ash can tell, Jago may be giving the order to hit high orbit any moment.  So, back to the checklist he goes...

"Still, if you have to end up using either, it means we've failed.  Maybe then you'll let me clean the planet of scum and villainy, eh, boss?" Yas says, first part directed at Ty and the latter at Jago who arrives dressed for an excursion.

"So, ramp down then," she adds, mumbling to herself, and starts to lower the ramp again.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:05, Wed 03 July 2013.

"Indeed." Tylen responds to Yasmin just before he clips his mask into place.  He fiddles with his data glove for a moment as he tunes in the commdots he has already applied.

"Still got comms?" he says,  voice muffled by the mask, as he keys a channel for Yas's communicator.  Then hitching the Las Carbine into position Tytlen nods to indicate he is ready to provide cover during the pre flight inspections.

Ash takes the call from Shui - she's on her way back - and relats the information to the others, down at the ramp...

Jago steps outside and starts his usual inspection of the ship's exterior, paying particular attention to anywhere where ice might gather and cause problems - pressure vents, landing gear wells, sensor mounts...  He also checks for anomalies - inspection ports that are open (and shouldn't be), signs of damage, anything attached to the hull that doesn't belong... 

Tylen follows him about, just far enough away to reduce the chances of both of them being taken out by the same grenade.

About half way through the inspection, Yas and Tylen, from their respective positions, both spot a figure hurrying across the ice towards the ship.  Closer, and they can see that it appears to be wearing Shui's jacket.  The height and build would be consistent with the steward's.

In Engineering and on the Bridge, Saskia and Ash are talking over the details of lift off.  This time, at least, there's no need to contact flight control to get clearance for an emergency departure...

The figure, apparently Shui, gets to within twenty metres of the ship and waves...

As soon as Tylen sees the Shui figure leave the dome, he uses his Commdots  to voice activate his dataglove and  contact Shui.  "Are you OK?" he asks laconically as he continues to scan the area  for possible risks.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:59, Wed 03 July 2013.

Peering towards the distant building Yas mumbles something to herself and checks her guns over quickly.

"Heads up, we got company heading this way from the dome.  Ten to twelve.  Doubt it is security.  Seven minutes or more until we can ask them." she warns over the comms.

Jago winds up his inspection and hustles back to the ramp.

“As soon as the ramps up ’pufff’ I’d like the turrets manned, ’pufff’ I don’t want to use them ’pufff’ but I hope it will put people off ’pufff’ if they see they are being tracked ’pufff’ by plasma cannon and lasers. ’pufff, chough, chough’” He finishes his instructions mumbling something about cold air not being good for the lungs and pauses for a moment at the top of the ramp, before hurrying off to the bridge.

Shui responds to Tylen with the aforementioned wave, raising her dataglove for communcation of a verbal nature.  ++ Absolutely, Mr. Orgesh.  I met a kind gentleman who was only too happy to escort me back to this area, safe and sound.  A good thing, as well; apparently I had wandered into an extremely poor neighbourhood.  ++

The figure continues to pace toward the ship, picking up her steps a little at Yasmine's warning.  ++ From the sound of it, things are not proceeding well...I shall be aboard momentarily, Chief Crow. ++ Now is the time for titles, it seems.

(Hopefully) Reaching the ramp, Shui hurries aboard, shucking her heavy jacket the moment it is safe to do so.  ++ I shall ensure our passengers are safely aboard. ++

Once he is satisfied that it is Shui heading towards them, Tylen turns his attention to the warning that Yas gave.  Laser Rifle tucked  under his arm ready to bring into a firing position, he  turns to face the potential enemy.

"Better get Ash to monitor all the external sensors"  he replies to Yas, after switching to the general crew channel.


As soon as Jago finishes his inspection and heads inside, Tylen starts to back up the ramp, still maintaining his watch on anyone approaching.  He backs carefully, making sure he is firmly set, because he half expects Yas to start raising the ramp while he is still on it.

"Will do," Yas replies to Jago and waits until the two remaining crew are aboard, or at least the last of the halfway up the ramp.  Passing words are aimed at Sushi.  "Welcome back, doc, didn't even know you were out there."

"Stove the little gun, we're going to track our visitors using our turrets.  Jago has good ideas sometimes," she shouts out to Ty even as the ramp begins to rise.

"Did you copy that, Ash?  Monitor our approaching group, will you?  We're heading into the turrets to play chicken with them." she reports over the comm, suspecting Ash may already be on it, but being certain never hurt.  Well, rarely, any way.

Once the ramp is closed, hopefully, she verifies it is properly sealed before she hurries towards her little turret control.

Having relayed Shui's message to the rest of the crew, Ash has already been fiddling with the external feeds to make sure that they could see the only crewmember not back on board, if possible.  He also is (somewhat) ready for the flurry of activity that would presumably follow (and does).

++Roger that Chief, I'm already on it.++ the thin navigator quickly types into the common channel commlink with respect to Yasmine's request for eyes up.  He pushes the feed links to a section of the common crew channel as well, in case others want to have them streamed to them real time.

++All pre-flight checks completed.  Ready for lift-off, just give the word.++  he adds as well to make sure that the Captain and other knew that the flight alternative was also in the pipe.  It's s always good to have options, in his opinion.

Ash pushes the external video and audio feeds to the main tactical display on the bridge.  Then he overlays the ship status, highlighting the turret statuses in the diagnostic lists for easy reference.  Lastly, he confirms the power consumption requirements with Saskia over the line directly to Engineering, "Ms. Blake, we have a request to ensure enough power to keep the turrets hot ..."  It seems like there should be enough power, but it never hurts to make sure.  Again, just in case.

"No problem.  The weapon capacitors are fully charged." Saskia responds, a little worried at the thought that her ship might be going into combat.  Still, she has a degree of pride in Profit Margin, and she can't help adding, "Yas and Tylen will be able to blow this dump into frelling ice cubes if they feel like it."

"Ms. Crow.  Errands to run, and such," Shui shoots back as she hurries past the security chief.  "Mr. Orgesh." Past that one as well, with a pause for a touch on his arm.  Things could get hairy, now, but with the ship buttoned up and the turrets online, she's honestly far more concerned with the fears of her passengers and the approaching people than she is for the crew.

Given the massive firepower even a standard ship to ship weapon carries, and the necessity of hulls that can withstand enemy fire and the vaccuum of space, it's doubtful that any small group of men would be capable of doing more than denting the Profit Margin, while a single return shot from their laser into the ground could cause a thermal bloom that would engulf the lot.

But the passengers have priority, so it's in that direction that Shui heads, keying into the intercom.  ++ All passengers without specific instructions from the Captain and Security Chief, please remain in your quarters. ++

For all she knows some of them may have volunteered to assist...and Jago might have accepted.

Jago joins Ash on the Bridge, and the ramp is raised, with its customary cry of protest and locked.  Seconds later Yas and Tylen are in the gunnery cubicles at the back of the Bridge and activating the weapons systems.  Green telltales flicker into life across the control panels, and the targeting screens light up as Profit Margin's armaments activate.

+ Turrets fully operational.  JTS-15 systems charged.  Sharpe system charged.  "Javelin" missile system armed.  EDS "Aegis" unit to make sure that everybody there is active.  Targeting systems online. +

Shui heads for the passenger side lounge to make sure everybody there is where they should be, and that nobody is panicking.  It is, perhaps, a sign of complete confisdence that when she arrives, Eneris seems to have taken charge and is directing Corlan and Keryn to put cups and plates into the dishwasher before proceeding to their cabins in an orderly fashion.

Nobody seems particularly distressed.

Ash pulls up some sensor feeds, and shares them with Jago's console.  There are, in fact, eleven men coming across the ice, all clad in heavy duty cold weather clothing. 

Saskia, meanwhile keeps monitoring the drives, and is ready to apprise the Bridge of any problems...

"Ash, put those sensors through to us, will you?" Yas says as she passes him on the bridge before getting into her little turret closet, although she leaves the door open for now.

"Let's see if we can get their attention then," she says to no one in particular and turns on the turret, doing a quick check-up.  She does not yet make the weapon hot, however, as it is probably unneeded against the approaching group and to avoid any mishaps, unlikely as it is.

"I see you...  Do you see me?" she asks the visual representation of their visitor on her screens.  They ought to notice it, unless they are all blind, she figures.

"If you get a chance, there are crates of drink loose in the hold, along with a bag full of security bits." Tylen uses the com dots again to re-channel to Shui's data glove, before he turns his attention to the weapon array in his turret.

Flicking switches, he drops the missiles and sand caster into a dormant state, ready to power up fully at an instant's notice, but then needing to be armed - another quick process before they can be fired.  After all there is no point firing missiles and sand while the ship is grounded.  The laser however, is maintained one stage nearer to use, still needing a final arming, but ready to fire a bit more quickly that the other two.

Once settled, he pulls up outside sensors on most of the screens and then locks one in as a targeting screen for the turret.    He sets a second targeting screen looking for heat signatures, and sets that to track alongside the main targeting screen.

Then he takes the turret around in a complete circle,  collecting and reviewing the information presented on  his screens as he goes.

"Yes, Ma'am." Ash acknowledges Yasmine's request without looking up from his console or breaking stride with the tasks that he is engaged in.  He does try to make sure that the external sensor displays are pushed to the turret consoles as quickly as possible.

As he scrutinizes the displays that are being pushed, the navigator quips into the common channel, ++ Heads up.  We have company.  Eleven by my count.  Armed and appear willing to use it. ++  He pauses for a moment and his fingers actually stop as he runs a finger over the video feed that is on his console.  He taps it twice and then he states rather deadpan into the common crew line, "Heads up.  I think they have pulled out all the stops here ... I suspect they are setting up a two-man, portable, direct artillery weapon.  They are laying down the LAW."

Shui, assisting people back to their cabins (escorting them, in truth, as they don't really need help and she doesn't want to break the mood Eneris seems to have engendered) pauses a moment.  She has been smiling, thanks to Tylen's comment, and composing a reply; the smile remains, but the humor is gone.  "Please continue to your cabins," she cheerfully informs the passengers.  "I need to pick something up in my quarters."  And so she heads there, not hurrying, but at a brisk walk.

The moment Shui is out of sight of the passengers, she breaks into a near-silent run.

Names and numbers flash through her head.  Ambrust 7.  Bonoir MPAT.  Gustaf Whistler.  She's not familiar with the use of these weapons, but is aware of their potential; if one of them actually manages to impact with the Profit Margin's hull, it might very well cause damage.  Worse, criminal elements may have access to heavier weapons.  This threat cannot be ignored.  The ship's security must take pre-emptive action, or risk a devastating blow to the vessel.

There will be casualties, either way; she needs to prepare.

++ Arriving in Medical ++ she gasps over the comm as the door opens.

"Just say the word, Jago, and we'll give them a warm welcome before they can scratch the paint of the Margin," calls over the crew comm once it is clear that the kids brought their parents' gun with them.  She turns on the power to the plasma gun and makes certain the unwelcome visitors know they are outmatched.

"I'll show you a great ball of fire if you scum dare shoot first," she mutters to herself, targeting between the cluster of people and the Profit Margin.  A rolling ball of plasma might just be enough to discourage them.

Tylen changes a few settings before responding "Laser locked on and ready to fire.  he grins for a moment  "Which might do less damage to the dome, if we catch it ...." he leaves that thought hanging for Yas and Jago to consider.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please hold on tightly,” Jago announces over the interco in his best, laid back, Chuck Yager drawl,“ we are about to ascend into low orbit at around 400 kilometres and some turbulence may be experienced.”

As he speaks Jago flicks the three switches above his head and gently applies power to the Mitchells-Hyundyne thrusters.

“ Stand by with that sand caster if they launch anything,” he adds for the crew only.

With a roar, the ship's drive starts up.  Steam billows around it as the nearby snow sublimates, then solidifies back into snow which blows out towards the approaching group of men.

They stop, and throw themselves flat, and Profit Margin's computer tags muzzle flashes from the artificial blizzard, but doesn't report any damage.

The two men with the heavier weapons had been moving away from the others, but stopped as soon as the thrusters came to life.  Now they are frantically preparing their own weapons.  They can clearly be seen as the ship lifts above the swirling wall of snow, standing about twenty metres apart, and each of them operating a keypad on the side of a metre-long box.  The end of one box opens, like a mechanical flower, and the bearer lifts it up onto his shoulder as the ship approaches an altitude of half a kilometre.

There is a flare of light and a cloud of white smoke obscures the thug, even as a collision warning sounds on the Bridge...

Jago banks the margin round in a tight left turn, deliberately sacrificing a little hight to the forces of gravity, then powering off at a tangent. The missile no doubt has a tracking system but a sudden change of direction combined with the disruptive effect of the sand might throw it off course.

OOC
12:38, Today: Jago Lanza rolled 15 using 2d6+6. Evasive manoeuvres.

This message was last edited by the player at 18:27, Tue 09 July 2013.

A soon as Tylen hears Jago's instructions he completes the arming sequence for both the sand caster and missile launchers, locking the sand caster onto the ground based portable weapon and setting it to deploy automatically - knowing that will be quicker than his own reactions.

Once the enemy missile has been launched, and his sand dispensed, he flicks the intercom and asks laconically  "Would you like me to light up their life?  I have a hot laser here and it would be a shame not to share."