Ash stops halfway down the ramp than then heads back up, to grab his autopistol.  "Roger that, Chief." the navigator notes dutifully.  Not bothering with the shoulder holster or the extra clips, he checks the breach and then tucks the gun into the small of his back secured by the waist band.

Then he turns around, heads back towards the cargo bay and starts down the ramp again - this time not bothering for the pause of the deep breath to ward off the cold.  His little jog around the ship has already elevated his blood pressure and gotten him warmed up a bit.  Given the conditions outside, the presence of the prone hostiles, and the slush, Ash carefully picks his way towards the crawler - moving as quickly as safety will allow.

The captives comply with the instructions they're given, moving around to where Yas can keep an eye on them, and (coincidentally) intimidate them at leisure.  Ash, having warmed himself up a little, moves out onto the ice.

Several of the local thugs are kneeling before Yas, who gives them instructions at a volume which seems likely to shatter the windows of the crawler.

Making his way across to the crawler, and already starting to feel the cold, Ash cracks the nearside door open and starts to examine the driver. 

Jockram responds to Jago's question, "Should be easy enough.  There's nothing else moving anywhere near you.  Sun's fairly low, so they've got nice long shadows.  Wait, let me just try something."

He pauses for a moment, then, "If you're interested, I can sort of steer them.  Just... ah... persuaded one of them to change direction."

Deciding that his role in this escapade is liable to be ship side rather than shore side, Tylen heads to his cabin and quickly changes into his security guard  costume, with a  single holstered revolver and the shotgun on a strap across his shoulder.

"Are we bringing those captives aboard?" he asks across the crew link,  "and we do you want to keep them?" he continues, hoping that someone has thought of a room to use as prison cell.

He makes sure that his combat environment suit and Las Carbine are easily available but secure and then fixes com dots so that he can use coms  after he has secured his breathing apparatus.

Them he makes his way to the cargo area to await developments.

“Depends on a couple of things Tylen, I won’t bring them on board unless I have to, but if so, it won’t be for long and we’ll just keep them in the corner of the hold.”

“Yasmin, ask that guy if they have their own transport nearby, if so, where is it?”

“Thanks for that Jockram, I was going to round those stays up in the air car but if you can guide them back it will save a lot of bother.”

OOC
Incidentally, how far are we from the nearest civilisation.

Privately, Shui opens a channel to the captain.  + Six minutes until the berth opens, Captain Lanza, to keep you appraised of my schedule. +  That's it, that's all.  There's no point in disturbing him further, or anyone else; they're busy, and she's currently not needed outside.

That could change in a hurry, but for now?  She sits in silence, dividing her attention between the berth and the drama playing out at the air car.

Jockram laughs, "Banster wants to know should we keep them running around in circles for a bit, just to tire them out for you?  Says the exercise will help them stay warm."

Tylen waits in the cargo bay, his combat gear within easy reach in case he needs it in a hurry.  The cold air near the top of the ramp is... bracing.  Mixing with the warm air from the interior of the ship, it produces a swirling mist which would probably make Tylen look very dramatic to anybody coming up the ramp.

Questioning the prisoners, Yas discovers that the one from the crawler had been dropped off here, but the rest were locals from the nearby settlement.  The plan had been to dump the sleeping man out of the vehicle and steal it, with the cargo.

Ash calls in, "This man seems to just be asleep.  Can't see any injuries."  A quick look around the inside of the cab, "No signs of a struggle.  There's a pack of some sort of pills on the dash.  Says it's called meta... metranpresan-something.  Brand name on it is Restful Night."

Right on schedule, another light on the low berth controls switches to green...

OOC: Not too far from civilisation.  There is a settlement dome on the edge of the landing field, about a kilometre away from where the action is.

Ash knows that he isn't the sharpest tool in the shed.  And his confusion is apparent in his voice as he speaks over the comm, "Uh... I don't get it.  Why was an armed man guarding a self-medicated driver?"  He pauses for a moment, then continues, "I mean why would the guy take the pills, if was expecting to meet us.  Do you think that he was coerced at gunpoint?"

He pockets the pills, presuming that Shui may need to know what the guy took.

After another pregnant pause, the Profit Margin's navigator ventures, "Captain, do you still want me to bring the driver over?"

"Yes Ash bring the sleeping beauty in so Shui can take a look at him, if you are up for it you can leave him in the cab and drive the whole crawler into the hold, otherwise, just carry him and I'll come and fetch the crawler in a minuet."

"Yasmin, the dome is just over there, I think the bad guys are going to have to walk home, can you check they have a phone or comms of some kind, it's not a long walk but things can degenerate into an emergency very quickly in conditions like these."

"Current plan is to get the crawler and it's driver on board and once Shui has given him a clean bill of health we'll drop him off any where he wants to go, meanwhile, the bushwhackers will be walking home, empty handed. Once that's done we'll drop of Mr Othati-Fenn somewhere suitable and head back into orbit to prepare for our dinner guests. Any questions?"

Jago leans back into the well worn leather of his chair and takes a long, slow pull on his unlit cigar before blowing out a long stream of virtual smoke, 'all going quite well' he though, apart from this spring, or whatever, sticking into the small of his back.

Saskia perks up a little at Jago's announcement, glad that they'll soon be leaving this no good, backwater snowball and its lowlife criminal reprobates behind.

Meanwhile she keeps an eye on the instruments, just to be sure that nothing goes wrong.

Everything does seem to be going well, so far.

Jockram reports in again, "Nothing suspicious headed your way, Jago.  Still all clear.  Guess they weren't expecting you to come in with everything hot and guns blazing."

From his place at the top of the cargo ramp, Tylen can hear Yas, yelling at the prisoners at the top of her amplified voice.  They're probably grateful, if they have the time to think, by the sound of it she's keeping them moving about, so they won't be getting cold.  Then an engine starts up, and a cloud of dense smoke blows across Tylen's field of vision. 

Profit Margin's systems all seem to be operating smoothly, and in the low passage chamber, the timer on the one operating cold berth continues its countdown towards popping the seals.

Shui pops open a channel, still dividing her attention between her patient and the screens...more on her patient, at the moment, as his timer counts down from four minutes.  + Please bring the drugged man directly to the Low Berths for examination.  It will also give me an extra measure of security for when our passenger awakens in...three minutes, forty eight seconds. +

There is nothing like everything happening simultaneously.

Tylen is grateful that he is wearing his filter mask,  because the air is going to get really thick when that vehicle gets inside.

However, he maintains his position at the top of the ramp, but ready to step to one side when Ash starts to drive aboard.

Ash surveys the controls quickly.  "Starter here..." he half-narrates as he pushes then twists the control and the vehicle sputters to life.  The Margin's navigator puts his hands on the steering while his feet test the pedals for a moment.  He glances about looking for a brake release as well as a clutch.

Satified that he is reasonably situated, he tests his ability to actually drive the thing by easing the thing into gear (hopefully without stalling, but probably with some sputtering).  "Package on its way..." Ash notes into the common crew channel.  Though it is not as if the rest of the crew can't see that...

Politely inquiring the would-be ambushers Yas learns about their radio and then urges them to a new spot.  Exercise and variation makes for a happier life, after all.  That, and avoiding being run over by Ash's driving.

"Short range radio only, boss.  I could probably shout further with this suit," she reports to Jago.  "I'd suggest keeping close track of the runners either way to ensure they don't get themselves killed, but running will keep them warm, at least, so feel free to practise, Jockram."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:56, Tue 29 Oct 2013.

Yas shepherds the prisoners out of the way of the vehicle.  If shepherds were to use advanced combat weapons to move and guide their flocks.  In any case, this particular flock seems cooperative, if not particularly happy.

Ash gets the vehicle moving, a little erratically at first, but at least he doesn't have far to take it.  By the time the tracks hit the bottom of the ramp he's mastered the fine art of steering the unfamiliar vehicle in a straight line.  It crawls up into the hold, as Tylen steps aside and waves Ash by.

That leaves Yas alone, outside, with the would-be attackers.  Those attackers though, seem quite aware of the fact that she has them outnumbered and out-gunned.

The crawler comes to a halt in the hold, directly outside the low berth room, and only metres from Tylen's quad-bike and Yas' motorcycle.

Tylen is distracted for a moment as the crawler starts heading straight for his quad, and wishes that he had the forethought to move the bikes before Ash had started the crawler up the ramp.  He lets out a little sigh of relief as the crawler comes safely to a halt and then steps back to the top of the ramp to cover Yas as she makes her way back on board.  Not that she needs it of course, but it pays to be professional, just in case ....

Nobody has died, putting Shui in a fine mode.  She can't really help herself; looking at the holoscreen image of the sad little group under Yasmine's cold gaze, she flicks open a channel.

+ Will we be taking on more passengers for the Low Berths, Captain? +

"I don't think so, Shui.  They can walk home from here." Jago replies, before opening a channel to Yas, still outside, "Send them home, and get back aboard at your earliest convenience."

Jago starts ramping up the thrusters, and outside stinging blizzards of ice and snow are soon whirling around the ship.  None of which bothers anybody in armour, of course, but makes things a little less than comfortable for the prisoners, who are now hunching down as much as possible against the extremely localised storm and the growing roar of the drive.

Shui moves out into the hold to examine the that has just been brought in, under the watchful eyes of Ash and Tylen.  He's still asleep, and snoring.  Ash shows her the medication package. 

At her bridge station behind Jago, Saskia watches her instruments for any problems as the ship prepares to lift.

And right on time, the one occupied low berth sounds an alarm to indicate that it will be opening in fifteen seconds...

"YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN THE GIFT THAT IS YOUR LIVES.  NOW RUN BEFORE YOU BURN IN THIS COLD!"

Yas uses the last ounce of volume to make herself heard, without chance of being misunderstood and promptly turns around to walk back towards the ramp, showing the men behind her that they could do nothing to deserve further attention.  Not that she thinks they really want it, for which she cannot fault them.

Never mind the fact that she is not only keeping an eye on them still through her suit, but also via all the sensor feeds.  If they look in the wrong direction she will know it before they do.

"Coming back aboard now," she reports.  "Shame, really, such nice weather out here, if perhaps a bit gusty of late."  The grin on her face is evident.

Ash lets out a sigh of relief as the crawler lurches to a halt in the hold.  "Ah..." he muses under his breath over the crew channel, "Mirrors and blind spots.  How quaint..."  The fact that there are no backup cameras or proximity alerts and that there is the tight fit in the hold are the cause of some momentary consternation for the Margin's navigator.

But Ash is able to navigate the situation without incident.  Much to his obvious relief.

Cutting the engine, he clambers out of the parked vehicle and proceeds to low berth area.  Poking his head through the hatch, the lanky ex-Scout informs the ship's doctor of the obvious - they he has just arrived with the sleeping driver, "Doc, additional sleeper in the hold..."  Then he prompts, "Would you prefer me here?  Or there?"  Obviously, it is up to Shui as to which individual she would prefer to have him watch...

As Yas approaches the ship, Tylen looks around to make sure there are no other threats in sight.  Again he doesn't really expect it, but it is the proper thing to do - so he does it anyway.  After all it is when you don't expect trouble that you should prepare for it most.  Just for a moment he wonders where that gem on insight had come from.  It had the ring of a training manual, but he had a sneaking suspicion that it come from a digitised copy of an older text book of some sort.

With a shrug, he voice activates his coms systems.  "All yours Yas.  I am backing up to keep an eye on sleeping beauty." he says as he drops back to lounge against the door to the Low Berths room.  Leaning against the rearmost door post he can see into the low berth area and see the ramp at the same time.

"Nice driving, Ash." he says  when the ex-scout is in hearing distance.

"Thank you, gentlemen.  Right here is fine, Mr. Tescali; Mr. Orgesh seems to be keeping an eye on my guest."  Shui offers the security man a smile as she leaves into the hold.

Once there, she leans over, examining the package Ash holds out.  "Metranpresantopoloramin-357.  Interesting.  I'll need to look that up, but it appears to be a local, commercial product.  Nothing dangerous...assuming he hasn't had too many."  Popping open the package, she checks the number of pills against what's listed, then keys in a search function for the drug in question.

Once that's complete, she begins checking the man's vitals.

"He probably has been given some level of overdose," the doctor remarks.  "Sleep aids generally don't put people so deep that they ignore being manhandled."

OOC - Again, checking the man's vitals and doing a search for the chemical.

With everybody safely aboard, the ship rises into the air with a roar like thunder and the customary screech of the ramp lifting into the closed position...

In his low berth, Edrin Othati-Fenn lays yawning and blinking, bleary eyed, at the cold brightness in the room.  His movements, mostly just lifting his hands to stare at them as he flexes his fingers, are slow and imprecise.  It seems that he is not a "morning person".

Shui examines the drug package and runs a datatrawl for the product.

Ash nods to Shui, when she requests he stay put.  "Yes, Ma'am." he intones simply and crosses his arms while watching the groggy criminal slowly awaken.  With his gun tucked into his belt behind his back and out of sight, Ash makes no movement to try and give away the fact that he is armed with it at all.  He has his long knife visibly strapped to his thigh.  But with the safety snap still down on it, he doesn't believe Othati-Fenn can get the drop on him concerning that piece of hardware.

It too bad that Shui is such a conscientious doctor Ash notes privately to himself.  Not that he wants a low berth mishap, but there wouldn't necessarily be a better way to deal with this miscreant, in all honesty.

Still, abandoning him on one of the more remote parts of Rangent might not be a better fate.  So, perhaps it all came out in the wash.

The thin navigator hands the Doctor one of the spare towels off to the side, gesturing silently that it is for the patient - just in case, Edrin needs it.  To Ash's rather untrained eye, the guy seems to need it ...

Shui flicks the holoscreen of her dataglove and it vanishes. "This should not be a problem," she states.  "Give me five minutes, and I suggest keeping an eye on this man after he awakens." She wouldn't put it past the villains to attempt to place their own man aboard the Profit Margin as part of an elaborate scheme.

That said, she heads for her office at a quick stride, in search of the most efficient antidote to the drug.

OOC - sorry, I'm rather busy right now.