He'd love to discuss the impulse thruster technology further, but Ash keeps his answers short and to the point (at least, short for him); Helda is obviously a bit preoccupied and he doesn't want to stop her from doing her job.  "That's right, it is a grav vehicle." he readily acknowledges, "'Tis called an air/raft, though an atmosphere isn't really needed for its operation..."  It was the same theory and technology that powered the Profit Margin's (or any spacecraft's) M-drive.

The lanky ex-scout takes a lazy, if direct, and easily pilotable arc in the air to the first location on the map.  Ash doesn't try to do anything too complicated or abrupt while at the helm, figuring that his passenger's instrument (and therefore, his passenger) wouldn't react well to such things.

"Been a navigator for pretty much all of my adult life." Ash noted as he drove, "I was assigned to bridge crew early in my career with the IN."  It's a simple statement of fact that can't really be a boast, as there is no hint of pride in his voice.  "That was a long time ago.  Over fifteen years..." he muses quietly, barely audible over the wind in the open canopy.

Holding the 'raft in a steady hover over the first sight, Ash waits for a signal from Helda that she is done and ready to move on.

Once the hatch is closed, Tylen gives the cargo a quick once over before he heads back into the ship looking for Shui.

Tylen's message to Shui brings about some relief.  Her imagination has been working overtime, as always.  To break the stress, the steward busies herself in her office for a short time, arranging, filing, ensuring her supplies are up to date (and all supplies past their expiry are placed in the waste receptacle).

Then she heads to the galley to make refreshments and snacks for the crew, and any passengers interested in such.

Jago sighs.  "We'll see.  Maybe something will come up before we get to Regina.  No guarantees though.  And if the thing that comes up turns out to be sabotage, we are going to have words."

Tylen finds Shui in the crew lounge, working on refreshments.

Ash holds the 'raft above the bridges while Helda Marrtin uses her instrument to scan them and the surrounding terrain.  After a short while she announces, "I'm done here.  We can move on to the next location."

And several things happen in quick succession...

Something hits the hull of the vehicle with a loud bang, and causes it to slide sideways and downwards a couple of metres, as instruments start to flash all across the control panel.

Another something whines as it flies above Ash's head.

And from somewhere a little way off come the sounds of two gunshots.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:59, Tue 25 Aug 2015.

Their 'moment' outside allowed back in his thoughts, it doesn't take Tylen long to find Shui in the galley.  "Are you OK?" he asks, holding his hand out towards her at hip height, inviting her to step close to him.

Saskia pushes up out of the seat, relieved.  Jago's answer will do for now.  Not perfect, but it will do.  She heads for the exit with a cheerful, "Thanks Jago.  You don't have to worry about me -- I would never do anything to hurt the Margin."

Turning toward Tylen, Shui can't help but comprehend his gesture.  Without hesitation, she steps closer and slips her arms around his waist, putting her head against his shoulder.  No defenses, not in her posture or in her mind; the lost waif of years ago has returned to the jagged depths of her mind, banished for the moment.

"I'm sorry," she whispers.  "I don't understand..." Struggling for a way to explain, she founders.  "Some tension.  There are times I do not know myself."  Her sigh holds the weight of frustration, of sorrow, of guilt.  "It should not spill onto you.  Ever."

All of the tension ebbs away from as Shui steps in close and slips her arms around his waist.  His hand initially closes to her him, then slides gently up her body until he can cradle the back of her head and stroke her hair.

”I don’t understand either.” he says softly.  ”But something in the back of my mind keeps nagging me that you ducked away from me deliberately the other day.” he pauses for a moment before he continues with a hint of puzzlement in his voice   ”But what shouldn’t spill over onto me?  It can’t be just the bacon thing.  You have known for ages we all eat junk food, well we certainly take too much bacon and coffee.  So it can’t just be that.”

Shui closes her eyes, shutting them against the memory...for all the good it does.  "That...wasn't you.  My tension was high and I simply reacted.  Poorly."  How poorly he can't know, for which Shui is eternally grateful.

The man hits the hardwood floor before her with a sodden thud.  His fingertips, she dispassionately notes, are trembling as if palsied.  One eye is still open, rolled back to show only the white.

The hand falls upon her shoulder, heavy with approval. "Well done."

Shui grits her teeth, jaw clenched against the memory.

After a moment she relaxes in Tylen's grip, his fingers on her hair easing the tension from her body.  A small laugh escapes her.  "You do.  You all take in too much bacon.  And coffee, the lesser of the two evils.  It is, in part, my duty on this vessel to ensure health, and Jago suffers in that aspect.  His...choice, his action..."  Her arms squeeze Tylen for a moment as she struggles to find a means to describe it.  How can she explain how it made her feel, Jago defiantly seizing the bacon and consuming it before her in such a deliberate and petty fashion?  Doing so as if to offend her, to undermine her position as doctor, to give concrete evidence of his feelings and opinions regarding her professional advice?

To clearly demonstrate how different his perspective is, and how little hers mattered?

"It brought things back."  Dull, her tone; dull as hull metal and just as heavy.  "About my leaving against my father's desires.  And my feelings, my reasons for leaving."

And in that precise instant, Saskia enters the crew lounge as she leaves the Bridge, and finds Shui and Tylen embracing...

Tylen stiffens for a moment, perhaps at Shui’s words or perhaps at Saskia entering the lounge, and lets his hand drop to rest lightly on Shui’s hip, giving her the opportunity to move away from him, if she so chose.   While they had been discreet, it wasn’t a secret that they had spent a lot of time in each other’s company – but then it would be unprofessional, and unfair on the rest of the crew,  to canoodle publically.  But he certainly didn’t want to push Shui away.

But Tylen still chuckles.  ”Don’t take the bacon thing so seriously.” he advises  ”It isn’t anyone trying to belittle you, or your medical advice.  We all know we eat badly, and I’ll bet that  your reminders keep us closer to the straight and narrow than we would otherwise.   And we all know who we would want to treat us if we were unwell.  Isn’t that right Saskia?” he says trying both to recruit the engineer to his case, and make her feel at ease.

”But you need to remember where most of us have come from.  Years of service in the ISS and I spent most of it inside  tin cans rattling around space.  In the X-Boats I was alone for weeks at a time.  Chow was something to heat, squish the bag about a bit, and probably not even bother with crockery.” he says exposing the harsh realities of bachelor life.   ”You  cook us nice food.  Better than I have had outside of a restaurant.  And better that a fair few of those.  Of course we eat it.” he says with a bit of a grin.

This was all very new to Tylen.  Most relationships had been like ships passing in the night.  Passionate, perhaps, but always over well before things got complicated enough to require serious talking.

"Oh!" Saskia says as she walks in and catches her workmates hugging.  Surprise changes to embarrassment, and then to self defense as her face flushes red.  "For crying out loud.  Can't you two get a frelling room?  Oh wait, you have a room.  Two in fact.  Can't you use them?"

She hovers for a moment.  Unsure whether to go back to the Bridge or push on to Engineering.  In the end, Tylen's attempt to draw her into a personal conversation decides it for her, and the safety of familiar territory wins out.

"Excuse me." she mutters and carries on towards her sanctuary.

Shui's eyes widen as Saskia bursts out with her question.  Offended?  Embarrassed?  It's hard to tell.  She'll need to speak with the Engineer later - not to request her silence, mind.  As far as Shui is concerned, while this is Nobody's Business But Their Own™, it's also not A Big Secret™.

She doesn't move away; this is comfort, not romance, and she'd hug another member of the crew if they required it...or accept one, if offered.

"Poor Saskia," she murmurs after the engineer flees. "I shall need to track her down and speak to her." The last thing she wants is any festering feelings.  Of course, Saskia might not wish a discourse on the subject, but Shui won't know unless she tries.

"I understand your point, Mr. Orgesh," she continues, a slight sigh slipping in subvocally.  "I merely wish the same respect with regards to my duties as is given...oh, Ms. Blake, for example.  Or Ms. Crowe.  Or Mr. Tescali."  A shrug, and she sweeps him with an appraising look. "Or yourself."  It's difficult to imagine anyone defying Yasmine's orders with regards to security or strategy.  Shui would never consider it.

In fact, she carries about her despised snub pistol due to that very fact, rather than any desire to do so.

"Factor of the work, I suppose," she finishes with a resigned sigh. "I shall survive."

Tylen shrugs a Saskia leaves.  The engineer has always come across as a bit of a loner and uncomfortable around people.  But that's her business and there is nothing wrong with that.  But Shui IS a people person and her assertion that she will have to catch up with Saskia and smooth things over is attestation to that.  Always making sure everyone else is alright, that is why she is so lovable.  Even Shui's 'orders' are there to make it better for people.  In her eyes.

When she includes him in the people to be obeys group, it makes him grin "Me?  I'm not sure I tell anyone what to do, unless it is an absolute imperative at that moment." he responds  "Most of the time I am just the second gunner and roustabout ... which is good by me.  I had a go being a desk jockey and telling people how to do things, and it didn't work out for me." he freely admits.  "I'd much rather be doing what I am.  Seeing new worlds with nice people.  And as for people doing as they are told, I seem to remember Saskie shooting off alone a couple of times, after we have been told to go in pairs." he says picking an example of minor disobedience out of the air.  "And then of course, there were a few bottles of wine when I was supposed to be on watch on the bridge ..." he reminds her as he squeezes the hug slightly to try and take the edge off his words.

"But maybe we should take her advice." he finally offers mischievously.  "Do you wanna come to my room later?  I am sure I have some new etchings that you haven't seen yet."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:02, Thu 27 Aug 2015.

Ash tries to pull the 'raft into a climb, as Helda Marrtin screams and drops into the bottom of the passenger compartment.  There is another impact, and the vehicle lurches.  There is a rash of red lights across the panel.

The Navigator activates his comm on the ship's emergency chanel, "Come in Profit Margin.  We are taking fire, ten klicks east of the port.  Power is out in one lift module.  Repeat: we are taking fire from an unknown source.  Air/raft damaged, ten kilometres east of the port.  Mayday!"

On the Bridge, Jago hits the crew intercom.  "Yas and Tylen to the Bridge now!"

Although that question will have to remain unanswered, as Jago's call comes in.  "Shize!" Tylen ejaculates, as much at the timing as the urgency in Jago's voice.

"Later." he promises bruquely as he steps away from Shui and heads directly for the bridge.

Even before Jago summons her, Yas have spewed a few obscenities and entered the code for the hatch.  See, if she had known about this little, well, whatever it is, she could perhaps have done something to help prevent this kind of incident.

Stomping on the ramp and starting to seal it behind her she makes her way through the crew lounge, passing Sushi in a hurry and onto the bridge after Tylen.

"I'd recommend taking the ship," she more tells Jago than suggests it, but perhaps the situation can excuse it.  "What the frell is he doing out there, any way?"

Ash lowers his head slightly as he tries to urge the 'raft higher.  He gestures to Helda, the urgency apparent in his voice despite any niceties, "Miss, please move to the center of the craft and get as low as possible."  With open air canopy of the air/raft, Ash knows that the best protection for him and Helda will be bottom of the craft.  Assuming that the projectiles aren't big or fast enough to penetrate it, of course.

He prompts his passenger, "Is there any reason that someone might be firing on an unarmed civilian craft?"  The lanky navigator can only hope that this is some sort of mistaken identity situation or some such.  Ash adds with a glance towards the surveyor, "Anyone not like the government or foreigners?"  The grav vehicle would mark them as being off-world, or someone might have seen them taking readings...

A long fingers brushes the comm controls as Ash opens a second channel to the Port Authority.  He rattles off the ident code for the 'raft as a subsidiary vehicle of the Profit Margin, "++Mayday.  Port Authority, this is Navigator Tescali of the Profit Margin escorting a Miss Helda Marrtin on official survey mission of high priority quake sites.  We are taking fire from an unknown source.++"  He rattles off the coordinates from the route map he'd been given, before noting, "++I repeat, we are taking fire from an unknown source.  We are returning to port, unless closer safe haven is advised.++"  That is, of course, after they get high enough to be out of range (hopefully).  And assuming that they can make it at all, given that one thruster plate is out.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:49, Thu 27 Aug 2015.

Tylen pulls a rather neat evasion - he was a scout, Shui reminds herself - and the steward eyes him sidelong.  She doesn't get a chance to call him on it, an unlikely event to begin with, owning to the Emergency pinging from her Dataglove and Ash's message.

"Yes," is her own succinct response as she turns in the opposite direction.  "Ms. Crowe."  All business, the doctor slips past Yasmine as the chief enters the lounge, avoiding a malfunction at the junction.  Once in the hall, she flicks on her dataglove's ship-wide intercom while breaking into a fast jog for her quarters, footsteps hammering crazily off the walls around her.  + All passengers, remain in your quarters.  Repeat, remain in your quarters. +

+ This is not a drill. +

It's not even far enough to raise her pulse rate, and barely enough to allow her to finish her short speech.

In, and it's her black bag she seeks.  The accursed pistol is tossed unceremoniously atop the medicals, forlorn with its single clip of munitions; snagging a lab coat from her closet, Shui is immediately back in the hallway and on the run for the cargo hold and hatches.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:49, Thu 27 Aug 2015.

Shui's 'Yes' comes as he is already striding for the bridge.  However, was it just an acknowledgement of his  'Later' comment, or a response to his earlier question?

Damned inconvenient these emergencies.

Jago responds to Ash.  "Try to get clear, I'm sending Yas and Tylen out to help you."  Then he leans back, "You two have ground vehicles taking up space in the hold... it's about time they earned their keep.  Take them, fast as you can, and get over there.  It's about ten kilometres east of the port, on a main route.  Flat out you should be there in... what?  Ten minutes?  Less?.  I don't want to put the passengers at risk if this is some kind of trap."

Shui's announcement goes out over the ship channel, and Jago sighs, "Just the two of you go, in case the raft is damaged, and you need to transport Ash and the government official back here in a hurry.  Remember that this is Ash, and an expensive air/raft.  Use whatever means are necessary to protect our crew and property.  Ash and the official have priority though, if the raft is out of action, try to steal the power distributor from it, and get the people out."

"We can always go get the raft after the trouble's over."

Helda Marrtin is still on the floor of the air/raft, and yells back at Ash, "Isolationists, maybe!  They live out in the wilder areas, and tend to object to strangers.  Probably think we're looking for illegal stills or something."  She pauses a moment, and looks about, terrified.

"Is that rattling normal?" 

An answer to Ash's call to the Port Authority comes back, "Roger that, Navigator Tescali.  That location is outside our jurisdiction, but we have alerted the local authorities.  They will be with you as soon as possible."

Jago nods, "I think that about covers it.  Go get Ash."

Then he's on the intercom again, "Shui and Saskia to the bridge, please."

"I doubt they possess anything that could even tough the Margin, but as you wish.  I need half a minute to tweak the suspension for my current weight, it's quicker than to get out of this suit," Yas says and turns to leave even as she starts the second sentence.

She quickly jogs out to where she keeps her motorbike and begins to work on releasing it so she can strengthen the suspension and then be on her way.  Time to see how fast this thing can move.  A shame the suit doesn't have military spec sensors - yet.

Shui immediately heads to the bridge, keeping it to a quick jog.  All-out-sprinting is a good way to have an agonizing collision.

Groaning -- I just came from there -- Saskia responds to Jago's call, "On my way."

She pushes herself out of the seat that she had just dropped into, and starts back to the Bridge muttering, "This better be frelling important, Lanza."

It looks as if it might be -- there is a lot of activity in the crew areas, with people rushing about.  The Engineer picks up the pace and arrives on the Bridge just behind Shui who, oddly, isn't clinging to Tylen like a magnet coated with molecular adhesive.  There is definitely something strange going on.

"What's up, Skipper?"  Saskia knows that Jago hates being called that -- ah, the joy of subtle revenge for something that he probably doesn't realise he's done.

Tylen frowns and heads back top his cabin to prepare.  No time to really swap his holster out, so puts a second pistol into a pocket,  grabs a box of ammunition and dons his new armour.  Then he grabs his las-carbine and heads for the cargo bay, strapping the powerack on as he goes. The stuff to disable people would have been good, but right at the moment there isn't time for niceties.

Once in the hold, he unstraps his quad and prepares to follow Yas on this mission.  However, once the enemy is sighted, he will go to ground and offer covering fire, while Yas goes to talk with them.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:08, Tue 01 Sept 2015.