A shower of gravel and small pebbles rattles against the side of the air/raft, as Yas skids to a halt next to it.  Tylen parks on the opposite side, and both of them are armed and watching the area for approaching threats.  A thin streamer of smoke seeps out from under the vehicle indicating damage, though whether from the the gunfire, or from a rough landing, is currently unclear to them.

At least there are no visible flames, and a distinct lack of bloody splashes across the upholstery.  Ash and his passenger are crouched in the bottom of the vehicle, and appear unhurt, though the woman looks a little shaken.  As Yas peers in at them, still wearing her cargo armour, Helda Marrtin screams... 

Aboard Profit Margin, Jago says, "Thank you so much for your help." and closes the channel angrily.  "Saskia... what's a good, juicy word for a totally useless moron?"  Then he starts activating controls across his panel.

"Right, I've got clearance at last, so buckle in.  We're going after our friends.  Shui, warn the passengers that things might get a bit rough so they should sit down somewhere."

There is a building vibration, felt through the deck plates, as the Captain ramps up the drive...

Immediately, Shui switches to the ship's open intercom.  + All passengers, please secure yourselves immediately.  The ship is about to commence in-atmosphere maneuvering.  Repeat, please secure yourselves immediately. +

Done.  Having finished, she buckles in herself.  Passengers come first, after all.

"I have my medical bag here, captain - when we arrive, I can go straight to the bay," she states.

Tylen climbs off of his quad, and looks into the body of the air raft. "That is just Yas, our head of security" he reassures Ash's passenger.

"Is it fixable?"  he asks Ash.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 10:38, Tue 29 Sept 2015.

"Jago!  If you're going to move, do it now.  I think we have Port Security taking an interest.  Movement at three hundred degrees.  Near the Port Authority building."  Saskia's voice has a brittle edge of near panic to it.  "Looks like three squads of ground troops.  Make that four."

Frellfrellfrellfrell frelling mivonks!  I didn't sign up for this dren!

Ash looks startled for a moment, flinching as Helda screams upon seeing Yasmine in her finery peeking over the edge of air/raft.  He grips the surveyor's arm for a moment, tightening slightly to get her attention, "Ms. Marrtin, it is quite all right..." he tries to sound as soothing as possible, "It is Ms. Crow, the Security Chief, from my ship, the Profit Margin."

He pauses hoping that the woman starts to calm down, but then turns towards Tylen.  "Thanks for coming to get us."  Ash looks thoughtful for a moment before trying to answer his fellow ex-Scout's question.  "I think so..." the lanky navigator says, spanner in hand as he stands and starts to dust himself off.  Then he offers a hand to Helda Marrtin to help the young lady up, while continuing, "She was sluggish on landing, but there was still plenty of lift; so, I suspect that one of the control modules was hit.  With any luck, we should be able to jury-rig something up.  Or barring that, limp home."

A wan smile crosses his features, "Now that was aren't being shot at."

Ash glances at Helda, "Ms. Marrtin, I am afraid that we won't be able to continue the survey for your government.  I am sorry, but I think you understand why..."

"Do you think you can fix it fairly quickly, Ash?  They're still out there, seemingly heading away although I suspect they plan to come around, so the quicker we are on the move the better."

"Any of you got an idea why these clowns shot at you?" Yas asks, opening her face plate so that Ash's passenger can see her face.  "Ty, er, Mr Orgesh here and I will keep an eye out if you want to take a look, Ash.  I'm no Saskia, but in a pinch I could take a look, done a few field repairs myself."

"If need be, we can have Miss, uh, Martini here out of here with Ty, uh, Mr Orgesh, to keep her safe."

"I got my basic engineering certificate in the scouts" Tylen grins as repairs are discussed, "So I know the basics" he offers.

Then he grins at Ash's passenger, when Yas suggests that he might be the one to get her out of the area, if required.

Jago frowns and uses the ship's external sensors to look in the direction indicated by Saskia.  "I wonder what their game is... we have clearance.  Here we go."  The drive surges, and the ship lifts from the ground, rotating as it does so, and banking.

"Maybe it's nothing to do with us, but watch them."  The Captain nods at Shui's offer, then qualifies his acceptance, "We'll have any wounded brought aboard for treatment, unless Yas confirms that it's safe to poke our heads out of the hatch.  Don't want any more injuries than we have already."

And then Jago's hands dance across the controls, and Profit Margin's main thruster's cut in, driving the ship in a long curve, barely ten metres above the ground...

Ash's passenger relaxes as Yas' identity is explained, then even more as the Chief pops her helmet open to show her face.  "There are people who don't like government interference - farmers and miners mostly - they choose to live away from the settlements and stake claims to their own tracts of land, usually just a square kilometre or two.  They can be a little protective of their territory, once they've registered their claim.  Especially if they think your working for GovBranch."

"I hadn't realised any of them had claimed this area, but that's who I think these people are.  If so, then they're here legally, and can deal with trespassers as they see fit."

The offer of a ride out of the danger area with Tylen drains the colour out of Helda Marrtin's face.  "I... er... believe there might be more safety in numbers.  I think we should leave taking me out of here on that... that machine... as a last resort."

Shui nods - she hadn't expected any differently, though she would take the chance herself.  But Jago needs to consider the safety and well-being of the entire crew, herself included; as such, she cannot be allowed to put herself in danger that way.  They require a medical officer.  Additionally, her rushing out into a battleground could put the people in the area under fire as they sought to protect her.

Wiser than she, Shui must admit, though it pains her not to assist on the moment.

"Certainly, Captain Lanza - I will await your go-ahead."

Spanner in hand, Ash moves away from Helda and makes his way over the side of the air/raft.  After taking a few moments to visually inspect the damage, he pops open one of the panels on the side to take a look.

Hemming and hawing for another couple of seconds, he finally answers Tylen's question more conclusively.  "Ayup.  There it is.  Well," he notes over the crew channel so that the crew that remains on the Profit Margin might also know, "from what I can see, one of the power regulators is damaged.  Shot clean through.  And, so, it has leaked out all of its fluid."  He pauses for a moment, "If we had a spare, it would take maybe a half hour or so to replace it."  Casting a glance back towards Yas, Tylen and Helda, "But, since we don't have either the time or the spare..." the lanky navigator rubs his chin then shrugs slightly, "I guess I can just disconnect it complete from the loop.  I won't be pretty, and the controls will remain sluggish, but we should be able to make it back to the Margin okay."

He pauses for only a moment, just in case Saskia or any of the others has a better idea, then starts in with the wrench to disable the damaged regulator.

Tylen grins at Helda, "Aww.  A fast dash back, zigging and zagging to throw off the enemy would be fun ..." he replies, although the smile is supposed to make the comment lighthearted.

But he nods at Ash's assessment of the options and turns back to keep a watch on the area, as he awaits feedback from The Margin on Ash's analysis.

"Shouldn't get any problem from disconnecting it, if you need to.  Then I can check it over later." the Engineer replies over the crew link, "But I think Jago has had a rush of blood to the mivonks, and he's bringing us over there."

She closes the mic and calls through to Jago, "Security aren't moving, or doing anything else that makes me want to burn them to ash.  They turned out for some reason, but it doesn't look like we were it.  They're frelling farbotz, I'm telling you."  But then Saskia is struck by a different idea.  "Wait.  Maybe they thought Ash's distress call was a ruse - we'd ask for clearance, and then attack somebody in the port as soon as we were off the ground.  That idea might have scared them enough to make them respond pre-emptively."

Jago keeps the ship low as he accelerates it away.  He chews at his unlit cigar, his face a mask of concentration.  "Could be.  Don't shoot at anybody unless they shoot at the ship first.  Or unless I tell you otherwise."  And as soon as Profit Margin is over the perimeter fence he increases the thrust to maximum...

As Ash works on the 'raft, just in case Jago is actually going somewhere else, Yas and Tylen stand guard, watching for any sign that the ground vehicle is returning, or that its occupants are making their way back on foot to finish the job.

Tylen leans back against the side of the air raft and scratches his ear with his thumb.  Still lounging there, laser carbine at the ready, he  scan the area.

"Its quite nice out here." he says to no one in particular.

"Any further commentary to security, Captain Lanza?" Shui inquires, still at the comm board.  There really isn't much else she can do at the moment.

"Sounds like a plan," Yas tells Ash and then messages the ship, "We're secured the raft and its occupants, no casualties to report.  Jury-rigging a fix that can takes us back to the Margin.  No sign of the aggressors but remaining vigilant."

Ash nodded to the others and quickly got to work.  Pulling off the access panel, he started to hunt through the jumble of components and wiring.  I was all bundled and set up reasonably nicely, which he figured was presumably Saskia's doing, though the entry of a small shard of metal moving at supersonic speeds into the area had wreaked some chaos.

He couldn't see the regulator behind a couple of other components, but by reaching around could touch the proper couplings.  So, the thin, lanky navigator transferred the spanner to his left hand and reached around with it to free up the coupling connection.  This was one case where Ash was thankful that his father, who had worked on the Imperial naval construction docks had forced him to learn how to work in tight spaces with either hand when he was younger.  While the son had never been as strong or fast as his old man and the two had disagreed on a great number of things, the value of certain basic physical repair skills had never been one of those disagreements.

It was slow going as he tried to be thorough; the work took Ash a couple of minutes and the Profit Margin's navigator didn't rush.  He wanted to do it right and not make any unnecessary work or danger for himself or others (especially Saskia, whom he assumed would be repairing his repair). Plus, with Yas and Tylen present, he felt the situation was much more secure.  As he started to work on the last connection, Ash noted to the others, "Almost done...."

Yas fights bravely, giving it her best and her all, but in the end she loses all the same and she says, with her usual deadpan delivery that only the crew of the Margin recognise as her trademark jesting/teasing^*, "Nice and slow is good.  Better done properly than finish too early."


^{* If the air/raft can, so can I!}

Jago acknowledges Shui as she relays Yas' situation report to him, "I see them, and that must be their new playmates."

Helda Marrtin smiles at Yas' little jest... and then there is a rushing noise, steadily increasing in volume, followed by a deafening report as Profit Margin passes above the air/raft at low altitude and supersonic speed.  The government employee shrieks again, and throws herself flat in the bottom of the 'raft with her hands covering her head.  The ship veers away, slowing, and heads in the direction where Yas and Tylen believe the locals' groundcar to be located.

The ship comes to a halt about half way between the air/raft and its attackers.  The inertial dampers handle the sudden deceleration easily.  "Shui, you have a way with words, so you're now our public relations spokesperson.  Feel free to use the external speakers to persuade those... thugs... to leave the area.  Be creative."  He smiles happily.

"Saskia, load a cannister of sand, just in case we need to positively reinforce that we mean business."

"Well, someone decided to risk the ship, after all," Yas mutters under her breath as the Margin announces her arrival.

"At once, Captain Lanza," Shui states, pleased at the decision for restraint.  She thumbs the toggle for the ship-mounted speakers, adjusts the volume (and direction, if possible), and, after a moments pause, activates recording devices to put this all on file.  Then she begins to speak, firmly and evenly.

+ Hostile forces - leave the area immediately and you will not be fired upon.  Otherwise, we will employ ship-mounted weaponry in our defense. +

For a few seconds, nothing happens.  And then the ground car starts to reverse away from the ship, before making a three point turn and driving over the edge of the gully.  At the bottom it turns left and heads for a slope where the far wall has collapsed.

"Well, they're heading away from the air/raft.  That's a good thing.  Think I'll just encourage them to keep going."

Jago manipulates the controls, and the ship, so recently travelling at supersonic speed, floats gently after the vehicle.  "Let the people on the ground know that they're safe, and that I'll be swinging back to pick them up as soon as Ash says he can fly the 'raft into the garage."

And then, almost as an afterthought, "Well done, both of you."

The lanky ex-Scout seems unphased by the Profit Margin's flyby.

Ash pulls his left hand from behind the circuit board components and conduit piping behind the access panel, the spanner still in hand.  He wipes a spot grease from a knuckle and then gives his assembled companions a thumbs-up.  "Done." he announces, "She's as good as it is going to get for the time being."

Offering a hand to Helda to help her to her feet, the thin navigator soothes, "It's okay, Ms. Marrtin.  It is just the Profit Margin.  Nothing to be worried about."  Ash then moves to the console to test the startup sequence and see how manageable the air/raft is, "We'll have you safe and sound on board in just a moment."

"Here goes nothing..." Ash narrates quietly to no one in particular as he flips to the switch to bring the power back online.

"Thank you, Captain Lanza." Pleased, Shui runs a brief tally in her head. Casualties presumably to a minimum, check.  Jago judging her performance adequate for the task, check.  Everyone from the Margin safe, check.  Annoying port security proven worthless, check.

Another toggle, this time switching off the externals and activating contact with their lost crewmembers.  + Chief Crow, Mr. Tescali, Captain Lanza wishes to inform you that the hostiles are in retreat, and that we will return to pick up you and your vehicle once it is capable of a proper landing in the Profit Margin. +
This message was last edited by the player at 13:26, Wed 14 Oct 2015.

Slightly disappointed in a complete lack of reaction from Ash to her prodding, Yas sighs in a overly melodramatic fashion and turns her full attention to active guard duty (not that she neglected it before).

"Did you hear that, Mr Orgesh?  They forgot you were here.  Good thing us grunts are out here to look out for one another, I'll make sure you get back aboard," she grins at Ty.

"Understood, Margin," she reports in, and wraps it up with a deadpan, "and tell the boss he's in trouble for risking the ship and the safety of the passengers, thank you."