Kale waited for Charlie and Connor to head up to the dining hall before falling in step beside Rhaef.  Their relationship since his return had been a little strained but overall they were starting to slip back into old times.

"We're meetin' with the Buckley girls here in a bit, place called Prisma Casino.  Just got off a wave with them before I headed over ta check in on Connor." Kale looked down and then back up at Rhaef.  They needed money something fierce right now, Destiny didn't fly on dreams alone.  But he'd learned that he wasn't always the best reader of characters, "This could be a big job fer us an' we need that.  Sin Twins are famous fer high payouts ... if'n we keep our eyes open fer their tricks."

It was true, the Buckley girls were high rollers.  They only did the big time.  But they were also infamous for never making anything easy.  There was a time when Kale would have just accepted blindly but he'd been doubting himself lately.  He needed Rhaef to be keeping an eye out for loop holes, tricks, things that Kale didn't always pick up on, "I need you on this."

Rhaef was nodding along with Kale's speech, listening and processing the information, and understanding what the Captain was asking. Then he heard their employers, and caught his breath.

"Kale, I am in this the whole way with you, but there's um, something else you should know..." He paused "I, well, um, how to put this, I kinda got know one of the Sin Twins on a very personal level when I was working for Curio, and well, I honestly never did not know if it was Callie or Allie, but whichever one it is, well they might not exactly be happy to see me."

He had said, and leveled with Kale, which he should have done with the situation with Curio as well.

Kale shook his head at Rhaef's admission, "'Course ya did." he said in a dry tone.  That was just his luck.  Man he needed with him on this job had a potentially bad connection with their contact.

"Well I suppose we cross that bridge when we get there." he said, "Meantime I want you lookin' sharp.  This girl ain't gonna have you distracted, is she?"  There was a bit more to that question then just being worried about the job.  He'd seen the way Charlie and Rhaef had been looking at each other and he although he hadn't meant for that disapproving, overprotective big brother tone to slip into his voice it had been there.  He wasn't willing to see lil' Charlie get hurt.

Rhaef couldn't help but notice the tone in Kale's voice, especially when he spoke about distractions. "Gorram no, Kale." He shook his head, "one bout of the Buckleys is more than enough for any man."

He paused and added, "Plus, I'm workin' somethin' a little more permanent, and a whole hell of a lot more important than anythin' those vixens could offer."

He paused again and looked Kale in the eyes, "Question is Cap'n, you ready for the charm offensive they'll throw at you?" He paused, "Callie's likely to be all business and Allie's all pleasure, and they wrapped up Curio in his prime." He said as a way of warning, not a criticism.

Kale's expression softened at Rhaef's immediate and emphatic response to his question and it made him wonder why he had posed it at all.  Before the events of a few months ago Kale would never have questioned Rhaef's morals.  As much as he tried to put the past in the past, however, finding out where Rhaef had really come from had had an effect on him.  Made him wonder about the man that he thought he knew so well.

That's downright stupid, Kale, he's still the same man. he reminded himself.

He listened to Rhaef's words of advice and nodded his head.  For the briefest of a moments his thoughts actually flashed unbidden to Sophia Marquez, the beautiful and cunning woman they had run into on Athens.  It took Kale completely by surprise that he'd even think of her again.  Woman who had tried to tie him up in all sorts of knots with her wiley ways.  It hardened his resolve though and he nodded.

"That won't be a problem." he said.  Then hearing the sounds of the rest of the crew from the dining hall he glanced up and then back at Rhaef, "We better head up, the boy wanted to hit planetside and we got a job in 'bout an' hour.  Let's say our goodbyes."

He began walking up the stairs then and towards the dining hall.

[To Destiny: Dining Hall]

Rhaef nodded watching Kale's response. It was not like he could expect everything to just go right back to normal. Kale might have brought him back and put him to work, but repairing the breech made by his departure would time and hard work.

He watched the Captain's eyes as he pondered Rhaef's comments about the Twins, there was something there but he could not tell what, Rhaef filed it away for future reference.

"Yeah, I'm good to eat, good-byes well, I'm not so good at." He said with a shurg, "plus I need to talk to Geoff 'bout some temporary ordinance."

He quickly fell in behind Kale, the natural cadence and timing coming back, Kale in the lead, Rhaef a step to the right, and step and a half behind.

--> To Dining Hall
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:35, Mon 25 May 2009.

[From Destiny: Dining Hall]

Kale moved down the metal stairway and onto the lower level of the cargo bay with Connor and the rest of the crew that was there to see him off.  It had been a good meal and although it was never exactly pleasant to be saying goodbye he was glad that for once it was on good terms.

He stepped on the lower level and proceeded to the bay doors, hitting the controls and waiting for the rush of warm air that came with the ship depressurizing and the sounds of the Santo space port.

"You got transportation to where yer goin', right?" he asked Connor as he hit the  button to lower the ramp as well.

[From Destiny: Dining Hall]

Lei padded out into the cargo bay after Kale and Connor and the rest of the crew.  She hung back by the stairwell, her small hands wrapped around the railing as she watched the bay doors open and sunlight stream inside.  It made her smile, there had been no sunshine in the white place.

She looked on at the Captain and Connor.  No one was sad today which Lei did not understand.  When Ren had left and Acacia and Rhaef everyone had been upset.  She thought that that was how people reacted when other people left, but the crew seemed happy.  It was an anomaly in her understanding of social behavior.  She wasn't entirely sure what to do.

She glanced up at Geoff who was standing nearby, "Why is no one sad that Connor is leaving?  Charlie cried when Ren left but she smiled today."

(From Destiny: Dining Hall)

Connor had triple checked his weapon before shouldering his three bags. He turned back to Kale and nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think I'm all set."

He turned to face the crew for the last time.

"I, uh...I'm actually pretty terrible at saying goodbyes, so I don't think I'm going to say goodbye. Instead, I'm going to with, I will see you all around..."

Rhaef nodded, he understood Connor's sentiment. "With this crew, you probably will, kid." He said in wry but encouraging tone.

He paused, "Let me tell you from experience, ain't no better friends in the world then the crew of this here ship."

He stood aside from the group, letting them have their time and their goodbyes. He know he needed to talk to Geoff 'bout the first mate's objections to the plans and let him know he had not intenion of hidin' the rifle, rather he wanted it in plain sight for the twins to see.

Yet, this ain't the moment, he reminded himself and just waited for the others.

Kale smiled and took a step forward to shake Connor's hand, "See you around." he repeated, "An' you take care of yerself.  Never know when we might be needin' ta give you a call."

He stepped back then in case there was anyone else wanting to impart some words.

[From Destiny: Dining Hall]

Geoff made his way into the Cargo Bay alongside Rhaef, Kale and Connor.  Lei wasn't too far behind, wanting to see Connor off properly.  When she asked why no one was sad, Geoff really didn't know how to answer.  So he didn't.  He was used to people coming and going, and made it a point to not form any deep, profound relationships with people he saw as only temporary.  He hadn't gotten to know Connor too well, but liked him enough.

"You just take care of yerself out there," Geoff said when Kale had finished, extending his hand to Connor.  "You'll do fine."

Wei-Li watched as the others said good-bye to Connor. As she watched, she thought about his time with the crew and then gave a resigned sigh.  He was probably safer without them, that much was sure.

Suddenly she smiled and stepped forward.  "If you ever find yourself in need on Paquin... look up my family and tell them about me... they'll do what they can to help you..."

She paused before offering him an awkward hug.  She really wasn't good at saying goodbye either.

[From Destiny: Dining Hall]

Dake followed the rest of the crew into the cargo bay.  He had not been onboard for long, but Conner was always available on the bridge to give him a small amount of company at the least.  And Dake was fairly sure that Conner did not despise him the way he was sure most of the crew did.

Stepping forward, Dake offered his hand.

"It's been a pleasure flying with you the last couple of weeks," Dake said sincerely.  "At least it hasn't been dull."

His goodbye, what he considered a goodbye, done, Dake stepped back, allowing the folks that had known Conner the longest a better chance to say goodbye.

(From Dining Hall)

Kyoko had followed the rest of the group down to the cargo bay. When it was appropriate, she stepped forward, a smile on her face and gave him a hug.

"Take care of yourself Connor, if you ever are in need. Call."

She nodded serenely and stepped back as well.

----->from Destiny: Dining Hall

Charlie stepped in last behind the crew, her arms crossed as she watched Connor stand by the door.  When the others had said their piece, she stepped forward and embraced Connor, giving him a squeeze as she did so.  After a few seconds had passed, she gave him a kiss on the cheek and stepped back.

"Ah'd...thank ya'fer what'cha done, Connor.  Ah'll miss ya 'till ah'd see ya'gain.  Don'be afraid t'call on a favour, ah'm owin' ya one."  She focused on the words, trying to let them roll out a bit more clearly than words usually did for her.  Charlie smiled, giving his shoulder a squeeze and stepping back beside Rhaef...

Connor looked to each member of the crew, committing each face to memory. One of these days, Connor would feel he was ready to rejoin this crew, this family. Today, however, was not that day. Connor adjusted the bags he had, making them comfortable, he'd be doing some walking before he got to where he was going.

Connor took one last look around, then took in a deep breath. He closed his eyes, and exhaled. Yup, he was ready.

Almost.

Connor reached around his neck, pulling off a small silver cross on a sturdy chain. He tossed it to Lei, then nodded his head.

"Thank you all. Catch you all around."

With that, Connor tossed a wave, and made his way down the ramp and off Destiny for the time being.




(Connor to Exit: Stage Left)
This message was last edited by the player at 05:02, Mon 01 June 2009.

Kale watched as Connor moved down the ramp and out into the Santo sunlight.  The man had been a good member of his crew for the short time that he had been there and he hoped that the future brought him what he was looking for.

Now however, Kale had a job to do.

"Geoff, Rhaef.  I believe we have a meetin' with the Buckley sisters in 'bout twenty minutes.  Grab what you'll be needin' an' meet me back here.  Remember, the Prisma Casino's a classy place despite the corruption goin' on inside it and the Buckley girls are about as high class as you can get among thieves."

Lei easily caught the cross that Connor had tossed in her direction and found herself studying the object instead of Connor as he departed from the ship.  Lei had seen the cross symbol before but she really did not understand what it meant.  Connor had once told her that it had something to do with the bible but Lei had not, as of yet, looked up the reference.  For a good while she stood staring at the tiny metal object wondering what it was and why Connor gave it to her.

"It's a symbol of faith," Dake said, stepping up behind Lei.  "For those that believe in God."  In the few weeks he had been onboard, Dake had come to recognize the looks Lei gave when trying to figure something out.  She obviously did not know about the cross.

"I'm surprised you haven't read the bible yet," Dake continued.  "You seem to have just about everything else read."

While he spoke to Lei, Dake kept an eye on Wei-Li.  After Geoff's enlightening moment prior to breakfast, Dake was curious if he still had a chance.

Connor made his way down the ramp and off the ship, disappearing into the crowd that flowed like a river outside.  Their goodbyes said and yet another crew member gone, now was the time for business.  They had work to do and money to make.  For a moment, however, Geoff's attention was divided by Dake's conversation with Lei.  He quickly shoved his thoughts aside, knowing that he couldn't afford to loose focus, not even this early on.  Part of him, however, wondered what Wei-Li was thinking about what had been said that morning.

Geoff nodded when Kale finished, turning to Rhaef and giving him a pat on the back.  "Aw, we'll play nice, boss.  Try to, at least.  I'll be on my best behavior."

Addressing Rhaef, he added, "You just let me know what you'll be needin', and I'll make sure you get it before we get on outta here."

Wei-Li watched Connor head down the ramp and quickly looked away.  It was bad luck to watch someone fade into the distance-- it meant you'd never see them again, and Wei-li liked the idea of seeing Conor grace the decks of Destiny again.

An odd smile came to her face as she realized that she really did consider Destiny home.  She sighed and turned back to Kale as he began going about the business of being Captain.

There really wasn't anything she could do until the meet was over, and the job defined.  She looked around the cargo bay and shrugged as she began inspecting the cargo netting again.

It may be a tedious assignment, but when you find new and inventive ways to inspect it, it became more of a game.

"We're gonna need'ta b'up, ah'm gonna start th'fuel pumps."  Charlie nodded to Kale, lifting up a bag from the cargo bay floor and heading for the doors.  She would spend at least six hours outside of the ship, checking for bullet holes and working on the landing gear; Dake was much harder on entry than any of their other pilots were, and there was a quarter-second vibration through the deck as it touched down.  And if that's a dead piston, it could build up pressure and blow in an environment without atmosphere.  Wouldn't that just be fun.  "Y'll gotta lemme know'f we've got any stuff'ta do, ah'll be onna comm."

"'Course, we'll be on our best behavior, Kale. Ain't us, I'm worried 'bout," he paused and glanced at Geoff, Dake and Wei, "mostly."

He turned back to Geoff, "As I said earlier, I want the rifle and shotgun, so we can make a show for the Twins," he paused and shurgged, "and given my last dealing with them, they'd be more concerned if I did not come that heavily armed."

He paused again, "Plus, they check me 'cause of the heavy pieces, y'all likely to get less of the once over, and I get to see the casino's approach for dealin' with heavy ordinance."

He paused and added, "if the meeting goes all civil-like, like Kale expects, ain't gonna be a problem getting the weapons back...if it don't well, Kale's first mates have a tendency of getting shot." He said with a slight chuckle.

Kale nodded to Charlie as she let him know what she'd be up to.  It was typically procedure for when they set down in a space dock but Charlie always let him know, >"Fuel up first, then go chekin' fer potential problems.  Life we lead ya never know when the getaway is gonna need ta be quick.  If'n ya see anything ... well, add it ta the list."  Kale hated having to say that.  But it was the response he had to give Charlie more often then not.  It was a rare time that he could actually tell her to go on out and get what she needed and with the way things had been lately they had a list backlogged of repairs and parts that Charlie needed to keep Destiny healthy.

He looked at Geoff and then Rhaef and was about to start speaking to the latter when he remembered that Geoff was first mate and his gaze shifted back to the first man, "I'm not worried just ... bein' cautious.  You'll wanna be keepin' yer eyes peeled fer signs of trouble.  The girls are known fer their tricks an' I ain't meanin' the pleasant kind."

He glanced at Rhaef then before turning his attention back to Geoff, "Let's get him what he needs.  I'll be here waitin'."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:48, Thu 04 June 2009.