This room is the common area for the passengers on board Destiny.  There are two mis-matched couches facing one another, one of which has been covered with an old blue blanket because of the rips in the original fabric.  Between the two couches is a coffee table where you can normally find a deck of cards or a book lying.  There's a huge old persian rug covering the metal flooring.  The passenger bunks can be reached from this room, as well as the Infirmary.
This message was last updated by the GM at 06:58, Sat 22 Apr 2006.

((Moved from cargo hold...))

   

   Lei simply shakes her head slightly at Charlie, and backs away from the infirmary. When Charlie shouts out to the others inside, Lei bolts for the far side of the room, and sits down with her back pressed into the corner with her knees drawn up to her chest again.

Charlie follows Lei into the hall of the Passenger Quarters, smiling, taking the lead instead of just letting her back up.  The girl bolted to the other side of the room, finding a corner and hiding...and Charlie stayed right where she was, crossing her arms and looking at the girl.  There was no sense in making her feel like a trapped animal, as she probably already did.  "Lei...you alright?  Tired?  Cold?  Hungry?  Anything like that, you wanna tell me?  I'm gonna assume you're cold, bein' without a pair of anything."  She does her best to keep warm, trying to coax an answer out of the girl.  "You need anything?  If'n you want, I can just leave y'be..."

Geoff headed out and spotted Charlie and Lei in a corner of the room. Averting his eyes from the naked girl, he approaches and clears his throat. "Yo, Charlie. Here's a blanket. Hurry up and ruttin' cover her, alright?", he said lightly as he held the blanket out to her.

Falling in right behind him, Kendra takes the blanket and walks it over to Charlie, hands it to her. Walks over to the otherside of the couch, picks up a book and begins to read, observing the two out of the corner of her eye.

Charlie takes the blanket, nodding to Geoff.  "Don'cha worry, I'm taking care of our guest here.  You don't need t'worry, everything's gonna be okay."  She steps away from Geoff, crouching down beside Lei and opening the blanket, gently putting it around her form under her chin.  She moves slow, so that if Lei seems to jerk back, she can pull it away.

"C'mere, honey...it's okay.  Let's get you safe...

   When Kendra approaches, Lei gets more agitated, and starts trying to push along one wall away from her on her rump. Lei stares at her retreating back as Kendra walks away, and then slowly reaches out to grab the blanket, once she is on the far side of the room. She pulls the blanket up over her knees, and nervously watches the crew.

Charlie takes a few short steps back, crouching down and putting her hands around her knees, watching Lei.  She smiles a bit, brushing her dark hair back from her eyes, easier when it's not partially caked in grease.  "Now then...you want anything else?  Water?  Little food?  Anything at all that I'd be good t'getcha?"

As soon as Geoff figures enough time has passed for her to be covered, he looks over to where Charlie and the child are. He nods lightly, seeing that the girl is covered up and Charlie is handling the situation well,and sighs as he leans against a wall. "We are so ruttin' humped it ain't even funny....but I ain't regrettin' the decision ta let them outta that there cage o' theirs at all. Funny, ain't it?", he mutters lightly, more to himself than anything.

   Still watching the tall, rough looking man and the other woman, Lei listens to Charlie's queries, shaking her head at each one.
   "Wh... where is this?"

She looks over at Geoff, shrugging a bit.  "We're doin' the right thing.  You get so far from the core, people start t'make up their own rules about the way things ought t'work.  Out here, where there's no law, showing kindness is bein' all we got."  Charlie smiled back at him, looking over to Lei again.

"You're on the Destiny.  It's a ship...we're out in the black somewhere, can't tell you rightly where...not on land, I can say that.  Where're you from?"

   "Destiny... ship? I..."
   Her gaze shifts to Charlie's eyes, and tears form in her eyes as she tries to answer the question.
   "It... It was. All white there."

"Shh shh...you're safe, hun.  Don't you worry."  Charlie scoots forward a bit, bringing up a hand and stroking back Lei's hair, smiling at her.  "All you need to know is that no one is gonna hurt you here, Lei.  Everyone is okay, everyone is safe...nothing bad is gonna happen here to anyone, kay?"

   When Charlie first reaches for her, Lei shies away just a little and hugs her legs in closer, but otherwise doesn't move. She lets her head fall fowards, burying her face in her hands and the blanket, and starts quietly sobbing. She didn't really understand where she was, or what she was doing there, but for now all the large scary people were keeping away from her. For now.
   She was sure it was only a matter of time before someone came along who wanted to do something to her.

"Hey, hey...you're alright."  Charlie looks down for a moment, pinching bridge of her nose and squeezing her eyes like she's trying to shake something off.  In her head, it's like someone just starting banging pots and pans together...right behind her.  She shakes her head, taking a deep breath and looking back up at Lei, giving her the best smile she can.  "You want us to find you somewhere safe to be?  Maybe a nice bed?  We're right here in front of the open rooms, could surely get you some place to lay for the night...."

   Lei lifts her head just enough to look towards Charlie.
   A room, not this one. Maybe there wouldn't be any giants staring at her there, or anyone else. Maybe there'd be something to hold the door closed, so she could hide in there alone...
   She slowly nods her head.

"That's what I thought hun.  Come on, you don't want to be out here in the middle of nowhere, do ya?"  Charlie stood up, putting her hand on the wall next to her and the other to her head, closing her eyes again.  Something like a wave just washes over her, making the punding in her head even louder.  She just needs some rest, she was already tired...it's probably just an adrenaline crash.

"Here, I don't know about there being open quarters...but here's a room you can use."  Charlie takes a few steps in the lower hall, cracking open the door that leads into her bunk.  "I don't use it, I sleep up in the engine room...all my things're up there, as it stands.  You'll be fine to be in here.  If you need anything, all you'd need to do is let someone know.  But...  Charlie shakes her head again, looking back at Geoff.  "Hey, can you...you know, keep an eye?  Somethin' fierce is coming over me, I need t'lay down.  All you gotta do is just be gentle, y'know?"

   Lei slowly stands, keeping her back to the wall, and her eye on Geoff and and Kendra. She lets herself be led towards Charlie's room.
   Once at the door, she backs into the room, and sits down against the far wall.

   ((Edit: Oops, forgot... To: Charlie's bunk.))
This message was last edited by the player at 09:38, Sun 08 Jan 2006.

Geoff looked over to Charlie from where he had been leaning on the wall, looking a bit worried as Charlie doesn't seem all that all right at the moment. But he just nods lightly and gives a light salute to her. "Sure enough, Charlie. I'll watch out for her. Like I said before, 'Gentle' is my middle name. You just go on and get some rest....", he said in a light tone.

"Yeah, she'll be...she'll be alright.  Just make sure...you know, she doesn't do anything...wrong."  Charlie's obvious a bit out of it, the exhaustion starting to hit her as well.  She starts walking, keeping a hand on the wall, possibly the most of what's keeping her balance.  "Make sure you let the good doctor know where she is, I don't want t'be responsible for missin' girls tomorrow."  She waves a hand at Geoff, slowly walking off, making her way back to the engine room...


--------->Engine Room 1

Geoff only nods as he looks after Charlie with a furrowed brow. She don't look right. Don't seem at all right as well. She seems more than a bit out of sorts. Maybe I should be tellin' the Doc about that too..., he thinks before shaking his head lightly and looking back towards the door of the bunk Lei was in. Charlie had asked him to watch out for her so he would. Besides, it wasn't like he would be much good for anything else at the moment...

Geoff did note the door to Charlie's bunk closing completely after a bit, as he had been staring right at it. He doesn't move or do anything about it though. He figures that the girl wants her privacy, he might as well respect that. He didn't give much of a dman about what the girl did so long as it wasn't in the realm of dangerous to herself, him, or anybody else. So he just continued to lean against the wall and listen and lok for any sign of trouble.

Kendra looks up from her book, a concerned expression crosses her face as she watches Charlie and Lei. Glad Lei, gets settled in a bunk, but Charlie doesn't seem right. Well who was, after all this.  She's probably just tired. She stands up, stretches and heads to her own bunk. Just going to get some sleep then, I'll head to the infirmary to check on the children.

Tate crawled cautiously into the room.  There was another man in there leaning against the wall and staring off down a hallway that Tate couldn't see.  He looked nothing like anyone Tate had ever seen before, he actually paused in his motion to stop and gawk at the sheer size of him.  Then remembering himself and how he had to get out of there he quietly crawled the opposite direction, following the wall down another hallway.  No one saw him.

-----------Cargo Bay---------------->

Kale stepped into the passenger quarters and glanced around, looking behind the couches and under the coffee table, "Geoff, did you see a kid go by here?" he asked urgently.

Geoff thought he had heard some movement from somewhere off to the side of him at one point, but hadn't seen anything when he turned to look. Figuring it was just his imagination, he went back to looking at the door to the room Lei's in. When the captan comes in and starts to search the room and then asks him about a kid, he shakes his head. "No, Cap'n, didn't see nobody come by here. I did hear somethin' awhile back, but I just thought I was hearin' things.", he said with a shrug, "One o' the kids got up and started wanderin' then?"

"The boys gone missin', didn' even see or hear him go." he stood in the center of the passenger quarters pretty certain that he wasn't in here. "Search the cargo bay, I'm going to check out the dining hall, and see if he snuck onto one of the shuttles.  Ain't safe for a little guy to be wanderin' this here ship." without further ado he walked quickly out of the room.

-------------Dining Hall----------------->

"Sure enough, Cap'n. I'll look fer him.", he said as he threw a light salute to the captain. He glanced shortly back at the door and then shrugged. He figured the girl must be asleep or something and she'd be fine without a chaperone for a little while. So he nods lightly as he heads out into the cargo bay to look for the boy.

---------->Cargo Bay
This message was last edited by the player at 21:41, Sun 08 Jan 2006.

Geoff walked into the passenger's quarters at a slow pace, looking back at Tate as he did so. "All right, Tate. Stay here for a sec while I get ya a blanket ta cover yerself with.", he said before turning to one of the empty rooms, not really knowing if they belong to anybody or not, and walking in. He quickly rummages around for a blanket and, finding one, grabbed it and headed back out to where he left Tate. He handed the blanket to Tate so he could cover himself up, knowing the kid was wary of physical contact.

Tate followed Geoff at a safe distance into the smaller room again.  He watched him curiously as he opened a door in the wall and rummaged about in it for a while before coming out with a blanket in his hands.  Tate carefully took the blanket from Geoff, cautiously still staying back from him, and wrapped it around his shoulders, grateful for the warmth.

Geoff nodded lightly to the boy and then shrugged. "Now, let's see. Ya hungry, kid? We got us some food in the dining hall if ya want. Hows 'bout it?", he asked with a questioning gaze. He really wasn't all that familiar with how to deal with children, but he figured they needed to eat like everybody else...

"Ah, I see we've found him." Kale says as he enters the passenger quarters and sees Geoff standing beside the young boy all wrapped in a blanket now.  The kid has some dirt and grease stains on his arms and on his cheeks though, Kale looks at him in concern, "Why don' we get you all washed up, son." Kale says.  The boy backs away from him though, stepping behind Geoff and looking warily up at him.  "Uh, well, Geoff, why don't you show him to one of the spare rooms, tell him where the shower is so he can wash up ... perhaps see 'bout gettin' him somethin' to wear, I'm goin' ta check on Charlie."

----------Infirmary---------->

"Sure enough, Cap'n. Get him washed up...I guess.", he said, though the prospect of doing that didn't seem to agree with him. He, himself, wouldn't have been inclined to use the shower and he wasn't much for telling the kid to either. But he shrugged and nodded at the captain as he headed for the infirmary. He then turned to Tate and shrugged again. "Uh...well, then. Ya want one o' these rooms here or ya want ta eat or ya want some clothes or what? Just tell me what ya want and we'll get it done."

"I would just like to be alone now ... if that's alright." Tate said, he needed to get his bearing about him, he needed time to think over everything that had just happened and what he was going to do ... and it wouldn't hurt to have a warm shower and get some clothes.  Then when he was done with that Geoff said that they would give him some food, and that sounded alright.  "I get a room?"

Geoff nodded to the boy, smiling lightly. "Sure enough, kid. Can't expect ya ta share a bunk after all ya been through. Wouldn't be right.", he said and then looked over the doors to the rooms around and pointed out the one he had gone in before, "That one should do. Just go ahead and go in and make yerself comfortable. I'll be 'round if ya need anything, okay? I gotta watch out fer stuff on the ship. That's my job, after all. Well, sorta my job."

Tate nodded, not wanting to say much more until he understood his situation better.  He crept into the room that Geoff had pointed out and shut the door.

---------Tate's Bunk--------->

Kale steps into the room and looks at Geoff, "The lil' one go off to get some rest?" he asks, running a hand through his hair, his face still showing his worry over Charlie.

Geoff watched Tate as he slipped into the room and then sighed lightly as he leaned against the wall again. What in ruttin' hell did I get myself into when I signed up with this ship? This ain't gonna turn out well. Not well at all..., he thought with a shake of his head. This was definitely more than he was used to.

He looked to the captain as he walked into the hall and nodded lightly. "Yep, he did, Cap'n. Went in there ta rest.", he said in a light tone before sighing a bit and looking serious for once, "How's Charlie? If yer expression is any sign, it ain't good, is it?"

"She told me ta tell everyone she was fine - which is a sure sign that she ain't if you know Charlie at all.  Doc's with her now though, ain't much we can do.  I'm startin' ta feel a bit useless." Kale sighed, "I'm headin' back to my bunk for a bit, gotta decide what we're gonna do next.  We're humped, an' we need to figure a way outta this.  Keep an eye on the lil' one if he comes out again, and see about findin' him somethin' ta wear, just a shirt an' a belt will do fer now I guess, ain't got no clothes fer children." Kale looked back at the infirmary once more, he could see Acacia leaning over Charlie through the glass window, then he head to his bunk,

-----------Kale's Bunk----------->

Ren walked into the room nodded at geoff and out of the corner of his eye noticed charlie laying on a bed in the infirmary, he pule began to race, the girl layin in there was like his sister and suddenly he felt as if a ton of bricks had been dumped into his stomach. On instinct he sped towards the infirmary.

----->Infirmary---->

Passing through the Passenger's quarters to head towards Cargo Bay, she sees Geoff. "Something god awful is happening, charlies out cold on the table and Acacia isn't do so well either, voice trembling with concern, I'm going for the captain - do you have any idea where he is?

Geoff looked to Kendra with a furrowed brow, gesturing out of the room. "Cap'n went to his bunk. Dunno nothin' else.", he said with a light shake of his head. Ta ma de! Now the doc is gettin' sick too? What the ruttin' hell is goin' on here?!, he thought with a look over his shoulder to see through the infirmary windows. He spots Ren trying his best to take care of Acacia and Charlie both.

He sees the man sitting down and holding both of the women's hands and sighs lightly as he looks away. He had thought to go and offer his help, but it wasn't his place. There was very little he could actually do and moral support from an outsider like Geoff means nothing at a time like this. So he just sighs and leans his head back against the wall, banging his skull lightly against the metal of the wall. Pain distracts for a bit and he can understand it better than anything else that's happened recently...

   ((From Charlie's bunk.))

   The door to Charlie's bunk cracks open a little. Lei can be seen peering out through the small gap.

Geoff looks over at the sound of the door opening up and spots Lei looking at him in a less than trusting manner. Not that he can blame her for looking at him in such a way. Were their positions switched, he would probably be reacting the same way. He sighed lightly and figured that he should try and make some sort of attempt to be friendly, considering he was probably going to be dealing with these kids on the ship for awhile. "Hey there, little lady. I see yer up and about. Ya wannt ta get somethin' ta eat now or are ya still ruttin' 'fraid o' me? 'Cause I really ain't gonna be goin' anywhere so we're gonna have ta learn ta deal with each other eventually...", he remarked in an amused tone.

   When the giant first speaks it surprises Lei enough that she lets go of the door. It falls open enough to show her kneeling just inside the bunk room. She grabs the door and gets ready to slam it shut if the giant looks like coming near her.
   Then the rest of what he said sinks in. Still ready to slam the door shut, she quietly asks "Food?". She was starting to get a little hungry...

Geoff grins lightly and nods to Lei. "Feng xin. Food. We got stuff ta eat and I'm sure yer probably hungry after everythin' ya've been through. We got a lot o' things, thanks ta me. Grabbed a bunch o' supplies ta restock so we ain't short on anythin'.", he said and then chuckled lightly, "Also, if ya like, I could get ya one o' my shirts ta wear instead o' that sheet o' yers. It'd be really big on ya, but it would cover everythin' 'cause o' that..."

   Lei simply nods to Geoff's mention of food.
   When he mentions getting her something else to wear, she says "O... Okay."
   She gets to her feet, keeping one eye on the giant the whole time, ready to follow. From a distance. Lei still wasn't too sure about him, and didn't want to get too close, just in case.

Geoff smiles as kindly as he can and nods as he heads out of the room slowly, gesturing for her to follow. "Come on then, little lady. I'll take ya ta the dinin' hall...", he said with a nod as he walked out of the halls of the passenger's quarter in the direction of the dining hall, looking over his shoulder every so often to make sure Lei is still following.

--------->Dining Hall

   Lei hesitantly comes out of the room, looking all around to check that there was no-one else hiding around the corner. She crosses the room, heading towards the corridor that Geoff went down, but bieng careful to not get too close. She hangs back a good six feet, well out of arms reach.
   Crossing in front of the infirmary door, she can see in. She gives a small shudder at what she sees. Two people on the beds like that, a scene she had seen a few times in the white place... They didn't look like they'd last too many days. She looked around nervously, half expecting a pair of people in white coats to walk past talking about strange things like "failure" and "regression", but there was no glass for them to hide on the far side of here. The white cloaked ones always liked to stay on the other side of the glass...
   She followed the giant down the corridor, at a safe distance.

   ((To Dining hall, (via cargo bay, it's empty, so no post) ))

Tate slipped out of his room and into the room with the couches ... there wasn't anyone in there anymore, and Tate was half dissappointed to not see Geoff.  He had been expecting to see him sitting there.  Tate peered into the room where everyone was lying on beds and shuddered, he'd have to avoid that place at all costs.  What he needed now though was a Gun.  He had thought long and hard and he felt that his best option of not being sent back to that place was to have one, that way if anyone tried to hurt him, he could hurt them.

   ((From: Dining room, via cargo bay.))

   Lei slows down from her full pelt run, and goes to the chair furtherest from the infirmary door. She sits down on it and pulls her knees up to her chest. From here she could see all the doors to the room, and would know if someone was coming for her. The room she slept in was a short distance away, and she was sure that she could get there and lock the door before someone got to her. The only other person in the room was one of the other kids she'd seen in the white place. Tate? He was safe to be around.
   She sullenly sat there watching, and picked at the protien pack that she had grabbed. From here, she could see into the infirmary. The man sitting there didn't look well now. She wondered which way the white coats would come from when they came to take the sick ones away.

Geoff entered the passenger's quarters at a light trot and stopped at the doorway as he saw Lei take a seat on a chair, watching everywhere with wary glances. He also spotted Tate wandering around and smiled lightly to the boy from his place at the doorway. "Good ta see ya up and around, kid. How ya doin'? Anythin' I can help ya with?", he said with a slight incline of his head.

Tate froze as someone entered the room, coming at a run.  It was a girl that he recognized as he had seen her before in the white place.  They had spoken once he believed but the doctors got angry when you talked.  He glanced around the room again before deciding to try and sneak back out into the big room, when Geoff entered.  The big man smiled at him and Tate decided he liked his smile, it was nice, and friendly.  The doctors only smiled when they said that something they had done had worked.  Geoff smiled just cause he saw Tate, and Tate thought that that might mean that he liked him, and if he like him .... well that'd be alright.

"Hiya, Geoff." he said, again imitating his way of speech.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:28, Tue 10 Jan 2006.

Geoff nodded lightly to the kid and kneeled down so that he wouldn't have to look up at him so much. Give the kid a bit of equal footing. "Hiya. Ya out lookin' ta hide out again or what? Heh. Anyway, ya feelin' all right? People 'round here are gettin' kinda under the weather and it wouldn't do fer ya and the other kids ta get sick on top of everythin' else ya been through.", he said with a genuinely worried tone in his voice. He had taken a liking to this kid. The fact that he had been clever enough to get by the captain and the doc and hide himself, not to mention being ready to fight Geoff when he found him, made him all right in Geoff's book. The kid was tough and wily and those were merits that Geoff respected.

"I'm feelin' alright." Tate said very quickly, if he thought that he was sick then he might take him into the room with the beds, then he cast a look in the direction of the doctors room, looking back to Geoff he said seriously, "The doctors will come and take them away soon.  Then they'll never come back."

Geoff looked at the boy quizzically as he spoke, not quite understanding what he meant. "Doctors take 'em away? Whaddaya mean? Ain't no doctors but Acacia and she's one o' the ones on the beds.", he said, gesturing towards the infirmary as he said so,"Tate. What doctors are ya talkin' 'bout? They the ones put ya and the other two in that there crate?"

   Lei tenses up even more at the mention of the doctors, dropping the protien pack on the chair in front of her. She hugs her knees tighter to her chest, and listens as Tate starts talking about the nightmarish white place.

Tate was slightly confused that one of the doctors would be lying on one of the beds, he had never seen that before, but peering through the doorway again he saw that Geoff was right.  He looked back at the man.  "When you get sick you have to go away." he said, trying to be clear.  "They can't use you anymore, they have to 'terminate' the 'product'." then he leaned in even closer to Geoff so that only he could here him whisper, "I think that they hurt you then ... more- more then they normally do, and you don't ever come back." he swallowed hard and pushed his fear to the back of his mind. "I won't let them hurt me ... and I won't let them hurt you.  If I can't have a Gun, I'll bite them, cause I can do that."

Geoff listened with a serious expression to Tate's words and shook his head sadly as he looked to him and then to Lei who now looks even more afraid than she had before. "Ain't right. Ain't right doin' things like that ta anybody, let alone kids...", he said before givng Tate a grin and a  nod,"You and those other two. No wonder yer so 'fraid o' us. Been through so much. I want ya ta know somethin' and ya listen good. Ain't nobody like those hun dun doctors yer talkin' 'bout on this boat. Ain't nobody gonna hurt none o' ya anymore. Ya hear me, kid? The only way that'll happen is chu fei wo si le. 'Cause I'm the one on this boat who makes sure that guys like those doctors of yers don't hurt nobody. Leastwise nobody on this boat. Anybody who tries ta hurt any o' ya or anybody else 'round here, I put a big hurtin' on, dong ma? I make 'em hurt fer tryin' ta hurt any o' the people on this boat and then I make 'em dead. And that's somethin' ya can count on."

He nodded lightly before somthing struck him about what Tate had said. "So, wait. People get sick back there where those doctors are? Sick how? Sick like them in the infirmary?", he asked, thinking that if the child was familiar with the sickness spreading through the ship that he may be able to give some insight about what it is.

   Lei starts staring off into space, remembering. In a real quiet vioce, she speaks "Yes. They get hot and fall over. And then the men in white coats come to take them away. They all go away, eventually. everyone."
   She pulls her legs back harder, and tries to disappear in the chair.

Tate tried to smile up at Geoff, but he wasn't feeling so happy right about now.  Just thinking about that place made him angry and hurt.  Geoff seemed to think that it was really important about the people getting sick, but it wasn't ... at least, as long as you weren't the sick one.  He nodded his head in agreement with what the girl said. "You just get sick and you don't come back."

Geoff didn't like how this was sounding at all. The getting hot and falling down comment that the girl had made reminded him of the way Charlie had been when he had seen her earlier. She had said she had a fever and she was more than a bit wobbly on her feet. Exactly like the girl had said. Geoff was feeling worse and worse about this situation as they went on. He especially didn't like how they kept saying they would get sick and then "go away and not come back". That did not sound good at all. Geoff shook his head lightly as he stood up and then looked to both the kids. "Ruttin' hell. This don't sound good at all. Uh...hey. Were there ever anybody that didn't get sick and just go away? Any of 'em, ya know....get better?", he said, knowing it was probably a stupid question but he figured there was no harm in asking.

   Lei hesitated a long moment before nodding her head. She could remember a time right near the beginning when she couldn't get out of bed, and just felt like someone had shut her in an oven. When she got better afterwords, the white coats all got excited and started talking about their success. She didn't want to talk about the white place though, she just wanted to forget all about it.
   She really wished the giant...Geoff? Would stop asking about it.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:01, Tue 10 Jan 2006.

Geoff looked to Lei with interest as he saw her nod. "So somebody did get better? Who? How? I mean, look, I know ya may not wanna talk 'bout none o' this. I mean, if I had been messed with by a bunch o' doctors and then shoved into a crate, I wouldn't be too thrilled ta talk 'bout it neither. But Charlie and the Doc are sick and it sounds like they have whatever it is some o' those people back where y'all came from had. If somebody got better, that means there's some way ta get Charlie and the Doc better too. So please, tell me whatever ya know. Anythin' is better than knowin' nothin'.", he said in as soft a tone as he could muster.

   Lei cringed back a bit from Geoff, hearing a slight note of desperation in his voice. She didn't really know how, but she knew who. Lifting her right hand, she shakily pointed at Tate, then turned her hand around to point at herself. She didn't know how to answer any other way.

Geoff nodded lightly to Tate and Lei before sighing lightly. "That's fine. If ya don't want ta talk 'bout it no more, we don't hafta. Ya both helped me out by talkin' as much as ya did.", he said before shrugging to himself and looking thoughtful,"Hmmm. Listen, I gotta go talk to the Cap'n. Now, I know y'all don't necessarily trust me or like me that much, but I need ya ta listen ta me right now. Y'all, please, stay put here. Don't go to inta the infirmary and don't be goin' out into the rest o' the ship. The comm is right there if ya need anythin' so ya just use it ta call me up and I'll come right back down. Ok?" With that, he looked to both the kids once more, smiling lightly to them, before turning and leaving the passenger's quarters so he could go find the captain.

---->Bridge

   Lei looked up once she could hear Geoff leaving. He'd finally stopped asking her questions, which was good. Unfortunately, she could see into the infirmary from her seat, and it didn't look like things were going to get better there. She started wishing that she didn't leave the blanket behind when she ran down here, maybe if she had it to hide under, the doctors wouldn't see her when they came to take Charlie and the others away...

Tate peered curiously into the room with the doctor as Geoff went inside ... they were sick in there ... they didn't have long.  He back away as Geoff came out of the room, the back of his knees hitting the coffee table.  Where was Geoff taking the sick girl?  Only the doctors were supposed to take people away.

   Lei kept watching everything that was happening in the infirmary. It just kept looking like it was getting worse. Although it was different from the white place here. For one thing, the doctors never got sick back there, it was always the kids. For another, the doctors there were all so cold and clinical. Here, she could see the panic clearly in the way people acted and talked.
   She watched Geoff charge into the infirmary, and then carry Charlie out a short while later. Strange. Geoff was big enough to be one of the ones who always took people away, but he didn't talk in the same way, or dress the same. Lei was having trouble deciding if he was one of them or not.
   Maybe if she followed him to see what he did with Charlie, she'd be able to decide... Followed him real quietly.
   Lei stood up, and doing a wide circle to avoid the door to the infirmary, followed Geoff to the cargo hold.

   ((To: Cargo bay.))

   ((From: Cargo bay.))
   Lei slowed down from her short run before entering the room. She stood in the middle of the room wondering what to do. Maybe if she went to hide in the bunk, she could lock the door behind her and then even if they did come onboard, they wouldn't be able to find her.
   No, they'd only come on board if the plan went badly, and she should hear it if things go wrong. She doubted Geoff would stay quiet if they did... Here should be hidden enough for now. But the plan would only work if they all stayed hidden...
   Looking around the room quickly, she soon spotted Tate, still where she last saw him. Good. That only left Sephone. Lei creeped across to the door into the infirmary, still not really wanting to go in. She hid behind the wall at one side of the door, and cautiously looked around the doorframe. Good, Seph was still there... But...

Tate watches as the other girl comes back into the room, she looks scared - even more scared then before.  Something was happening, something big, and Tate had a feeling Geoff was a part of it.  He moved to the far end of the room where he could look down the hallway that lead to the big room, but the doors were shut and he couldn't see anything.

Tate crept forward silently, looking around to make sure that no one was watching.  Something told him that Geoff was in danger, he could sense it.  There was something very bad going to happen.  He pushed open the hallway door and slipped into the big room.

--------Cargo Bay----------->

   Lei heard some loud bangs from the back of the ship. Without waiting to see what it was, she bolted for the bunk. Whatever made those sounds wasn't good.
   ((To: Charlie's bunk))

Having precured the meds from Londinium all onboard Destiny have been vaccinated.  The recovering crew took refuge on the Gypsy planet Paquin where they buried the two children, Sephone and Tate, who were lost on their last mission.  Now that everyone is back on their feet Destiny is looking for work once more, while trying to avoid a very angry Cortez, Alliance patrols, and Bosik's men.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:00, Sun 29 Jan 2006.

Kendra, very well rested now, sits in the Passenger's quarters, with a small kettle of tea, and mug on the table nearby. She is reading one of the medical books on diseases and virusis she found in the infirmary.

"This here is the passenger's quarters, infirmaries through those doors, and you can take the bunk just through there." he motioned to one of the spare bunks.  "We've got three other passengers on-board currently, the only room I recommmend staying away from is that one though." he said, grinning roughishly as he pointed to Kyron's door "Unless you feel like dealin' with a stuffy core-worlder hun dun who's cost me an' my ship more trouble then he's worth.  If you go back up into the cargo bay and up the stairs you'll find the dining hall.  Front of the ship is off limits as that's the bridge and crew bunks." he smiled at the woman, "Hope ya like it here, if you need anything, just give a holler."

Wei-Li nods, memorizing the layout.  "In which case, I'll need to give you the activation codes for the beacons on the different units...

She paused and them laughs.  "By the way-- what's my last name going to be?"

Geoff followed beind the captain and the new passenger after a little while, smiling a bit sheepishly and shrugging. He had honestly nothing to do and he figured that he wouldn't be in the way all that much if he just followed after them. He walks slowly, his hands in his pockets and his gaze traveling about the room.


((If I'm intruding on plot, I'll leave. Just here so Acacia and Charlie can apparently tease me with things of a woman upon woman nature. Don't mind me.))

Wei-Li smiles when she sees Geoff Coming their way, then turns back to the Captain. "I'll also need to know where the air-lock is."

   ((From: Cargo bay))
   Lei wanders in with a big armful of cushions, which she dumps onto one of the couches in a heap. Looking around, she could see the captain still giving the new guest a tour, and Geoff standing around looking bored. It looked like Acacia and Charlie were doing something interesting in the infirmary. Acacia seemed nice, but Lei still didn't like the room she seemes to spend half her time in.
   She wandered out again, in the search for something to do.

   ((To: Cargo bay -> Dining hall -> Bridge.
     Pity we don't really have a Ren for me to annoy...))

Kale grinned at the woman, "I've got you in the passenger log as Wei-Li Steal, seemed fittin'." he said with a shrug. "And go ahead and just get the beacon codes to us on the bridge and when we reach our first unit I'll go over the black walk procedures here and show ya to the airlock."

Wei-Li smiles and laughs at the name.  "Fair enough," she says, her eyes sparkling.

Wei-Li holds up her finger.  "Here," she said reaching into her jacket pocket and pulling out a pocket computer, she turned it on and showed the Captain.  "Here... I won't need this until we get back.  The codes are right here... "

She showed Kale the unit and tapped on the icon reading 'CryStat'.  This opened up another screen with 12 units listed.  "We're going after 4-9 this trip"

Geoff had been standing and looking about, his hands clasped behind his head and humming a light tune, when his gaze moved over the infirmary window and he was forced to pause. He arched a brow and had to look again to make sure he's seeing things right. Well, hello there... What the ruttin' hell's goin' on there? If I didn't know better I'd think...no. Don't think it, Geoff. Once ya acknowledge it, ya wake up. Probably nothin' goin' on anyway. Just a check up...without instruments....yeah..., he thought to himself as his gaze lingers on the scene within the infirmary.

Once she was sure the Captain could read the frequencies, she excused herself and headed back towards the cargo bay to pick up her personal items.

She paused when she saw Geoff, and then followed his gaze.

Her eyes widened when she realized what he was doing, then she cleared her throat.  "Excuse me, she said, indicating that she needed to get by.

Kendra walks brisly past Geoff and slaps him gently upside the head, as she finishes her route into the passenger's quarters.

Wei-li's eyes widened in disbelief, her smile broadening.  She was definitely going to need to introduce herself to that woman.

She moved past Geoff, grabbed her personal gear and headed back to her Cabin.

[to Cargo Bay]
[Back to Passenger's Quarters]
[and into her room]
This message was last edited by the player at 05:05, Fri 20 Jan 2006.

Geoff snaps to attention at the slap and looks about as if he were just caught stealing. "I didn't see nothin'!! I wasn't doin' nothin'! Ya can't prove anythin'!!", he cried as he looked about, feeling a very nostalgic feeling. Far too much like that one time back home in that bath house.....way too much. He then smiled sheepishly to those around him and cleared his throat. "Uh...I mean, hey. How's it goin'?"
This message was last edited by the player at 05:00, Fri 20 Jan 2006.

Just as Kendra enters her bunk, she turns to Geoff - lowers and shakes her head, eyebrows raised, eyes wide. She opens door and enters.

Geoff cleared his throat and composed himself quickly after Kendra went inside her room and he quickly left the passenger's quarters. He was still not quite sure what it was he just saw, but he figures he can sort it out better.....in his bunk....with his posters as reference tools. Yeah...that's it.

--------->Geoff's Bunk

Rhaef walks in the passenger quarters a few minutes behind Kendra, although long enough to have missed the show that set everyone off. He saw Kale heading toward the bridge. He quickened his pace to catch up with him, "Kale, a moment and a word, please? "

Kale nodded his understanding as Wei-Li handed him the pocket computer, and pointed out the codes for the beacons they'd be needing.  As she left he familiarized himself with the device and then turned for the bridge in hopes of finding Rhaef.  He didn't have to go far though as Rhaef entered the passenger quarters.

"Just about ta go lookin' for ya." he said, "What's up?"

"Just wondering what we had left to do pre-flight, Captain. And to second Charlie's suggestion that we get more fuel here. Don't rightly know what your fare is planning to do, but if we end up running are we gonna have enough fuel?" Rhaef replied. "You were looking for me though?"

"Ren's got all the flight procedures under way so we're good to go there.  You an' Charlie are worried about the fuel though?" he said, he hadn't been planning on re-fueling just yet, money was tight - but Charlie knew this boat's inner-workings better then anyone and he had come to rely on Rhaef's hunches about things.  "Alright," he said nodding, "We re-fuel - and then hope this job goes smooth."

Then he held out the pocket computer, "Wei-Li's got all the beacon activation codes on here for when we get closer to the units, if you could give Ren this, he'll need it.  Also," he glanced around to make sure Wei-Li was not within ear shot, "keep an' eye on her.  The girl's excels in slight of hand - don' want to drop her back off when all's said an' done to find we've been robbed blind.  You're good at that catchin' that sorta thing - so keep an' eye out."

Wei Li started to go through her gear and realized on key item she had forgotten.  She pulled out the envelope with the money inside.  'The Captain will be wanting this..."

She stepped out and looked for the Captain.  Seeing him talking to someone she waited, holding the envelope up so that Kale could see it if he looked her way.

Rhaef took the machine from Kale, and noticing their new fare from the corner of his eye, he replied, "Sounds good, Cap. Just don't want to end up on some god-forsaken mud-ball with no fuel, best not take any chances. Just doing my part to keep an eye on things." With that he departed, and headed to the bridge to get the device to Ren.

---> To Bridge

Acacia emerges from the Infirmary, she looked back to see if Charlie was lagging too far behind.  She straightened out her lab coat, and noted again she realy needed to get some clean clothes from her bunk.  Day old Cargos and a tank are not the best choice.

As Rhaef passed the infirmary, he nearly bumped into the doc and Charlie. "Excuse me, Doc. Hey Charlie. Cap's gonna get the bird re-fueled before we leave. Just thought you should know."

---> Continuing to the Bridge

Kale watched Rhaef leave and then turned to see Wei-Li standing near-by waving an envelope at him.  Hoping she hadn't heard his caution to Rhaef he walked over, "Ah, you wrote me letter?" he said with a laugh, "How nice of ya."

Wei-Li smiled and laughed.  "Well, if you'd rather a letter... I could write you one-- but I think you might want this more... "

She said holding the envelope out.

Kale took the envelope and opened it.  It was the creds she had promised up front, and smile spread across his face. "Nah, this is better then a letter any day." he said with a wink.  He'd have to go find Charlie, see about getting the fuel cells filled now that he had some cold hard cash in hand.  He looked back at Wei-Li, "Now you go ahead and make yerself at home - got some business to attend to, we'll be taking off in the morning." and he went to find Charlie.

------To wherever Charlie is-------->

Wei-Li nods and heads back to her cabin to get things organized, figuring that once she's done that she'll make one last inspection on her equipment and her suit and call it a night.

It took Wei-Li a half an hour to get everything situationed and become familiar with her quarters before she felt she was ready to maker her one last systems check.

She slipped out into the corridor and looked around, taking time to get herself oriented.

With a smile she turned back towards the cargo bay.  She let the ritual prepeartions soothe her nerves.  She was always nervous when it came to going out into the black.  She knew once they were there, it would be wonderful, but it always felt as if Paquin was fighting the process-- trying to hold onto the ship, reluctant to let go of its prize.

-----To Cargo Bay------>

Wei-Li let out a sigh of relief as she reached her cabin.  She prefered to be alone during lift off... If she was lucky, she could tune out the vibrations and not think about the effort it would take to escape the bonds of gravity.

Sometimes, even a week could seem like forever.

Kendra enters the PQ after stopping by her bunk to grab a book. She sits down on the couch and reads, ready for take off into the black.

Wei-Li blinked as she woke up.  The room was dark, except for the faint glow along one wall.  She was disoriented for a moment until she remembered where she was.

She turned on the light and looked around, realizing she had no idea how long she'd been asleep.  She decided she wasn't hungry yet, but she was full of nervous tension.

She tried to sit back down, but realized it was a loosing battle.  She needed to do something... maybe a workout was in order.

She paused, remembering how two of the support pillars had enough head clearance... she could practice slack rope walking.

She practically bounced out of her quarters and headed for the Cargo Bay.

------ To Cargo Bay------>

Kendra looks up from her reading, at the sound of chatting and laughter. She watches and admires Wei-Li's obvious talents and laughes silently at the flirtatious dance between Geoff and Wei-Li. Not wanting to interupt she stays and bids her time before meeting up with Wei-Li.

When Wei-Li passed by the infirmary, she saw no one there.  She figured she'd check in later since they were ahead of schedule.

She moved on to her quarters to log the failures and start working on what went wrong while it was fresh in her mind.

Wei-Li reviewed her notes, making sure they were complete and then looked at the last box in her log... the one for the Doctor's sign off.  With a sigh she marked the page and got up.

'Time to get checked out I guess she thought.

----- To Infirmary ------>

After getting their ship back the crew of Destiny began to pick up the pieces that Kyron had shattered.  Against most of the crews wishes Kyron was kept alive - although no official plans had yet been made for what to do with him when it became apparent that Wei-Li was falling into critical condition. Destiny needed medical help and fast.  They made way for the nearest planet at the time - Orisis.

   Lei was just idly sitting, playing with an old battered deck of cards she had found. When she'd woken up earlier, Geoff had told her that Kyron was safely locked up, so it was safe here again.
   She lifted the next two cards from the deck, getting ready to balance them on the third layer of the tower she was building. It kept her occupied.
   Then the Captain's message blared over the intercomm. She dropped the cards, accidentally knocking over the rest of the tower, and jumped up. The captain didn't sound happy at all, things weren't shiny. She knew something had to be wrong, so she dropped everything, and started running towards the shuttles on the upper level.

   ((To: Cargo bay -> Dining hall -> Entrance to shuttle 1))

After the fire fight at the Grand Yacht Party Kale worked out an arrangement with the Caddigan's.  Conveniently, the crews good friend Kyron Bates footed the bill with his bank card that he accidently dropped during his hijack attempt and which Wei-Li luckily found.  So finally the crew returned home ... back to Destiny.  Although slightly worse for wear.

They had been out in the black for a few days when Kale recieved a wave from his good friend and old professor, Walton Squires.  It was a pleasant surprise to recieve an invitation to his home on Regina and also to hear that he had a job for them ...

Lei sat quietly on one of the couches in the passengers quarters, a book propped up against her knees.  Geoff had looked at her increduously when she had taken up reading technical manuals but Lei found them absolutely fascinating.  Much more so then the storybooks that Charlie's bunk was full of.  Those stories didn't mean anything, they weren't real.  These however offered her solid facts and information that Lei could store away.

Mostly Lei read however to forget about all that had happened.  Geoff said that his magical forgetting drink did the trick ... but Lei didn't like that stuff and so she found that she could distract her mind from thoughts that she didn't want to have.  And Lei had a lot of those.  She had very carefully been avoiding Rhaef and Wei-Li for the past few days.  She was fairly certain that they were not one of the 'bad people' but she could be entirely sure so she felt it best to stay out of their way.

She was happy to be back on Destiny.  Lei had never had a home before, she had never even known what a home was, but the way Geoff explained it, it was someplace that you liked to be more then any place else.  A home was where your family lived and the place that you felt comfortable and happy in.  Lei felt happy on Destiny.

After a while Lei heard her stomach growl at her.  She knew that it was merely her hypothalamus sending a message to her stomach and intestines, causing them to begin releasing the acids and digestive fluids neccessary for her body to consume food (she had been reading many of Acacia's medical volumes as well), but it sounded like a monster.  A monster growling in her stomach.  Whichever way you looked at it however it meant that she was in need of food.  So she closed the book in her lap and lugged it upstairs with her to the dining hall.

----- Cargo Bay ---- Dining Hall -->
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:05, Thu 06 Apr 2006.

[From Destiny: Cargo Bay]

Geoff glanced back at Wei-Li as she spoke, "Ya, mean back there with the Cap'n an' Rhaef?" he deposited his armful of books into Lei's bunk (which used to be Charlie's) and stepped into the passenger's quarters common area, "Heh, I wouldn't really know 'bout that.  Not havin' a family ta speak of."

Lei followed behind Geoff with books in her hand. She began to organize them in the room. Deciding to give them a call number that she created in her head based on various information about the publishers and author.

Wei-Li handed her pile of books to Geoff and shrugged.  "Sorry.. I keep forgetting... she said, flopping into a chair.

"Me.. I think I have too much family... its..." she sat up and looked at him.

"Its kinda like the crew here... where you look out for eachother, but its more than that.. and when Mom and dad fight..." she shook her head.  "... Everybody finds someplace else to be..."

Geoff chuckled, "Well, I don' know about you but I don't really think 'o Kale an' Rhaef as mom an' dad ... that picture's all sorts of wrong in my head.  But I think I get what ya mean.  Hell, here we are stayin' here in the passenger quarters while the storm blows on over."  he said, sitting down in the chair next to Wei-Li - a little too concious of the fact that their legs were touching now cause in all fairness the chair wasn't exactly big enough for the both of them.  He actually found the feeling kinda nice, but he scooted over a tad, not knowing how Wei-Li would feel about it.  She was a bit naive he had discovered about such things, he didn't want to offend her or nothing.

"Its got its good points and bad.  You've got folks watching out for you...but.. .you also have folks interering with everything... " she tried to explain.

"I just... " She sighed and looked at Geoff.  "Kale told me... Fed's have grounded my folks... I go  home... " she bit her lip and looked at him.  "I can never leave..."

Geoff looked over at her.  He didn't much like the idea of her leaving - and never coming back.  No he didn't really like that idea at all, "Now that just ain't right, folks weren't meant ta be stayin' put their whole lives.  Way I see it the 'Verse is so big cause we're supposed ta have options, ya know?  Freedom to move 'bout as we choose.  It'd be a damn shame if you were stuck on Paquin, mind ya it's a nice planet an' all - I'm not sayin' nothing against it just -" he thought for a moment, "Are you goin' back?" he asked.

Wei-li shrugged.  "I don't know... I..." she looked at him.  "This is the longest I've been away from my family... and... If I stay out... I can't talk to them without fear a' being picked up..."

She sighed again  It was hard to explain.

"Well, I guess this is just somethin' you have to figure out fer yerself." Geoff said, not really knowing what else to say.  He'd never really had a problem like this, with family matters and such, he was lost on how to help Wei-Li deal with it.

"Come on." Geoff said as Kale's voice announced a meeting in the cargo bay.  He waited for Wei-Li to get up as well, as he walked by Lei's room he called in, "All hands includes you little lady, come on."

[To Destiny: Cargo Bay]

Wei-Li sighed as she got up.  There was so much more she wanted to ask but she wean't even sure what exactly she was looking for with Geoff.

She smiled as he waited for Lei and then walked with them to the cargo bay.

---->To Cargo bay

Lei had finished arranging her books just so. They were categorized easily and although she had read some of the most important issues, she looked forward to reading them again.

She gut up and brushed dust from her clothes as she heard the announcement and then Geoff calling for her. She headed toward him and grabbed his hand, following them to the Cargo bay.

----> Cargobay

Wei-Li quickly kicked off her shoes as she entered her compartment and quickly pulled out a pair of worn, soft shoes.  She knew she didn't really need them, but the shoes would serve as a reminder to be light on her feet.

She quickly slipped them on and did a low deep stretch before giving the room a quick look around and heading back to the cargo bay.

---> TO Cargo Bay.

After successfully delivering the stamp to the Professor and despite the loss of their first mate, the crew of Destiny headed back into the black.  Back to work.  A few jobs later has left them with a crate from Xiaygin to be delivered to Torrance Station.  They've just docked at the space station located on the rim.

Its now been almost a month since the museum job and Rhaef leaving - the wounds are healing but they haven't been forgotten yet.

Lei cocked her head to the side as she looked at the tubing she had just installed into the hydroponic system, she still needed a few parts in order to make the system operational.  The Captain hadn't let her get off the ship at their last two stops though and had given her a highly annoyed look when she kept asking.  So Lei had given in to waiting.  And she had discovered that she wan't an extremely patient person.

She looked up when she heard voices in the cargo bay, and like she had done at the last two ports she made her way quietly towards them.  She'd listen and see if perhaps this time she'd be allowed to get off.  If not then she'd head back to her bunk.

[To Destiny: Cargo Bay]

After their daring escape from Torrance Station the crew of Destiny was left broken and beaten ... and one crew member short.  The mourning had just begun for the crew but they had to press on.  They dropped the young boy which Kale, Geoff, and Wei-Li had saved off with his father and then turned to Paquin for Ren's funeral.  It was a short trip that left all of them with heavy hearts but Ren's death had effected no one as hard as Acacia.  So two weeks later found the crew of Destiny on Osiris saying goodbye to their doctor.

And although he was millions of miles away, as Destiny and her crew suffered ... so did Rhaef ...

The crew of Destiny has finally managed to get itself back on its feet.  After a trying past few months things are starting to go back to normal.  The absence of Ren and Acacia is still felt but the ships newest members have begun to find a home on board the old freighter.  Most relationships have been mended and although there are still some unanswered questions between members of the crew life has been peaceful.

However, after a few months of excitement and trials the crew has discovered that the cash flow has come to a sputtering halt.  The crew needs a job and soon.  First rule of the black is to keep flying.  Fortunately, one of Kale's contacts managed to put him in touch with the infamous Sin Twins.  The girls are probably the most ... unpredictable of contacts, one can never be quite certain what they're getting into when dealing with them.  But one thing is for certain, the pay-out is always good.  The crew has set up a meeting with the twins in a casino on Santo to get more details about the possible job.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:40, Fri 25 Apr 2014.

[From Destiny: Cargo Bay]

Lei moved quietly into the empty common area for the passenger quarters, not that passengers ever really used the space.  Wei-Li didn't count anymore cause she was crew now, even though her bunk was down here, so the comfy couches were used mainly by the crew.

Settling into a big chair Lei, set her purple bear on the couch beside her and pulled her book up from the small end table where she had left it.  She'd already read this one, in fact, she'd already read all the books that the Professor had lent her - multiple times.  Lei was a very fast reader but she found with each reread she had new thoughts about a subject.  This particular book was about horticulture, not exactly Lei's favorite subject but she found it interesting none the less.

After reading for a while Lei realized that she was supposed to be meeting with Kyoko for a lesson.  It was unlike her but she had completely forgotten due to the excitement of going to the arcade.  She had a feeling that Kyoko wouldn't be happy that the reason that Lei was late was because Dake had decided to take her out to play games.

She quickly marked her place in her book and hurried up towards the companions shuttle.

[To Destiny: Kyoko's Shuttle]