Blake spends his own time poking and looking.  Anyone raises an eyebrow Scout service, you know.

Linus found his way down to the galley and poked his head around the door.

"Hi there. I'm Linus. Do you need a hand with anything? I used to run a bar and quite frankly I'm getting bored sitting around being a passenger."

In reply to Linus Spruance (msg # 83):

The head chef was a middle-aged woman with red hair. She smiled and nodded.

"Oh yeah! We could really use a professional bartender! I'm Cindy. I've seen you around. What's your name, hun?"

"Linus Spruance, Ma'am," said Linus, coming in.

"I know my way around a kitchen as well as being able to tend bar. Used to have my own place, served food and drinks both."

In reply to Linus Spruance (msg # 85):

"Fine, fine.

"If you like to cook, we can find a place for you in the kitchen.

"Otherwise, you can serve behind the bar. Are you familiar with the POS system? It's a standard tavern/restaurant computer setup."

"If it's standard it's probably something I can use," said Linus. "Let's have a look... As for what I do, whatever you need. If a bar tender is of more use..."

In reply to Linus Spruance (msg # 87):

"No, we haven't had a competent bartender here for a while. Things have really suffered!

"You know, you don't sound too confident with using the computer. I'll key in my ID and show you how to ring in sales. This may be a charter but the booze isn't free! After that I'll show you where we keep stuff behind the bar, and maybe you can help out in the kitchen as well."

Cindy keyed in her ID to the terminal by the bar, then started up the POS (Point Of Sales) system. This would track sales and inventory. She then explained a little of how things worked in the common lounge, but not that in depth as it was apparent Linus was experienced.
This message was last updated by the GM at 21:44, Wed 09 Nov 2016.

"Thanks," Linus watched what Cindy did.

"Ah yes. It's similar to the system I had in my bar, but from a different company, that's all. It's just getting used to what's where."

In reply to Linus Spruance (msg # 89):

"I see you're getting the hang of it. I'm going to set you up with temporary access so you can run the computer. In the meantime, get yourself more familiar with the system."

She left him at the terminal to go and create a low-level account for him to use. He knew he would have a minute of so at most to find the information he was looking before she logged in at her desk and logged him out!

Linus wasted no time in pulling up 'manifest' and e-mailing a copy to himself at his regular guest account. Then he went back to playing with the bar POS software.

In reply to Linus Spruance (msg # 91):

Linus didn't have a lot of time to copy what he thought were the correct files. Fortunately his experience in shipboard logistics and computers made the task easier than it might have been under pressing circumstances. He was done by the time Cindy logged herself in at the office terminal, logging herself out of the POS terminal.

Meanwhile, Neva tried to figure out if there were any good hiding places onboard. Mainly those big enough to hide personnel. The answer was: probably. For one, this ship was a commercial modification of a military design. Retrofitting usually left a few cubbyholes and irregular spaces. These would be hidden behind false walls and ceilings, reached through locked hatches and access panels. As well the new lab spaces had storage and isolation rooms that would be difficult, but not impossible, to get a look inside. Plus, the 800 ton ship had copious lockers, storage bays, different sets of crew quarters, even small craft to look through.

Blake stops by the quartermaster for permission to check on their cargo.  it will be a long term assignment during their jump and approach, confirming what is where, how much is in each container, diagnostic checks, fittings, calibrations, yada - yada - yada.  The science types got expensive and finicky gear, and yes, scouts are expected to know where all of their stuff is at all times.

In reply to Blake Renfield (msg # 93):

The ship's Quartermaster replied, "I guess so. It's a little late now. We're not going back if there's a problem! Your gear is stowed in hold 1B."

Linus, hoping he'd grabbed the right file to e-mail to his own account, settled down to master the bar system and see what they had in stock.

Ken meanwhile worked out and helped Lorain with preparations and planning while the experts did their sneakiness.

You got that right.  1 Beta huh, OK, thanks.  Nothing dangerous next door I hope.

Neva causally continued her walks around the ship, making mental notes on the best places for the cubbyholes.  She smiled as she thought about how many homeless could make their homes in those spaces left open on a ship.  Once she was back in her area she would pull up the schematics of the ship (if possible) and map out what she walked with what was said.

In reply to Blake Renfield (msg # 97):

"Define "dangerous"?" asked the Quartermaster.

In reply to Quartermater (msg # 99):

Walker ensconced himself in his quarters, and took a nap.  Not his ship, not his problem.  This was going to be a long trip.

Barks, bites, jabs, stabs, shoots, ex-spouses, special handling, radioactives, and anything on the haz-mat listings, for starters.

In reply to Blake Renfield (msg # 101):

"Ha ha! No, nothing like that. There are just a lot of supplies, plus there are dis-mountable fuel tanks in some of the other holds. I guess you wouldn't want to take a swim in liquid hydrogen.

"When are you going to take a look? The door requires authorisation. Part of standard anti-piracy protocols."

In reply to Neva Alexovna Morozova (msg # 98):

On her earlier wanderings, Neva discovered that the cargo holds, Bridge, Gunnery, Engineering and cutter berthing decks were off-limits to non-ship's crew. The entry points for these areas and other transit spaces were covered by CCTV (Closed Circuit TV) cameras. This was pretty standard anti-hijack protocol for a commercial vessel, but mainly typical of ones with passengers aboard. It did seem a little over the top for a chartered research/survey vessel.

This time around, it seemed like most places you could stash someone was in many of these areas! While Neva was treating the ship's crew with some suspicion the natural assumption was the other way around: threats would come from passengers like Neva and it was they they crew held in some degree of suspicion. Therefore it wasn't entirely surprising there were areas she was locked out of if the ship was operating a normal anti-piracy program.

In reply to Quartermaster (msg # 102):

Not getting an answer from Blake, the Quartermaster says to just let him know when Blake wants to visit the hold and he'll authorise it.

Meanwhile, the Inquisitor continued its boost to the outer system. This took a period of days and did not include the usual flip-over and deceleration. On the contrary they wanted to build up as much speed as possible along the rough direction of travel for the Sky Raider mothership.

Reaching the edge of the Saulente solar system the Inquisitor's navigator engaged the custom astronomy program supplied by the institute. This program was specifically written to use the ship's upgraded sensors (mainly passive EMS like visible light, IR and microwave telescopes but also neutrino and densitometer readings) to scan the sector of deep space where the mothership was expected to be located.

The mothership, of course, wasn't stationary either. It had been coasting, adrift, for millennia and was still travelling at around .005-.01C. At that speed there should be a faint but detectable "bow wave" as it plowed through the thin but still present clouds of interstellar gas (hydrogen and helium) and dust. This created a weak thermal and electromagnetic signature.

Overall, it was expected that they could be searching for several months before they got a hit. At that point they could be through Saulente's Oort Cloud and even the Kuiper Belt, perhaps entering interstellar space itself.

Blake answers that he will in and out depending on what the geek types want.  He will also be running his own checks on what, where, and how many.  Once he has the list from Linus, he will start the checking, speak with the science-types about what they need to see and test, and so on.

Blake will also speak to the captain/XO about bridge access.  He will want to also see the science findings, sensor results, and the navigation calculations to get there and return plus the local stellar/interstellar data.  Some of the science types may also want to review these findings, probably remotely via their data pads and such.

And yes, how does this bigger ship than a scout ship compare in flight characteristics ...  Blake may have some scout tender duty to compare it to.  Mariel may need this information too plus the above.

Lastly, Blake will review the vid footage concerning the craft they wandered thru.  Would it be possible to pilot it ??  If the prof's can translate any wording and numbers from the panels and controls, he will copy it to his and Mariel's data pads.
Also, what does the crew know about this mission ??  Forgot about that tidbit ...

Ken poked around as the ship cruised outward into the depths of the system.  He continued to work with Lorain but also hung about the survey instruments and assisted or at least watched.