Ledo was up in the control room trying to keep track of many operations at once. He had an external camera fixed on the struggle between Silver, Rig and the one pilot, he had another camera in the cargo bay watching BB prepare for whoever was inside the escape pod, and then another eye on the scanners.

Fritz wouldn't talk to BB directly, instead he would talk to the rest of the crew, probably Ledo or Tepha at this point, and they would relay it back.

In reply to Gary 'Rig' Rigan (msg # 83):

You slip the patch onto Mr. Rifle's air tank Rig.  Air, sweet air, starts to flow in.  You're still at danger levels.  But...if Silver can hold this guy a bit longer...

Let's have ol' Silver make another combat roll please.  To keep Mr. Rifle standing still.

---

Okay.  Wasn't sure if Fritz was allowed to rely directly to BB or not,

Tepha.  I'm gettign some data from the life pod.  It has four cryo units inside.  But one was occupied.  When we boarded the pod into the hold, the pod's sensors tripped the thaw function on that unit.

From what I can tell...that guy who was in there?  He's been in freeze for at least a year.

---

BB, you are seeing definite movement.  A hand slaps down on the hatch window.  Then drags off.  You hear some thumping from inside.  Like someone is banging on the door.

"Easy does it. Just hold 'er steady now..."

The guy flail and shove all he wanted but from this position it would be hard to get the leverage needed to override her magnetic boots on full power. Not impossible, but very very difficult, especially while your air was being siphoned off.


14:25, Today: Silver rolled 8 using 2d6+1.  keep 'em pinned.

Hopefully that's a pass. The goal is to get enough air so Rig can make the transfer and hopefully get this guy to pass out from exhaustion so they can send his limp body over for the brig.

Tepha frowned at Fritz's assessment and relayed the information to BB.

"Hey BB, our sensors show someone inside and...well...they've been in the freeze for awhile now. This isn't anyone we faced in the recent battle so be prepared."

BB wasn't going to move a muscle. Either this guy would calm down long enough to figure out how to pop the hatch or he would  work himself to exhaustion. Either way she wasn't going to move from her defensive barricade until that guy inside stopped moving.

"Hey Tepha, is it possible to patch into the comms for the lifepod? Get this fella to settle down so I don't have to fill him with lead?"</b>

Back up in the bridge, Tepha  started poking around to see if she could get a signal into the lifepod.

"Attention rescued lifepod. I understand you're confused and unaware of what is going on but you need to acknowledge this message and calm down. We can open up the pod and rescue you but we need to make sure you're not going to harm us or yourself in the process. Please acknowledge."

In reply to BB Nova (msg # 88):

Mr. Rifle manages to get an elbow into your side Silver, and starts to try to get some leverage...

We tied.  Another roll please.  Thanks

---

The patch into the pod's systems is surprisingly easy Tepha.  Though the cameras are down.

Soon, you can hear a man screaming.

"They're in my eyes!  They're in my eyes!  Please!  Please take them outta my eyes!"

Fritz comes on your line Tepha.  Got the life pod records from the pod.  He was frozen with a high level of dopamine.  Like really high.  I think he was frozen while drugged.

Oh. I gotta an ID on him.  He's the kidnapped son of a noble over in the Egypt system.  Kla Mirken.  He's been missing for about six years.

Silver was tempted to give out a pithy quip but she had to be honest with herself that she was barely holding on and needed all her focus on keeping this guy pinned.


10:30, Today: Silver rolled 8 using 2d6+1.  keep 'em pinned.

Tepha frowned at that information. If he was drugged that might make things considerably more difficult.

"Is it dangerous? Can we just wait it out?"

She hit the button to open up the comms back to the lifepod. Tepha did her best to adopt a soothing, motherly voice. She was just the calming presence this guy was needed if her words could just sink in.

"We will get them out of your eyes but we need you to hold still. We don't want anyone to get hurt so please, just hold still."

10:37, Today: Tepha Pezal rolled 8 using 2d6+2.  persuasion.

In reply to Tepha Pezal (msg # 91):

Mr. Rifle can't seem to make a quip either.  It might be because he's running out of air.

Rig, you're feeling better.  Suit's at about 57%.  In the stable range.

Mr. Rifle's movements are getting weaker.

---

Never mind that.  Did Tepha actually make a roll?

She did!!!! She did!!!!!! Tepha succeeded on a roll!!!!!

Oh!  This is like that moment on the Charlie Brown Christmas Special where the sad little Charlie Brown tree becomes a beautiful pine!

Oh happy dance!  Oh happy dance!

BB, you notice the thrashing in the life pod has subsided for a second.

You can hear hoarse panting over the intercom Tepha.  "...plllleeeez...get 'em outta my eyes...plllleeeaz momma....please...."

He called you Mom Tepha!  He's like my brother now, isn't he?

The records on the life pod's autodoc aren't real through.  I can't tell what kind of poison it is.  His heart rate was waaaaay too high for someone coming out of cryo though.

I think he needs to be sedated and put into our autodoc.  Sooner rather than later.

Rig keeps an eye on the monitors trying to mentally judge  how much oxygen the guy would need for them to transit back to the Tia. For all they knew this guy was a civilian or had a giant bounty on his head. Either way better alive than dead.

BB was watching and waiting for when the call came through from Tepha.

"We think this is a hostage that was drugged up and then frozen. I think he's calmed down but go in carefully, and...uh...hold fire, right? Grab some sedatives from the first aid kit, get under, and then lets get him to the autodoc, okay?"


BB nodded to herself. She didn't like bagging live ones but a mission was a mission and given how much Nero was worth she figured this might get her yet another nice payday with minimal risk. Sure a drugged up person can do some damage, but probably not when faced with a fully armed and armored orbital drop marine.

BB went over to the first aid kit, went through the hypos until she found the sedatives and then went up to the escape pod to wade on in and drop her target...for his own own good of course.

In reply to BB Nova (msg # 94):

Of course.  It's not like BB would just want to punch someone up for no reason.

Her name's not Silver after all...

BB, you grab up a couple of ampules of BlizzOff...The Spacer's Friend.  That stuff should knock him out.

The hatch to the pod opens.  Probably Tepha triggering it from the Bridge.

Inside, the pod is a wreck.  A scrawny guy without a shirt is standing, staring at a wall comm.  Then at you.  He has permafrost in his hair and several patches of frostbite.  He did not dethaw well.

He blinks at you and then screams, "Mommy!  There's an ugly man here!"

He then turns and is trying to crawl up a storage locker to get to the ceiling.

---

That Rigg.  Always looking our for the little guy.

Make me a Vacc Suit/Edu roll for Rig's estimation please.

You don't become a seasoned career starship engineer without being able to calculate oxygen supplies off the top of your head. It might not be scientifically accurate but it'll get you in the ballpark and more importantly, get you on the right side of the "living or dead" line.


12:56, Today: Gary 'Rig' Rigan rolled 10 using 2d6+2.  vacc suit/edu.

BB didn't take offense to the guy's comment. Not only was he tripping balls but her armor wasn't exactly cut to accentuate her feminine wiles. She had been called far far worse during boot camp and on deployment and honestly she would rather deal with a straight up insult than whatever the hell dealing with Nero always got her. At least here she could punch the guy out and figure he deserved it. It's hard to justify roughing up your client just for being an annoying little shit.

BB tried her best to calm the guy as she slowly but surely got him into position to inject the drugs.

"Easy there, just a little something to let you take the edge off. Just helping bring you back to reality, that's all."

In reply to BB Nova (msg # 97):

You get the levels to even out Rig.  Enough to keep Mr. Rifle alive but not much else.  You can head back to Tia if you wish.

---

The guy blinks at you <puprle>BB</purple>.

You can try a Diplomacy/Edu roll if you like.  Figuring that's not BB's strong suit

Rig pushes off and away from the salvage operation heading towards the cargo bay of the Tia. It is easy enough to navigate the line they had set up to transfer cargo and salvage in, only this time he was moving the barely conscious form of Mr. Rifle. Hopefully this guy was worth the trouble they had just gone through.

BB was a complete stranger to diplomacy that wasn't at the barrel of a gun...


10:47, Today: BB Nova rolled 5 using 2d6-3.  diplomacy untrained.

In reply to BB Nova (msg # 100):

Rig, you come to the end of the tether in more ways than one, stepping down and pulling the semi-conscious Mr. Rifle down into the air lock with you.

Did Silver come along too?  Or is she still at the wreck?

BB, High Guy blinks at you, then suddenly rushes towards the intercom, screaming into it, "Mommy!  Mommy!  The ugly fat man wants to edge me off!"

BB paused a little at this remark. Fat? Really dude?"

On the comms Tepha put as much motherly calm into her voice as she replied.

"Calm down, dear. The...man just wants to help. Just relax and I promise you everything will feel better soon. You just have to let usu help."

Ayyye lookie there:
22:04, Today: Tepha Pezal rolled 13 using 2d6+2.  persuasion.

Silver was still on the wreck. Someone had to keep this salvage operation on schedule and it sure as hell wasn't going to be "Broadside of the Barn" Rig and his leaky suit.

Rig entered the airlock, dragging a semi-conscious pirate along with him.

"Ledo, get down here.  Help me secure this guy before he puts another hole in me."

Ledo didn't have to be told twice. He didn't like abandoning his post but it shouldn't take that long to strip this guy of weapons and toss him into the ship's brig.

In reply to Gary 'Rig' Rigan (msg # 105):

And that's when everything blows up!!!!

Not really.

Tepha got a 13??!!!??  Holy Muffins Prague Man!  She's on a roll!

The freaked out guy calms down under Tepha's gentle persuasion.  He even stops calling BB fat.

He soon has the downers in his system and is drooping like a toddler near nap time.

Mr. Rifle turns out to be a grizzled old guy with tats all over his face.  He seems to like the suit of clubs in cards as he has a lot of those cards inked on his neck.

He's suffering early stages of the Bends.  He'll need to go into the med bay.  But then so does droopy Frozen Guy.

Ledo, Rig, and BB ended up converging on the ship's medbay slash crew common area. Seeing the dilemma Ledo attempted to triage while Rig immediately began making sure the bends didn't kill their prisoner while BB flopped the cyro guy onto the medbay to get his levels...leveled off.



01:04, Today: Ledo Typhin rolled 7 using 2d6+1.  INT/Medical - Triage? Who needs care the most.
01:04, Today: Gary 'Rig' Rigan rolled 11 using 2d6+3.  EDU/Medical - standard "bends" treatments.

In reply to Ledo Typhin (msg # 107):

Rig already has his guy on the table Ledo.  So that must be the guy who needs help the most!

The medi-doc seals Mr. Rifle in a small pressurized chamber.  It starts to level him off.

Cryo Guy starts moaning.  "...mommy...I don't like uncle gary...he and his friends keep wanting to kill me..."