Re: Union dropship 'Raider'
[OOC: Catching up to landing time]
Jo listened to Dar talk about his life with a contemplative look on her face. On the one hand, a quiet life on a farm in the middle of nowhere sounded kind of like heaven. Peaceful, simple. But even as she thought it, something inside of her rebelled at the idea. She had never stayed anywhere for long, and as nice as that simple life looked at first glance, it also felt... small. Confining. She could well understand why Darius would have looked up to the stars for a way out, and why the promise of serving and protecting the Alliance might have appealed to him. Even if the Alliance recruiting ads were just so much hot air, it seemed to Jo that the ideals still held true for the big mechanic. The man who had instinctively put himself between a complete stranger and a bomb was the same one who had signed up for the Army. Not only to get away from a small life on a small planet, but simply to help people.
As he spoke about fighting, and the loss of Nineteenth, Jo reached out and touched his hand softly. A fleeting touch, sympathy and support. She had lost people too over the years, but she couldn't imagine loss on the scale of war. It wasn't something she had ever really had to think about. Now that she had signed on with the Raiders, though, that would change. It was a not a pleasant thought.
"I'm sorry. I can't imagine losing so many people you have worked so closely with. Probably should have thought about that before joining a merc crew, but..." Jo shrugged. Her briefly somber expression brightened suddenly. "No regrets, though. My day started off looking like I might spend some time in jail, and somehow it went from that, to this. A new job, off that particular rock, hands on a beautiful machine, drinking good beer with excellent company."
Jo leaned back with a happy sigh, the brief worry vanishing as quickly as it came. She was not one to dwell, and from where she sat, life was looking pretty damned good.
Hours passed in casual conversation about anything and everything. The announcement of their imminent arrival at the Raider base caught Jo by surprise; she had not realized how much time had passed. "Guess I better grab my things. I'll see you dirtside? I'm looking forward to seeing her in action," she said, running her hand along Ophelia's door before hopping lightly down and heading for the bunk to prepare for landing.
-> To: BR HQ - Barracks -> (then to Compound Grounds/present time)