An Alluring Escape

Started by Jesse, June 16, 2018, 09:17:09 PM

Jesse

It had been six months since Jesse had left Ariel.  At the time the Alliance was hot on her trail. They knew she was behind the multiple cyber crimes against their government facilities, along with the numerous shipments of supplies she had rerouted to the outer planets. Or they knew Rogue was behind it, whoever that might be.

Jesse sat quietly in one of the many dark corners of Londonium's underground.  Wearing a hoodie to cover her face , the light of her cortex pad lit up her face.  She was in the middle of changing the path of an Alliance shipment when an alert came up for Rogue in Londium.  She bit the inside of her cheek and chewed on it contemplating if she should finish what she was doing. It would be smarter not to....Jesse squinted at her screen in contemplation, screw it. She finished rerouting the shipment.

Jesse looked back at the notification, she needed to find a way out of here. She started a search for boats leaving the area, maybe she could get a job on one.  Most were passenger boats, that's where they'd expect her to go.  She chewed the inside of her cheek again, contemplating, until...The Allure. "hm..."  She looked further into it, the captain was...intriguing, the entire idea was something different.  She'd constantly be on the move, able to complete her work with out the alliance knowing where she was. "Alright Captain Marseille, looks like you're getting a new comptech." Jesse grinned, quite proud in her own handy work.  She put away her cortex and left her dark corner to find her new boat.

Elena

Preparations for The Allure's maiden voyage were well underway and most of the crew had been hand picked from a wellspring of potentials. The basics had been covered, the ship was being stocked and furnished, and Elena couldn't have been more proud. However, now was not the time to sit on her laurels. A couple open positions needed filling and there was still much to do before their ship's debut.

With that sobering thought in mind, the Companion sat in her quarters in the ship, a light breeze drifting through the ventilation to play with the soft silks and tapestries covering her walls in shades of crimson. She'd started to spend more and more time on the ship, wanting to get used to it before the rest of the crew joined her. From where she sat, Elena was surrounded by large plush pillows big enough to comfortably lounge upon, although she sat upright currently.

The faces of most of her new crew flashed across the screen built into her wall and she slid through the potentials for the rest of the open positions, a thoughtful look on her face. The House and the Guild had prepared a neat and orderly dossier for her to sort through, which she appreciated immensely. Still, they'd yet to come up with a suitable candidate for the Comp-tech position.

Or so she'd thought.

Elena's brows rose curiously at the new face and its corresponding file where there had been none before. It seemed as if the Guild had finally found a promising lead, one that was evidently hired already and was scheduled to take a look around the new ship. Today. Perfectly manicured brows furrowed in momentary frustration at the lack of notice, but she took a deep breath to center herself. She'd need to deal with on the fly decision making and less than ideal situations as Captain, so perhaps they were simply preparing her for such eventualities with this spur of the moment meeting.

With a gentle exhale, the woman stood and ran her hands over her crimson ghagra choli, the skirt, top and sari trimmed with shimmering gold embroidery. An equally exquisite gold hairpin held her dark tresses up in a stylish, albeit comfortable, bun. The Companion made her way through the ship toward the ship's entrance, skirt rustling around her legs as she moved. At the dock, workers were busy filling the hold with supplied or carrying furniture deeper into the ship. Elena slipped past them, smiling politely before stopping at the edge of the gangway, patiently awaiting the arrival of their new crewmate.

Jesse Walker

Jesse came up on the docks and pulled out her PDA. She looked over the listings of each boat docked, finding The Allure eventually. Jesse looked up and walked a few docks down, eventually finding the boat, she looked up at her escape, a grin on her face.  Looking back down her eyes fell onto an extravagantly dressed woman. 

Jesse recognized her face from the boat listing, she walked up to the woman her bag hanging over her shoulder, "Captain Marseille" She finally reached the well dressed beauty and stuck her hand "Nice to meet you, I'm your new comp tech." She grinned forcefully, knowing that this all could go south. The woman could be fully aware about the changes Jesse had made. Leaving her in deeper go se than she was before.  But she hoped that her charm and wit would get her through the door, at that point it would be difficult to get rid of her. Worst case she could shut down the entire boat once they were in space, outside of the air supply, and prevent the crew from contacting anyone, steal a shuttle and escape. Obviously turning the boat back on once she was out of range.


Elena

Elena watched the woman making her way closer, her hands clasped in front of her lap and a mildly curious shine in her vivid blue eyes. Her lips remained curved in a well practiced and welcoming smile, her body posture both rigid and somehow relaxed at the same time. The Companion looked Jesse's face over for a moment before reaching out to gently take the offered hand in her own.

"I apologize for the lack of fanfare and preparation on my part," she began, a little tersely although all the politeness of her training covered it up pretty well. "I was not aware that you'd be coming today, but I am quite pleased that you're here," she assured the other woman smoothly, her shoulders relaxing a bit.

After a small shake, Elena took her hand back and stepped aside to allow Jesse to enter, "Preparations are still being made, you see, but I do hope our ship will be to your liking," she continued, her voice like melted chocolate. "For now, the only residents are our ships Doctor and myself. The other crew members will be joining us in a few days, I'm sure," the Companion informed their 'new comp tech'. Of course, that didn't include the workers busy with said 'preparations'. "If you would like, I could show you to your assigned room or you could wait for the others to join us before getting settled?" she offered.

Jesse Walker

The woman was extremely polite.  Jesse was unaccustomed to it, she didn't know if she should  curtsy or bow.  She also wasn't really sure if the woman was happy that Jesse was there, but she couldn't blame her. After all it was a bit of a surprise for. Not that it mattered to Jesse , she just needed an escape.

Quote"Preparations are still being made, you see, but I do hope our ship will be to your liking," she continued, her voice like melted chocolate. "For now, the only residents are our ships Doctor and myself. The other crew members will be joining us in a few days, I'm sure," the Companion informed their 'new comp tech'. Of course, that didn't include the workers busy with said 'preparations'. "If you would like, I could show you to your assigned room or you could wait for the others to join us before getting settled?"

"Oh! Yes, inside off the street, away from the outside, and cameras...would be great!" She nodded enthusiastically. Noting that she probably sounded a bit too eager.   Jesse cleared her throat and recomposed herself, "I just mean I am very excited, to get to work. I could check on your network, secure things...keep others from viewing what's going protecting illicit activities....Not that you, take part in illicit activities...I just mean....keep prying eyes from stealing information...you know. Tech stuff." Jesse grinned sheepishly, she had a knack for sticking her foot in her mouth, lack of a filter was her specialty. 

Elena

"Oh! Yes, inside off the street, away from the outside, and cameras...would be great!" their new comp tech exclaimed.

Elena raised a brow slowly and tilted her head, her expression a cross between curiosity, suspicion, and her ever impressive welcoming smile.

"I just mean I am very excited, to get to work. I could check on your network, secure things...keep others from viewing what's going protecting illicit activities....Not that you, take part in illicit activities...I just mean....keep prying eyes from stealing information...you know. Tech stuff," Jesse spouted in an impressive display of word vomit.

"Ah, 'tech stuff'," the Companion repeated softly, her smile faltering, obviously not entirely buying the rushed and garbled explanation of Jesse's earlier outburst. Still... With a gentle sigh, Elena looked the other woman over once before her smile returned and she turned on her heel to head inside. "This way, please," she said over her shoulder pleasantly.

Elena led their new guest in through the bowels of the ship, up through and past the passenger deck and onto the main deck of The Allure. Just past the stairs was the crew lounge and she paused a moment to decide where she wanted to take Jesse first. Noise from the med bay down near the back of the ship caught her attention and she smiled warmly, "Just this way," she said once more, taking their new crew mate to the infirmary. Elena peeked around the corner and knocked on the doorway lightly.

"Doctor Casey, we have a new face. She's here a little earlier than the rest of the crew but I thought it might be the perfect time to add her medical information to the your and the ship's records?" she offered, stepping aside to let Jesse in. "Mr. Street will be joining us tomorrow, and the rest of the crew will be meeting us in a couple of days," she reminded Brenna before looking back at Jesse with an inviting smile.

Brenna Casey

Brenna was mid stock check and finding herself grateful for the attention to detail of both the Guild and the House in regards to her suggestions and requests for the medbay. Nothing had been overlooked, which was a tribute to the trust they'd put in Elena's suggestion of bringing her aboard. Closing up one cabinet and securing the door, she was about to open another when the knock came.

Quote from: Elena on June 18, 2018, 07:08:04 PM
"Doctor Casey, we have a new face. She's here a little earlier than the rest of the crew but I thought it might be the perfect time to add her medical information to the your and the ship's records? Mr. Street will be joining us tomorrow, and the rest of the crew will be meeting us in a couple of days."

She recalled that other members of the crew would be joining them the next day, but this was a surprise. Trying to gauge Elena's face wasn't easy, even after three years. Her eyes trailed to the new face mentioned and Brenna offered up a quiet smile. "Probably best to get it done, yes. If we have more crew joining us tomorrow, it will be a little more hectic if everyone waits to show up at the same time." Deftly, she scooped up her cortex and crossed over to the bed, gesturing to it gently as she looked to the new woman aboard.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch the name..."

There was a faint wave of inward relief. Her professional mask slid into place as easily as it ever had and felt almost... normal. It was a feeling that she hadn't expected, but was sincerely glad to feel.

Jesse Walker

Jesse followed Elena through the boat, looking around as she did so.  She didn't expect it to be so large. Then again, she hadn't actually looked at the ship's purpose, she'd have to check on that later. Jesse knew Elena wasn't entirely buying her story but she was grateful to be on the boat, away from prying eyes and open networks.  She had to secure this ship before she did anything else Rogue related, otherwise everyone on board would be culpable, and her conscience couldn't take that.

Elena stopped at the medbay and spoke with the doctor, medical information? That was new but she shrugged it off, her father was a doctor and she got over the whole blood thing years ago.

Quote"Probably best to get it done, yes. If we have more crew joining us tomorrow, it will be a little more hectic if everyone waits to show up at the same time." Deftly, she scooped up her cortex and crossed over to the bed, gesturing to it gently as she looked to the new woman aboard.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch the name..."

Jesse stepped forward, "Name's Jesse, Jesse Walker.  Pleasure to meet ya, lots of shiny chrome surfaces in her,e very doctorerly. You guys seem legit." She wasn't quite sure why she said it but it was too late now, Jesse cleared her throat again, she'd have to get better at this lying thing, "Anywho....whadya need from me, blood, spit, hair, other bodily fluids?"

Elena

Again, Elena looked at Jesse with a raised brow before glancing in Brenna's direction and raising them both. With a gentle sigh, the Companion slipped into the room after Jesse and patiently stood back out of the doctor's way, watching with mild curiosity. Once everything had concluded in here, she'd lead the newcomer to her assigned room, but for now she wanted to keep her eye on her.

A hand lifted to idly push the pin in her hair a bit deeper into the dark tresses, further strengthening the hold it had on her perfect updo.

"Anywho....whadya need from me, blood, spit, hair, other bodily fluids?" their new comptech asked.

Elena grimaced a little, although it was very quickly replaced by her ever present mask of politeness.

Brenna Casey

Quote from: Jesse Walker on June 19, 2018, 06:50:46 AM
"Name's Jesse, Jesse Walker.  Pleasure to meet ya, lots of shiny chrome surfaces in her,e very doctorerly. You guys seem legit. Anywho....whadya need from me, blood, spit, hair, other bodily fluids?"

Brenna noted Elena's expression both before and after the last question from Jesse. The doctor was able to reign in the bemused smile at both women. Though only just. "Well, it's very nice to meet you, Jesse. Nothing quite so detailed as needing 'other bodily fluids' or 'spit'. One small sample of blood and a 'micro physical' if you will. More for base line medical stats to compare against, just in case."

It appeared Jesse was at least somewhat familiar with the process of physicals and didn't appear uncomfortable about the possibility of needles. That was actually a bit of a relief. There wouldn't be any hidden fears of that nature to deal with, which invariably made things much easier to get through. Turning back to the drawers along the wall, Brenna pulled a couple of sensors from one; one to record breathing and the other to record heart rate. "And what will you be doing for us on the Allure?" she asked as she opened another drawer, pulling the sterile pin prick blood capture.

Moving back to the bedside, everything was laid out on the bedside instrument table and she began to hook up the breathing sensor to her cortex. Behind it all, there was something that seemed to be troubling at Elena about this young woman and her appearance on board. Hoping it wasn't a sign of foreboding, Brenna looked up and smiled at Jesse. "We'll do the finger sensor on one hand and the blood draw from a finger on the opposite hand."

Jesse Walker

June 19, 2018, 06:58:54 PM #10 Last Edit: June 19, 2018, 07:00:47 PM by Jesse Walker
Elena had chosen to stick around and watch Jesse get poked and prodded.  Or just check up on her to make sure she wasn't a shady individual trying to steal items for them.  Which was true, she wasn't....she was just using them as a cloak to cover her path...which led to Breanna's question,
Quote"And what will you be doing for us on the Allure?"

"Ohhhh you know just the usual computer tech type things.  Sitting in a dark room by myself, avoiding human contact,making sure everyone can watch their favorite videos online....the usual" Jesse grinned at the doctor.
Quote"We'll do the finger sensor on one hand and the blood draw from a finger on the opposite hand."

"Sounds good doc, I'll do my best not to give you the finger," Jesse made air quotes around "the finger," chuckling to herself simultaneously, even if they weren't laughing with her she still was, "Get it? The finger?" She was still laughing, "I crack myself up sometimes." Jesse stuck out her index finger to the doctor, "Prick away doc just don't drain me."

Elena

"Ohhhh you know just the usual computer tech type things.  Sitting in a dark room by myself, avoiding human contact,making sure everyone can watch their favorite videos online....the usual"

The Companion took a slow, deep, and very audible breath, the kind that seemed to fill up one's entire  body and convey an entire sentiment on the exhale. Her lips pursed for a moment and she looked away to compose herself, pretending she was finding some kind of interest in one of the drawers.

"Sounds good doc, I'll do my best not to give you the finger. Get it? The finger?"

Elena hooked a manicured finger around the edge of it, pulled it open, and stared down at the contents, not really seeing what was in it. But she needed a moment.

Once she felt that her mask was properly secured upon her face once more, Elena slid the drawer closed and looked back toward their Doctor and the comp tech.

"I do hope you won't be too much of a recluse," she murmured politely, her professional smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "I'm sure the crew would be thrilled to get to know you," she added.

Brenna Casey

There was mild amusement playing in Brenna's eyes as she clipped the sensor onto Jesse's finger and started the recording on her cortex. She let it record for several seconds, but noted the pace was a little quick. Once she had enough, she stopped the recording and removed the sensor. "It wouldn't hurt to come out to eat now and again. We have an excellent cook joining us aboard as well. He might get his feelings hurt if you don't at least try one of his meals."

Sensor set aside, the small needle was opened as a smile played a little more across Brenna's face. She understood the wanting to hide away. It was something she was prone to do as well, though probably not to the extent Jesse was talking about. "As to giving me the finger, if that's the worst you do to me, well, I'm having a good day." Holding out her free hand, she waited for Jesse to give up the hand that hadn't had the sensor on it so she could take the quick sample she needed.

Jesse Walker

Quote"I do hope you won't be too much of a recluse," she murmured politely, her professional smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "I'm sure the crew would be thrilled to get to know you," she added.

Jesse arched a brow in the captain's direction, she was an odd woman...or at least to Jesse's standards. "Not at all, I'm a regular old ball. Parties every night, socializing till all hours of the night....or day. It's hard to tell in space." Jesse grinned and looked back at the doctor he was waiting for her finger. She put it out prepared for the pin prick.

Quote"As to giving me the finger, if that's the worst you do to me, well, I'm having a good day."
These women were intriguing to say the least, "If that's a good day to you..I wonder what a bad day is." She looked inquisitively at the doctor.

Elena

So she liked parties but preferred to stay in her room doing 'tech stuff'. She was going to avoid human contact while socializing all hours of the night. Elena pursed her lips and turned around to idly scan the shelves with her gaze.

"Before I forget," she began, tapping her lower lip with her index finger before turning to watch the doctor at work. "Which investor hired you on for this position? I want to make sure I place you in the appropriate room," she asked and explained all at once, her brows lifting curiously and her hands clasping behind her back, a warm smile spreading across her lips, although it did not touch her eyes.

"I would hate to put you in the wrong place, you see," Elena further clarified.

Brenna Casey

With the hand offered up, Brenna made quick work of taking the blood sample. Rarely did a smirk play across her face with people she was only just meeting, but this time one managed to sneak past the mask. "A bad day for me, my dear, is a severe injury requiring a field transfusion. Generally leaves me feeling a little weak and worse for wear and requires sleep afterwards. A new face on a ship giving me 'the finger' is, most certainly, a good day by comparison." Lifting her eyebrows at Jesse, she reached for the breathing monitor.

The simple device would have to be placed on the girls upper chest, which was indicated by Brenna pointing to her own upper chest using the device. While she waited for Jesse to let her proceed, she glanced over to Elena as the woman began a line of questioning that would have generally been reserved for an interview. Or so Brenna assumed. Perhaps that was the reason for the behavior of both the women now in medbay with her.

Jesse Walker

Quote"Which investor hired you on for this position? I want to make sure I place you in the appropriate room," she asked and explained all at once, her brows lifting curiously and her hands clasping behind her back, a warm smile spreading across her lips, although it did not touch her eyes.

"I would hate to put you in the wrong place, you see,"

Jesse swallowed nervously, pulling her self together with a breath, "You know I honestly can't remember,  but this is definitely the boat, I remember being very impressed by the whole thing. And you know, the name, The Allure,, very very hard hard to forget....some might say the offer was very alluring." She grinned back at the woman, clearly proud of her handy work.

Quote"A bad day for me, my dear, is a severe injury requiring a field transfusion. Generally leaves me feeling a little weak and worse for wear and requires sleep afterwards. A new face on a ship giving me 'the finger' is, most certainly, a good day by comparison."

She looked at the doctor inquisitively, "Jeez doc, you live quite the life don't you." It occurred to her that the good doctor may actually have served with her parents, she sounded like a solider.  But that was a conversation for another day...if Elena didn't give her the boot. Jesse looked over at her 'employer' nervously and back at the doctor who was waiting for her to put a device on her chest, "Do what you need to doc, no need to be polite about it."

Elena

June 27, 2018, 05:48:08 PM #17 Last Edit: June 27, 2018, 06:09:24 PM by Elena
"You know I honestly can't remember, but this is definitely the boat, I remember being very impressed by the whole thing. And you know, the name, The Allure,, very very hard hard to forget....some might say the offer was very alluring." Jesse grinned back at the woman, clearly proud of her handy work.

Elena smiled softly and nodded as though everything the woman said made sense."Of course," she murmured softly, setting her hands on the edges of the counter behind her so she could lean back on them a little, her gaze upon Jesse unyielding. One corner of her lips turned upward ever so slightly and she glanced at the doctor before returning her attention to the hacker.

"Do let me know when you've been able to secure the ship from any outside influence. We will be dealing with quite a lot of secure information, persons, and a large sum of currency, you understand. I would not want my crew, our crew or our passengers to be vulnerable while they're here with us. As long as our crew remains safeguarded and the job gets done," she began, lowering her hands and brushing them slowly over the front of her lap, smoothing out the fabric, "Then I suppose it doesn't matter which of our generous investors hired you, does it?" she asked, eyes alight with knowledge and perhaps a little mischief.

Brenna Casey

Quote from: Jesse Walker on June 25, 2018, 04:27:14 PM
"Jeez doc, you live quite the life don't you."

Eyebrows lifting lightly, Brenna leaned in to place the monitor with gentle hands. "You have no idea," she murmured softly as her attention turned to the cortex link to which the monitor was attached. As she watched the information recording, her eyes went to Elena as she spoke. Her friend was apparently going to let things ride for the time being. It seemed reasonable enough, but Brenna knew the girl sitting in front of her would be under watchful eyes.

"While there are times when courtesy and manners aren't necessarily warranted, I've always found new patients react better to a less invasive and demanding approach. I suppose it's become second nature in the given setting." The transition from the training house physician to full time doctor was actually somewhat refreshing, and she was finding it a little easier than she'd expected. A smile played across her face as she removed the monitor. 'It also doesn't hurt in building trust...' she thought to herself.

Jesse Walker

Quote"Do let me know when you've been able to secure the ship from any outside influence. We will be dealing with quite a lot of secure information, persons, and a large sum of currency, you understand. I would not want my crew, our crew or our passengers to be vulnerable while they're here with us. As long as our crew remains safeguarded and the job gets done," she began, lowering her hands and brushing them slowly over the front of her lap, smoothing out the fabric, "Then I suppose it doesn't matter which of our generous investors hired you, does it?"

Jesse gulped, fully knowing she was putting these people at risk.  It did turn her stomach sour she wasn't one to take advantage but these were dire times and she was not going back to prison.  Her heart rate increased slightly and Jesse smiled nervously, "Of course, as soon as it's done Cap't.  I swear, I'll make this place like a castle with mote, no one's getting past our network." She tried to force the smile further though it may have just made her look like she had a medical condition.  The woman definitely knew what Jesse was up to but wouldn't let on.  Eventually it would all come out, she just wasn't sure if she wanted to be forward with it or wait for the pot to over boil.

Quote"While there are times when courtesy and manners aren't necessarily warranted, I've always found new patients react better to a less invasive and demanding approach. I suppose it's become second nature in the given setting."

She looked back at the doctor thankfully there was another person in the room. "Yes, I suppose I could see that too..." Her palms were still sweating as she avoided eye contact with Elena.  This may have been a mistake.

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