S2E6.2 - Hunter or Hunted

Started by kysenp, January 13, 2014, 04:22:22 AM

Alyssa Garnet

Alyssa could understand the shock on McKayla's face - Alyssa herself was pretty shocked to find an unexpected old friend aboard Ronin. But the frown on McKayla's face made Alyssa feel uncertain. Was McKayla not happy to see her?

"That's good," Alyssa replied to McKayla saying she was fine. She would have asked for more detail and chatted easily with her old buddy but now she felt wrong-footed.

"Glad to hear it," she added with a smile before looking to the others seated around the table.

"I guess we missed the introductions," she said somewhat uncertainly.

Velocity Grey-Lambert

Galley


Alyssa said: "Hello everyone, "I'm Alyssa, and this is Tarantino. Sorry we're late."

Two more names, two more descriptions for her notebook and, despite there still being a little food in her bowl, Velocity wrote the information down before she forgot to do so and before she forgot. She added in descriptions for everyone else she hadn't been introduced to so that she could add names and job titles later. She wrote in a very tight, small script so that she could fit as much as possible into the notebook as she didn't know when she might be able to acquire another.

Nat said: "Natascha Maria Santiago de Negron- also a pilot, though I'm no slouch about mechanics either.

Velocity blinked, a look of uncertainty creeping on to her face. Most ships of the size of Ronin only ran to one dedicated pilot and if there was one already aboard that didn't leave much room for her. "Unless Ronin will be running hard and fast in which case...." That thought gave her a little hope, even if it did mean they might be doing frowned on things.

Nat continued: "Looks like we're gonna be getting to know each other pretty well, eh?"

Nat was pretty and that didn't hurt, even if that assessment gave her a pang of guilt at the disloyalty to Bonnie. Nevertheless, Velocity couldn't help the slight look of hunger in her eyes as if somehow she had picked up that Nat  might be more interested in women than men, though she had no idea that her expression was giving her away.

"If the Captain lets me stay," Velocity responded, sounding a little despondent. She made an effort and said, shyly, "If he does, I would like that." A tiny bit of colour caressed her cheeks momentarily before quickly fading away. Velocity looked down at her notebook to add Nat's details to her description and then looked up again, her head tilting to one side like a bird's as she looked at Nat's face.

Lin said: "There is still enough soup for two bowls. Anyone who wants to finish it up welcome. Last bowl taken cleans the pot though."

Despite her distraction both with recording the information she considered critical and with Nat, Velocity had managed to finish her bowl and had wiped it completely clean with the bread. The growling monster that inhabited her abdomen was not yet satisfied, she was still feeling the effects of too little food for too long and, heartened by Lin's earlier statement to her, Velocity didn't hang back;  she made her way to the pot and ladled out half the remaining contents into her own bowl.

"Who would like the second-to-last bowl?" she asked, and then, to clarify her intention, added, "I'll do the washing up." It wasn't much but she knew every little helped on a ship and it enabled her to feel less guilty about having seconds. It was no coincidence that her gaze was on Nat when she asked the question.

Player: Clare
Characters: Beth

Abenette Kelker

Abe was thankful that she managed to eat an entire bowl of soup and since it was staying down, she eagerly dished up another helping.

"I'm glad you're feeling better,"

Abe almost didn't hear Velocity's words, especially since she had things on her mind like the fact that she was pregnant and the fact that Kuei didn't look like he bought her explanation.  But then again, she wasn't offering up any thing different right now.

"Thanks."

It was a short answer, but she had to assimilate the new folks that were there.  And goodness...  It was almost incestuous how many of them knew other members of their now crew.  She made mental notes as to who was new and what they did as she ate voraciously.

Helena was a gunhand too.  She also knew Ian.  Abe briefly wondered what kind of guns Helena had.

Natascha and Monty were mechanic types.

MacKayla was a technical specialist.

Velocity was a pilot.  Apparently Natascha was too.

Doc's friend Tarantino looked like he had issues.  Like big issues.  She knew that the Doc cared for him and he was probably in good hands, especially if he was out of the situation that he no doubt had been in.

"Take the time to enjoy the food. I'll be in Ops so we can have that meeting whenever everyone is finished."

The man disappeared then and she was almost ecstatic about the fact that they seemed to have something to do.  Abe needed something to do other than scavenge spare parts.

Now...  Where is Ian?  If he didn't come soon, he won't get any soup. She turned and reached backwards and nabbed a bowl.  Filling it wioth soup, she set it next to her.

"It's for Ian.  Can't have anyone be left out, could  we?"

God, this soup is good...

Tarintino Quin

Tarintino whisper a 'thank you' to Alyssa as she places a bowl in front of him and starts meekly eating the food slowly, his head down as he sneaked quick glances over to the people talking, listening to their conversations. It seemed Alyssa had met one of her old friends and that the captain was trying to get everyone introduced ... They wheren't going to go around in a circle and give out their names and hobbies where they? He visibly shudders at the thought.

As he sees the woman who had collapsed earlier he takes on an expression that was both sympathetic and mournfull ... He had hoped she had been given the good luck of an escape from this plane. He frowns as he thinks that thought though, realising that wouldn't have been a mercy ... it wasn't like what was after this life was any better than what was in it.

Looking between the crew he tries to get a brief impression of each of them, a risk assesment.

There was Lin, the captain ... Tarintino had messed around with a childhood friend that was into martial arts and had played allong with him in his practices enough to be able to recognise the movements of a grandmaster and that on it's own intimidated Tarintino enough to make him feel unsafe.

Natascha, the one who had helped him with the cargo, she seemed overly friendly with him and with the others and he refused to believe that was simply good intentions.

Monty was dirty, and looked rough. He was probably going to catch some kind of infection sooner or later, maybe even a disease. He might even pass that disease onto the rest of them!

Helena just seemed plain unfriendly, like she was looking for an opertunity to get upset with people.

Mckayla had shut down Alyssa's friendly greeting and Tarintino did not like that in the slightest.

Veolocity seemed fragile, like she was fading out of existance. Probably the best thing that could happen to her.

Alyssa was ... She was Alyssa. And that was okay.

Ian Dugan

Ian finally walked into the galley.  He nodded to anyone who looked his way and accessed everyone.  He ranked Helena up with Abe in shear deadliness, having worked with her before.

He was most concerned with Tarintino, having heard what he said about Abe not dying.  He was just stepping out of the Blaze when he heard the comment.  Instead of acting on what he thought it might mean, Ian decided to wait and find out.

He crossed over to Abe and sat beside her.  He was happy to see her eating and keeping it down.

He took a bite of the soup and said that it was good.

Fey

The group was quite talkative.  Helena cleaned up her bowl and leaned back in her chair, full and content. Ian had set by her and Abe, the two looked hitched, or something of the sort.  It was good to see him with someone like her.  Though she seemed like just as much of a fighter as her.

Lin had since left for the operations room to meet with the crew.  "Suppose I'll see you all in operations."Helena stood up and brought her bowl to the sink to wash it. She never was one for idle chit chat, and the crew was off in their own little world. They'd come eventually.

Helena walked to ops and knocked on the door frame, "So what kind of adventure do you have in store for us sir."  Lin was leaning against the door frame, deep in thought it had seemed. She wasn't quite sure where they were going, but she knew some kind of work would need to be done before they took off.

Monty

Leroy worked on finishing up his soup and bread as the ladies chatted it up. He didn't have much to add, he just smiled from time to time depending on the comments bantered about. He reached the sink as Helena was just about done. "So far so good, the grubs not bad." He remarked as he replaced her at the sink and began cleaning his bowl and mug. Leroy thought he might have some time to hit the engine room once more before everyone finally made it to operations. Upon leaving he announced to the crew. "I'll be in the engine room for a bit, give me a shout when the meeting is ready to start."

McKayla Langster

McKayla finished the last of her soup, a frown still on her face. She sat back once her bowl was empty and glanced back over at Alyssa. She as still confused. She hated to be rude, but her mind had a million questions. Why was she out here? Had she heard what occurred with her? Was she still on contact with people in the core? Could she report McKayla's whereabouts?

The question about how she was led McKayla to believe the doctor didn't know. But she could be lying. But Alyssa had never been the type to lie and get away with it. She was too...nice. Guess she would eventually have to ask.
I've got one life...and it goes against my beliefs to bet it wildly.

Lin Kuei

Quote from: Helena on November 22, 2017, 03:41:00 PM
"So what kind of adventure do you have in store for us sir."

Lin nodded at her and gave a small smile before he pushed off the bulkhead. "Getting this ship and running is a priority. I think helping Ian get Glory is next in line but there are a couple of stops in between that need to be made." He looked over his shoulder out through the viewport of the cockpit for a moment before to his look back to Ops and Helena.

"A long time ago, this ship and myself in particular made a certain crimelord very angry. We've been battling each other since. The damage to this ship was an expensive win for us and costly loss for our opponent. They spent quite a bit of money hiring a few shiploads of mercs to take us down and then take the ship. They only succeeded halfway at the cost of most of the lives that assaulted us. I aim to return the favor. ... You game?"

Fey

QuoteI aim to return the favor. ... You game?"

Helena grinned at Lin. "You had me at angry crime lord. Sounds like an adventure. This crew's an odd one but I think we'll give your villain a run for their money....so to speak." She moved further into the room and leaned against the wall.

"So what happened with Glory, Ian never gave me the details..." Helena waited patiently for the update on her former captain. It was odd that a group of misfits and wayward ship-less captains would find themselves all on the same boat.

Abenette Kelker

Abe smiled at Ian as he ate his bowl of soup.  She needed to tell him.  She just wanted to do it in private.

It helped that Lin left, stating that everyone needed to go to Operations to be brief. Then Helena left to follow along.  Sure they needed to get there soon, but other things were more pressing.  Abe smiled a little nervously a the people around the table, all of which seem to be a little distracted as well.

Velocity looked slightly uncomfortable.  She had even offered to help clean up.  McKayla was obviously deep in thought about something and based on the frown on her face, it was troubling for her.  Tarintino was eating, head down, but taking the time to take in the details around him. Something was definitely off a bit with him, but Doc was protective of him and seemed to care for him a lot.  He must have suffered some kind of trauma.  Natascha seemed like nothing was dampening her mood at all.

"So far so good, the grubs not bad."  "I'll be in the engine room for a bit, give me a shout when the meeting is ready to start."

Monty leaving gave Abe a chance to talk to Ian.  She got up and put her bowl in the sink.

"Umm...  Ian?" she asked as walked back to where he was.  She leaned down to whisper in his ear.  "Could I talk to you in our cabin?"

With that, she exited the galley and went to their cabin and once there, began to pace nervously.

Velocity Grey-Lambert

Abe said: "Thanks."

Velocity missed the fact that Abe was distracted and acknowledged with a small inclination of her head.

Abe said: "It's for Ian."

"I could have done with that," she thought, having hoped that she might have got the last two bowls. The sudden image of Bonnie teasing her both about her voracious appetite and that she had been too slow to get a third bowl cut like a knife, the emotion so intense that she gasped as though she had been stabbed. She couldn't stop the tears but she held herself together enough to get the washing up under way.

"I'll wash that," Velocity said in a shaky voice as Helena approached the sink with her bowl. It didn't make sense to her for everyone to wash their own bowl individually unless they were in the galley alone. Besides, it saved on water; she had never broken out of wartime habits of tight rationing of everything because one never knew when fresh supplies would come in.

"Any more bowls?" she called out, her voice thin and wobbly, despite the slightly increased volume. She hadn't turned to face the galley because the tears were still flowing down her cheeks and she didn't want to embarrass anyone.

Player: Clare
Characters: Beth

Ian Dugan

Galley

Ian just finished his bowl of soup as Velocity spoke.

"Here's mine."

He leaned over and handed her the bowl.  He was close to the sink  from where he sat.  When Abe spoke he turned to her, a look of concern crossed his scarred face.

He stood and once she got up, he followed her to their cabin.  It had been several weeks since he had been aboard and wanted to make sure they were in the same room as before.

Abe and Ian's cabin

Thoughts rushed back to him as the door shut.  Good memories, good times.

He pushed them aside for the moment.

"What's up?  Things ok?  What did the doc say?"

He waited for her to answer, hoping for the best.

Alyssa Garnet

Alyssa picked up her bowl, Tarantino's when he was finished, and any other bowls that were now empty. She stacked them up and placed them down beside the sink. She picked up a damp cloth and wiped down the table from any crumbs from the bread or spillages... Just something she could think of to follow Velocity's example of being helpful.

"Are we supposed to be going somewhere now?" she asked the room in general.

Lin Kuei

Quote from: Helena on November 29, 2017, 05:48:59 PM
"You had me at angry crime lord. Sounds like an adventure. This crew's an odd one but I think we'll give your villain a run for their money....so to speak. ... So what happened with Glory, Ian never gave me the details..."

"He was not very clear on the whole situation. Just that he owed money as long as it was active so it was easier on him to park her for a while." Lin tapped the comm. He recalled hearing word Helena had been a Captain herself at one point. It was pleasing to know she was up for this kind of task. "This is the Captain. If everyone is finished eating, be in Ops in the next five minutes." Lin switched off the comm and stepped over to the 3D modeler.

"As for the crew, we tend to be unorthodox in complement and method. It seems to be our port of call so often our reputation has relied on it. This has created an advantage a number of times. If your opponent is so scared they are looking everywhere for you, then the paranoia creates opportunity for you to act. That kind of chaos is a healthy thing for us."


Abenette Kelker

Abe walked into Ops in a fog still.  Things were settling in.  She was pregnant and it was a shock, but her and Ian would forge together together.

She became aware that people were talking and shook her head a bit.

"Ian should be along any minute.  What'd I miss?"

Then she really was thinking about whether or not there was such a thing as maternity body armor.

And how long she'd be able to hide it.

And how long she could work.  After all, long range sniping?  Often done with a big gun on a stand on your belly.  That wouldn't work after a while.

But how long was a while?

She'd have to ask Doc.

Plus make sure she could make sure she could get that medicine where she didn't puke every 5 minutes.

Then worry about whatever it was that she was dosed with in that projectiles the folks that boarded them used.

She knew she was in the fog again and had to get in the game.

"What'd I miss again?" she asked, clearly still a bit distracted.  She just hoped that no one had addressed her after she had asked what she missed the first time.

Monty

Leroy was glad to get a bit of time in the engine room even if was to be a short spell. He kept a mental clock ticking as he ran a few investigative tests on Ronin's systems. After a few minutes data began to appear at least giving the ship's new mechanic a direction to begin repairs. Feeling he was gone long enough he shut down his evaluation searches on the Ronin's computer system and headed to the Ops Center. Leroy entered the room right behind Abe hoping he didn't miss anything important.

Ian Dugan

Ian walked into the Ops Center almost on the heels of Monty.  He found a seat next to Abe.

"Present."

He spoke matter of factly.

"I hadda go.  Don't use the head for a few minutes yet."

Velocity Grey-Lambert

Ian said: "Here's mine,"

Velocity turned her head just enough to see the bowl out of the corner of her eye, took it from Ian's hand and added it to the sink. It was the last one and she washed and then turned her attention to the pot. With that out of the way she dried the dishes and put them away.

Alyssa said:"Are we supposed to be going somewhere now?"

Velocity finished wiping down the galley bench, rinsed the cloth and hung it up. She wasn't sure whether it was appropriate for her to answer the question but no one else had so she turned amd faced Alyssa.

"Ops, I believe. For a briefing," she responded, her voice low and quiet, just loud enough to carry. She still wasn't sure whether she should be taking part, not being crew but decided, after a few moments of decision, that it would be better to be dismissed than to hold up the briefing while she was located. Nevertheless, once she had reached Ops, she stood just inside the hatch.

Player: Clare
Characters: Beth

Lin Kuei

Once everyone had eventually arrived in the Ops area, Lin started in one the general briefing. "So a quick review for those who are new. ... Several years ago, myself and the original members of Ronin's crew were given a job to collect debts owed within certain criminal organizations. The leadership who had hired us were taken out by Nikola Kang, the crimelord. She quickly moved to absorb their respective organizations. I decided to take the fight to her. .. There was a brief patch where we discovered the Alliance ha backed her play thinking they could control her but she refused to be controlled and we were hired by the Alliance as deniable assets to take her organization down." Lin paused to let the information sink in as it might cause concern for some.

After a moment, he continued. "The contract for that particular job was burnt by someone high up in the Alliance later on and we started operating independently. Ronin and her crew have dealt a lot of damage to Nikola's organization. We've managed to cripple chunks of her operation. Our present situation was an attempt by her to eliminate us. She hired three crews of mercs to try and take us out yet we are still here. It was not an easy fight and they suffered more than we did. But it does leave the ship with some work to be done so perhaps Nikola succeeded somewhat because she certainly slowed us down. The remains of the outpost were also her doing."

Lin leaned forward on the 3D modeler. "I want everyone who is new to understand the full weight of what you are in for. If you decide you do not want to stick around, I understand. Leave in the morning. ... However, if you are in for this fight, then the plan is simple. Fix and repair Ronin so she is more than flight capable. We are going to hit her where she hurts. Along the way, I intend for us to find the guy claiming Ian owes him money and recover his ship, Glory. He has been captaining her longer than I have Ronin.

"As for specifics for the ship ... Monty, as I said earlier, I have welded plates on the roof of the ship to seal up a couple of holes and reinforce her. We can check those in the morning. There are still some spare then need to focus on getting more than her thrusters working which includes a power problem. I figure we have a day, two at the most, of fuel left which should be enough to get us to Deja Thoris on the other side of Greenleaf. But I want us capable of surviving the Black before we lift off of here. I know some basic mechanic and electrical maintenance but tab who you need to help move supplies."


Lin turned to Alyssa. "We'll need a full account of the medbay and a list of stuff need to be fully restocked. Other than tending to injuries and scrapes, we need that list for when we hit Deja Thoris so we can get resupplied quickly."

He pointed at Ian and Abe. "Any day scrounging day trips you need to go for with the shuttle. Please look for any supplies you might find in any local outposts. I know there are a couple within one hundred miles or so." Turning to Vega, Lin continued. "I need a full count of all ammunition and firearms. Any damaged guns I need them repaired. Do what you can."

Lin tapped his hand on the modeler as he turned to McKayla. "Okay, McKayla, something you should know about our computers and connections to the Cortex. We are far advanced compared to most ships. We have nanites helping to run electronic security and diffuse our long range signals. This allows us to remain more concealed the farther away they are. But they also enhance our long range sensors so we can see much farther off. Biggest problem is some of the power flow to the computer systems. We also may have lost circuit boards but the hard drive, including the nanites location, are insulted against electrical damage so they should be fine."

He took a moment to look around the room. "We also use this three dimensional modeler regularly so we can get an idea of what something looks like before we strike or ambush a target. Being able to see where we are going need to be ahead of time is important and getting farther reach with the Cortex helps. ... Unless anyone has any questions, then please relax and get some sleep because we are starting earlier tomorrow. I'd rather not be in our location longer than a week if at all possible." Lin nodded at everyone and stayed behind in case their questions.

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