Episode 0: Three Hills, One Clue

[Sidney Applebaum]

Everything was coming together. His face didn't feel like a hovercraft anymore, the dry mouth had finally subsided and the kid found a ship! His partner had gotten all worked up over nothing. It's not like there were people skulking about ready to kidnap her. There were people skulking about ready to kidnap Sidney. But he hadn't caught on to that yet. He was however overcome with excitement. He could barely stop himself from storming into the ship and claiming his room on an actual spaceship! Space travel was common enough to be mundane, but there was an allure to the rustic, on the edge thrill of living the life of a spacefarer.

The city-slicker was already in over his head but that wasn't stemming his enthusiasm. He practically rocked back and forth on his feet like an excited child. As the Captain and his partner got into it, Sidney couldn't help but start to wander off, walking around the ship itself on the docking bay. He admired its weathered hull. So many imperfections and little burn marks from so many trips through the atmosphere of so many worlds. Worlds he'd get to see as they hunted for treasure!

Behind him, he heard a friendly voice approaching from the bustle of the crowded docks.

"She's a beauty ain't she. Lotta people say you gotta replace it when they get that old but its just a waste you know. Ship like that's got a lot of stories."

Sid swung around to greet the friendly stranger walking up with a friendly hand extended for a shaking. They each gripped tight and smiled big.

"I know right! Hey man, Sidney Applebaum."

He waited as they continued to shake hands for a second longer than normal.

"You are?"

"Waiting... sorry. You take any medication today?"

"Yeah! I'm not good with flying or space flying yet but I've been taking some meds to sleep through it so I'm still kinda getting my sea legs."

Sidney still hadn't quite caught on something was wrong with this situation. They continued to shake hands.

"Oh! All right bro, this will just take a couple seconds longer now."

Sidney's face started to feel like a hovercraft again. A hovercraft.... full of... Eels...He shook his face case... I mean skull around. Things were feeling... wobbly...

"Wow... your handshake feels like the dentist's office..."

"There it is..."

The handshake turned to the stranger cradling Sidney. Instinctively the city slicker clung to the man for support as he could barely stand. The man's hand had been coated in something they call "the goodnight kiss". A sleeping agent that can be absorbed through the skin. Most commonly associated with fake or criminal companions that robbed their would-be patrons.

The friendly stranger helped his friend back onto his feet and dragged him along into the crowd.

"Man... I told you about challenging me to go shot for shot bro!"

And like that, they were gone.

[Reinhardt Pool]

"Yep, there definitely is a crew. Desmond Holt, Captain of the Shanghai, I hear you're looking for a transport? Little bit of ferrying, little bit of cargo hauling?"

The two shook hands firmly but briefly.

"Pool." He didn't offer his first name because he didn't want this guy to know his father had hated him.

"This is Junior, my daughter." He didn't offer his daughters name, because this guy didn't need it. In fact. Less he knew the better.

"Might be cargo. Might not be. Mostly just taking us..." Pool didn't know. "Where we need to go. Then if there's another place, we go there, too. Paying for the ship not questions."

"Oh. This is --" he turned to introduce Sydney, but all there was of him was a Sidney shaped cutout in the universe where he had been. Pool turned his head the other way. Not on that side either.

"...where the hell did he go now?"

[Rose Wickson]

Location: The Clinic

Rose wiped down the counter in a daze, still digesting what had just happened. Just like that, the universe had dropped a friend of aunt Proserpina's in her lap, and just like that, he was gone again, taking all those stories she'd dreamed of hearing for years with him.

Maybe I should follow him? No, that's silly. She couldn't possibly just drop everything and uproot her life on a whim. Why not though? What's there even to uproot? Well, her practice, for one. But it's not your practice, is it? It's Dr Cohen's. Sooner or later you're going to have to find work elsewhere anyway. But there's just so much to stay for on Three Hills. Like what? Like... like... What? Like...

Rose was too absorbed in thought to register the door chime. She only perked up when the boisterous, slightly off-key baritone burst into song behind her, the tired loathsome tune echoing in the clinic like ominous background music from a horror show.

"R-R-R-Rosie, beautiful Rosie, you're the only g-g-g-girl that I adore..."

She froze mid-swipe, and her grip on the towel instinctively tightened.

"There you are, my dear!" Gus announced. She didn't turn to face him. "Listen, darling, there's something quite pressing I must discuss with y--"

"I ain't gonna marry you." The words caught even Rose herself off-guard. Gus let out a chuckle, but she couldn't tell if it was an amused, confused, condescending or insulted one without seeing his face.

"What? Listen, I don't think you--"

"Frankly, I don't even know what makes you think I'd ever wanna marry you." She turned around slowly, still clutching the towel in her whitening knuckles. He was holding a bouquet of wildflowers that would've been lovely coming from anyone else, and there was a bemused smile plastered on his face, a smile which melted away as realization -- or something he mistook for realization -- dawned on him.

"I knew it! You're with that nosy offwordler who was asking around for you!" He thrust the bouquet at her like an accusatory finger, sprinkling petals on the pristine floor of the clinic. "What could you possibly see in a ugly old man like that?!"

"It ain't like that. He's... well... I, uh..." Rose stumbled. Her interaction with Gus had consisted mostly of avoiding him, and smiling at his advances through gritted teeth when avoidance wasn't an option. She had no words for a direct confrontation like this. And then the answer hit her. It was simpler than she'd realized.

"You know what, I don't reckon that's any of your business." For once, Gus was struck speechless. Why hadn't she done this before? Could it really have been this easy all along?

"That song ain't cute, by the way," she continued, emboldened by his stunned silence. "Besides, I never stutter on an 'r'. You'd know that if you ever p-p-paid any attention to what actually comes out of my m-mouth."

Just as Rose was about to regret antagonizing the man twice her body mass, the door chimed again.

"False alarm," Dr. Cohen announced. "Mrs. Bell thought her son might have appendicitis, but turns out it's just indigestion-- Where are you going?" She asked Rose as she pushed past her towards the door without a second look at her rejected suitor.

"On an adventure," she flashed her mentor a coy smile, and then she was off like a shot, auburn braids flying in the wind.

* * *

Location: The Ship

"...where the hell did he go now?"

"'Scuse me," came a soft woman's voice from the direction Pool had just turned away from. Rose had had a surprisingly easy time tracking down her target; all she'd had to do was ask around for a large, mean-looking offworlder who was dragging around a smaller offworlder sporting fancy clothes, a bloodied nose and a case of verbal diarrhea.

"Hello again. Hello," Rose turned to greet the other people gathered at the ship, quickly giving each of them a polite if somewhat nervous nod of her head as she made eye contact; the young girl from before, a pretty confident-looking woman and an imposing giant of a man who made Aunt Proserpina's bulky friend look tiny in comparison. Suddenly aware of how disheveled she had to look after running all the way here from the clinic, Rose brushed back a stray lock that had come undone from one of her braids and straightened the front of her dress. Then she turned back to Pool.

"I hope I ain't crossin' a line here, it's just... Well, I need a ride off Three Hills anyway, and I figured you and your crew could use some m-m-medical services. And... I'd really like to learn more about my aunt," she confessed.

"Besides, I need to follow up with your friend..." She glanced around, suddenly realizing bubbly fancy-pants horse man wasn't part of the group. "W-where'd he go?"

[Desmond Holt]

After a brief, firm handshake the older man introduced himself, and his daughter. Desmond winced inwardly at the choice of names for the girl, and hoped for her sake that it was just a nickname and not her actual name.

"Might be cargo. Might not be. Mostly just taking us... Where we need to go. Then if there's another place, we go there, too. Paying for the ship not questions." Desmond gave an amiable smile. "Well, I mean, I will have to ask Some questions. You know, just part of the arrangement." Gemma returned from her tour and stood next to him, nudging him with an elbow. She introduced herself.

"Oh. This is --" Pool turned and looked around for the other guy who'd been with them "...where the hell did he go now?" "Oh, it looked like he walked around the ship." Desmond gestured off the ramp and to the side where the soft man had vanished from view.

With Pool occupied for a moment, Desmond turn his head to Gemma. "So, I guess I don't have to fill that pilot slot eh? Shame, I had a whole speech thought up to try and convince you to fly for us. Oh, and she's called The Shanghai." He said quietly, and was about to go on, but was interrupted by another newcomer. "'Scuse me, Hello again. Hello," The woman had kind blue eyes, long auburn hair, and she was dressed somewhat modestly... if a little disheveled. Clearly she hadn't wanted to be left behind.

"I hope I ain't crossin' a line here, it's just... Well, I need a ride off Three Hills anyway, and I figured you and your crew could use some m-m-medical services. And... I'd really like to learn more about my aunt, Besides, I need to follow up with your friend... W-where'd he go?"

Well then. Mechanic, pilot, and now a doc? That pretty much ticks all the boxes. Who knew putting a crew together and finding a job would be this easy? Desmond thought to himself.

[Rhiannon Pool]

"Nice to meet you, Gemma Pierce pilot of....Captain Holt's ship."

"This is Junior, my daughter."

Junior raised her hand at them all in greeting, a smile pulling at her lips as she rocked, again, back on her heels, letting her father do all the introductions and information sharing. A ship, a captain, a pilot, a creepy man, she'd done a pretty good job, if she did say so herself. Now all they needed was for their money man to pay the ship man and they'd be off on adventure! She could finally bond with her father outside of the Yard, see what he was like in his hay day, and be a part of a treasure hunt!

"...where the hell did he go now?" her father asked, pulling her out of her daydream. She looked around, frowning. He'd be right there just a moment ago, with that stupid grin and endless obnoxious curiosity. Now where was he? The arrival of an unknown woman caused her to furrow her brows. She squinted at her father and the lady, her gaze moving between them suspiciously. Hello again? Medical services? Follow up? What has she missed?

"Oh, it looked like he walked around the ship," their new Captain (hopefully) told them. Junior eyed the strange woman, her arms crossing over her chest. "Hey, yeah, thanks for coming to follow up with our friend," she started, scooting closer to her while her father was (again, hopefully) distracted looking for their Wallet. "Uh, remind me again, why do they need a follow up?"  she whispered, raising her brows at Rose.

[Reinhardt Pool]

"That's what I said." Pool said to what Rose said about Sid not saying where he went. "I dunno where he is. He'll turn up, I guess. Applebaum can be... uh..." Pool almost called the financier something the nurse might take offense to, what with her verbal condition and all, but stopped himself. After his kids got old enough to tell him off, Pool's vocabulary had gotten slightly less offensive. "Flighty." He decided on, and it worked well enough for now. He scratched his head. Hell of a time for Sidney to get distracted again. This was his idea after all, Pool reminded himself.

Refocusing on Rose, Pool narrowed his gaze at her. His first instinct was to say no, as he had with Junior. But maybe he'd be doing the girl a favor, getting away from that stuffed shirt fiance of hers could only be a good thing. And a doctor was always a good idea. Truth be told, Pool would rather have another gun on hand but people who did the shooting often got shot themselves. And if this Proserpina was anything like the one he knew twenty years ago... "Yeah, I guess I'm fine with it."

Pool stepped away, missing entirely that his daughter was scooting in to meet Rose and might therefore be told of his and Sid's hijinks in town. He just didn't want Junior to worry, is all. He wasn't mad or embarrassed he'd gotten his ass kicked. He'd gotten his ass kicked plenty over the years. Now, if it had been a fair fight and the guy hadn't sucker punched him... ruttin' cheater. Ok, maybe he was mad. "Gorrammit. Applebaum!" He called, stepping off the gangplank and walking around the ship where he found no sign at all of Sidney. Of course, Pool was no tracker but it's not like Sidney was a sprinter or anything. Usually if he had found something shiny that caught his eye, Sidney would holler about it to make sure other people got excited about it too.

Something was off.

Just as Pool was about to return to the ship and mention his suspicions to everyone else, he heard a sharp, distant whistle. He turned and saw a guy he didn't know waving him over to an alleyway. "Hey, bro, your friend here, he don't look so good. I think he fell or something."

Pool sighed. Of course Sid would get himself injured. Jerk. The old bruiser waved to the other guy that he was coming and made his way across the street. The guy disappeared behind the corner, and Pool's instincts for trouble kicked in. He looked back at the ship and didn't see anyone. Nah. "I've got this." His wounded ego from the encounter with Gus propelled him forward, flexing his arthritic knuckles and wished he was packing a gun.

Angling around the alley so as to avoid a surprise, Pool spotted the guy who'd waved at him down at the far end of the alley, hunched over someone laying on the ground wearing a jacket that looked an awful lot like the one Sidney had been wearing. Pool knew this because Sidney had been very proud of that jacket, having bought it out of an Adventure Catalogue. He rolled his eyes. Maybe his instincts were off? Pool wasn't so quick to trust, though, and stepped into the shaded alley. "Dont try nothin', asshole. I ain't someone you wanna piss off, dong ma? Why don't you back up from my friend? Nice and easy."

The guy straightened and looked at Pool. "He ain't breathing, man." Pool almost missed the guy's smile. Almost. The big man turned and caught the lead pipe aiming for his head in his meaty grip.

"Nice try." He said with a feral grin to the guy who had been sneaking behind him. "You woulda been quieter in tap shoes." A rough twist pulled the weapon out of the thug's grip and Pool brought the pipe up and across his face. The guy fell to the ground, holding a likely broken jaw and crying. "Don't." Pool said without looking at the decoy who had lured him in there. He turned to see the guy reaching for what was probably a weapon tucked into the back of his pants. "Run away before I change my mind."

The decoy considered it, looked at his buddy still writhing in pain on the ground, and the man who had disarmed and dis-jawed him, turned and ran. Pool breathed a sigh of relief. His hand was killing him from the effort it took to catch the swing, and he might have pulled a muscle with his own. He bent down and grabbed at Sid's shoulder to roll him over and see how injured he really was. Pool didn't expect to see a complete stranger, let alone a man wearing what looked like lipstick. He wasn't one to judge, whatever made a person feel good about themselves. But that was the last of the surprises. The man wearing lipstick and Sid's jacket grabbed Pool around the neck and planted a big, wet, sloppy kiss right on his mouth.

Pool pulled back and stumbled, his mouth already tingling from the poison. His hands wiped away in vain, only serving to spread the poison to his extremities. Such an idiot move. Going in here alone. He'd never live this down. "Crap not agaiurghnnnnn..." He took solace as darkness took over that at least he'd taken out one of the guys before they got him and that Sid had fallen for the same thing.


Narrative assistance provided by Human Hyperbole

[Gemma Pierce]

Their new clients were certainly interesting. Maybe a bit disorganized after all they did just loose a man in a matter of moments.

"So, I guess I don't have to fill that pilot slot eh? Shame, I had a whole speech thought up to try and convince you to fly for us. Oh, and she's called The Shanghai.

Gemma smirked and looked over at Des, "Well shucks....I guess I should've made you try a little harder huh?" She gave him a quick wink and her usual smirk. "Now that I'm here on...The Shanghai...Wh-" Gemma was quickly cut off by the very quiet voice of a somewhat lost looking woman. She seems like she knew where she needed to be but wasn't quite sure if she should be, or perhaps she thought herself a burden. Gemma could help but feel a bit bad for her,

She approached the doctor and offered a hand, "Nice to meet ya doc, I'm what the call the welcoming committee, Gemma Pierce. That there is the captain," She pointed back to Des, "Gotta say I'm a bit grateful you're coming along, after all he is a bit accident prone. And I can't blame you for wanting to get out of here." She threw Des a smile, "All jokes aside, it's lovely to meet you." Gemma hadn't paid much mind to whatever else was going on. She was too excited at the prospect of a new adventure and flying this behemoth of a boat. Though perhaps if someone overtly pointed out the very large gentleman had gone missing she would have taken some action.

[Rose Wickson]

"Yeah, I guess I'm fine with it."

Rose's face lit up in response to the green light, even if it wasn't delivered with much gusto. She didn't mind a little stoicism. "Thank you, you won't regret it! I'll have to go grab my things, but it shouldn't hold y'all for too long, I ain't got all that m-much stuff..." As the man stepped away from the group, Rosie turned her attention to the young girl who approached her.

"Hey, yeah, thanks for coming to follow up with our friend. Uh, remind me again, why do they need a follow up?"

"Oh, don't worry," she gave the girl a reassuring smile, mistaking her curiosity for concern. "They got knocked around by some locals, but they'll be fine so long as they don't go running into more trouble right away, and I'm here to m-make sure that doesn't happen."

"Nice to meet ya doc, I'm what the call the welcoming committee, Gemma Pierce."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Rose became flustered upon realizing she'd forgotten to introduce herself properly. She took the woman's hand and gave it a gentle shake that reflected the demureness of her demeanor.  "I'm Rose. Nice to m-m-meet you."

She smiled and nodded at the captain when Gemma introduced him, finding it difficult to meet the imposing giant's gaze but doing so anyway. Good heavens, he's even taller than the Nielsens' boy! Nielsens being the proprietors of the local tailoring business, whose son's stature was a hot topic of local gossip; much bemoaning and hand-wringing was performed over the fact that his impressive physique was wasted on stitching breeches and would be put into much better use on a farm. The fact that he seemed to genuinely enjoy his current job was, of course, completely irrelevant. Yeah, definitely not going to miss this place all that much.

"So... where are we headed first?" she asked nobody in particular.

[Beth Williams]

Location: Shanghai Cargo Ramp

It had been good while it had lasted. Much better than indentured service as a mining engineer; never in her wildest dreams had Beth expected to end up as a mechanic on a space ship. Now she could only hope that the affinity that she had had with her first ship would transfer to her next; having found something that she enjoyed, she was surprisingly good at, and which paid, Beth had no thought of trying anything else.

Three Hills wasn't the best place to have ended up and although Beth had been given the price of passage to a larger spaceport as part of her severance package, her natural caution meant that she was scouting for a berth on another ship rather than seeking passage. That was proving harder than she had hoped. She had eschewed the 'crew wanted' advertisements and had instead gone from ship to ship, finding the courage at each one to ask the question to be followed by the inevitable disappointment. She dragged her tool chest behind her on its inadequate wheels, her smaller suitcase of other belongings perched perilously on top. The tool chest and its contents had been the other major component of her severance package; the owner of her last ship having no need of it and its resale value having been negligible. Its replacement value was another matter.

Shanghai was the last ship at the port and Beth's last hope for employed passage. She nearly turned away without asking but having reached the bottom of the cargo ramp, Beth was in time to hear Gemma say, "Nice to meet ya doc, I'm what the call the welcoming committee, Gemma Pierce. That there is the captain."

It was the encouragement she needed to try but she waited for the exchange between the two women to tail off before she considered it appropriate to make her presence known. While she waited, Beth dug the fingernail of her right thumb into the tip of her index finger, using the pain to try and focus her thoughts as she called up to Des, caught between her natural timidity which would have rendered her inaudible to those in the ship and shouting. As it transpired, her voice was only just loud enough to carry.

"Hi, I'm Beth Williams. Do you require a mechanic? I'm looking for a new position." It came out stilted, clearly rehearsed, and with a tremor in her voice that clearly communicated her anxiousness. She followed it up with an attempt at a smile but as usual, as a deliberate thing, it didn't really have the desired effect; the worried frown stayed on her forehead and it didn't reach her eyes. She hoped that she might at least get a point for trying.

Beth looked up at Des who towered over her, exacerbated by their relative positions, her demeanour suggesting that it would only take a slightly severe look from the captain to send her scurrying back down the ramp like a terrified mouse. She fully expected to be turned down flat but she hoped that she would find the courage to offer her services as a cook.

[Desmond Holt]

Pool headed down the ramp to look for... Apple Balm? A strange name that somehow reinforced every preconception Desmond had about the man... but as long as he paid well and didn't turn out to be some kind of creep, Des wouldn't have any problem with him.

"Well shucks....I guess I should've made you try a little harder huh?" Gemma said with a wink and a smirk. Desmond gave her a sly smile. Sassy beautiful women were one of his weaknesses. Well, beautiful women in general were one of his weaknesses... and since just about every woman was beautiful in their own way, it could be said that Desmond just had a weakness for women.

Gemma introduced herself to Rose, and made a jab about Desmond being accident prone. He rolled his eyes at her and then looked over at their new medic. "You unintentionally knock a table over One Time and suddenly you're *accident prone*." He said, grinning and making air quotes with his fingers. "Desmond Holt, nice to meet you Rose. Hopefully we wont need your services much... Unless I run into a table again or something."

"So... where are we headed first?" Rose asked. "Well, that is a great question. One that Mr Pool will hopefully answer once he brings back Apple-Ball." He paused, slightly awkwardly, for a moment. "Speaking of... Wonder where he is, I know its a bigger ship but its not THAT big-" He was cut off by the faint sound of a woman's voice coming from the bottom of the cargo ramp. "Hi, I'm Beth Williams. Do you require a mechanic? I'm looking for a new position." Des took a few steps forward to get a better look at her. The woman, Beth, was short and petite. Behind her was a tool chest and what must be her other belongings. He could practically feel the anxiety radiating from her. He gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Beth, we've already got two mechanics. Well... one I guess, since I'll have to be doing Captainy things a lot of the time... I assume... Hmm." His face turned pensive and he rubbed his chin. The Shanghai was a big ship, plus the whole bridge section was a detachable Runabout. It might be a good idea to have two mechanics. Well, three, counting himself. If he had to be doing Captainy things and there was an emergency on the runabout, or on the main ship, and the other mechanic wasn't around... that would be bad. Plus there was their breaching bore... and having more than one, or two, mechanics would definitely be helpful on salvage jobs.

Desmond smiled welcomingly at Beth. "Forget what I just said, we actually could use another mechanic! Come on aboard, I'll have Ulrich show you around the engines and the runabout." He paused and turned towards the innards of the ship for a moment. "Ulrich! ...Where is he. Always walking around so quietly, gorram difficult to keep track of him... Ah well, I'll show you around myself once we get the job details ironed out with..." He looked around and narrowed his eyes. A quick few steps took him down to the base of the ramp, and a look to either side of the ship revealed no one. Something didn't feel right. One of his hands subconsciously came to rest on the grip of one of his hand-canons. "Hey kid!" He called back up the ramp at Junior. "Any idea where Apple-boom and your dad would run off to? Because they aren't here."

[Rhiannon Pool]

"Oh, don't worry, they got knocked around by some locals, but they'll be fine so long as they don't go running into more trouble right away, and I'm here to m-make sure that doesn't happen," the new doctor woman explained. Junior raised a brow and eyed her, her hands shoved back into her pockets and her shoulders tense. She considered remining  her father what her mother had warned him when they'd left, about not getting into trouble, but Junior hadn't been around when it had happened so really, he'd sort of gone through a loop hole on that one and she guessed that made it okay. When the pilot and the medic started conversing, Junior sidestepped away and looked around at those gathered.

"Gorrammit. Applebaum!" her father bellowed, leaving the group to head down the ramp in search of their wallet. Junior's hands were freed from her pockets only long enough for her arms to cross over her chest, hands now trapped between nearly in her armpits. He had been gone longer than necessary, hadn't he? Stupid man, probably being chased around by some angry locals. He'd just gotten fixed up by this mystery doctor and now he was in trouble again? Maybe they should wring some more money out of him. Hazard pay...

"Hi, I'm Beth Williams. Do you require a mechanic? I'm looking for a new position," came the smallest of voices from further down the ramp. Junior's gaze refocused and lowered to the person standing down below. Wasn't her dad, wasn't the money man, so she didn't care. Plus, it wasn't her ship so she wasn't the one to make those sorts of decisions. Her attention redirected over Beth's shoulder to stare in the direction she'd seen her father go, no longer able to spot him among the dock crowd. A muffled sound of annoyance and concern slipped through her nose.

"Hey kid!" He called back up the ramp at Junior. She twitched and her face screwed up in annoyance. "Any idea where Apple-boom and your dad would run off to? Because they aren't here."

"I dunno, old man," she called back at him, uncrossing her arms and stalking down the ramp with her lower lip idly trapped between her canine's. The Captain was handsome, sure, but not cute enough to avoid her venom at having been called a kid. She wasn't that young... she was basically a full fledged adult. If one more person called her a kid, she was going to start biting people. Which was a totally adult thought to have, gorramit! She stopped walking when she was standing with Des and the new Beth at the bottom of the ramp. Junior looked the woman over quite obviously, her expression unamused, before she nodded her chin upward at the woman in greeting. "Hi. I'm Junior," she greeted, unenthused, before looking around at the docks, or what she could see of them from the bottom of the ramp.

Her hands came up to cup around her mouth, "Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!" she called, brows raised as she looked around and listened for someone to answer. Maybe another tactic. "MOM'S CALLING! SHE WANTS TO TALK TO  YOU AND SHE SOUNDS PISSED!" she shouted, even louder, then once again looked around for some kind of movement or response. She looked over at Beth again, "Mom's not actually calling," she told the woman, even though that was pretty obvious.

[Gemma Pierce]

Gemma gave the doctor a warm smile. She was so polite - and reserved. Something Gemma could probably learn from the woman.


"So... where are we headed first?"

Choosing not to interrupt for once Gemma turned to Des, who seemed to have some kind of idea...though at the moment he seemed a tad distracted. Shaking her head Gemma turned back to Rose, "I'm sure we'll have a heading of some sort once our dear captain is able to get a hold of himself." It seemed they had another new comer, and their clients seemed to disappear every time they walked down the ramp,"Are things always so....happening, here?"

[Beth Williams]

Location: Shanghai Cargo Ramp

"Sorry, Beth, we've already got two mechanics. Well... one I guess, since I'll have to be doing Captainy things a lot of the time... I assume... Hmm."

Beth really only heard the first part of the first sentence, the part that she had been expecting but despite having steeled herself for the rejection, it still felt like a body blow. Her thumbnail bit deeper into the ball of her finger as she fought for control of her emotions. "I'm not going to cry, I'm not going to cry," she chanted to herself but she still felt it necessary to turn her head away to hide the tears that had started welling up in her eyes.

"Forget what I just said, we actually could use another mechanic! Come on aboard, I'll have Ulrich show you around the engines and the runabout."

"What?" For a moment Beth couldn't believe her ears then it started to register and her expression took on that of a deer caught in the headlights. Before she could say anything the Captain was speaking again.

"Ulrich! ...Where is he. Always walking around so quietly, gorram difficult to keep track of him... Ah well, I'll show you around myself once we get the job details ironed out with..."

A look of bewilderment crossed Beth's face as she struggled to work out whether he meant her employment or work for the ship. It was part of her curse, being able to find many different meanings for what people said to her and struggling to determine what was the actual meaning. The problem tended to expand geometrically with the time that elapsed since the statement had been made.

"Thank you, Captain," she squeaked as Des reached her at the base of the ramp. Beth's frown deepened at the sound that had come out of her mouth and a flush of red started creeping up her face. From somewhere in the recesses of her brain a thought surfaced. "I have a reference" but it came out as little more than a whisper and she doubted that he would have heard.

"Any idea where Apple-boom and your dad would run off to? Because they aren't here."

Beth stopped and turned toward the Captain, "No I...." she started to say before her brain caught up with the second part of Des' question and she ceased speaking. "Not every question is directed at you, stupid girl!" she told herself sternly, annoyed at herself for once again leaping to the assumption that someone was talking to her.

A young woman came down the ramp, drawing Beth's attention away from the captain. The woman's serious appraisal of Beth unnerved her and her flush deepened.

""Hi. I'm Junior,"

"Hi," she ventured and added, unnecessarily, "I'm Beth." Her voice was back to normal, being high-pitched and child-like but at least it wasn't a squeak.

"MOM'S CALLING! SHE WANTS TO TALK TO  YOU AND SHE SOUNDS PISSED!"

Beth couldn't imagine her late mother being angry enough to be described as being 'pissed'; whiny and needy, yes, pissed, not so much. As insular as her family had been, though, she had seen other parents angry so she had a reference point.

"Mom's not actually calling,"

Even Beth had managed to work that one out but she said nothing. If she had known 'Junior' well enough to know how she would take it, Beth might have ventured a joke along the lines of 'just sitting in miffed passive aggression?"; it would be a while before she would feel comfortable enough to make that sort of comment, particularly given that first impression. Curiosity got the better of her, "Does that work?"

[Rose Wickson]

Rose began to relax as both Ms. Pierce and captain Holt welcomed her with open arms, and yet even as her nervousness about meeting them, a sense of unease lingered. She tried brush it aside and give her full attention to her conversation partner, but she could not help but be distracted by all the commotion taking place down the ramp; a new person Rose didn't recognize showing up and talking to the captain, Pool's daughter yelling for his father, said father and his associate -- Applebaum, he'd called him -- nowhere to be seen.

"Are things always so....happening, here?"

"Heavens, no," Rose couldn't help but chuckle at the idea of her small town being described as "happening". But Gemma's question had jogged her memory, and her expression darkened when she realized where that nagging sense of unease was coming from. "Well... there have been... uh, folks have been gettin' snatched lately. It hasn't been real high on the sheriff's list, on account of m-m-most of them bein' off-worlders..."

She trailed off, falling into her thoughts. Maybe she was getting carried away. There was no need to get alarmed so soon. Pool and Applebaum were probably fine. But still, the possibility did exist... they both stuck out like sore thumbs, particularly Applebaum -- and their injuries would make them easier targets. Rose's stomach twisted at the thought; she never did get the chance to properly check them for concussions. She should've been more firm back at the clinic and not let them just walk out like they had.

[HumanHyperbole]

ORBIT - THREE HILLS

"Why did you kiss him though?"

"It's called the goodnight kiss, what else am I suppose' to do?"

"I mean like you don't have to kiss... it transmits through skin...

"Lips is skin."

"Shit, he ain't wrong... oh heeyyyy! Somebody's wakin' up!"

As Sidney started to come down from the effects of yet another powerful sedative, Papa Pool started to drowsily open his eyes. Both men saw about a half dozen men. Best they could tell, with their vision drifting in and out of doubling everything and coming in and out of focus. Their leader would come into focus as he stepped in close to both of them.

"You two are adorable. I really mean it. Honestly like, if I had just met you two at the bar and I wasn't out to ransom you, we'd probably have a good time. Honestly, we're a fun gang, like right guys?"

He looked to the crew and they all agreed heartily.

"I know like we snatched ya and shit but, you don't gotta not have fun you know? Benny! Get them a couple beers!"

As beers were placed into each of their hands, despite being bound together at the wrists, the Captain of this crew of villains introduced himself.

"Salud! I'm Ximo! This is my crew. This here is the best ship on Three Hills, the Bolivar!"

The beers weren't bad either. It was probably the most polite kidnapping any of them had been through. Hell, for half of them it started with a kiss. What was the catch? Their polite and friendly kidnapper Maximo Cauron continued:

"Oh and, either you guys hungry? Louis! Get 'em some of the rice and beans. You gotta try his rice and beans. Only gringo I ever met who can get the spices right."

And sure enough a moment later, a bowl of rice and beans, and two spoons were placed in front of each of them. As both men grew more and more confused as to what was going on, the Bolivar's Captain cut to the chase:

"Sorry I gotta jump into business so fast but we all gotta grind, ya know?"

He paused and looked them both in the eyes for a moment before asking:

"Where's this pirate treasure I heard the handsome Semite mumblin' about at?!"

He smiled wide at them, like they were already best of friends.
----
To be continued in Shanghai Episode One: Every Mile is a Marathon.