S1:Ep3 - A Tale of Darling-Do

Started by Lomari, July 23, 2019, 08:20:07 AM

Tabitha Haemish

Caution tape zig-zagged across the doorway to the med-bay in random frantic patterns, blanketing the entry in handmade tea-stained cloth and black ink. Tabitha used some adhesive to secure the last strip of the material to the side of the threshold, wild blonde curls having long since escaped their confines and framing her face in a golden lion's mane. She straightened and set her hands on her hips, stepping back to admire her work with a pleased grin. That'd do it. Probably. Unless he discovered where she kept the scissors...

The doctor looked back over her shoulder at her patient and half-frowned, half-pouted in his direction. He'd been trying to sneak out of the infirmary from the moment she'd corralled him in there. Now Tabitha was once more keeping watch over their injured chef while the majority of the crew gathered together with the Captain. The rest of her body turned, and she crossed her arms over her chest. Before trapping them inside, she'd made sure to make some sandwiches and bring a hot container of water in just in case they needed tea during their stay. She'd plugged him back into an IV and tucked him into the bed with a downy blanket after re-bandaging his wound and insisting he stop itching at it. Her tools had all been washed and put away and all that was left to do now was keep him stable and comfortable while he healed and his body remade the blood he'd lost.

Tabby pointed at her patient, "Rian, I do know where there are handcuffs on this ship!" she threatened, her voice wobbling at the effort it took to remain some semblance of stern, the sound severely undercutting the attempted threat. "Do you want a sandwich? Or an 'orange'?" she asked, brows still furrowed in her effort to be firm with him.
Dialogue Color: Pink

RUNE

After a longing glance at the doorway outside the Med Bay, Barnaby looked around the corridor and had to shake away the ghosts of he and his brother laughing as children playing at a game of tag. Pappy hated all that commotion in the "workin' areas" but Francine would often remind him to let the boys have as much of a childhood as they could in the Black. The idea of losing his family home stung deeper than any of the extended family Barnaby drew together on the ship might ever understand, but he also couldn't bring himself to commit to the kind of activity Rian suggested. "Can't have that. No sir." Pappy's voice echoed in Barney's mind, bringing the steel of Jeremiah Goodweather to his son's near to misting eyes. With a deep breath to regain his composure, Captain Goodweather took one purposeful step after another for a hanging, handheld communicator that still managed to reek of cigarillos even after all these years. "This is your Captain speakin'. Y'all that can stand up or hain't preventin' anyone from standin' best get to the galley right quick. Fixin' to have ourselves a little family meetin', 'n' we're like to have some guests."

And so Barnaby was able to lay out the details of his plan: Riot and Arlo were to prep the cockpit and prepare to intercept the turbo train; it was suggested that Viktor, following a crash course in machine operation, might maintain his pacifist leanings by operating the boom crane Darling utilized to lift heavy cargo into it's central hold; for his own part, Barnaby would join Abernathy and his boys once the ship had a hold of the turbo train car they intended to drop into. For some of those gathered around who were new to the ship, this seemed an awkward place to be planning a heist. For those that gathered here nightly for family dinner, it bordered on sacrilege. Still, they followed through with each of the Captain's orders as he accompanied his words with a knowing wink to Riot or reassuring nod to Viktor. Clearly Goodweather had something else up his sleeve, but as Viktor made his way to the cargo hold, Riot and Thackery headed for the cockpit, and Bandit looked up expectantly for table scraps, no one but Barnaby was any the wiser. Downright confused, more like.

After the crew departed, Captain Goodweather invited Abernathy and his men to make themselves at home in the Galley before excusing himself to make his final rounds to check in on the crew and fill them in on the reality of his ploy. If Barnaby hadn't been so preoccupied with maintaining his own morals and the safety and livelihoods of his own crew, he might've considered for a moment that there was a bit more in common between himself and Patrick O'Doyle than he'd ever care to admit.

I know that I hung on a windy tree nine long nights, wounded with a spear, dedicated to Odin, myself to myself, on that tree of which no man knows from where its roots run.
No bread did they give me nor a drink from a horn, downwards I peered; I took up the runes, screaming I took them, then I fell back from there.
The songs I know that king's wives know not Nor men that are sons of men.
So do I write and color the runes.

Viktor Söderberg

A lot had happened in a very short time and it all made Viktor's head spin a little. The tea trick worked beautifully - thank you Tabby! - but no sooner was everyone amped to retake their than the Captain informed them all that it wasn't necessary.
Abernathy was a shady character and it was just about guaranteed that his plan to "rescue" Mona was just as shady. Unfortunately, there wasn't much the preacher could do about it at this moment except for follow Captain's orders. This would mean studying.
Viktor was never very good with machines and he was no luddite by any means but the darn things just didn't seem very agreeable to him. He hoped the "crash course" wouldn't involve too much crashing.
Nevertheless, he got ahold of a basic manual to look over so he could at least appear somewhat comptent before actually being shown how to use the thing.

Mattie Rooney

Mattie was waiting in the hallway and approached the captain as soon as he emerged. She'd taken a quick shower before the crew meeting earlier, and while you could make out some strands of pink-tinted hair in her braid if you squinted real hard, she had managed to get out most of the blood, dust and assorted bits of dried herbs. She was still wearing her rumpled suit pants, but she had traded her blood-drenched blouse for a t-shirt she'd borrowed from Riot, the mechanic. It was a number too small for the taller woman, but that wasn't too bad of an issue thanks to its loose-fitting cut. Mostly, Mattie was just happy to be rid of the last traces of the unpleasant acquaintance that had been Bret Whats-His-Face.

What she wasn't happy about was feeling like an unhelpful, unwanted guest on The Darling, being left out of all the exciting action that was being cooked up under her nose.

"'Scuse me, Captain... Goodweather?" She hoped she had the name right.

"I couldn't help but notice that your plan back there didn't include me."

Granted, her and Rian's daring rescue plan hadn't actually been necessary with the way the events had unfolded, but... they had tried, right? And she'd helped, and shouldn't that have counted for something? She sighed and averted her eyes for a moment while she tried to put her thoughts into the least abrasive words possible. Then she looked back up at the captain.

"Rian offered me a job in exchange for helpin' him save y'all from Abernathy. I figured he didn't actually have the power to do that, but... I couldn't just not help, y'know? An' I was hopin' I could help y'all some more. I'm a real good shot, 'specially with a rifle.'"
Dialogue color: darkkhaki

Barnaby Goodweather

Barnaby looked surprised, but in a way that touched his heart. He had not, in fact, been aware that Rian had offered her a job on the Darling but suddenly Barnaby was thankful for his brother-in-law's initiative. He stammered for a moment before answering. "Well, Miss, first off call me Barnaby. Everyone does that knows me. Um nextly, I ain't wanna assume nothin'. Hell I don't even know your name! Ain't right to ask a guest to lay down their life." Mr. Arlo and his part to play in the coming events came to mind and Barnaby suddenly wondered if some inherent bias about young women had colored his plan making.

"Let's make it right." He said after a moment. "Terms. On the Darling everybody takes an equal cut of any pay above expenses. You'll always eat and have a place to sleep. As a rule, shootin's not our first choice, present circumstances excepted. So your work with a gun, careful it may be, m'ain't get used much. We're primarily a cargo hauler, sometimes we take on passengers for a fee, do the odd job, always as honest as I can manage. Most times it stays north of trouble. All that sounds agreeable I'll put you on the roster."

Barnaby breathed in and out harshly, his brain a-working as he leaned back against the bulkhead. "Far as today goes, I reckon your gun work would be handy." He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Mattie square. "What you got in mind?"

Dialogue Color - LightBlue

Mattie Rooney

"Well, Miss, first off call me Barnaby. Everyone does that knows me. Um nextly, I ain't wanna assume nothin'. Hell I don't even know your name! Ain't right to ask a guest to lay down their life."

Mattie cringed at his choice of form of address. "Mattie. None of this 'Miss' business, ever. Just Mattie will do."

She listened to Captain Goodweather's terms with a peculiar mixture of warmth and anxiety brewing in the pit of her stomach. There was a... cuddliness to him that she wasn't used to in a boss, between Tara Marx's cool efficiency and the general a-holery of the employers she'd had since her. She wasn't sure what to make of it.

"That all sounds shiny to me," she said. "I ain't above manual labor if it comes down to that. Sure beats kissin' Tate's pì gu ."

 "Far as today goes, I reckon your gun work would be handy. What you got in mind?"

Mattie's body language was much less relaxed than Barnaby's, but she met his gaze without flinching.

"I ain't really one for makin' plans. Usually the way things go is boss points, I shoot. So long as the boss ain't a schemin' wángbādàn," she added, her thoughts drifting back to her recently former boss. She swallowed.

"I'm sorry y'all got dragged into this mess. I ain't proud about having a part in it, even a little one. Shoulda thought twice about takin' the job with Tate, but... y'know."

'I needed the money', was the unspoken end of the sentence, but she didn't want his pity. It was none of his business, anyway.
Dialogue color: darkkhaki

Barnaby Goodweather

Barnaby paused and looked skyward as if trying to remember something. It came to him, but only just. "The only mistake you can make is not learning that it was a mistake that you made... or somethin' like that. My pappy, God rest'im, was always full of proverbs like that." There he went, chewing on that lip again. "S'pose I either gotta trust you or I don't." He stuck out his hand and spit in it. "Fair deal, Mattie."

Once the deal was shook, Barnaby's weight shifted as he came to the hard part. "I never ask nobody to do nothing I wouldn't do myself, which is how I came to be the one volunteered to drop in on that train. If you think you're up to it, and I feel like you got the grit, I'd be honored to have you with me." Barnaby grinned. "Rian's gonna sh*t. Best don't tell him." Sure, Rian had included Mattie in his version of the job, but that was when the young buck had assumed he'd be running point. No can do with a chest shot like that. Doctor's and Captain's orders. Still though, Rian couldn't be happy being left and Barnaby was sure Tabby would have her hands full with him. Maybe she oughta give him some Sleeptime Tea...

Barnaby offered Mattie a wink, grateful for the brief moment of levity in such dire times. "Thank you." The sincerity positively dripped from his voice, as it did from the corner of his eye, and he wasn't talking about the laugh. She was laying on a landmine for him and his, nothing said family like that. The emotion cleared from his throat with a cough. "You go talk with Rian, actually. See if maybe he's got more of that sticky armor. If you can get any insight into his plan, too. I just know he was saving bits for himself. I gotta check with some of the other folks."

Barnaby went to find Viktor, Tabby, Riot, and Arlo and not necessarily in that order.
Dialogue Color - LightBlue

Viktor Söderberg

Viktor figured he should have a word with his Captain before this whole thing went down.

He saw Barnaby in the cargo bay from the doorway. He called into the room. "Cap, 'scuse me. If you have a minute I'd like a word if I could?"

He realized, as he moved farther into the room to join his friend, that he was still looking a bit rumpled from the day. His clothes were wrinkled and there were still dirt smudges on his pants. He shrugged to himself. There were more important things to worry about right now.

"I mightily appreciate you taking my predilections into concern. Fair warning, machines don't tend to like me too much but I got a hold of a basic manual that I'd briefly looked over." He waved his had in the general direction of the crane machinery.

"But, if I may speak openly now, Captain, my main concern is for you and the rest of the crew. I know you are in charge here, but I'm really not sure this plan is a good idea and trusting Abernathy, even less so. Please tell me that you know something I don't to alleviate my fears."

Riot

Darling: Cockpit

Riot was nervous. Extremely nervous. She'd never touched a live flight-control in her life, and although if all went according to plan she wouldn't have to do any real flying, even the prospect of just having to hold their home steady over the mag train as they both hurtled along was daunting. Whats more, she was paired up with Arlo, whom she'd barely spoken too since he set foot inside the ship. She still disliked him, and the fact that he was so gorram pretty just aggravated her more. Of course a lot of that still had to do with the nature of his appearance on the ship, and that subconsciously she blamed him for Mona's capture. It was entirely possible her opinion of him would drastically improve after they succeeded in their rescue attempt... or maybe not. Only time would tell.

For the moment she was mostly ignoring Arlo by keeping busy familiarizing herself with the flight controls... or at least trying to. She knew the two most important ones, that being the helm and the throttle, but everything else was like looking at a wall of text written in another language. Most of her mechanics knowledge had been learned by trial and error, tinkering and taking things about just to put em back together again. She'd never been very keen on book learning. Conceptually she knew how the ship flew, and she could tell you what just about any one part was, what it did, and why it was there. But trying to wrap her head around actually flying was proving a near impossible task.

One thing was for sure though, after this was all over she was going to ask Barnaby for flight lessons. If the need for her to fly the ship ever came up again she intended to be more than ready. Or at least be able to fly with an amateur level of skill.

Something else was nagging at her. During his explanation of the plan she kept getting the feeling that there was something the captain wasn't telling them. This was reinforced by Barnaby's knowing winks and reassuring nods. She wanted desperately to know what the full plan was, but was hesitant to ask about it with Arlo around, even though Barn seemed to trust him at least a little bit. She also didn't want to accidentally reveal anything to Abernathy or his goons if Barnaby did have an ace up his sleeve. The point was, for the moment, moot. Because she didn't have time to go and find him anyways, not if she wanted to make sure they didn't all die the second she took over at the the helm. If the captain came to the cockpit she'd ask him, but if he didn't, she trusted him.

Rian Carpenter

October 18, 2019, 06:08:03 PM #49 Last Edit: October 18, 2019, 06:14:32 PM by Rian Carpenter
Med Bay

You can do this Rian. One breath in. One breath out. Repeat. You cannot control every situation, and the liberal expenditure of ammunition will not solve any of your problems right now. Yes, there are no guns within five feet of you right now. That is okay.

He took that breath, in, then out. He repeated the mantra again in his mind. Years of a certain lifestyle made it hard for him to cede even the smallest amount of what he perceived to give him control, agency, freedom. Carpenter knew that his guns were equally shackles. The longer a gun is your hammer, everything, and sometimes everyone could look like a nail. Plus it was the infirmary, if anything popped off there were at least 4 implements nearby he could use to slice an assailants throat within two paces.

Don't mention how many things there are you could use to stab somebody with in here. Tabby will take them away.

The security specialist and temporary XO reminded himself. Tabby was on the war-path to keep him from further injuring himself, or passing out from over exertion given how much blood he'd lost. He almost instinctively rejected Tabby's offer of a sandwich through her adorably stern face. But he never ate before a job, so he was actually pretty hungry, and the sooner he ate the sooner he'd start to get his energy back, and be less likely to pass out if he stood up too quickly.

Rian smiled back at his attending physician's attempt to put him in his place. It didn't intimidate him but it had its desired effect nonetheless. Resistance was futile, and Tabitha Haemish would be damned if she was going to let him go storming off into a fruitless display of toxic masculinity.

"Yeah... I'll take a sandwich. Thank you, Tabby."

The former outlaw attempted to relax and brought the bed up into an only semi-reclined position. He added 

"Not just for the sandwich. Thanks for patching me up and uhh... for benching me. I've been on this ship months now.. I've been lucky to just be the cook y'know? Thanks for telling 'old Rian' to take a hike."

He'd finally distracted himself for a moment, and just for a second he wasn't thinking about Merryweather's verkakte version of his plan. Then again, his version of the plan wasn't much better. They had a veritable buffet of crappy options to choose from. Rian didn't even realize he'd just spoken about his life before Darling with another crewmember for the first time. He'd been incredibly careful to avoid the subject so far but he'd finally slipped a little. This was beginning to feel like home now, despite or because of the insane situation. 

Barnaby Goodweather

Cargo Bay:

Barnaby waved a hand nonchalantly towards the machinery. "She's easy, Preacher. Just hit the switch. She's quad-mounted - means there's four cables but they all run on the same apparatus- and rated to pull in 1600 tons. Which we ain't pull in'. Just kinda hangin' on." The strangeness of the concept wasn't lost on him, but he moved on anyway. "You'll watch this gauge here-" The Captain walked Viktor over to the control panel where a small switch with a red cover sat that said "Lower" next to another one, with a blue cover, that said "Raise." He knuckled a simple pressure gauge on the panel. "If this'n goes into the red, we're in trouble. But shouldn't happen. If'n it do go red, you'll hit the release." A gesture to a lever on the side of the panel, marked "Release." He let out a low whistle. "That's worst case, and all that does is cut off the cables from the ship down. Darling'll be free to go." He tried not to think about how such a thing would affect Riot, who'd then have to actually do some piloting despite his promises to the contrary. Ain't gonna happen, he promised himself.

"The doors'll be open already, so you don't gotta worry about that." He tried to think of anything else, scratching his head while his brain worked. "Reckon that's it." Of course if things didn't go smooth...

He was avoiding the real question. Barnaby knew it and he figured Viktor did too. It was a hard ask, trusting him like he was asking the crew to do, but he couldn't risk this going wrong. There was too much at stake. He swore, to them and himself and to the Lord Jesus (though Barnaby hadn't actually ever been baptized nor to a proper church proselytization), if they got out of this and out from under all this shit he'd gotten them into, the next job would be easier. It had to be, right?

"I'm obliged to your concern, Preacher. Rightly so. It's a perilous task we got ahead. Hope you'll trust when I say that what I got planned will guarantee nobody on Darling gets hurt. Tabby. Riot. Rian. Yourself. Even Mr. Arlo." He hoped Viktor wouldn't ask after those he didn't mention. His plan included them, too, but not at a contract. He'd keep Mattie safe. Another vow he wasn't sure he could keep.

A moment of doubt. Was it weakness or even-headed worry? His plan was good, wasn't it? Barnaby wasn't sure but he was suddenly overcome. "Will you pray for me, Preacher?"
Dialogue Color - LightBlue

Mattie Rooney

October 19, 2019, 06:06:30 AM #51 Last Edit: October 19, 2019, 07:18:53 AM by Mattie Rooney
Med Bay

Mattie glared at the caution tape blocking her path to the infirmary as if it were a person that could be intimidated into getting out of the way. When that didn't work, she tore at the strips of fabric haphazardly until she'd made a hole big enough to step through.

"Sorry to barge in like this. The Captain told me to have a word with Rian."

She nodded at the doctor in greeting -- What was her name? She didn't know almost anybody's name -- and walked over to Rian's bedside. She looked down at his pallid, lounging form with something between concern and disapproval. The appropriate thing to do would've been to ask how he was holding up before proceeding to go over only the most essential parts of the plan and leaving him to his rest after that. But Mattie had never been one to let anything go in favor of civility, so the first thing out of her mouth was...

"Y'know, you shoulda just listened to me and took it easy while I led the charge. Right?" Mattie turned to the doctor for confirmation that she'd been in the right and Rian had been a chǔn huò for getting himself worked up like that while sporting a gaping chest wound and bleeding all over the place. If their roles had been reversed, Mattie would most likely have done the exact same thing, but that was beside the point. No use getting hung up on a hypothetical scenario when there was an actual situation at hand in which Mattie had been right and somebody else had not listened to her.
Dialogue color: darkkhaki

Tabitha Haemish

Med Bay:

Her attempt at a frown cleared right up the moment he accepted her sandwich peace offering and she beamed at Rian, hurrying over to the sandwiches she'd prepared to grab one for him, along with a pre-peeled 'orange'. Placing it all on a clean cloth napkin, the doctor returned to his side and very gently set the food onto his lap before beginning to look around for another pillow he could use to get comfortable while slightly reclined. She paused in reaching for a cushion when he continued speaking, eyes wide and curious as they locked upon Rian's and lips parted in a slight 'o' shape. At the end of it, pink lips turned upward once more and she grabbed the cushion, gently smushing it between Rian's lower back and the bed's surface. She she'd finished and he looked about as comfortable as she could make him currently, Tabby reached up to set her hands on his cheeks and very gently pull his head down a little. She planted a warm kiss on the top of his head, then moved him so she could look him in the eye again, hands still planted on his cheeks. "Rian is Rian. Old Rian, New Rian, Future Rian. I love all versions of you. And so does the crew. We're your family and nothing is going to change that. I promise," she told him softly, nodding her head at the end to somehow cement her words as absolute fact. Releasing his face, she tapped the tip of his nose with her index finger before turning to grab herself a sandwich.

Tabby paused mid motion, sandwich in one hand and some water for Rian in the other, when her caution tape barrier was torn to shreds by there new capable friend. "Oh! Oh! Of course!" she told the other woman, straightening and nodding in Rian's direction, her face absolutely covered with a genuine want to help with whatever Mattie needed. As long as it was only talking to Rian and not taking him somewhere, the new lady was more than free to speak to her patient for as long as she wanted! Still, she stood on the opposite side of Rian's bed holding the food in her hands, but she nodded quickly when Mattie turned to look at her for confirmation, although her train of thought didn't include as much swearing as Mattie's. "Oh! Would you like a sandwich?" she asked, holding out the one she'd grabbed for herself and trying not to get any crumbs on Rian's legs.
Dialogue Color: Pink

Viktor Söderberg

October 22, 2019, 11:31:09 AM #53 Last Edit: November 06, 2019, 01:57:12 PM by Lomari Reason: formatting
Location: Cargo Bay

"She's easy, Preacher."

He appreciated Barnaby's confidence in him, but paid very close attention to the instructions anyway. The whole explanation took maybe 30 seconds. As much as he wanted to think yeah, this can't be that hard, he didn't want to jinx it - in as much as he believed in jinxes.

"I'm obliged to your concern, Preacher. Rightly so. It's a perilous task we got ahead. Hope you'll trust when I say that what I got planned will guarantee nobody on Darling gets hurt. Tabby. Riot Rian. Yourself. Even Mr. Arlo."

Viktor couldn't help but notice his specifics. "Nobody on Darling gets hurt." Not, "Nobody gets hurt." He didn't ask after it, though. The Captain seems pushed enough at this point with everything going on. No need for the preacher to push his conscience further.

There was a long pause between the two. It felt like a building of tension. Of the unsaid words. Of the undone actions. Of the promises to be kept or broken. Of the weight of Goodweather's decisions and leadership. And suddenly, a request he didn't often get on this ship, "Will you pray for me, Preacher?"

He could count on one hand the number of times that one of the crew had specifically asked for prayer. He cherished them all but he also knew that this kind of request meant danger, a heavy heart or a burdened mind.

"Captain, I may not technically be part of this crew but I've been on this ship long enough to think of every one of you as family. I pray for you all daily, even though some of you might wish I didn't. I will pray for you, Captain. I will pray for all of us."

Barnaby Goodweather

Cargo Bay:

"Now that's just nonsensical, Preacher. You're as much part of this crew as anybody, and that's the truth. I'm glad you're here." After a deep breath in and a sharp exhale, Barnaby felt better, especially after knowing that the Preacher was putting in a good word for him Upstairs.

Speaking of upstairs, that's where Barnaby found himself next.

Cockpit:

Barnaby hesitated at the bottom of the railed steps leading up to the helm of the Darling. One foot on a step, his hand gripped the railing, and he stared up at the darkened alcove, the glow of the controls offering a soft glow that drifted out, making it seem warm and inviting. It was one of the things that made the helm his favorite part of the ship. But now it was a place he didn't want to be. Riot was up there, and while he loved her like a daughter, he knew what he was asking her to do.

He half wondered if this wasn't what the prayers were for. Strength to ask someone to do something they weren't ready for. To sink or swim; which was a funny phrase to Barnaby, being as he'd never had cause to learn to tread water. To live or die. And not only that, but to literally have the life of each member of the crew (and then also Abernathy and his men) in your hands. That is what Barnaby was asking Riot to do, and he'd put on a brave face about it when originally pitching the idea, but he knew she was apprehensive about it. And all the faith in the world didn't amount to nothing without believing in yourself.

Maybe the Preacher could mention that to the Lord.

At the top of the stairs, Barnaby offered a "Knock knock." in greeting before stepping inside. He looked at Riot with a tight smile. "How's it goin' up here?" A considering glance toward Arlo as well. It seemed... tense. "Learnin' the controls?" Barnaby remembered his first time in that chair, which seemed such a long time ago. He tried to recall the name of the pilot then. Not so much the name, but which one it had been. The Darling, over the years, had had it's fair share of people in and out. Pappy had done his fair share of yoking, more than his fair share to hear the old man tell it. But there had been Ruiz and Wen Zhi in the early days. Then by the time Barnaby was old enough... "I learned some from my Pappy, o' course. But by the time I really took to it there was Gloria. Glo'." Barnaby smiled at the mention of her name, his remembrance of her being a beautiful dark-skinned woman with long, dreaded hair and full lips. She had been about ten years older than Barnaby during her time on the Darling Francine. They had been good friends and young Barnaby had been heartbroken when she moved on. "She was a fine woman, and if'n she taught me everything I know, well it was only half of what she knew. Wooee, she was a spitfire. Always gave Pappy what'fer." Color filled his cheeks as another memory filtered in. "She taught me a lot of things." He coughed.

"Which goes to say even I started big-eyed. Glo' always said it was easy 'till it wasn't, and I find that to be true to this day." Collecting himself and exiting from his revery, Barnaby rested his elbows onto the back of Riot's seat. "What questions ya got, I'm sure there's a parcel of 'em."
Dialogue Color - LightBlue

Rian Carpenter

October 22, 2019, 05:36:00 PM #55 Last Edit: November 06, 2019, 01:56:51 PM by Lomari
Location: Infirmary

Rian blushed slightly after the kiss on the head and the assurance he was part of this family. In his head sometimes he tried to convince himself he was a bit of a stowaway. The distance he'd put between himself and the crew had eroded a lot over the course of the job, or maybe he was just now realizing how much he'd already been pulled in. The moment of catharsis was promptly interrupted by his new friend.

He chuckled slightly at her entrance. His prediction that somebody was going to smash their way through before he ever need to try and slip through proved true. She was here on Captain's orders indicating she was at least joining up for the job. She wasn't wrong about storming through the ship with that lead riding in his rib-cage and he had to acknowledge that again. As usual the women in the room were informing him of why he was a dumb-pi gu and they weren't wrong. Though he did have the inkling the blonde enforcer probably would have done the same were roles reversed.

"Yeah... you're not wrong there. I was just tellin' Doctor Haemish that."

Rian nodded and made a face that was almost like a smirk but more like a self conscious bemusement at his own stupidity. Letting the moment hang for just a second, before she could get to why the Captain had sent her down, he just got right into it.

"Please tell me you're going to watch Barnaby's pee-gu on this cockamamie plan I sorta helped make...?"

The cook quickly continued, directing her to the ships armory and his additions to it:

"The armory in the cargo-bay, you probably saw it, I've got a stash in there. Ballistic armor padding, you saw me ripping that off earlier... Um but my rifle is in there, you can take that any of the breaching charges in the red box labeled 'keep away from open flames'. Probably gonna need those and when you're on the train-"

As he tried to think of what else he wanted her to know about his plan to work, he realized he still didn't know this girl's name. Rian stopped that train of thought right in its tracks and backtracked. Cursing himself out in Chinese he tried to reconcile this, as previously they'd only exchanged about ten words and he really didn't want to mess this professional relationship before it was too late.

"Wǒ shìgè báichī. Wǒ hěn bàoqiàn! Maybe we should have a normal introduction?"

He shifted to try and sit more upright, wincing just a bit from the discomfort then extended his right hand.

"Rian Carpenter. Security specialist, ship cook and temporary XO I think..."

With the bullets no longer flying, he no longer had that same confidence and bravado more characteristic of the outlaw he once was. Forced to sit this round out in the med-bay he was extra out of his element. He suppressed the urge to go on more about the job or try and give her any orders. They all knew the plan. All he could do know was rely on her and the rest of the crew to keep their head's on straight once this crazy plan got in motion. And as the time old adage goes: No plan survives contact with the enemy.

Riot

November 05, 2019, 04:54:18 PM #56 Last Edit: November 06, 2019, 12:59:17 PM by Lomari
Location: Bridge

Riot heard footfalls on the steps and turn to see Barnaby appear on the bridge. "Knock knock." He said, giving Riot a tight smile. "How's it goin' up here?" He continued, glancing at Arlo. "Learnin' the controls?"

Riot pressed her lips together in a thin line and then sighed. "Its... going." She paused and cast a glance over the blinking lights of the control panels. "Its just all so... Like, I know what everything does, but trying to put it all together at a moments notice is... its overwhelming." Barnaby waxed nostalgic and shared some of his memories of learning to fly. Riot listened patiently.

"Which goes to say even I started big-eyed. Glo' always said it was easy 'till it wasn't, and I find that to be true to this day." Barnaby rested his elbows onto the back of Riot's seat. "What questions ya got, I'm sure there's a parcel of 'em." Riot looked up at him, much of her worry plainly visible on her face.

"Barn... Are we really doing this? I'm all for rescuing Mona, but this... Are we really partnering with that, that..." She searched for an appropriate animal to call him, but she didn't want to insult the animals. "...Business Man?" She nearly spat the words. "is..." She paused and glared at Arlo a moment, deciding that if Barnaby trusted him that she would too... for now. "Is what you said down there when you were laying out the plan... is that the whole plan?"

Barnaby Goodweather

November 06, 2019, 11:52:32 AM #57 Last Edit: November 06, 2019, 01:56:09 PM by Lomari
Location: Bridge

That wasn't exactly the question that Barnaby had been hoping Riot would ask, though he'd be a gorram liar if he said he'd expected different. He still considered it a win, though, because while the mechanic seemed nervous to take the helm, she was taking it full-on and Barnaby respected her for that. The actual question at hand tore at him, though, just like it had with the Preacher. Just like it had when Rian had laid it out. And just like it had when he made the call. "Yeah." He said, the weight of the 'verse on his voice. But no, not the 'verse. Just those in it that he cared most about.

"I'm a good man, Riot. And I ain't bragging when I say that. But I was taught to do what was right and good and I try to stick to that every single day. Sometimes we're forced to toe that line. Sometimes a body's gotta cross it outright." He almost laughed. "The line's so far back now I ain't even know if we'll get back. But I'm trying, Riot, I'm trying like hell to find it." His lip was starting to getting sore from jawing it so much. "Abernathy ain't never even heard of the line and this far out-- we need all the help we can get."

He wished he could tell her it would be all right. He wished he could tell her what was coming, but in truth, Barnaby wasn't even quite sure how this would all roll out. And he wished he'd've told that Baron to go spit when that job came across the Cortex. But wishin' was fishin' and Barnaby had never been much for either.  After a moment, he added. "It's a bad plan." A longer than intended pause gave him time to realize what exactly he'd said. "Evil, I mean. But it'll work." He rested a hand on her shoulder he hoped would offer some sort of comfort. He didn't really expect it to, but it never hurt.

He then set about offering some tips and tricks, little hints he'd learned over the years to keep Darling flying straight. A few minutes to lay out forty years of piloting? Hardly. But Riot was a good student and Barnaby knew what to say and how to say it. Mr. Arlo, to his credit, listened quietly and intently, nodding at the right moments and asking smart sounding questions. Barnaby wasn't too sure about him, and while he had no reason to trust the man, there wasn't really much choice. Same could be said for trusting him, of course, but Barnaby had a gut instinct about Mr. Arlo.

"There. Aughta do it. Remember to watch your speed. Sensors will tell you how fast the train is moving. Just match that." He smiled at Riot, like a parent does when a child first rides a bike or goes off to college. Any lingering trepidation was met with the offer of a hug. "Ain't nothin' horrible gonna happen today." He said and again promised himself he'd stop making impossible promises.
Dialogue Color - LightBlue

Mattie Rooney

November 06, 2019, 12:33:48 PM #58 Last Edit: November 06, 2019, 01:56:30 PM by Lomari
Location: Infirmary

Mattie shook her head when Tabitha offered her the sandwich. She turned her attention to Rian, feeling a little awkward to be standing above him like this.

"Please tell me you're going to watch Barnaby's pee-gu on this cockamamie plan I sorta helped make...?"

"Of course." As if he even needed to ask. She listened to his instructions in silence, not interjecting. She was on the fence about taking his rifle; there were gunhands who reveled in building an expansive collection of specialized weaponry for different situations, and then there was Mattie, stubbornly clinging on to the one trusty rifle that had been with her for years like some good luck charm -- though truth be told, part of it was simply a matter of budget. Mattie couldn't afford anything much better than Daisy, so she made a big show of choosing to be faithful to her instead of investing in something newer and shinier. She had to begrudgingly admit that those breaching charges would probably come in handy, though.

"Wǒ shìgè báichī. Wǒ hěn bàoqiàn! Maybe we should have a normal introduction?"

It didn't really seem necessary for Mattie at this point; their partnership, or whatever this was, was forged in fire the moment she'd agreed to help him take the ship back. Although, now that he mentioned it, she wasn't sure she'd ever given him her name.

"Rian Carpenter. Security specialist, ship cook and temporary XO I think..."

"Mattie Rooney, uh... gunslinger."

She took his hand and gave it a firm shake.

"So... from what I understand, the Captain ain't usually the gun-totin' type," she said, recalling Barnaby's words about shooting not being their first choice. "Just how much pi-gu-watchin' am I in for? Roughly."
Dialogue color: darkkhaki

Rian Carpenter

Rian smirked. Barnaby wasn't a fighter in the sense Rian was. But he was miles from a pushover. He then considered the tactical realities of the train. This wasn't going to be his forte, but if he kept his head on straight and they all shot in the same direction, he'd be okay. The real trick would be minimizing the actual shooting.

"Make sure you put down anyone who gets in your way out there, it's just...."

The gravity of the situation, the tangled knot of obligation to the crew, but also their obligation to their consciences. They weren't all exactly the biggest supporters of the Anglo-Sino Alliance of planets, but also didn't exactly revel in the idea of gunning dozens of these young federals down.

"Things are likely to get messy. Things go south, any of Abe's guys get hit, leave 'em. If you end up alone with him... Let's just say I only care that our people come back, and if they're chasing Abe they're not chasing us. That ain't an order but don't waste any opportunities."

He motioned towards the wound on his chest that didn't take him down, then made a "two" with his fingers, tapping his chest, then a 1 with his index finger then tapped his forehead.

"Stay calm, keep it simple, keep it clean, cover them as they head back to the cable on the roof, don't take any chances. Nuclear option: there's a failsafe on every turbo train, back left corner of every car, there's emergency brake override, looks like a big black box on the wall, just jam a knife into the wiring that leads into it, 50 tonnes of steel come to a complete stop within five seconds. Mona, Barn, only priorities."


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