Short Leave On Return

[Carrie Bowman]

Carrie was looking at her cortex link at about the same time David was and was already sitting up, quickly finishing off the drink she'd originally ordered. The words she expected from him came, and they were off after this distress call. She looked to the other ladies as she started after their boss, first looking at Sienna. "Looks like I'm waiting for that hair cut."

She had to jog a little to catch up, but she wasn't about to get left behind. From the way the message sounded, the girl sending it was young and short on the knowledge to get herself out of the situation she was in. There was also the question of whether or not there really was a girl in trouble. It was a prospect that didn't sit well, but was all too often the norm out in the black.

[Evelyn Vell]

E.V. leapt to her feet, showing much more energy than she had a moment before, as if the sudden prospect of breaking atmo had released hitherto untapped reserves. She was still dead tired, but adrenaline was a hell of a drug, and a healthy spike of it was now coursing through her system. She followed David and Carrie, reaching into her pack for one of her custom cortex pads she quickly pulled up the distress call and set its supped up processor analyzing the signal structure as they walked. She wasn't wearing her revolver, but thankfully the small crate containing the rest of her things should have already been delivered the the Ferret, just in case it really was pirates.

After a minute the program spit out its conclusion. "Their transmission looks legit... or the codes they're using are authentic at least. Doesn't meant its not bait of course."

[Sienna Cole]

Sienna eyed the captain quietly, his demeanor had changed quickly in the moments since he picked up his PDA. At the mention of leaving the bar Sienna quickly threw back the rest of her drink. Most of the crew had already skidattled. She hoped whoever was in trouble was okay. E.V. and Carrie had already gotten up and left the table, Sienna caught up to Carrie,

"Looks like I'm waiting for that hair cut."

She grinned at the woman, "I'm sure we could find some scissors on board." Sienna winked at her and continued to jog off to meet David & co. on board.

[Desertpuma]

As the crew quickly made their way to the Brass Ferret, David's PDA kicked up a message again: Best of luck. This is a legitimate call as far as we can tell. You'll need to pull them to safety if possible." A grounds crew member was jogging by and made a brief announcement they had fueled up the Ferret with enough fuel for four hours worth of work on the short notice. It should only take a fraction of that time.

For those entering the ship for the first time, it was smaller than they might have expected. To the starboard side of the ramp into the ship was a stairwell while aft was the actual engine room. The breaching bore could easily be seen and an open doorway just past it. At the top of the stairs was a common area including a small galley while further aft was the bedroom, bathroom and closet along with an airlock off the port side. The cockpit was in the bow.

The ship smelled well lived in. There had been a lot of sweat while also some tears and blood. Yet, it appeared cleaner than one might have initially expected from the outside or based on the size of it. This was more likely to David's influence from his Alliance days than anything. As they entered, the original crew started setting about doing what they needed to.

[David Maverick]

"Carrie, make sure the new folk know what they're doing," Captain Maverick asked her as he strode on up to the bridge. As he did so, he realised they didn't have an XO anymore. He wondered what Zeke had in mind for that. For now, David considered Carrie as his number two. She had seniority and was more than capable.

He sat himself down. Quickly and methodically he started the pre-flight checks.

"Thirty seconds til airborne," he warned the crew over the comm unit as he began powering up the engine. Exactly thirty seconds later, he would be lifting the Brass Ferret and heading for the black.

[Carrie Bowman]

Carrie chuckled at the idea of cutting her hair aboard the ship. It wouldn't be the first time and likely wouldn't be the last either. Problem was, she'd never had one come out all that decent. 'First time for everything, I suppose.' As they got further into the ship, Carrie suddenly found herself tasked with settling the new folks.

It was a bit of a surprise, seeing as that had always been handled by Anwal. Only, Anwal was gone now. That's why they had a new pilot. "Right, we'll let's get gear stored in the bunkroom and then we can look at prepping any equipment we might need to break a hatch open if we need to." She motioned with one hand for the new gals to follow her.

[Briar Williams]

Briar followed the rest of the crew, thanking her gut for telling her to pass on that second alcoholic beverage. David hadn't been lying when he'd described the ship as cramped, but neither had Briar when she'd said she didn't really mind. It was smaller than she'd expected, but not by a lot. She didn't need much personal space anyway. She had a love for company, and a gift for getting completely lost in her daydreams if she suddenly felt like being alone while surrounded by people.

She really wished she could linger for a while, to really take in the sights and sounds of her new home in the black, but the part about a child being in mortal danger put a hamper on those plans. It was fine, though. There would be time for that later, she was sure. Briar followed David to the cockpit and slid into the co-pilot's seat next to him.

"Nothin' like some thrilling heroics to kick off a new employment relationship, huh?" she quipped before promptly getting down to business. While David ran through the pre-flight checks, Briar made sure everything was good to go on her end. She watched him out of the corner of her eye, admiring his movements and the way he took control of the space around him. She could tell he was experienced at this, and the stories she'd heard weren't just hot air.

[David Maverick]

There was a brief second or two of surprise as Briar followed him up to the cockpit, but of course, she was the co-pilot. It had been a while since he'd flown with a co-pilot so it would take just a little getting used to again. He'd have to remember to vocalise everything he was doing.

He nodded to himself at Briar's mention of thriling heroics, then turned to look at her. The thirty-seconds were up and it was time to lift off.

In this moment, David slipped back from 'professional Captain' to 'hotshot pilot'. He smiled at Briar with his widest grin - his head turned to face her and not the controls or outside. Of course he was watching the controls in his peripheral vision - that was the trick - but it seemed like he was looking only at her and paying no attention to anything else. He lifted The Brass Ferret up, and it was only when it was off the ground that he switched his gaze back fully to the controls and sky.

"Okay, training starts immediately. Let's see if you've had time to study up. What's the maximum safe angle for a Remora 18 to break atmo?"

He didn't expect her to have had time to study all the specifics to this ship - he was more interested in how she reacted to the question. What attitude did she have to being tested and thinking under pressure? If she did know the answer, was she confident? If she didn't, would she admit it, try to bluff, guess, or would she deduce the answer from other knowledge? Would she surprise him some other way?

"And what's the risk of exceeding that angle?"

[Evelyn Vell]

E.V. followed Carrie up to the bunkroom, quickly stowed her gear in the locker next to an unclaimed bed, and spared a few seconds for a longing look at the pillow... but sleep could wait a little longer. The ship looked much the same as she remembered. Some of the paint was new, and there was some new gear here and there, but it was still the same boat. She wondered how much upgrading she'd have to do to the ships systems. Focus Vee! Time for all that later. She felt the ship rumble and begin its take off, and turned to Carrie. "Where do you want me? Electronics console in the cockpit? Or down in the hold helping prep?"

[Briar Williams]

Briar wasn't rattled by the surprise pop quiz. She'd pretty much expected to be put on the spot on her first day, as piloting could be quite the high-stress job and if you weren't quick to catch what was thrown at you, chances were you weren't suited for it. David was right about her not having studied the ship beforehand. Preparation wasn't really her strong suit: fortunately, she excelled at winging it.

"Let's see," she began, retaining her casual demeanor. "It's a little smaller than a Shu Fu. Design's boxier, too, so accounting for that..."

Briar may have skipped schooling, but she knew the math necessary for operating a ship. Her way of doing the math was a bit messy: she meandered from one small deduction to the next until reaching the answer she was looking for, where somebody with a proper education would be able to use an efficient formula and skip all the unnecessary steps she took. If others were to see her labyrinthine thought process they might have called her out for doing things the hard way, but since she'd yet to meet a mind-reader and the conclusions she came to were themselves usually correct, she got away with her disorganized ways.

After a brief moment of consideration she gave David an estimate that overshot slightly, but was in the correct ballpark and showed she had a good general grasp of what she was doing even if she got the details wrong.

"As for the risk of exceeding that, well, I'm not sure. How's the acceleration on this bad girl?"

[Desertpuma]

The Brass Ferret lifted off under the calm control of David before the thrusters took it out of atmo. The scanners took a few moments to locate the shuttle. It was very small with the size of the Penglai star behind it. As always, it took a bit of maneuvering to get around the icy rings of Beylix. The smaller the ship, the easier it always was which counted as an advantage for the Brass Ferret.

The salvage ship crested above the planet. The Penglai star loomed large. Beyond the second moon of Beylix named Cinote there were a couple of objects but they were too large to be the shuttle. It took some work to scan down to the size of the shuttle. The gravitational pull of the star was slowly pulling it towards the away the planet and moons. If it took much longer, there would be nothing left to collect.

[Sienna Cole]

Sienna followed behind Carrie to help stow the gear and prep the equipment.  It didn't take long to complete,

"Where do you want me? Electronics console in the cockpit? Or down in the hold helping prep?"

"Suppose we could use the help prepping, not to speak for Carrie that is....How do you know the Cap't, if you don't mind me askin'?"

She figured if they were going to be waiting they might as well get to know each other.

[Carrie Bowman]

Carrie nodded to Sienna, in full agreement. "If we can override any door locks without having to cut through, that'll probably be easier. I'm assuming the pressure on this ship is good otherwise that gal wouldn't have been able to send out a signal. Just don't know if we've heard anything else from the ship or not." Out of habit, Carrie hooked her fingers into her pockets and thought for a moment. There were a couple of ways they could go about things, but it all depended on the state of the ship once they found it.

"For now, let's head down and prep for both. Overriding the doors and cutting through. Won't be able to make a call until we're on top of the ship. Might need to prep suits too, just in case. Hoping we don't need 'em cause if we do, we probably aren't finding anyone alive." It wasn't a thought that sat well with Carrie, but it was a real possibility. Sighing and trying to shove the dark thought aside, she shifted her weight to turn. "Alright, let's head down to the equipment lockers and get started. Better to be ready before we get there."

[Freya]

Distress Signal sent from Shuttle 34928 Delta, nearing the Penglai Star. Signal sent out to nearby ships in repeating ten minute intervals.

"This is shuttle Delta somethin' somethin' somethin', callin' out again to any ships near enough to hear. Uh, the big ball of fire seems to be getting closer and closer [static] -real happy if someone could come pick me [static]. Not sure how long it's gonna be 'fore the ship [static] -don't come if you're the kind to hurt kids or [static] -somethin' sick like that. But uh, I'd really appreciate bein' picked up before I get melted down into [static]."

[David Maverick]

David noted that Briar didn't know the answer but was able to deduce a pretty close estimate from her knowledge of other ships. In a way, it didn't really matter, but David liked to know how people thought. That she had a mind for deduction was interesting to note.

"Close enough," he praised her, then gave her the exact answer.

His next 'test' came as they began their ascent and broke atmosphere. "Okay, how about you explain to me what I'm doing...as if you were talking me through it."

He'd see how she did verbally a few times before he let her do it by herself.

Once they broke atmo and got close enough to the shuttle for a message, David attempted to open a live feed.

"Shuttle 34928 Delta; This is the Brass Ferret. We are coming to get you. Be advised."

He knew the person had said she was a kid, but David still stuck to the formal language of communication. Old habits and all that.

"And no, we don't hurt kids," he added.

[Evelyn Vell]

E.V. looked at Sienna, and then to Carrie as they answered. "As long as the shuttles hardware isn't fried, overriding the door controls shouldn't be a problem." She said, nodding. Her cortext pad was still in hand and she began preparing an intrusion package. Carrie made to head down to the hold and E.V. fell in step behind her. "The Ferret looks like shes in good shape." She said, her eyes flicking this way and that as she typed and walked. "Been a few years since I was aboard, worked a few jobs with David. It's nice to be back. How long have you two been aboard?"

[Desertpuma]

From the Brass Ferret's perspective through the front window, the shuttle could be seen drifting closer to Penglai. The main thrusters did not look alight but there appeared to be some maneuverability to it still. However, as David could easily tell, the Ferret would need to do most of the agility work in this rescue. They could either attempt an port side lock or go in through the roof of the shuttle. One was certainly more likely to be messy and noisy than the other.

[Freya]

[[ Shuttle 34928 Delta ]]

Freya had taken to pacing the confines of the shuttle and reading the instruction manual she'd found in one of the storage containers. Of course, she'd still been unable to get the shuttle to actually do anything she'd wanted it to, but it didn't hurt to read up on it before her impending doom. When the message filtered through from what was thankfully another ship, the girl was sitting upside down in the pilot's chair, her legs up against the back of the chair and her back resting on the chair's seat, her head hanging down over the front of it where one's legs were supposed to go.

"Shuttle 34928 Delta; This is the Brass Ferret. We are coming to get you. Be advised."

With a startled snort, Freya lifted her head abruptly, slamming her forehead against the underside of the console. A string of curse words slipped past her lips and she managed to wiggle around in the chair until she was right side up, her hands pressing against the bruise forming on her forehead. "Comin' to get me?" she repeated, grimacing a little, "That sounds kinda terrifyin'," she murmured to no one in particular, her hands rubbing her head a couple more times before lowering to grasp the edges of the console.

"And no, we don't hurt kids," the transmission added.

"Oh...well that's a relief," she returned over the feed, her grin broad. The girl scooted to the edge of her seat, and cleared her throat, getting ready to attempt to sound just as professional as the kid-friendly captain. "Brass Ferret, this is Delta..." she thought about it a moment before giving up on trying to repeat the string of numbers designating her particular shuttle. "Uh...consider me advised. What do ya need from me? Uh, to assist in the rescuin' process?" she asked, looking around at the interior of the shuttle with another frown.

[David Maverick]

David smiled at the girl's reply.

"Damage report. Can you tell us what's working and what's not?" he asked.

Docking like normal with the port-side airlock seemed the easiest and safest option, but only if the shuttle's airlock was still functional. He explained this to Briar as he waited the girl's response.

[Briar Williams]

Briar talked David through the take-off. It felt a little funny, like she was the mentor instead of the... mentoree? Is that a word? But she understood the purpose, and it was kind of a nice change from being told what to do.

Once they reached the shuttle and established a connection with the girl trapped inside, Briar mostly stood by and let David to the talking. She had been a part of a couple of... "salvage" operations before, but they'd never involved any passengers, let alone a passenger whose life was in danger, let alone a very young passenger whose life was in danger. Briar had been stressed out beforehand, but she was impressed with how well the poor kid seemed to be taking the situation. There were no tears in her voice, just the hint of very well contained panic simmering somewhere underneath the calm surface -- which was very understandable and not at all tied to her age.

Finally, Briar couldn't help herself. As soon as the girl finished responding to David's request for damage report, and there was a brief pause in their back-and-forth, Briar leaned toward the intercom to throw in her contribution.

"You're doin' great, tiger!" she piped up, her voice encouraging, but not patronizing. She very vividly remembered how it had felt to be patronized as a teenager, and it wasn't a feeling she much cared to pass on.

Then it occurred to her that in all this excitement they'd forgotten something very important.

"Oh, and I'm Briar, and this is Captain Maverick. What's your name?"