Episode 2: Catch a Tiger By The Toe

[Lomari]

The ship disengaged from the station, its thrusters flashing as it was propelled away from Iscariot at a safe but slightly hurried speed. The chaos from the Hub had followed the crew down to the docks, but no further. It seemed they were satisfied with chasing away the 'cheaters' and calling the whole race a wash, something Leon would no doubt appreciate, if he acknowledged it has happened in the first place.

Despite the dangers, the crew remained intact and whole. In fact, they'd added one new face and reclaimed another to add to their roster. Now, The Revenge sailed out into The Black, Captained once more by Isa Romero. The ship seemed to move a little faster, run a little smoother, and feel a little lighter with its rightful Captain restored to its position. The Revenge was pleased.

Where would they go? What would they do? And would they ever manage to get along?

[Isa Romero]

Isa stood at the helm of the ship continuing to watch as the stars passed them.  It was hard to explain quite how she felt being back on board, but one might say it was like seeing an old friend...or otherwise. Every moment seemed like it could be her last, like all of a sudden, all of it might just disappear. A rush of fear and anxiety flowed through her every time that thought came to mind. Most would probably feel this about a person, but what good were people? They died easily and were susceptible to disappointing her. Isa took another look around the cockpit and nodded as if to say That's enough now. Isa picked up the comm again,

"Captain Romero here, crew meeting in 15, make your way to lounge." She let go of the unit and placed it back in it's holder.  "That means all of you as well." She noted to the individuals still with her in the cockpit, turning quickly Isa made her way to the lounge, she pulled out her PDA, sending a quick message to her contact, Tony.

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PDA Message

T - Package acquired, and in transit. Ready when you are.

- R
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Isa arrived shortly and stood with her arms crossed, waiting for the rest of the crew to arrive.

[Tereza]

Tereza exited the port side head and finished pulling her hair into a loose braid, the blond hair was still slightly damp, not properly washed or anything but splashed enough so that the helmet hair frizz was manageable. She had changed out of her flight suit, both it and her helmet were stashed in her rucksack next to the co-pilot's seat for the time being. Figuring out a bunk was probably something that could happen in this whole crew meeting deal.

"Have to say, captain." Tereza said as she approached Isa and slipped into a chair at the central table. "Of all the ships I would expect a pirate crew to be slamming around in, a Shadow Wolf so new you can still taste the Alliance in the air wasn't particularly high on my list." The smile that curled up one corner of her lips was genuinely amused.

The Shadow Wolf Light Recon Cruiser was larger than most the ships that Tereza had flown. Big enough to hold most of the small strike craft she was familiar with, like her beloved Typhoon. But memory did not serve if it could actually handle a Messerschmitt-Dassault ME 772 Krumphau, the ship she had spent the majority of the close air support stick time in. The boxy strike craft was larger than your average shuttle, its stubby wings extending further than necessary in order to carry additional payload on pylons between the body fo the craft and the oversized engines.

Tereza leaned back, nibbling lightly on her lower lip as she contemplated how hard it would be to raise the roughly twenty five million the craft sold for on the not quite civilian market.

[Melody]

For fifteen gloriously silent moments, Melody sat alone in the pilot's chair and stared out into the glimmering expanse of space while the crew assembled downstairs (she assumed) and her co-pilot washed up in the bathroom nearby. She kept her arms crossed over her chest and one ankle resting atop the other, her expression far less irritated than it had been in quite some time. They had their ship, it was full up and stocked, their Captain and her friend was returned to them, and they were flying free. The sound of Tereza leaving the bathroom and heading down the stairs finally roused her from her thoughts and she smiled to herself before leaning forward and initializing the autopilot. She didn't have a destination in mind but she let them drift away from the typical shipping lanes, not wanting to be anywhere easy to find just yet.

Melody stood, stretched her arms above her head, and with one more look out the front, turned to head off the bridge and down the stairs leading into the lounge. On her way down, she could hear the conversation traveling up the stairs, and Mel couldn't help but agree. She nodded her chin first to Isa, then to her co-pilot. Taking the ship out had been as fast as it had been thanks to having another set of hands at the helm and she, delisted her gruff demeanor, appreciated that.

"That's the point," she noted, holding up her index finger and moving it in a circular motion, "Doesn't really scream 'pirate', which kind of makes it scream 'pirate'," she added, grinning and pulling a seat away from the table. As she sat, her feet went up onto the edge of the table and crossed at the ankles, her hands folding together behind her head as she stretched out, sighing contentedly. Mel was thankful she didn't have to wrangle this herd of cats any longer, although she did pity her friend a little. The pilot stared at Isa for a good long second, happy to have her back and savoring her presence. This was far better than the fate she'd imagined for the woman.

[Missy Etheridge]

"Captain Romero here, crew meeting in 15, make your way to lounge."

Just how many gorram captains did this pirate crew have? Missy could only assume that this Romero was one of the unfamiliar faces she'd spotted in their hurried scramble back to the ship, but between the general panic, Holger dragging her along like a sack of unwilling potatoes, and her extreme disinclination to hang around in plain sight, she hadn't really taken in many details before vanishing back to the Med Bay. Maybe childhood rules of tag and home base didn't apply, but it was better than making herself underfoot anywhere that anyone would think to lock her up or put her back in handcuffs -- or put a bullet in her brain and be done with it.

She thought very strongly about just not going to the crew meeting -- she wasn't strictly crew after all, and what would she have to gain by attending? -- but Missy knew that she'd be even more conspicuous by her absence after how things had gone down at Iscariot. Better to face the music and get it over with, unless she wanted to be right back at square one, hiding in the medical cupboards for god-knows-how-long.

So instead, she kept herself busy tidying the Bay, rearranging things for no reason, and polishing the already-spotless counters to within an inch of their life, one eye on the clock the whole time. The trick would be to not be the very first or the very last to arrive; turn up right in the middle, while everyone's distracted by everyone else, stand in the back, and become one with the scenery. When exactly 14 minutes and 36 seconds had passed, leaving her the 24 seconds she estimated it would take to walk to the lounge with a steady-but-not-too-brisk pace, she set forth.

Both captains were there, accompanied by the other unfamiliar face she didn't have a name to yet. Missy gave all three of them a bright smile and a tight nod and hovered in the background to listen and wait.

[Holger Heyerdahl]

Holger filled the doorway, still wearing the crisp uniform of an Alliance Commander, and, in his own opinion and likely in that of anyone with a pair of eyes, looking damn good doing it. The beard even complimented the look, despite breaking the Uniform and Appearance Codes of Conduct. Not that Holger knew or cared about such things. Strangely, he seemed to take to it naturally. He had even stashed the gloves neatly folded in his belt and carried the hat in the crook of his arm. A snap to his step announced his presence. "Here I am." He said, an eyebrow raise punctuating his joie de vivre.

And then he saw Tereza. All decorum and grace disappeared and was replaced with pure animal magnetism. He crossed the space between them and sat next to her at the table, his attention undivided. She was beautiful and strong and reminded him of his mother. Though she was much, much smaller than his ideal woman (and his mother) there was something about her that he found intoxicating. His addled mind tried to think of something to say. "You are small for a mother." He said, sure that he had found the perfect compliment. "But I do not mind."

[Rashy Pete]

As The Revenge's crew set forth in response to Captain Romero's call, in this case being a general page for assembly and not a direct telecommunication, their varying progressions toward attendance likely found some manner of interruption in the form of shrill screams not unlike those of a terrified youngster in a surprisingly effective haunted house. The cries carried throughout The Revenge's deep corridors, echoing along in a comparatively empty space meant to be filled by a proper crew of highly trained and specialized Alliance Navy men and women but now found itself woefully understaffed by a skeleton crew composed of unconventional and potentially volatile elements. One such volatile element - not for any notable ability to evaporate at room temperature but rather known for an unpredictable nature that typically altered very quickly, and for the worse - ran noisily through the halls with a shaggy, matted cat affixed seemingly permanently upon its face.

Adjusting to a pirate's life brought new challenges to the recently rechristened "Rashy Pete". In this instance, the challenge presenting itself consisted of a feline creature which repeatedly stated its intention to remain a cat and not a colorful shoulder accessory by digging its claws into Pete's scalp and taking multiple bites at his forehead and eyebrows. Unable to properly switch out a manual fuel recycling coupling without tapping it gently with a hammer and hoping for the best, Pete found himself quite unable to disengage the feisty feline from his own flawed flesh no matter how he struggled.

So it happened that Missy Ethridge began her perfectly-timed walk toward the meeting area when a wailing, hissing, and abhorrent amalgamation of cat and man came rushing upon her, ricocheting first this way and then that from wall to wall. Nearly creaming the ship's resident physician, this freshly bred hell of Rashy-Rasputin... Rashpetin... Rashputin(!) eventually found its way onto the lounge and progressing in an unfortunate trajectory toward Captain Romero. Luckily for everyone involved, Pete felt a sudden grip around his collar and came to a sudden stop. He heard the cat purr delightedly before loosening its own embedded grip from Pete's face as it climbed into Melody's arms.

"Ras doesn't want to be a parrot!" Pete explained to no one and everyone all at once, before looking about the lounge. He offered Isa little more than a confused and pained expression before his eyes drifted toward the bearded man in uniform. "Oh. You look nice!" He then leaned in toward Melody, probably a bit too close given that his toothbrush currently maintained a position propping up an exhaust panel the mechanic forgot to fix the automatically regulating lever on, and asked while jutting a thumb out in Holger and Tereza's direction, "Who's the new guy?"

[Joakim Soong]

"Captain Romero here, crew meeting in 15, make your way to lounge. That means all of you as well."

Jo looked up and nodded at the captain before turning his attention back to the monitor before him. Since their departure from Iscariot, he had been working on re-configuring the security settings of the ship's main computer. The Alliance loved their protocols where different members of the team had access to different parts of the system, with some data and functions being locked to all but those highest in the chain of command (and even then different individuals had different authorization), but for now, Jo was the only one in charge of the Revenge's computers, so things would have to be a little more streamlined.

As Melody left the bridge, Jo remained behind of a brief moment to wrap up his work. He arrived in the lounge just in time to witness the cat episode -- why were they keeping that animal on board anyway? -- and waited in the doorway until the coast seemed clear to enter. He didn't say anything but radiated the usual quiet disapproval that came to him so naturally as he slid into the chair next to Melody, folded his arms and waited. Not to speak ill of his crew, but... he was quite relieved to have Captain Romero back on board. From the admittedly extremely brief time she'd been around, he got the impression she might just be able to control this madhouse. Melody may have had the commanding presence of a leader, but her decorum left a little to be desired.

[Izak Archer]

Izak had been in the armory, door closed and locked on the inside. He wanted some privacy and silence to go over line-by-line the specifics of the systems he was handling. It was been a while since he had been so up-close and personal with systems like these. He did not really have time to research it all when they stole it as he was still trying to figure out the crew at that stage. Thankfully, Isa let him slip out of the bridge after they had gained some distance from the station.


To be away from Melody's quips and insults was a joy he would rarely get to have. 


"Fascinating, he said as he scrolled his way through the document. In principle, this system worked exactly the same as a larger gun battery, just designed to be controlled by one individual.


"I wonder if this could be applied to larger ships of weapons..., he let his voice trail off only to be interrupted by Isa's announcement. He had just settled in to start reading after all.


Sliding off the chair and opening the door, he rounded the corner with enough speed to catch his shin on it. "Ah, gorramit, he said with a sigh, then arrived in the lounge, last, and remained in the doorway.


"So what's the situation? he asked.

[Isa Romero]

The crew began to file in, and she watched quietly in the corner, observing demeanor, greetings, overall reactions. Isa nodded back to Tereza and Mel, a knowing smile curling onto her lips in response to her comment. Mel put it perfectly, "I've found that people are much more likely to stop and comply if you look some what intimidating and official. The Revenge here does that for us, makes for an easy in."

The remainder of the crew followed shortly after, the blonde uptight one was interesting, she didn't quite fit the vibe, but Mel must've hired her for a reason.  Izak she knew from a past life, and then there was the giant with red hair. He was amusing, and naked at times it seemed.  Finally there were the tech spec and presumably the mechanic, but she wasn't quite sure if he knew what he was doing, or where he was. The group seemed to be a hodge podge of people who could potentially be useful, but didn't know or like each other in some instances, which was problematic. Isa took a deep breath as the last one came in, there was little to no discipline, and some times a lack of respect which would have to change quickly.  Her eyes scanned the room and she stayed silent for a moment taking in her last observations.

Thank you for coming. She began, My name is Isa Serafina Zavala Romero Mendoza. You can call me Isa, or Captain Romero. I apologize for not being present during the maiden voyage, it was unfortunate but my presence would have compromised the mission...due to my history with the previous owners of this ship. She smirked thinking of her former employers,I know this was an unusual choice for a boat, and some of you may think it was a little too risky. But for reasons of nostalgia and strategy I assure you, the Revenge will be one of our greatest assets. Isa paused and attempted to relax her shoulders a bit, realizing she was falling back into old habits,Our main source of income will be....pirating of a sort. However our targets will be those that can afford it, and those that side with the Alliance.  Along with some odd jobs from a, benefactor of sorts, that helped us acquire this boat. She paused again looking for reactions, At this time I am waiting on information about our first job so, feel free to get acquainted with each other and the boat in the meantime. One final note, I would like to thank you all for retrieving this ship, and especially Mel for leading the first mission. I don't know most of you but I hope to in the coming days, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Isa finished and stood at ease, her hands clasped behind her and back straight, old habits really do die hard.

[Tereza]

An acknowledging frown graced Tereza's lips at Melody's explanation. It made a sort of circular logic when you thought about it. No one would expect an alliance fast cruiser to come screaming up to them with piracy on it's crew's mind. Which, in a way, made it perfect for just that thing. Which, again, made it kinda scream piracy. Of course it only did that if you thought about it long enough and hopefully by the time whatever unfortunate crew was their prey had gone through the mental exercises of asking themselves why an Alliance ship wanted something with them it would be far far too late.

The perfectly on time blonde caught the fighter pilot's eye but not in the way a pretty face might your standard adventurous fighter-jock. The woman didn't seem to be the usual fit for a crew of pirates. In fairness, tereza wouldn't have lumped herself in with pirates at any time save the present. But she was ex-mercenary. And mercenaries were just pirates and raiders with a corporate paycheck when you thought about it. She returned the smile and the nod, though her smile did not reach calculating eyes.

Then there was a man, a well framed man, in a class A captain's uniform complete with shoulder boards and commendations. There was a look about his face that immediately persuaded her that he was decidedly not an Alliance officer but rather had pilfered the uniform from somewhere aboard the ship. This snap judgement was imediately vindicated when the expression on Holger's face changed dirastically to something that, while Tereza couldn't put her finger on why, sent her pulse quickening in an almost unsettling manner. He approached and sat. Tereza managed to maintain a stoic expression and even put on a touch of amused indifference. Then he spoke. She opened her mouth twice then finally frowned a touched and replied in her native tongue. "Je li to ponuda?"* After a moment's consideration she shook her head and turned her attention back to the captain then melody, gave them a slightly bemused smile and flicked her eyes towards the red haired man.

Before she could ask any further question the calamity that could only be the man and his cat came rolling into the lounge like a twisted vaudevillian act only to deposit the unruly animal on Melody and lean in for a question Tereza wasn't quite in the right mind to overhear. She gave him a small nod and smile then looked back to Isa. And in doing so, she completely missed Joakim's subtle entrance. Izak was last and voiced the question that was at least on her mind, aside from the ones regarding the eager and oddly magnetic man seated beside her.

Then Isa spoke. She had a quiet and powerful aura to her that assured Tereza that the ship was going to be in stable hands. A good thing too since it was laid bare that crime was going to fuel their ship and fill their bellies. As many calm heads as they could gather would be to their benifit. She liked to count herself in that number, and despite only having brief interactions with melody, she too rated in that cool under pressure list. The rest would have to be decided as things went.

*(Croatian)"Is that an offer?"

[Melody]

Melody's head turned to the side slightly when the doctor entered the room and a brow quirked up in mild surprise. She'd half expected the woman to wiggle her way through some vent or another in an attempt to escape. But here she was, either because she hadn't thought to try very hard to get out or because some small part of her wanted to be here. A frightening grin pulled at one corner of the pilot's lips and she stared at the peppy blonde a second longer than was comfortable, gaze assessing and toothy grin almost predatory. Was she smiling or snarling? It was hard to tell.

Before she could think too hard on the matter, the sound of absolute chaos echoed down the corridor on the doctor's heels. Standing, a heavy sigh lifting and lowering her shoulders, Melody crossed her arms over her chest and braced herself for what was sure to be some new kind of painful accident. Pete rushed into the room like a bat out of hell, his current flight path taking him in Isa's direction. However, just before he could collide with their Captain and her friend, her fingers curled around the back of his collar and she yanked. Hard. Her lips parted to reprimand him, gaze furrowed, and the bridge of her nose wrinkled with anger. Just as Ras melted into her arms with a purr and a delighted mewl, so too did Melody's anger melt away into mild annoyance. Which seemed to be her natural state. "No, I imagine he wouldn't," she muttered to Pete in response, not bothering to ask herself why he thought that a cat as a parrot would work. She didn't think he thought much about most of his decisions so why should she?

As she moved away from the disaster to sit in her seat, she noticed that Jo had joined them like a ghost and seated himself next to where she'd been. With a tilt of her head, she moved around a bit to sit on his other side, practically yanking Pete after her and depositing him into the seat beside her, now sitting between Jo and Pete instead of being nestled more comfortably between Tereza and Jo. She leaned back in her seat and once more folded her hands behind her head, stretching out and sighing.

A fiery vision in purple and silver filled the entry way and for half a second, Mel's heart jumped up into her throat, tensing her shoulders and almost bringing her out of her languid lounge into a professional seated position. Almost. Baby blues slid over the clashing image of a wild, well-polished Nord, and she shook her head slowly. "Here you are," Melody repeated in a mutter.

Pete leaned in toward her and Melody grunted in distaste, eyes narrowing at the smell wafting from beyond his lips. "She's our new co-pilot, brush your teeth." she found herself answering, not sure why she seemed to continuously encourage him by responding. Sitting up, Mel put her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her palm, watching as the big brute of a man schmoozed up to Tereza in the best way his addled brain could manage. She snorted, not bothering to look away or hide that she was watching their interaction.

Her gaze slid toward Izak and she opened her mouth to sass him in response to his question, but Isa's voice made her jaw snap shut. She turned to listen, shoulders relaxing at the familiar way Isa spoke, her lips curving up into a smile she didn't know was there at the nostalgia of it all. She was glad to have her back on board.

[Holger Heyerdahl]

Holger seemed pleased. He leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head, a large grin plastered beneath his beard. Whether it was Tereza's acknowledgement of his wooing, he didn't speak her language but recognized it from an old man named Marko on St. Alban's who would yell at him in Croatian to get out of the way of his earth mover. Young Holger was quick to oblige, taking the man's meaning if not his actual words. "Stavit ću ti čizmu u dupe." He said, poorly remembering Old Marko's words fondly.

The cause of his smile could be the announcement that their mission was on track and the pirating that was promised would be soon. This pleased him even more than the thought of taking Tereza to bed. Of course, it had barely been a day since he killed a man. Two men. But those were not Alliance Purple Belly scum. They were just every day scum. Holger was willing to kill those men to protect his crew. But he would prefer his hands to squeeze the throat of an Alliance soldier until his face matched his belly. "Your gratitude is nothing, Captain Isa. The Purple guts were easy for the cutting. They broke my brain but my chest-" He thumped it once, for good measure. "-Is strong. We will take it all."

Holger jumped to his feet, the chair falling behind him to the floor. His face was proud and strident. His words had that feel but still seemed addled by his injury. "All Lions made bad for us all! They put me in bars at camp and kill my friends. No more. We take them from everything!" He pounded a fist on the table. "We are Revenge. We make Revenge!

Both fists in the air, Holger waited for the rest to join his call to arms, and especially to see if Tereza was impressed.

[Missy Etheridge]

"Wong Ba Duhn!" Missy hissed in surprise as the disgusting mechanic and his mangy beast barreled through the door on her heels, the curse barely audible over the cat's mournful yowls. She just managed to pivot out of the way and quickly found herself a seat, lest any more smelly surprises overtake her.

She was just near enough to hear Melody's admonishment to him to brush his teeth, and couldn't help the flicker of genuine amusement that cracked through her artificial smile. Finally, she and Melody agreed on something!

The new captain made what Missy was sure was a very lovely speech that she barely listened to, under the assumption that one way or another, none of it would apply to her for long. The budding romance across the table was far more interesting to watch; she noted absently that Holger's sentence structure was improving, if not his vocabulary. That was a good sign, at least. If he was expecting a standing ovation, though, he'd be disappointed, at least by Missy. If she weren't quite so intent on Not Drawing Attention to Herself, she might have offered him a polite golf clap, but as it was, she folded her arms, sat very still, and waited to see what the others would do.

[Tereza]

Tereza's only outward response to Holger's butchered attempt at Croatian was a brief laugh and an equally quick retort filled with said laugh. "Slomit ću ti jebenu čeljust."

Once Isa finished her speech Holger gave his quick, heartfelt, and decidedly poorly phrased rallying cry, pausing to see if people would join him in a warrior's cheer. In all honesty, Tereza didn't feel any ill will towards the Alliance. In a way they had been the one to cut a lot of her checks in her time spent as a mercenary. But just as equally, she didn't feel any pull of loyalty towards them either. She was a hound of war to the core and if Isa was going to be the one paying her dues now, her loyalty would remain towards the woman until death or disloyalty received broke it.

Leaned in on the table She took a moment to look around the room, making quick but pointed eye contact with everyone in the room, at least everyone who would meet her eyes. "I can't say I followed the giant's speech. But I think I can safely say that I for one will stand beside Captain Romero regardless of what the black throws at us. We all look like we come from different walks of life. Some more than others. But I also think I see a lot of skill and a lot of drive. We put all that together. Not only can we get some revenge on whatever it is that needs revenging. We can probably spread some of that wealth around to those who deserve it most." She quirked a smile up at Holger. "So yeah," She raised a fist to about shoulder height. "We are Revenge."

[Joakim Soong]

Jo listened to Holger's speech in respectful silence, even though the browncoat's lingering brain damage and animated antics gave its tone an unintentional comical touch. Still, it also raised some concerns in the hacker's mind, concerns he hadn't had the opportunity to clear up properly. While (most of) the crew was unified by a common enemy, their exact motives for going after said enemy might not be uniform.

"I'm all for making life miserable for the Alliance," he chimed in. "But I'm even more interested in passing a proper share of our loot over to folks who really need it. I know it's in the name and all, but we shouldn't let ourselves get sidetracked by the revenging part of the mission."

He looked up at their Captain, hoping she saw eye to eye with him.

"Do we have any distribution channels in mind yet? I might have one or two cortex contacts that could prove useful, but honestly, I've only dabbled in thieving before, and I've usually cut ties with my clients after the job's done. It's just safer that way."

[Isa Romero]

Isa broke her rigid stance covering her mouth, attempting not to laugh in response to Holger's enthusiasm.  She looked to Mel and rose a brow as if to say what in god's name have you brought me? Taking a breath she found her composure, her hands finding their way behind her again. Tereza was easy to like, while her choice in men may be somewhat questionable.  She nodded towards the pilot in thanks and acknowledgement, uncertain of what else to say in response to their unanimous cries of loyalty to her and the ship.

"I'm all for making life miserable for the Alliance," he chimed in. "But I'm even more interested in passing a proper share of our loot over to folks who really need it. I know it's in the name and all, but we shouldn't let ourselves get sidetracked by the revenging part of the mission."

He looked up at their Captain, hoping she saw eye to eye with him.

"Do we have any distribution channels in mind yet? I might have one or two cortex contacts that could prove useful, but honestly, I've only dabbled in thieving before, and I've usually cut ties with my clients after the job's done. It's just safer that way."

This guy was probably the most honorable out of all of them.  Maybe the doctor, but she didn't quite fit....or seem like she wanted to be there.

"Sounds like an idea we should discuss further." She didn't hate the idea, it certainly would give them more of a purpose than just running after Alliance targets.  Something she would have to work out with Tony.

However furthering these conversations would be difficult without any of their names....or what they did. Isa looked away from her crew momentarily and looked around at the cabinets, one thing would solve this...awkwardness. She rummaged diligently through the cabinets intent on finding something in particular, after all this was a military boat, they had to have....yes, Good to know somethings about the Alliance don't change. Isa pulled out a large bottle of presumably whiskey and placed it in the middle of the table. Looking back at Jo,

"An idea that would be better discussed over a drink, after all we never did get the christen her on her maiden voyage...However Mel and I need to discuss a few things before we join you all.  Please, feel free to get to know each other and....rummage up whatever else you can find. We'll be back shortly."  Isa nodded toward Mel indicating she wanted her to follow, and waited in the hallway.

[Rashy Pete]

"She's our new co-pilot, brush your teeth."

"That's a woman?" Pete asked while looking over Holger, completely failing to recognize him as the same bloodthirsty barbarian the who threatened to dispatch the maintenance technician before The Revenge docked on Iscariot. Pete cupped one hand over his mouth and breathed into it, then recoiled in confusion and disgust. The Rashy One tried to work out the last time he'd done that and decided it must've been the last time he took a shower. Whenever that was.

"Stavit ću ti čizmu u dupe."

"You're welcome." Pete bowed his head toward Holger, having no idea what the much larger man said.

"Your gratitude is nothing, Captain Isa. The Purple guts were easy for the cutting. They broke my brain but my chest-" The bearded lady thumped her chest hard, startling Pete. "-Is strong. We will take it all." The bearded woman then leaped up from her chair, causing Pete to push his chair away from the table as he backpedaled. "All Lions made bad for us all! They put me in bars at camp and kill my friends. No more. We take them from everything!" The woman's meaty fist slammed on the table, and Pete leaned back in his chair as if to put as much distance between the two of them as possible without having to leave his chair. "We are Revenge. We make Revenge!

"Slomit ću ti jebenu čeljust." Pete shook his head and worked his mouth as if he'd just tasted something really bitter. In addition to the new bearded co-pilot another woman he couldn't recognize also began to speak in a language he didn't understand. This woman, a blonde, shared a bit of her take on the ship and screw's current situation and repeated the redhead's sentiment. "We are Revenge."

"Yeah!" Pete broke in with a look of indignation on his face. "I want some revenge too. Revenge on Isaac! He told those Cortex reporters that I'm a traitor, probably so he could steal my lunch. Tuna salad with pickled eggs. I would've spread it on my toast. It's my babushka's recipe. I'll probably never have it again, and it's all Isaac's fault! So let's do it. I'm Revenge! And so is Rasputin! ... Well, he looks a little sleepy right now but he will be. We're all gonna do piracy together!" Pete turned to Melody to dispense some knowledge he'd just remembered. "Thanks for reminding me. I haven't brushed them since I took that bath in the big tub next to the filtration system I cleaned out before you all arrived. I didn't know if it meant like pot the water for later or like put it in a flower pot even though that seems like a lot of work for nothing, but there it was right on the side "potable" water. Musta been the night before y'all showed up. When all them soldiers 'n' such got sick." Pete continued rambling straight through Jo's comments, not that he would've understand most of what was discussed anyway. "But yeah I guess I ought to take a shower. Or wait. Do pirates take showers? Do you think I should?"

"An idea that would be better discussed over a drink," "I guess you're right." Pete spoke so flatly and devoid of commitment his response likely went unheard aside from Melody. He nodded to add emphasis to his acknowledgement of Isa's wisdom in the matter, and continued nodding awkwardly until the room was mostly empty. Pete's head finally stopped bobbing long enough to look back and forth at Melody and Isa. "Sooooo... Do we have anything to drink besides water?"

[Melody]

Baby blues continued to stare in Holger's direction for the duration of his speech, and while she didn't stand and cheer or throw confetti into the air, she did smile and nod her chin downward. It was nostalgic, for her, to see him so fired up, especially about his anti-alliance feelings. She lowered her gaze toward his thigh, remembering fondly the day they met. "We are Revenge," she agreed softly, echoing the sentiments of her fiery giant and her new co-pilot.

Of course, Jo broke the moment with his reasonable questions and appropriate ideas, and she couldn't help but glare at him for it, her own arms crossing over her chest, mouth set in a firm line of displeasure. He was growing on her, sure, and she was pretty alright about him deciding to stay on, but he'd need to learn to be more enthusiastic about...anything. Still... she had to admit in the deepest part of her mind that he was right and that they should formulate a real and solid plan now that the hard part was out of the way. They had their ship, now it was time to start giving back on the Alliance's behalf. Without their permission. Or knowledge. Or approval. Melody smiled dangerously. Of course, the grin lasted shy of half a moment before the drone of Pete's voice changed from a monotonous hum to actual words. "...put it in a flower pot even though that seems like a lot of work for nothing, but there it was right on the side "potable" water. Musta been the night before y'all showed up. When all them soldiers 'n' such got sick." The woman stared forward into space for a moment, then took a slow deep breath and turned to face the natural disaster. Her lips parted and she extended a finger toward him, the vein in her forehead pumping visibly against her skin.

"However Mel and I need to discuss a few things before we join you all," Isa informed them, cutting off Melody's soon to be vitriol and Mel was quick to stand, her hands shoved deep into her pockets as she moved around the table to join her friend as they moved toward the door. "Sooooo... Do we have anything to drink besides water?" Pete asked and Melody pointed at the bottle of probably-Whiskey Isa had set on the center of the table. "There's apple juice. Drink up," she informed him curtly, her face stoic and blank despite the obvious lie, but the twitching of her left eye conveying that she would most assuredly be coming back to this subject once she'd had her talk with Isa. Turning, she followed her Captain from the room, bumping her shoulder against Isa's in a friendly greeting.

[Holger Heyerdahl]

While no one stood up and cheered with him as he had hoped, Holger was confident that his message had been received. This was beginning to feel like it might actually be a crew, and not just a collection of people trying to just make it to the next day, but a crew with a purpose; something that in this great big 'verse was harder and harder to come by. That being said, even with his broken brain, Holger could tell when he was no longer needed. Meetings were boring anyway. He reached across the table and grabbed the bottle, ready to leave and begin with the drinking.

"Come you with me." He said, grabbing Pete by the back of his shirt (which was somehow both sticky and wet) and pulled the weirdo out of the room with him. His eyes indicated to those that weren't Melody and Isa that they, too, should come along. "There is small to be drunk in this." A shake of the bottle implied that they should find some more. Mere moments after disappearing from the room, his booming voice echoed back in a St. Albanite drinking song.

"You get knocked down but you get up again, they're never going to keep you down.
Drink a whiskey drink. Drink a lager drink. Drink a cider drink. Drink an avkavit drink.
Sing the songs that remind you of the good times. Sing a song that reminds you of the best times. Pissing the night away!"