Odette Episode 0 : Eggs

[Charity]

Inside Lil Sebastian's

"Go'n. Take a load off. He'll be back in a sec," Mister Little Sebastian told her, and Charity looked around at the available seating with a soft grimace, her glimmering hands coiled into dainty fists inside her hidden pockets. She made the smallest sound of distress before slipping her hands free and sliding them over the emerald skirts at her rear end, smoothing them out before she sat in one of the 'chairs'. Getting wrinkles out of silk dupioni while on a backwater space station seemed more of a hassle than it was worth, really. She sat stiffly, her hands folding her lap as she returned her attention to the man, although she seemed visibly pained by every second that she had to be in contact with the seat and its unsanitary and highly unappealing surface.

"Listen, this missing acquaintance of yours, can it wait?" he asked, and her lips parted in the beginning of an absolute denial of his inquiry, brows furrowed. However, she didn't get past the initial inhalation before he continued on without her. "I got some business I wanted to discuss. Kind of a time sensitive kind of thing," the man hurried on and Charity knit her perfectly manicured brows, staring at him with a mild frown on her cherry lips. She'd come to him for something quite specific and now here he was wrangling her into something specific of his own. Was that allowed? 

Frankie/Francis' return pulled her frustrated attention away from the small man for a moment and she looked down at the cup in his hand. "Sorry. They didn't have breakfast tea. Well. I guess I don't know that for sure. I asked Gary and he just looked at me like he didn't understand the question. Anyways. Here's some tea," he rambled, holding it out to her. Charity's shoulders relaxed and her expression eased, her dark gaze looking the man's face over before she smiled warmly and reached out to take the offered cup.

"Will you just give her the cup already? So, the proposition. Just wait, you're gonna love it. You wanna be the Captain of your very own ship?"

Charity eyed the small man out of the corner of her eye before looking back up at Frankie/Francis, "Thank you, dear, for the tea. I'm sure that whatever this is will be more than satisfactory," she assured him, having been quite displeased with the way he'd been snapped at by the little Pitbull. "Do you prefer Frankie, or Francis?" she asked with raised, curious brows, all her attention focused unyieldingly upon the man before her. Slowly, half curious and half worried, the debutante took a sip of the drink. Her nose wrinkled up and her eyes wrinkled at the corners in the barest wince before she forced a  smile and sent it up in Frankie/Francis' direction in thanks, the cup lowered to rest in her hands on her lap where it couldn't hurt anyone.

Finally, she turned to look at Mister Little Sebastian again, her head tilting to the right ever so slightly, dark tresses sliding over that way as she moved. "Why?" she asked simply, raising her brows again and offering him a pleasantly vapid smile.

[Cooper Brown]

Location: Near Lil' Sebastian's

Whoever this bloke was, he thought he could bluster his way out of this one. The girl had clearly gotten herself into some sort of entanglement with somebody this guy worked for or something. Whatever it was, he didn't really care. People had the right to go where they bloody wanted and if that meant buggering off and running from your problems, Iscariot is supposed to be the type of place where you can at least hide from such things. Last but not least, it was part of the Golden Trail tradition that if anyone asks for help, you have to give it, no matter your ability or other commitments.

Johnny's attempt to quash their intervention fell on deaf ears. Coop's only reply was a half muttered coda of the Golden Trail.

"Mirovek rastdar destê xwe deyndar dike."

A righteous man lends his hand.

Or in this case, if a woman asked for help, and the man hasslin' her refuses to let her go, you lend a hand to that man's face in the form of a quick slap right across the his cheek bone to stun and disorient him. Brown then lent his hammer down on the man's knee-cap at about a seventy degree angle, smashing the bone and dislocating the pieces. And completing it like one fluid motion he simply shoved forward elbow first to make the man fall onto his back.

Cooper then was able to quickly step forward and plant his foot on the man's neck. One false move and he just had to shift his weight to cut off the man's air supply.

"I said 'jog on, mate'. What's in your bloody coat there?"

He cleared his throat to cue the lawman to check his captive for weapons.

"She all right?"

The mechanic then inquired to see if somebody could check on the woman who'd been the subject of the attempted kidnapping. Cooper probably should have waited to let the lawman do something. But then again he was only packing a flashlight, and he'd brought it to a hammer-fight. His experience and training from back in the war made taking charge of the situation a simple reflex.

But Cooper being the Golden Trail grease-jockey he was, he was already thinking about how to make up the time he'd lost to finish that stupid wiring job for Lil Sebastian.

[Gwen Eiber]

Location: Near Lil Sebastian's

Gwen stood as if stunned for a moment.  She hadn't been expecting that level of violence to occur so swiftly.  She was gawking at Cooper with a look that was a cross between shock and admiration. When he mentioned checking on Pele she moved with a start. She turned away from the scene to check on Pele. Her tone was soft and kind. "Did he hurt you honey? You're safe now."  She didn't reach out to touch the woman, figuring she'd been manhandled enough. 

Once she was sure the woman was okay she waited until the downed man had been checked for weapons.  When she was sure the man was harmless she moved to his side, opening her med bag.  Regardless of whether he was a creep or not, Gwen was a healer and Johnny's knee was shattered.  If he'd allow she'd administer some pain medicine and set about immobilizing the knee until he could be taken to the med bay.

She couldn't help it though, big blue eyes kept flickering to Cooper, even though she tried not to.

[noseatbelts]

Near Lil Sebastian's - Pele/Emit/Gwen/Cooper

Before he could tell Emit where he thought he could stick his badge, Johnny was on the floor with an injury that would definitely keep him from professional football once and for all. "Oh you rutting sonofabitch I'm gonna kill you for that." Johnny said, mostly to the floor. His knee destroyed and his chances to walking out of here calmly with Pele in hand gone, he pulled his hand out of his pocket and allowed Emit to search it. "You're all dead. D-E-A-D. You hear me?" Through gritted teeth and overwhelming pain, he focused next on Pele and leveled a finger at her. "You. You better run. Mr. Soavi ain't gonna stop, girl. He ain't never gonna stop." He cursed as Gwen began tending to his bum kicker.

Inside of his pocket, all Emit found was a pack of gum. Oh and a set of brass knuckles. Which one Johnny was reaching for was up for debate.

Nowhere Near Lil Sebastian's - Sean

As the sleep settled out of Sean's eyes there was a peculiar sound outside of the door to his closet. A hissing? A grinding? Before Sean could ascertain precisely what the sound might have been, the door didn't so much open as it disappeared. The sound he'd heard was a rotary saw taking the hinges off. There were some folks on the other side that seemed to want to have a word with him. Sean would recognize them as representatives of Johann Krüeger, one of the heavies around the station who didn't work directly for Lil Sebastian. One of them, a man in a cheap black suit, cowboy boots and a bolo tie, did the talking. "Hey. Sean, right? My name is Bud. I work for Mr. Krüeger and Mr. Krüeger is displeased you haven't been to see him yet. He wants his cut."

Inside Lil Sebastian's - Charity/King

Sebastian looked at Charity for a moment, his hands still outspread and jazzy. "What do you mean why? Who wouldn't want their own ship?" This wasn't working. He let his hands drop and took it from a different angle. "Alright. I apologize. I forgot that you ain't an easy person to impress." He smoothed back what was left of the hair on his head as he thought. "Miss Vornbach." There was her name again and the glint in his eye suggested that Lil Sebastian knew exactly what it meant to use it. "I'm a businessman. I run a number of enterprises here on Iscariot Station. Some people say I run the whole station. I don't know about that but..." He let the implication hang in the air. "I ain't gonna sugar coat it. Some of my work isn't strictly what you might call legal. But it's all for one purpose. The prosperity of this station. I do things that other people don't have the heart to do. All for the greater good, you understand. I barely take a salary. And as you can see..." He gestured to the room and digs around them. "...I ain't exactly lining my own pockets."

A knock at the door. Francis walked over and cracked it open and listened to what was being said on the other side. He nodded, closed the door, and walked over to relay the message to Sebastian. Sebastian, in turn, listened, nodded, and told Francis to go take care of it. Without another word, Francis left the room.

"Sorry about that. One of the many responsibilities pulling at my attention. Where was I?" He snapped his fingers. "I do have legitimate ventures as well. And that's where you come from. I need you to make a delivery for me. Pure and simple. You'll get the use of my best ship. Good crew. And a nice little payday for yourself. Listen. I'm a well known guy in certain circles of the 'verse. I've got enemies but more importantly I got people who hear my name and say they don't want to do business with a guy like that. They think they're above me. Better than me. But a high-class broad such as yourself? You can go anywhere. And, if you ask me, it's best to keep moving, you know what I mean?" That might have been as clear with his threat as Lil Sebastian was going to get. But he would wait and see how Charity responded.

King shifted dangerously, his hackles up with a warning glance Charity's way.

Back to Near Lil Sebastian's - Pele/Emit/Gwen/Cooper

Francis appeared outside of the shop and clapped Zeke on the shoulder, informing him of their plan of action. The two of them walked over to where everyone had congregated around the pained paizano. "Alright folks. Alright. Nothing to see here." Francis waded in to see what the fuss was all about and stopped when he saw Cooper. "Oh, hey Coop." He looked down and shook his head at Johnny, lying on the ground. "Did you..." The question was posed to the mechanic, who only nodded. "With the..." Indicating to the hammer. Coop, again, nodded. "Nice." Francis grinned with appreciation in only the way that a guy used to putting the hurt on people would with a creative new injury to try someday. "I'll bet he went down like... pshkow, right?" Coop nodded a final time.

Johnny cursed from the floor. "Do you have any idea who I am? Who I work for? That girl is coming with me, you understand?" Zeke and Francis picked Johnny up off the ground to carry him away between them. "This ain't over. Put me down. My boss-"

Francis forced the makeshift litter to stop. "Super cool. Don't care. Either you leave now or we kill you." Johnny thought it over, then acquiesed to them taking him away. "I mean I don't mean to be a dick about it, but yeah." The trio disappeared down the corridor out of sight to some back room somewhere. They were safe, for now.

[Gwen Eiber]

Location: Near Little Sebastian's

Gwen hadn't been able to do much for Johnny, other than some pain medicine and splinting his knee so the pieces in there wouldn't be moving and grinding around.  An injury like that was beyond her ability to repair.  A simple break, yes.  A shattered knee cap, not a chance.  She certainly made sure he wasn't suffering more than necessary though.  Bad man or not it just wasn't her nature to let anyone suffer. 

Her eyes darted to Pele as Johnny threatened her and then to Emit and the man with the hammer, making sure there was no further violence forthcoming as the man wasn't really a threat at the moment.  Francis and Zeke approached to deal with the fallen Johnny and Gwen rose from the floor, dusting her knees as she backed away.  Her gaze traveling from Francis to Cooper.  She didn't know Francis but anyone that seemed to work for Little Sebastian made her slightly uncomfortable and she gave her braid a tug, his familiarity with the hammer wielding man made her uncertain.  He seemed like a good guy, coming to the rescue of a damsel in distress but his association with one of Sebastian's thugs gave her pause.  Of course she'd just given aid to the man threatening said damsel so maybe Coop was a good guy after all.  Only time would tell.

She retreated back to Emit's side, looking to Pele once more.  "We were just headed to one the restaurant's on the station if you'd like to join us Miss." Perhaps the young lady would feel safer if she wasn't alone. Gwen offered a friendly smile. "I'm Gwendola and this is Mr. Culpepper."

[Cooper Brown]

Cooper was glad to see Francis show up. He didn't care for most of Sebie's goons but Francis was an all right guy. Remorseless killer and paid gun, but a decent bloke. Once upon a time he was that and worse. He was just a wrench turner now. His skills, like his hammer were always there just in case. He gave his acquaintance a familiar pat on the back as he escorted Johnny away, leaving a hand-print of dust. The ashy mechanic directed his attention to the ladies and the law man.

"Sorry y'all had to see that. Everybody good, yeah?"

Dusting off his hands as he approached, he first extended it to Pele, the subject of today's harassment.

"Cooper Brown. I was just workin' on running some wire for that pint-sized prick over there when I heard the commotion. I'm not one of Sebastian's stable, don't worry. I don't give a possum's arse what that chunderbucket's issue was."

He then offered his hand to the law-man and the young doctor.

"Cheers for the backup, Constable. And Doc, you're a gem."

He gave them all a smile and nod that turned into a slightly embarrassed wince.

"So, uhh... if everybody's good I should get out of your hair before I give somebody an asthma attack."

He grew ever more aware of the thick layer of dust still all over him and felt a bit self conscious, not being great with navigating social situations with new people.

"Gotta finish that job and find myself a bloody fire-hose."

[Charity]

Location: Inside Lil Sebastian's

Charity sat still as a statue; her eyes glued to Sebastian's face as he answered her question with an incredulous question of his own. She didn't feel the need to own her own ship, nor did she see the sheer shininess of such an impossible idea. For her, owning something so big and gran wasn't all that interesting or unattainable, at least it hadn't been. Before all this.

"Miss Vornbach," he began, and her hands clenched tightly against her lap. Her expression remained patient and kind and poised, but she wanted nothing more than to race out of the room or politely ask King to maim this gentleman...which wasn't very ladylike of her. A small sigh slipped past her lips and although her gaze flickered in King's direction, she kept her hopeful request for violence to herself. Her brow twitched a little. When did she become so aggressive?

The knock drew her attention as well and she watched Francis/Frankie move from the door to his boss with a curious pouting of her lips. When he'd left the room, she flinched at Sebastian's snap and looked back in his direction, shoulders tense. "I need you to make a delivery for me. Pure and simple ... A high-class broad such as yourself? You can go anywhere. And, if you ask me, it's best to keep moving, you know what I mean?"

King shifted dangerously, his hackles up with a warning glance Charity's way. She tried not to look back at him, not wanting to break off eye-contact with the man before her or show any sign that his clear and obvious threat had rattled her. Of course, it had, but she didn't need him knowing that. Finally, however, she inhaled and looked at the room and its many...'wares'.

"A delivery of what, might I ask?" she asked him nonchalantly, lifting her hand to push some of her chocolate curls off her shoulder and back to the rest of the waves against her back. "I pressume it would be something I might not call legal?" Charity continued, cutting her stare back toward the small man and his large personality. "And, if I might be allowed a few further questions, who would the crew be? In what sense are they 'good?'"

[Emit Culpepper]

Location: Near Lil Sebastian's

The labourer with the hammer had moved swiftly,dishing out a rather severe form of justice. However the man's actions did quickly diffuse the situation and thwart a possible kidnapping. As Emit assisted with detaining  and searching the would be attacker, he quickly pocketed the brass knuckles he discovered.

He was glad to see that Gwendola was at least attempting to treat the injury. It wasn't as if Emit thought the man was innocent or had been treated wrongly, he was just thinking as a lawman. As such he wanted to turn the fellow over to the proper authorities. But another form of authority being Lil Sebastian's henchmen snatched the fellow up whisking him away. Emit had to remind himself where he was and that in fact he was retired.

Upon Gwendola's introductions he tipped his hat to the young lady who had requested help. "You sure you're okay Miss? How's about you accompany us to Alice's Cafe', sit a spell with a nice cup of coffee."

Turning his attention momentarily towards the keeper of the hammer. "Much obliged for the assistance, you're welcome to join us to I recon if you'd like a cup of Joe."

[Gwen Eiber]

Gwen shook Cooper's hand when it was offered, not seeming to notice the dust or at least not making a big deal about it, murmuring, "Mr. Brown." in acknowledgement of his name.  When he called her a gem she looked down shyly, her cheeks coloring.

When Emit invited him to join them she gave a little nod. "Yes, Alice's has the best pie on the station, the food there is very good." Gosh she sounded like a moon brain.  What was it about talking with men that got her all tongue tied and addle-brained. She shook her head slightly at herself and then turned her focus on Pele once more, the young woman had been through an ordeal after all. "You are most welcome to join us, Miss."

[Pele Kesher]

Everything happened so fast Pele didn't even have to play up her shocked reaction; she could barely register the swing of the hammer before Johnny was writhing on the ground, shouting expletives and hissing venom at her. She turned away, refusing to give him the satisfaction of getting under her skin. As far as Johnny could tell, she was simply ignoring him and retreating further into her damsel in distress act. It was only when her assailant was being carried away that Pele unfurled herself and faced the others.

"Did he hurt you honey? You're safe now." The woman was the first one to approach her while the men focused on stripping Johnny from his weapons and getting him away from the scene.

"N-no, I'm alright." She hastily wiped her tears with the back of her hand, tears that were just a calculated part of her painstakingly constructed damsel act... Right? She was feeling awful light-headed all of a sudden.

"We were just headed to one the restaurant's on the station if you'd like to join us Miss. I'm Gwendola and this is Mr. Culpepper."

Before Pele could decline, the man who'd actually, physically put Johnny out of commission approached her.

"Cooper Brown. I was just workin' on running some wire for that pint-sized prick over there when I heard the commotion. I'm not one of Sebastian's stable, don't worry. I don't give a possum's arse what that chunderbucket's issue was."

Pele hesitated for a split second before taking the mechanic's hand. She should've been grateful -- she was grateful; his way of handling the situation had been a tad more gruesome than what she'd had in mind, but she couldn't deny that underneath the creeping nausea she felt a certain degree of schadenfreude at seeing Johnny get his pi gu handed to him. That didn't change the fact that Cooper had that tell-tale smell of someone who crawled in air ducts for a living, and his hands were still covered in... she didn't even know what.

"Thank you." She gripped Cooper's hand very daintily, and it was all she could do to not wipe her hand on her pants afterwards.

"You sure you're okay Miss? How's about you accompany us to Alice's Cafe', sit a spell with a nice cup of coffee."

"Yes, Alice's has the best pie on the station, the food there is very good. You are most welcome to join us, Miss."

Pele's first instinct was to turn down the offer, but as soon as she opened her mouth, Johnny's parting words echoed in her head.

"You better run. Mr. Soavi ain't gonna stop, girl. He ain't never gonna stop."

Tā mā de. So much for not letting him getting under her skin. What if Johnny hadn't come alone? What if there were more of Cecil's men lurking about the station, waiting for him to return with her and ready to take matters into their own hands if he didn't? Was it a risk she could take? It certainly wasn't one she felt like taking right now.

"Yes. Thank you, that sounds lovely."

[noseatbelts]

Inside Lil Sebastian's - Charity/King

"No no, toots, you misunderstand. This job is one-hundred percent legal." Lil Sebastian said around a grin. "It's completely above board." He snapped his fingers and waited for someone to hand him something before realizing that Francis hadn't returned yet from his errand. "Oh, right. One second." Sebastian walked over to the door and stuck his head out. "Somebody give me the thing. You know, the thing. The brick. Give me one. Now. It's over there in the thing."

While their new friend was occupied King gave Charity a warning shake of his head. He didn't like this. But he would follow her lead.

Lil Sebastian returned with a sizable brick in his hand, which he handed over to Charity to examine for herself. It was shiny, longer than it was wide, deceptively heavy, and stamped with the seal of the Union of Allied Planets. "Grade A Protein bars. I'm telling ya, I ain't all bad. I came across these and have been trying to sell them but nobody wants nothing to do with me." Sebastian seemed genuinely bothered by this, though he recovered quickly. "If you want to see the ship, meet the crew, why don't you come with me?" Sebastian then led them out the back door Francis had once disappeared into.

Near Lil Sebastian's - Pele/Emit/Gwen

As Cooper went back to work and conversation turned to finding a cup of coffee and maybe a bite to eat, Francis appeared behind them, which was strange considering he'd left with Johnny and Zeke in the opposite direction. But one could assume there were unseen hallways and doors all about this place. "Hey folks. Sebastian asked me to come get you. We're going to your ship." He suddenly seemed to forget what he was saying. "Um. Crap. The one lady is there. Fancy. Green dress. Crystal? No... Cinnamon? What the heck is her name? It'll come to me. She and the other guy will meet us there." Francis waved them to follow him through the side door he'd appeared from. "Don't worry. I promise I won't kill you." Two more of Sebastian's men came up on the other side of them. It might have felt like it wasn't a request. But Francis sure made it sound like one.

Inside Iscariot's Walls - Charity/King

Sebastian continued talking while they walked. "Pardon the skulking and the sneaking, but this way is quicker and it keeps you free and clear of association with me. You understand." What Sebastian didn't say was precisely where in the station they were going or that he might have been protecting his reputation. One thing that could be said, however, was that it was surprisingly clean and well maintained back there. They passed the noodle shop where, presumably, Francis had gotten Charity's tea and also a closed door with what sounded like a man screaming loudly in Italian. They kept moving, however, and soon found themselves at a private lift where Zeke awaited them. "Going down, Zekey." Sebastian said, letting his man push the button. As they waited for the elevator, he continued. "As far as your crew goes, well, I'd say you got yourselves a damned good one, if the news reports are anything to go on." The doors opened and they went inside.

Lil Sebastian's Secret Space Dock

Soon the doors opened again and let them out into a private space dock where a bright, shiny looking ship sat waiting for them. "The ship is brand spankin' new. Nothing but the best for you, my dear. Gryphon class. Bought her legit, got papers and everything." He laughed. "She ain't got a name yet but I had an idea. You're gonna love it. The Sensual Swan! Classy, right?"

The lift chimed, the doors opened and Francis led the rest out.

"Oh, your crew! As requested. You see we've got..." Emit was the first to step out, his protective nature and unease about their location demanded it. "This must be the hacker Jesse Walker, better known as Rogue. Then we have-" Next was Pele, equally confused. "-your pilot Aquamarine Reyes, I think it was." And, finally, Gwen. "And engineer Artemis Graham. She's a she, apparently. Don't know why I thought Artemis would be a man but here we are." Sebastian looked at Francis. "This all of them? I thought there was..." Francis just shrugged. "Ah well. Your ship, your crew. Whataya say, we gotta deal?" Sebastian stuck his hand out for Charity to shake.

[Charity]

Inside Lil Sebastian's

"No no, toots, you misunderstand. This job is one-hundred percent legal," he assured her, and she couldn't help the little scoff that escaped her at the idea that this sort of man had any legal business enterprises. Still, she said nothing and waited for him to find whatever nonsense he was looking for, the index finger of one hand idly turning a glimmering ring around the middle finger of the other hand. She glanced over at King as he shook his head, a hand lifting just barely to indicate he didn't need to worry. She could smell what Sebastian was selling. Or she thought she could.

"Grade A Protein bars. I'm telling ya, I ain't all bad..." the salesman continued, after handing over a little shiny brick. She'd never seen one of these in person, let alone held one in her hands, but she'd heard about folk with less needing to survive on protein bar rations like this. She looked up at him with a curious frown, then stood when he offered to take them to see the ship, and the crew, the brick still held against her chest. If he was being honest with her, these were presumably much needed resources and presumably legal to sell or give to others who needed them. She looked in King's direction again, her lips pursed as she moved to be closer to him, suddenly uncertain.

Inside Iscariot's Walls

"Pardon the skulking and the sneaking, but this way is quicker, and it keeps you free and clear of association with me. You understand," he assured her, and she looked down at the brick in her hands for half a moment. Was he looking out for her reputation or making sure no one knew she was selling his goods for him so word wouldn't get out ahead of this little venture of his? She sighed. Either way, what could she really do about it? He was very clear in his vague threat, and from what she was seeing, had a lot more reach into this station than she'd originally imagined. That could prove inconvenient for her. He had hired goons, a private lift, secret tunnels, a business venture large enough to offer her a ship...

Charity looked down at him while they waited for the lift to open. "As far as your crew goes, well, I'd say you got yourselves a damned good one, if the news reports are anything to go on." This gave her pause. She turned her head to look back at King, not having been up and about enough after arriving in their med bay to know that there had been any news reports. What precisely had happened after the world had gone black for her. Cherry lips pursed in a straight line, but she said nothing. For now.

Lil Sebastian's Secret Space Dock

As she stepped out, her gaze lifted and settled on the ship. It was awful shiny, that was to be sure, but to her it seemed rather normal. Of course, it was much nicer than the last ship she'd been on and seemed to fit much better into her standard and aesthetic, but she was not as impressed with it as she imagined most would have been. She handed the brick back to Sebastian, not sure he'd take it, but she wanted her hands free. Papers and everything... like that was something to applaud him for. Didn't most people have papers for the ships they purchased? "She ain't got a name yet but I had an idea. You're gonna love it. The Sensual Swan! Classy, right?" Her nose scrunched up and she frowned down at Sebastian, her attention pulled away when the lift opened and some familiar faces pooled out.

"This must be the hacker Jesse Walker, better known as Rogue. Then we have your pilot Aquamarine Reyes, I think it was. And engineer Artemis Graham. She's a she, apparently. Don't know why I thought Artemis would be a man but here we are ... Whataya say, we gotta deal?" Sebastian stuck his hand out for Charity to shake.

Charity stared down at the man incredulously, her lips slightly parted and brows furrowed. The sheer absolute incorrectness of it all baffled her. But, might have actually been in their favor. She looked up sharply to the gathered 'crew', an indication for them to say nothing. It might have been safer for Lil Sebastian not to know who they really were.

"Aqua, Jesse, Art, good to see you again," she told them, her expression stern and her chin nodding downward just once, and just barely. Turning, Charity looked down at Sebastian once more, and then lower still to his hand. Did she have many options here? Her eyes slid back to the gathered people. Gwen was sweet and kind and good at what she did, and although she hoped there would be no need for a medic or a doctor, it never hurt to have one. Emit was a sweet heart, and although he was further on in years and she hadn't personally seen him in action, she'd heard plenty to attest to his lawful nature and can-do attitude. The other woman... A brow rose. Who the hell was she? Well, in any case, she was lovely.

"I will still be needing another mechanic. Artemis is lovely at her job, of course, but she will be working mostly on the mechanical bits on the bridge. I'll need someone with us if the engine goes out. And I'd like someone to assist me with the business portion of things. I'm sure my crew is tip top shape in that department but, well I'm not sure I know what I'm doing. And does this ship have autopilot?" she asked, brows raised innocently.
 

[Gwen Eiber]

Location: Near Lil Sebastian's

Gwen had opened her mouth to protest when Frances invited them to come to "their" ship. Her teeth clicked shut and her hand tightened about her med bag when he mention Charity and Mr. King being there and her first thought being that one of them might be hurt and need help, or if not them, perhaps the pilot, the rather rude and odious Amorru, since he had mentioned a ship.  Regardless of the situation she couldn't leave someone injured and in need of help. She wasn't comfortable with Frances, no matter how politely he promised not to kill them, especially when two of Sebastian's men came to herd them along. She shut her mouth and dutifully followed along.  If her hands hadn't been full she'd have been tugging on that braid of hers as she often did when upset or frustrated.

She looked to Mr. Culpepper, trusting him to do the right thing and to protect the young woman Mr. Brown had so recently rescued.  She felt bad for her, going from one tangled up situation to another.  No doubt the the former lawman could handle himself though, especially against a few low level thugs.  He was the hero of Newhall after all.  She nodded almost imperceptibly to herself.

Location: Lil Sebastian's Secret Space Dock

She was silent as they traversed the halls and stepped into the lift.  She held to the med bag and walking stick as if they were her lifeline. She truly hoped she wouldn't be murdered. For the first time, she briefly regretted leaving Santo, her mother and father, but not her former betrothed.  She sighed softly.  They exited the elevator to a rather strange set of introductions.  Her mouth opened to protest but the look on Charity's face and the short rather paunchy looking man, balding on top, offering Charity his hand and a deal had her puzzled. She was completely at a loss. She had settled with the walking stick in the crook of her arm and had the end of her braid in one hand, tugging gently on it.

She wasn't sure what Charity was getting involved with and wasn't sure she wanted to be a party to it at all.  The short man had to be the infamous Little Sebastian. Notorious? She really wasn't sure what the proper term was. He didn't seem all that threatening or dangerous. But looks were often deceiving and somehow she got the feeling it might be best to play along, he might not appreciate having 3 people who weren't who he thought they were in his private hanger witnessing a deal they weren't meant to be privvy to. So for now, she kept her mouth shut and stayed close to Emit, wondering what Charity was playing at.

[Emit Culpepper]

Location: near Lil Sebastian's

Emit wasn't exactly sure what was transpiring as himself and Gwendola were advised that their presence was requested. The one delivering the request had criminal element written all over him. Before Emit could even think of a verbal protest two more of the man's associates arrived, making the request feel a hell of a lot more like a demand. Emit gave Gwendola and the young lady that they rescued a warm reassuring smile. He made it a noticeable standpoint to place his body between the men and the ladies as they entered into the elevator. Mentally preparing himself for anything as the lift began to lower them into the depths of the station.


Location:Lil Sebastian's Secret Dock

The situation was clearly turning into something different as the short stature man made wrong introductions. Emit thought it best to watch and wait understanding Charity's facial expressions. What had he'd gotten himself into now. Slowly reaching for Gwendola's hand as she stood close to him, he offered a light squeeze and a smile. Letting her know that she wasn't alone in all this.

[Sionnach]

Nowhere Near Lil Sebastian's - Sean

As the sleep settled out of Sean's eyes there was a peculiar sound outside of the door to his closet. A hissing? A grinding? Before Sean could ascertain precisely what the sound might have been, the door didn't so much open as it disappeared. The sound he'd heard was a rotary saw taking the hinges off. There were some folks on the other side that seemed to want to have a word with him. Sean would recognize them as representatives of Johann Krüeger, one of the heavies around the station who didn't work directly for Lil Sebastian. One of them, a man in a cheap black suit, cowboy boots and a bolo tie, did the talking. "Hey. Sean, right? My name is Bud. I work for Mr. Krüeger and Mr. Krüeger is displeased you haven't been to see him yet. He wants his cut."

If nothing else, Sean Finnegan was a master at fèihuà, and all the cutting and prying had given him ample time to prepare as such he looked suitably shocked and terrified to the point that he  might have been read to lā shǐ his tasteful, if rumpled, pants.

Bud's soliloquy was met with a spray of Sean's very last twelve credits as he shoved them at the goon in a panic, and gibbered in his very, very best New Albanian accent. "Please. This is all the money I have. I wish no trouble. I don't know who you're looking for!  My name is Samir! Samir Binhayid! Please! I'm reduced to being on this wretched station in this wretched closet. Allah have  mercy on your servant! Please sir PLEASE! I know nothing of these things! Have mercy!" It didn't matter at the moment that in the story he'd had for Samir in his head that the merchant was an atheist, the Allah thing couldn't hurt.

[noseatbelts]

Nowhere Near Lil Sebastian's - Sean

Bud stormed into the room and knocked Sean to the floor with a backhanded slap. The enforcer crouched over Sean's prone form as his compatriots joined him in the room and began rifling through Sean's things. Their collective bodies filled the confined space, preventing much in the way of escape. Bud slapped him again, harder, making sure to have Sean's attention. "Knock it off with the disguise, Sean. It's offensive and isn't fooling anybody. Isn't it offensive fellas?" The other two guys, both actual persons of color themselves, looked over and nodded. Bud stuck a finger in Sean's face. "Now you listen to me. You're done here on Iscariot station. Your Space Station privileges are revoked. You leave and you don't never come back, you hear me? You do and you see what happens." The guys behind Bud, arms full of some of the things that Sean had managed to find during his time on the station but not all, indicated to Bud that they'd gotten enough to satisfy the amount that Johann was looking for. Bud stood and gave Sean a grin. "I'll give you twelve hours." And then they left.

[Cooper Brown]

Beckon onto the universe for a mechanic, and he shall appear. Or at least that's how it seemed with Cooper as he made his entrance. About forty yards away, the group would have been able to hear the banging on the large steel grate. On his third kick, the filthy grate gave way and fell to the ground, leaving a smoke like trail of dust as it fell to the ground and then a larger plume of smoke exploded up into the air as Coop landed on the ground again. He was looking around, appearing fairly aggravated.

"Are you taking the piss eh?"

Another mechanic under Sebastian's employ rushed over to Coop as he arrived, he tried to take the cable looped around Mr Brown's shoulder but he was held back with a dusty hand raised in the air.

"You hear me, mate? Takin' the piss with his rubbish?"

He threw the cable down on the ground and pointed at the vessel docked before them.

"You see that? What is it?"

Before the man could respond. Coop was calm now but wasn't going to let the dingus answer the obvious and rhetorical question.

"It's a gorram Space-ship iddnit?"

The other mechanic looked at the cable, then at the ship. He was about to say something again.

"Yeah this won't work now will it... but what's over there eh?"

There was a five foot rectangular steel object with a smaller coil of cable coming off it.

"Plug that into the port with the hexagon symbol over. It'll have the subsystem batteries and auxiliary topped up in about twenty."

Coop now noticed a few familiar faces and Sebastian and he jogged over, leaving a misty trail behind him. He had some choice words for Sebastian after the time he'd wasted on this chore, never mind the literal mess. But the man was also a low level crime lord and Coop didn't want to start any more trouble today. He took deep breath and simply just walked past the assembled crew and his temporary employer.

Plus if he pointed out the work he'd done was pointless, he didn't want to tempt the possibility Lil' Sebie might be the type of skinflint to renege on payment he'd promised if the work wasn't even necessary. But he didn't even make it halfway to the door before he heard his name echoing out in the docking bay.

The Golden Trail expat muttered to himself in his native tongue:
"Referansên xwe kontrol bikin. Kulîlkek bêhêz...."
*Check your references. Stupid crook...

[Gwen Eiber]

Mr. Culpepper had reached for her hand to give it a light squeeze of support and had instead ended up with a handful of her braid, which she had been in the midst of tugging on as she often did when upset or agitated. That had gotten her even more flustered her cheeks flushing as she dropped the braid and shifted both hands to the handle of the medbag, half wishing the ground would open up and swallow her.

Then the loud banging and once more Mr. Cooper appeared as if summoned. How did that man manage to end up exactly where they had been taken by Little Sebastian's associate Francis?  She said nothing as he headed towards and then past the assembled group, just held her breath for a moment, over-sized blue eyes following the dusty figure.

[Pele Kesher]

So much for collecting her thoughts over a nice cup of coffee; instead, Pele found herself herded down the corridor by a bunch of goons who left her and her saviors little choice but to comply. For the briefest of moments she was gripped by a fear that this was all an elaborate trap laid by Cecil's men, until she realized how ridiculous that was.

The trio soon found themselves in the middle of some kind of business deal between a regal-looking young woman and a short, stocky man who was anything but. He rattled off a list of names, addressing Pele with one that sounded like it belonged to a busty heroine in some terrible B movie. She almost opened her mouth to protest, but the look of warning that the young woman shot their entire group shut her right up. Now that she looked at her companions, they seemed a tad confused themselves.

Was she on a hidden camera show? Maybe someone had caught wind that Pele Kesher, scandalous socialite has-been, was on Iscariot and had figured punking her would make for riveting reality television. If that turned out to be the case, she would strangle the producers.

Real or staged, this scene seemed more than a little shady. It didn't take a trained companion's eye to read the room and realize that the transaction taking place there might not be entirely legal. Something stirred in Pele's memory, a conversation she'd overheard during her time on the Empress. She could vaguely recall a mention of some crime boss of short stature. What on earth was his name again? Tiny Tim? She'd found the shop talk between Tricky and his lackeys awfully dull at the time, but now she wished she'd paid more attention. Without the leverage of knowing what the hell was going on, all Pele could do was smile and nod and play along until a way out presented itself.

[noseatbelts]

Lil Sebastian's eyes gleamed with greed. "So we have a deal then?" He didn't wait for her to tell him no. "Your wish is my command." He snapped his fingers. "Francis! You heard the lady. We need a mechanic. Who do we know? Could see what Tisha is doing these days. Ain't seen her for a bit."

Francis shook his head. "No. Tisha's dead, remember?" He put a finger to his head and mimed pulling a trigger, his face then contorted to one approximating Tisha's death face.

"Oh that's right. Roberto?"

"Roberto moved to Verbena."

"Verbena? Who the hell moves to Verbena? What's he doing there? He meet someone?" Francis nodded in answer, like Lil Sebastian should know that. "Oooh that guy? I didn't realize... Good for them. Who else?"

The two of them racked their brains for a moment before Francis spotted Cooper popping out of the grate. "Could send Coop, but no he..." LS nodded like he'd made up his mind while Francis continued to try and talk him out of it. "He's not going to like this. He doesn't really take orders, boss. Remember Roarke?" Francis didn't elucidate what happened to Roarke, but the implication was that it was not good. "Boss. Listen. Oh great. Here he comes. Boss!"

Lil Sebastian turned to watch the Mechanic jog over and waved off Francis' worries. "Don't worry about it. You're going, too."

"Wait, what? No."

"Coop! Just the man I wanna talk to. You wanna take a trip with these lovely folks? Just to Persephone and back. No biggie. Backup Mech work. You'll basically just sit there for a couple days. And I'm paying you. Cool? Cool." The small man turned on a heel and gave Charity a winning grin. "There. All crew'd up. My contact is Qing Sun and she's expecting you in a couple days. Cargo's already loaded up. Check with me when you get back and we'll get you paid for this run. Thanks, doll, you're a peach." Lil Sebastian indicated to his other two men that they should come with him as he turned and headed back to the elevator. Francis tried to follow but was wordlessly cut off and left behind.

Now what?