S2E10 - Greenleaf Skyplex Stopover

[Lin Kuei]

Making his way through the crowd, Lin tossed a glance over his shoulder to see the mass of people in the docking ring. If there were any attempts to follow him, they were excellent at their job but the shop owner was certainly not in that league. Even if he had a boss on the Skyplex, Lin doubted they were capable enough to catch him off-guard. He still held the box of parts in one arm as he forcefully guided Reese through the crowd. Catching sight of Ronin's cargo ramp, Lin saw that a few people have gathered on it. Maybe we'll get a full crew this time around.

Stepping from the crowd, he spotted Monty in the bay with Ava across from it talking to someone dressed in black that looked like a cowboy. With a slight urgency to his voice, Lin called out to the mechanic as he stepped on to the ramp. "Monty, got a box of spare parts for the engine." Without much warning, he thrust the box toward the mechanic. Abruptly, whether Monty caught it or not, Lin let it go as Reese fainted and he scooped her up before she could hit the floor of the cargo bay. Lin shouted toward the doctor. "Ava! I need your help over here!"

Turning toward the others and the open doorway, Lin gave a brief explanation. "Former crew member turned into a junkie by someone who wanted her to do work. Monty, if you could keep an eye on things here for the moment. Minato, I'll point you to your room. As for the rest of you, I'll be back in just a few moments." He spun toward the stairs and quickly started moving up to the main deck. She barely weighed a hundred pounds and become junkie rail thin. Stepping quickly, Lin made his way along the main deck through the first hatchway carrying Reese and, using a nod of his head, pointed to the starboard bedroom for Minato as if to say "that way".

Continuing on without stopping or slowing down, Lin made his way into the Med Bay and placed Reese in the examination chair. He waited for a few moments to give Ava a chance to catch up before briefly explaining. "This is Reese and she needs your help. A shop owner was keeping her drugged up so he could get repair work out of her. She could hardly speak when I found her. Whether or not she leaves with Ronin, see if there is anything you can do to help her." Lin paused at the door, looked at Reese and spoke without taking his eyes off of her. "She's a talented mechanic and was a valued member of this crew. ... Uh, I need to get back to the cargo bay." Half a second later, Lin was making his way back downstairs with a brisk walk to see who else had arrived and got to the top of the stairs for the cargo bay in quick order. He had hardly been gone for a couple of minutes at best but it gave him the chance to scan those on the ramp and see what he could see.

[Mylena Yee]

Mylena watched the drama unfold without batting an eye.  She had that way that many servants did of just being almost completely invisible even when standing right there.  She was definitely of Asian descent, with a petite build, dark hair and almond shaped eyes the color of ink. She was dressed in soft loose fitting trousers and tunic style top of a Chinese style made of creamy jade colored silk and matching hard soled slippers. No visible tattoos and no jewelry, though her ears were pierced. She lowered the two cases hanging over her shoulder to the ground with an ease of motion, looking at the two men left in the cargo bay with her discreetly as she did so. Her head was slightly lowered, eyes down almost demurely, her posture definitely non-threatening.   They both looked to be a bit older than her 24 years and certainly well weathered. 

"This might prove to be an interesting ship to travel upon," her voice low and well cultured, it might have been addressed to the men, or to herself.   Her attention shifted to the Captain as he reappeared, sizing him up much more boldly.  After all, it was this man she had to decide whether she would follow or not.  It was his measure that mattered most at the moment.  The other were a puzzle to be solved at a later time.

[Michael Becker]

Ronin - Cargo Bay

Mike's general disinterest meant that he caught sight of the Captain's companion just as her head was making for the floor. There wasn't time to get a good look at her face, but the hair and figure... Surely the 'verse wasn't that small. The color drained from his face as his mind drifted back to someone he had known. Someone as innocent and vulnerable as she appeared to be. A girl he had cared for greatly a long time ago. But it seemed too unlikely. And she was perhaps a little smaller. Most of all he wasn't confident he wanted to face the reality of what it would mean if she was who he thought her to be.

It was after a few moments that Mike realised he had been holding his breath, and released a large puff of air as he tried to recover himself from a scene he was putting too much of his own mind into. He turned away a little, closed his eyes and rubbed over his eyelids. Another heavy sigh and he turned back to wait for his new employer.

"Interestin' ain't always good." The remarks of Becker and Yee complimented each other, but both seemed muttered more for themselves than anyone else. He looked to the woman he had briefly considered as captain, then to the other gentleman making introduction. Looked liked a high turnover too. Either way Mike was here now and wanted the coin, he just needed the captain to fill him in on the details.

[Ava Gray]

"Miss." He made a slight polite bow. "I'm Travis Chow. Captain Lin Kuei sent me a wave to come and serve on Ronin. Security and protection I believe was his intention."

Ava smiled and half-nodded, half-bowed; good manners exchanged for good manners.  "Ah, yes," she replied cheerfully.  Granted, the captain hadn't given her the names of anyone he may or may not have been expecting, but she knew he was expecting someone, and while the man's word on the subject wasn't enough to get him free rein of the ship, it certainly was enough to get him welcomed aboard the cargo bay. "The captain was expecting you.  He stepped out for just a minute, but we're expecting him back..."

"Err..." That was his way of announcing himself as he stepped aboard the ship. Down to business, "Captain Lin..." and the realisation that he had only seen the surname written down. "Coo-eee-e?" His interpretation was phonetic and drawn out. Becker winced, then shook it off with a shrug. "Of course, I'll just call ya Lin from now on."

Ava's conversation with the new hire was interrupted by another man arriving at the ship, though he seemed to have mistaken a young lady who had just reached the ship for the captain.  Ava turned to wave the two over and clear up the confusion but just as she opened her mouth, the captain strode aboard with a girl who looked to be barely hanging on to consciousness.  Ava hesitated between the roles of hostess and doctor until the girl fainted.  "'Scuse me," she murmured, and spun toward her new patient.  The captain offered a quick explanation and took off into the ship.  Ava hesitated another second; gave a brief welcoming nod to the lady, and to the man who hadn't yet given his name she said, "Captain Kwee will be with you in just a second," with a slight emphasis on the pronunciation of the name and a wink.

Then she hurried after the captain, arriving at the Med Bay just behind the captain.  She took the girl's pulse as the captain explained the situation.

"This is Reese and she needs your help. A shop owner was keeping her drugged up so he could get repair work out of her. She could hardly speak when I found her. Whether or not she leaves with Ronin, see if there is anything you can do to help her." Lin paused at the door, looked at Reese and spoke without taking his eyes off of her. "She's a talented mechanic and was a valued member of this crew. ... Uh, I need to get back to the cargo bay."

"We dealt with things like this pretty often in the ER." The girl's pulse was thready, but not too bad.  Ava strode over to a drawer and pulled out a few items.  "I'll take good care of her," Ava said reassuringly.  And then the captain was gone.  Ava grabbed a small light and shone it briefly in each of the girl's eyes to check for dilation. 

"Reese, is it?" Ava asked, although the girl hadn't yet regained consciousness.  She figured the girl could wake up any moment, and it would be much nicer to wake up to a friendly voice, rather than someone prodding away at her in silence.  "I'm Ava.  I'm the doctor here."  She gently took hold of the girl's left arm and rotated it to get a good look at her track marks.  The bruising from the needles was pronounced and Ava frowned both at the shoddy needlework, but even more at the type of man who would do this to another person.  She checked the right arm as well, which looked to be in better condition.  "We're going to have to figure out what you're on, but the first thing I'm going to do is get you on an IV to get some more water in your system.  You're looking pretty dehydrated..."

A short time later the IV was prepped and Ava was ready to insert the needle into the girl's wrist.  She paused, smoothed back the girl's hair.  "You with me yet?"  The last thing the girl would want to wake up to was yet another person sticking needles into her body, but it couldn't be avoided if the doctor wanted to take proper care of her.  "I'm about to put in the IV.  It's going to sting for just a second, but this is how we're going to start to make you better."  Ava took the girl's wrist, found a good vein, and again looked at the girl's face.  She gave a heavy sigh, then turned her focus entirely to her work.  "Okay," she said, making her voice as gentle and soothing as she could, "I'm putting the IV in now."  And with that, she slid in the needle.

[Travis Chao]

Travis stepped aside in the cargo bay. The young woman that had greeted him had another potential crew member? to speak to then Lin Kuei was there. He recognized the Captain from police reports and inside information thanks to his old connections. Chao had the woman figured as first mate but seemed to respond to a medical need, so maybe not. Then again, why not doctor and first mate? Still, it wasn't what he expected from Ronin. He realized he needed to hold judgement as to what he was now involved.

Looking over the other man in the Cargo Bay it wasn't difficult to make a very good guess as to his profession. He reminded Travis of a few men he had worked with, and several he had hunted. This was more the type of crew of Ronin he had expected. Of course he probably looked pretty similar. rode hard and put up wet

He stepped toward Becker, made a slight bow and extended his hand. "Travis Chao. Former bounty hunter, occasional Sheriff." He paused, considered what he had heard the man say, "I have a feeling we'll find Ronin mighty interesting, hopeful that would be for ..." a pause. "Not bad."

[Michael Becker]

Ronin - Cargo Bay

Mike winced again, as Ava gave him the correct pronunciation of the captains name. At least he knew now, and it was a remark that pulled him away from other concerns. Left with the other on the deck, he was approached a respectful man with a hard expression.

Becker accepted the handshake, returned a firm grip. Best behaviour for now. Seemed there was another newcomer happy to be here. He also saw an annoying amount of himself in Travis. Unkempt veteran spacers with iron strapped to their hips. The fear was that it made him prime candidate for 'new best buddy.' Becker ran his tongue under his top row of teeth as he was getting a measure for the man.

"Mike. Occasional gunshot victim, so I tend to get less hopeful." He panned around to Mylena, who had started the 'interesting' remark and also seemed to be a newcomer. It was hard to get a judge on where the sleek lady's expertise lay. "Always happy to be proven wrong of course." Just rarely are, he thought to himself. But if Travis was also on the security team, at least he had reduced his chances of being shot by half.

[Mylena Yee]

Lots of new crew.  Interesting indeed.    She listened circumspectly as the two men made each other's acquaintance. Curiouser and curiouser.  She wondered if the job she had applied for had already been filled or if the captain liked to have lots of duplicates around.  Mike's  self-depreciating joke of "occasional gunshot victim" made her actually smile, revealing small, even, white teeth.  Wherever she had lived prior to arriving on the Skyplex she'd been well taken care of.  When Mike panned to face Mylena, she bowed her head politely to him, then to Travis as well. "I am Mylena.  I would be most honored to hear of your adventures as we travel together.  If you have need, I am quite skilled in making poultices and in therapeutic massage, if such former wounds trouble you still." She looked the direction the doctor had gone and then back to the twin gunslingers. "Providing of course, that Captain Kuei finds my services necessary, and not redundant."  A tiny furrow formed between delicately arched brows as she frowned thinking about that prospect but it disappeared almost as quickly as it had come, the skin flawless as porcelain once more.  "One would imagine it would be wise to carry along people with similar or overlapping skills though.  Even a nothing part can mean everything if you don't have a replacement when you need it most."  She smiled once more. "My own travel experience has been limited but I have heard the further out you go the more dangerous it can be and the more scarce resources become."  It was a statement but there was a hint of a question that invited further conversation.

[Minato Kaneshiro]

Minato found himself lost in tangent after tangent about different aspects of computers and the like. He liked to hear him talk about it so much that he almost forgot that Ava was even standing there. It had been a while since he had an ear to listen to him, but how long that would last was to be seen.  Monty's voice stopped Minato in mid sentence as he turned immediately to face the mechanic. He patiently waited for his moment to speak as Ava and Monty conversed

"Oh, Minato has you covered there, for sure," she said with a little chuckle.  "By the way," she added, turning her attention to their new comp specialist, "Since I'm hooking you up with a room, you've got a bit of choice in where you end up.  If you like a little more privacy, we can stick you downstairs by the hydroponics, otherwise you'll be in the main area with the rest of us."

Minato doesn't waste time in responded to Ava and almost interrupted her with his speed. "The quiet would be much appreciated. It is hard to focus with the chatter of most common areas."

As Minato voiced his preference, Ava glanced back at the exit, noting that the stranger was still there, still looking.  "Monty, if you could get a headstart with Minato to drop off his luggage, I'll catch up in just a second," she promised.

Minato picked up his luggage and made a quick bow to Ava, "Thank you, Dr. Gray. I shall speak you later." He took note of the other person but didn't acknowledge him yet. Minato was much more interested in drilling Monty for the logistics, tech, and condition of the system on board of the Ronin. Immediately after he turned from Dr. Gray, Minato started in his interrogation, "So the systems aren't crudely held together, are they? You haven't been without an IT specialist for too long, have you? How advanced is your tech on this vessel? Have your systems ever been comprised?" On the long walk to his room, Minato goes on and on about different aspects of the computers on the ship. He stopped several time to mutter some jargon that he may or may not understand. He lowered his head thinking about his plans for the systems on board the Ronin. "And if I put this into effect, it should raise efficiency by at last 40.36 % in the long run." He continued to ramble on and ramble about nonsense that makes no sense.

[Monty]

For a quick stopover it sure got busy right quick thought Leroy as the new Tech Spec began peppering him with a million questions. In the midst of that an in coming fast moving Captain Kuei tossed him a crate of parts for Ronin. Monty just turned his attention from Kaneshiro in time to snatch the now airborne box before it crashed to the deck. The weight of the gathered parts spun him around on his heels as Monty took the change of direction to begin Minato's ship tour. "Right this way....ahh Tech guy." Leroy was slow to remember names. As they moved deeper into Ronin, Kaneshiro continued his long string of questions....

"So the systems aren't crudely held together, are they? You haven't been without an IT specialist for too long, have you? How advanced is your tech on this vessel? Have your systems ever been comprised?"

Leroy took in the questioning only adding a "Well...." and an "Ah..." now and then. The last question though got his interest. "Have your systems ever been compromised?! I'm pretty damn sure they have, on more than one occasion." Leroy was sure banking on this here new Tech Kuei rounded up to help get Ronin's comp system security back to it's former glory.

[Lin Kuei]

Lin gave the answers to Minato's questions as correctly as he could given the circumstances with Reese. "Ronin's systems are actually quite advanced compared to most ships and pretty expertly held together. Our last tech specialist crew member left the ship about 6 months ago. As to whether the ship's systems were ever comprised, they were about seven to eight years ago and I had them upgraded dramatically afterward." He stepped back to the cargo bay to take over. Monty was helping Minato and Ava was helping Reese so he needed to be in the cargo bay.

Lin descended the steps into the cargo bay casting a glance over the trio still there at the doorway. His movements were precise enough to demonstrate there was no wasted motion. "As for the three of you, I recognize Travis Chao by name if not by appearance. I've seen you a few times in passing, a Skyplex here or dirtside there. Given your reputation, I always opted to not draw your attention. Been a few years since the last time though, welcome aboard." He had reached the group and extended a hand to the man in black and moved on as soon as it had been shaken.

Lin turned to Michael Becker with a simple smile on his face. "It has been a while, Michael. Not sure you remember but a little over a decade or so ago, We met when you served on Glory under Ian Dugan. Some of your crew even came on board for a short time and had a meal, including yourself. Welcome back, I think you'll find some improvements have been made since you were last here." 

Finally, turning to Mylena, he addressed her more directly and cast his eyes directly at hers. "You would be Yee, just by simple elimination." He gestured for everyone to step in far enough and then triggered the closing of the cargo bay doors. When they had shut, Lin spoke again with a softer yet firm voice. Volume was not as much a priority inside the ship. "Your message stated you might qualify for one or more positions on Ronin. Please explain." Lin had made it a point to keep himself between the trio and the stairs as a precaution, especially in Yee's case. She was more unknown at the moment.

[Mylena Yee]

Her eyes were lowered properly and she moved with an easy grace as she lifted her two cases and followed the Captain and the other men inside.  She moved with a cat-like fluidity that hinted she could be very dangerous if it came down to it.  Mylena watched the captain and his own economy of movement, sizing him up. Noted Mike's limp.  Lin greeted the two men with a comfort that said he was familiar with them both and felt no threat at this time.  His comments gave some age range to the man, if he had been captain 10 years ago. 

When he turned his attention to her she met his eyes briefly, before bowing her head politely.  "Indeed I think I could be useful to you in several positions, Captain.  My training was that of bodyguard and companion.  I am a decent cook, skilled in natural healing, am adept at moving through high society without attracting attention and I am able to deal cards for casino level play. I am also proficient with bladed weapons and a rifle, though it is not my weapon of choice.  I am a young woman of many...talents." She looked up to meet his eyes once more, before glancing to the other two men briefly, then refocusing her attention on Lin. She wasn't entirely comfortable sharing all her secrets in front of the other men, but if they were going to be partners in arms she would have to learn to trust them. "I have other skills as well, though I'm not sure I'm ready to tell you all of my secrets just yet.  Perhaps you would allow me to serve you a proper tea and you may ask for any additional details you wish?." 

[Ava Gray]

Ava finished taping down the IV and took hold of Reese's left wrist to check her pulse.  After a few seconds, she gently set the girl's arm back at her side, a small frown flashing across her face. 

"Well," she mused aloud, on the off-chance that Reese might be hovering near consciousness, "We're going to have to figure out what they put in you before we can do much else."  Ava headed to a cabinet and returned with a small tray of supplies.  First she took a warm, damp cloth and softly wiped clean her arm at the elbow.  "In order to do that, I'm afraid I'm going to need a blood sample.  This'll only take a few seconds, but if you want to sleep through this as well, I certainly wouldn't blame you."  It took longer than usual to find a good vein, but once Ava had one she felt confident hadn't been too damaged by previous needles, she cleaned the area with a sterilized wipe and deftly obtained the needed sample.  She started the proper machine on analyzing for foreign chemicals and returned to the bed.

A few dabs with the wet cloth across Reese's forehead, and Ava had a space clean enough to attach a remote sensor.  The mechanic's vitals popped up on a screen; heartbeat thready, but within tolerances, temperature slightly elevated...  Ava smoothed back the girl's hair.  "Don't worry, we'll get you up and good as new in no time."

[Michael Becker]

Ronin - Cargo Bay

Mike was considering how serious the offer of a massage had been when Lin returned to the deck and greeted him by name before it was even shared.

Becker narrowed one eye with a look of confusion. It hadn't clicked before, but now he had a vague memory of Ronin that he couldn't be completely sure hadn't just invented itself out of Lin's words. It was quite unshakable now the seed had been planted. He had a few faint images of people he had interacted with back then, yet the full memory eluded him. Besides that, Mike was mainly distracted by being reminded of Glory.

"You see a lot of ships." He shrugged half-heartedly. "Some of them you forget on purpose." It promptly dawned on him how it sounded. He shook his head. "Not this one. I just... don't get too attached, our line of work being what it is." Mike made a poor attempt at a smile. "Let's say you improved it so well, I don't recognise it."

Becker also had the opportunity to take in the other newcomers. Travis from the Captain's words, which suggested he was not a man to be messed with. That worked for Mike, he was fond of staying out of peoples hair. Then Mylena made her case in her own words. A bodyguard? She didn't look the part. And the last skinny woman dragged through here had gone straight to medbay. Mike wondered if she was cut out for such a posting, or if she was another vulnerable girl, set to end up on a stretcher. Or worse. Maybe Mike was projecting though. He hadn't been very successful in protecting the vulnerable girls of the 'verse. Wasn't something he cared for seeing again.

[Travis Chao]

Chao tried to take stock of the whole situation. Captain and the lady that was in the bay when he entered. They were old crew. Same for the Grease Monkey. Everyone else seemed to be new.

Travis nodded at Lin's comments when they shook hands. Yes, there was paper on Lin Kuei, or the ship Ronin; a couple years back as his memory failed him to any exactness. Didn't matter, not the first person to be on one side of the Alliance good standing and then on the other; and then even back again. It was not any sort of wanted warrant he would have ever taken. Hunting down bounties on ships wasn't his kind of work. So what am I doing here? What is this going to be?

A few quick impressions on the others. A massage. Yes by god, that would feel terrific. An entire work up and physical might not be a bad idea either.

As for the babbling technical engineer - that could be a problem. If he talked non-stop all the time Travis might be spending a lot of time in his cabin. Or maybe the kid gets laryngitis? Nah. I never had that kind of luck.

And the little girl that the Captain had brought in and the doctor/first mate had taken away. That seemed odd. It had been his impression that Kuei had important business that needed a hard hand. hhmmm Travis kept a cool poker face, widened his inquiring eyes as the Captain shut the cargo door and took a position that struck him as a bit defensive. He tried to look relaxed but heightened his guard, curious as to what this meant. If it meant anything.

[Mylena Yee]

     Standing before the Captain and the two older men she resisted the urge to feel she had to prove her worth to them.  She knew the training she had undergone, but she was used to people, especially men, underestimating her.  It had saved her life and the life of her mistress on more than one occasion.  She forced herself to stay still and silent, though after several long heartbeats she lowered her eyes from Lin's, allowing the Captain to assert his dominance.
     She would let the Captain take the lead from here.  In such close quarters, she felt she could likely hold her own so her posture was relaxed, but ready to move into action if need be.  Of course, the captain looked like he could hold his own too. She could appreciate the position he had taken up facing three unknowns in close quarters.  Her estimation of the man went up slightly.  He would be interesting to spar with.
     In some ways it would be nice to have the older gunslingers about as well.  She was proficient with the rifle but could always use more training.  She was much more comfortable with the scattergun and could certainly use some schooling when it came to a hand canon.  She did not look at Mike's bad leg but wondered how many poultices/massages she'd have to trade for lessons.  Chao might give them simply because it's the right thing to do, but her offer would stand for him as well.
    She hadn't had a chance to size up any of the other crew but would be interested in learning from the doctor as well.  The other two crew members that had passed through the cargo bay she was uncertain on.  One seemed to be a mechanic maybe, possibly the other one too or perhaps from the jibber-jabber a pilot or a techy? She assumed a boat this size would have a pilot.
    She held still waiting for Lin to speak.  She was used to being patient. And since the cargo door  was shut behind her, it wasn't like she was going anywhere anytime soon.

[Minato Kaneshiro]

The last question though got his interest. "Have your systems ever been compromised?! I'm pretty damn sure they have, on more than one occasion."

Minato stopped to ponder what approach he may take. As he stood there, Lin Kuei interjected into Minato's string of questions. Minato turned his attention to the captain focused intently on his words.

"Ronin's systems are actually quite advanced compared to most ships and pretty expertly held together. Our last tech specialist crew member left the ship about 6 months ago. As to whether the ship's systems were ever comprised, they were about seven to eight years ago and I had them upgraded dramatically afterward."

Minato gave the captain a quick bow before replying, "Arigato, Captain. I look forward to performing a diagnostic on the Ronin's systems. I hope you don't mind if I get started as soon as I get settled in. If the last time you upgraded was eight years ago, the Ronin may be long overdue with the advancement that have occurred with that time period."

Minato took this moment to look over the cargo bay to take in the names and faces of the newcomers and current members alike. He had to run background checks via the cortex to see what he was dealing with. After getting his answer from the Captain, he followed Monty to his room so he could start his work as soon as possible.

[Reese Foster]

Consciousness came in and out of focus as Lin carried her out of her captor's lair, into a sea of bodies.  Blurred faces were all but shadows to her eyes, occasionally splashed with light from overhead.  She numbed as they passed through the halls, forgetting where she was going and who carried her.  All she heard was a voice echoing in her ear, both foreign and familiar, distant and far.

At this point any recollection of the goings on around her had faded and she was left in a lucid dream, form and meaning were replaced by nonsensical thoughts and images.  She looked to her side to see an angel carrying her upwards and though they were floating she could hear the clank of metal beneath them.  Her head dropped and she saw her feet stretched for miles beneath her then shrinking back towards her.  Until now she had been standing on air but almost as if her body recognized the great height above the world she was floating in she began to plummet down, in her head releasing a voiceless and breathless scream only to feel the wings of the angel around her and preventing further decline.

Her eyes closed in the dream and allowed the angel to carry her away, his muffled voice speaking words but none that she could make out and none seemingly directed towards her.  Eventually he lay her down on a cloud and departed, her hand meekly attempting to call him back but soon another voice came to her ear one much softer and definitely addressing her.  However the world began to smear and blend together like paint on a canvas, the owner of the voice was invisible to her.  The painted world now bled onto her arm, cold and wet it washed over her with a numbing sting.  She watched her arm intently, as even the rest of her body blended into the scenery until a wasp flew and landed on her arm.  Reese stared at the creature who gave a blank stare back, it was larger than any wasp would be but it's unusual proportion didn't register with her what did however was the pain of it's stinger jabbing into her, she winced and closed her eyes and when she opened them again the wasp was gone but it's stinger remained embedded in her skin.

Reese couldn't make sense of it or anything going on but the voice continued to speak to her as if trying to guide her but again she did not know what words it spoke.  She closed her eyes again and opened them, this time the stinger was now surrounded by hardened paint crusted around it and almost appearing to have fabric threads sewn throughout.  Once more her eyes opened this time the dream world she was living in was replaced by the environs of the mechanic shop on Greenleaf, her captor at her side with that same menacing smile he always bore both deceitful and threatening.  He held one of his needles and stabbed her in the arm though it was empty and had a straw in place of the injector where he placed his lips and began to suck, her blood slowly rose through but never reached his lips.  He placed a hand covered in oil <beep> on her forehead but it didn't feel like oil, it was warm and <beep> soothing to the touch.  <beep>

"Beep." He spoke, repeating the word as he began to blur and fade.  Her eyes shot open.  Gone was all of the obscure and in it's place a sterile room, machinery beeping around her and a harsh light shining down.  Her eyes moved along a line from the IV bag down to her arm, not quite understanding but at the sight of something in her arm she panicked and gripped at the IV, weak as she was she tried to pull it out but found only pain for her efforts.  The same effort left her out of breath and nearly fading again she fell back on the chair her eyes dizzily looking around the room until they found the doctor's.

"Wh... where am I?"

[Lin Kuei]

Lin beckoned the trio forward as he moved toward the steps to the main deck. Pointing toward the back of the cargo bay, he made mention of a few things they may have missed when they entered the ship. "At the back of the cargo bay, behind that tarp, is a workout area in case you had an interest in hitting the weights. Also, above you, the Beast is hanging until we hit dirtside again." The large truck was suspended up its chassis up toward the ceiling and hanging parallel to the cargo bay door but out of sight of anyone who was not inside.

Ascending the stairs to the main deck, he pointed out the stairwell that continued up and further back. "That is where our mechanic works. We keep him close with his room right there." He pointed to his left as he continued walking and passed through the first bulkhead door. Pointing to the first the port side and then the starboard, he indicated accommodations. "Chao and Becker, on the left, while Minato is the lone occupant on the right for now. Bathrooms are there as well." He waited for them to set down their gear and return before continuing.

Another few steps and another couple of bulkheads. "The stairs up lead to the galley with a full kitchen. You may not have seen them but we have a couple of frozen food lockers in the cargo bay. Through here is my cabin on the left, the Med bay is on the right with the doctor's cabin beyond that. Yee, you are sharing quarters with Ava. There is also a weapons locker off the corridor. Further forward from here is Ops and then the cockpit." Lin paused for a moment to allow Yee to set her stuff down before stepping into Ops and continuing.

"As I said to Minato a little bit ago, Ronin's systems are advanced compared to most ships. Our sensory array is enhanced so we can see things much better at long range than most ships. Our proximity alarms are set at double the usual range as well. Several years back, we stole some advanced nanites from a criminal organization that enhances computer repair and upgrade the system. Turns out, it was originally owned by the Alliance. As a result, we are much better prepared. The other thing we acquired was a modeler system." Lin indicated the unit sitting in the center of Ops. When he turned it on, the three-dimensional pixels displayed Deja Thoris City down on Greenleaf orbiting below the Skyplex. A couple of quick taps on the controls and a bank in the city took over the display. "Much easier to plan jobs with a tool like this. Any questions?"

[Mylena Yee]

Mylena tagged along after the Captain and the other two men, making mental notes of the ships layout and the room assignments.    She made note of the names as well, though Chao and Becker were the only two she could put a face two as of yet, besides Lin of course.  She placed her two cases in the room she was to share with Ava, wondering what her new roommate was like. She was able to puzzle out that Ava was the doctor and guessed at least she'd be tidy.  Or she hoped so.

She refocused her attention as Lin began speaking about the ships tech.  The modeler was quite interesting and she stepped a bit closer almost involuntarily, though she didn't touch anything.  Just listened and watched for now. 

[Minato Kaneshiro]

Minato was quietly pondering his next actions as he moved through the corridors of the Ronin. He was impressed by the current state of the vessel. Since he left the Alliance, he had been on some pretty ratty ships so it was nice to be on something decent for once. As they reached his new quarters, Minato turned to Monty and gave the quick bow. "Thank you for showing me to my room, Monty. I will get settled in now and start duties right away." After another bow, Minato moved into the room dropping his luggage at the foot of the bed. He looked up at the ceiling and falling into a daze considering the recent events. Letting out a long sigh, Minato pulled out his datapad and linked up to the cortex. First, he was going to see what he could dig up on his new crewmates. Minato didn't care for surprises so had to be ready if any of these people could be trouble. Later, he would do his diagnostics of the Ronin's systems.