S2E6.2 - Hunter or Hunted

Started by kysenp, January 13, 2014, 04:22:22 AM

kysenp

January 13, 2014, 04:22:22 AM Last Edit: May 06, 2018, 01:53:03 PM by Desertpuma
After laying low for so long, the reports of Ronin exploits began to diminish gradually. Then suddenly, about 2 weeks after the heist, everything changed. All news about the heist stopped, and there was no coverage to be found whatsoever. The event and reports were still available to view, but it was like someone had turned a switch and made it so the 'verse no longer was allowed to be interested in the bank or fugitives.

At the same time, Kyle noticed a large number of waves with encryption being sent to and from various anonymous accounts which involved Ronin. The decryption was not too difficult to crack, but the messages all spoke of things like "Snaring the rabbit", "Spotting the hole", "Sniffing at droppings" and such nonsense. The writers referred to themselves rarely, but when they did it was as foxes. Finally Kyle managed to pull a location from one of the waves. It was close. Within a day at a stretch and obviously sent from some type of ship, but without any records and when Kyle tried to find it there seemed to be nothing there.

Donovan's recovery was going slow, and his foot was still difficult to walk on. The tendons had been damaged in addition to the bones being cracked, so his foot had been booted and his walking limited by the pain and difficulty of walking around.

Ian's bullet wound was healing up nicely, and while he hadn't recovered entirely, his pain level had now reduced drastically. The muscle torn out by the bullet was slow to be replaced, and it itched like a bunch of ants had crawled under his skin. The outer wound looked much less menacing now, and was a dull pink instead of an angry red.
What if one's greatest fear is that one could be truly extraordinary? What if to avoid fear one avoids the chance of a lifetime?

Lin Kuei

Lin had made it a point to pull up the daily screamsheets on anything concerning his home. The reports he had seen were more or less what had happened in the past until they just ceased. The previous connection to the Alliance, while inviolate, should not have been this effective to clean the signal so quickly. It was disturbing and immediately sent off alarm bells in his head. He promptly informed Kyle to keep an eye on it. After all, it was the reason he was hired. The only connection he could make was to the disturbance at the bar. It was the most likely source and a good reason for them to be on the move quickly.

From the cockpit, Lin got on the comm. "This is your Captain. All news reports of our most recent activity have suddenly ceased after only a few weeks. Typically, they tend to appear on the Cortex for a good month, sometimes longer, after one of our raids. Chances are they have some idea of where we are located. ... Harvest is almost at dusk. When it becomes night, we are going to reposition ourselves on Harvest and then go to another location entirely. Lock down what you need to as we'll be moving quickly until we can hit the Black and go to another spot I know of. Lin out."

The announcement having been made, he promptly went to the galley to make Victoria could get everything stowed that needed to be and to grab a sizable snack. Given what was going on, he might need to be more vigilant and it was better to allay any potential hunger pains early on before they became a problem.



Donovan Casey

Donovan heard the announcement from his cabin and began making sure everything was locked down and stowed away properly. Once everything was locked up tight he decided he better make his way towards the bridge. He winced as he stood on his booted foot and cast an angry glare at Blake from across the room. "I'm still going to whoop your pigu for shooting me in the foot when this heals, Snow." His boot many a funny hollow thud each time he took a step as he made his way through the ship...

Donovan supposed he should be grateful the crew even took him on as a pilot with a broken foot. After the shuttle had landed and Donovan realized the extent of his injury would keep him stranded in the middle of nowhere without much help, he decided to approach the crew. Thankfully the hostile woman hadn't shot him before he made his way to the Beast. It was there Donovan explained to Lin and the crew why he had followed him here, at the point of several firearms pointed at his head. Kyle had been able to verify that Donovan was indeed a retired Federal Marshall.

He met Victoria once but had not really had the opportunity to sit and talk to her yet about her past, if she was willing. Her story still intrigued him, as did the story of Ronin. It was funny, really, when Donovan thought about it. A ship full of former alliance heavy-hitters and criminals working together... The thought made him smile as he limped along through the corridors.

Victoria Dare

January 18, 2014, 03:25:08 PM #3 Last Edit: January 18, 2014, 05:51:17 PM by Victoria Dare
When Lin arrived in the galley, he would find that Victoria was already well into the task of securing the kitchen.  It was a routine she was well practiced at, and it took no time for her to put everything away in its place.  It was one of the reasons she was so adamant about the crew not putting things willy-nilly wherever they pleased--a place for everything and everything in its place was more important than ever when gravity was such a touchy subject.

A few things remained out, but all of these years in the black had made her an expert at knowing what could and couldn't be left out.  A bowl of bread dough was rising on the counter, but through some clever ingenuity on Victoria's part, it wouldn't be going anywhere lest they full-out crashed, in which case they had bigger problems than upset bread.  A cold plate of slice meats, cheeses, crackers, and fruit was set out on the table for the crew's perusal, and it too was secured to its location, with deep sides to prevent any of the food from rolling out should the ship make any sudden jolts.

"Some day," she remarked with a smile as Lin entered, wiping a counter clean with a rag.  "I will have a kitchen that never needs to be bolted down."  She smiled softly at him as she finished the task and draped the rag over the side of the sink.

"I see the Alliance is up to its old games," she added, her smile fading.  "They should be cautious if they intend to cross me again so soon."  She moved to Lin's side, taking his hand in hers and staring up at him.  It wasn't that long ago she thought she had lost him for good, and she wasn't going to let the Alliance's mood swings separate them again.

Abenette Kelker

Abe and Ian's Bunk

The turn of events back where the Beast had broken down was making Abe twitchy.  For the last couple nights, her sleep cycle was less than optimal.  She just didn't feel comfy at all.

So she was laying on their bed, wearing a cropped tank and a pair of sleep shorts, trying again to sleep, but not accomplishing it.  She had Dude holstered just under the mattress, ready to use should someone enter without permission.

Kyle was proving to be quite resourceful, intercepting some transmissions, but the fact that they sounded more like code than the friendly types only made her more nervous.  She missed Glory, mainly because she liked Ian's command.  With him, she felt calmer.

Maybe she just needed some damn sleep.

"Maybe I should get a sleep aid," she whispered.  "As long as I have backup."

From the smells drifting down their way, it seemed like a meal was imminent, but she wasn't exactly in the mood to partake.  She wanted to sleep.  She really did.  But her body and mind were rejecting the idea.

Blake Snow

Everything had been cleared up about Blake's circumstances, and he didn't even get shot this time! He was not a big fan of miscommunications, but he shrugged the ordeal aside and continued on with what he was hired to do.

He had been checking up on his weapons when he heard the announcement made the by the captain. He locked everything down as best he could, rolled his shoulders as he tried to think of what to do next, and then just decided to head to the bridge. He made it there relatively easily, waiting nearby for more orders. However, it turned out the man -who apparently was a retired Federal Marshall named Donovan Casey - had not forgotten about their little incident prior to the crew of Ronin appearing. Blake leaned against the wall, crossing his arms across his chest as he grunted a little at Donovan's threat. While the man might have seen the more sarcastic side of Blake, he was all professional now -well, as much as he could be given his temper.

It might have seemed more like indifference than anything else, if one were to think about it; he was never one to dwell on situations.

Luke Donovan

January 20, 2014, 12:04:13 PM #6 Last Edit: January 24, 2014, 07:23:36 PM by Luke Donovan
Luke had spent his time on healing the Beast. He'd worked on it almost non-stop, taking breaks only to grab some food. It had been the most enjoyable days since before... well, in a long time. He'd enjoyed himself with Sabrina back on Bridgeway, obviously, but that had been different. The solace he found underneath a vehicle that needed fixing was unmatched by anything else. Anyone would have noticed the change in him during those few days. One or two might have even seen a smile if they had taken the time to talk or joke with him while he worked. In fact, most surprising of all may have been that he had welcomed company while he was sprawled out under the Beast in the middle of the cargo-bay, rather than shy from it as he usually did.

Fortunately for Ronin but unfortunately for Luke, he was an excellent mechanic with ground vehicles (better than he was with ships) and a stellar worker, so his work on The Beast was done quickly. Without the distraction of that work, Luke's mood sloped downwards again. Without the Beast on which to focus his mind, his thoughts returned to the darkness, the guilt, the fear, the anger he seemed to always carry with him. At least his hand had now had time to heal and he was able to play his guitar again. But that only meant he had a reason to seclude himself in his room and strum away. Anyone with an ear for such things would have heard the notes of despair and pain in the snatches of music that emanated from his cabin.

Now though, Luke had made his way to the cargo bay. His priority was to secure the Beast for their journey, and then he'd take care of ensuring the cargo-hold as a whole was safe. He got to work. But first, he stroked a hand along the bodywork of the sleek black Beast, much the way a sensitive ranch hand might soothe a stallion.


Lin Kuei

January 21, 2014, 05:36:10 AM #7 Last Edit: January 22, 2014, 06:51:28 PM by Lin Kuei
Quote from: Victoria Dare on January 18, 2014, 03:25:08 PM
"Some day," she remarked with a smile as Lin entered, wiping a counter clean with a rag.  "I will have a kitchen that never needs to be bolted down."  She smiled softly at him as she finished the task and draped the rag over the side of the sink.

"I see the Alliance is up to its old games," she added, her smile fading.  "They should be cautious if they intend to cross me again so soon."  She moved to Lin's side, taking his hand in hers and staring up at him.  It wasn't that long ago she thought she had lost him for good, and she wasn't going to let the Alliance's mood swings separate them again.

Lin watched Victoria put things away and then set out the tray of food. "One day, we'll make it there. The sooner we get to Nikola, then the sooner we can get away from everything else." When she took his hand, he pulled her close and gave her a hug. This was quickly followed up by a kiss to the forehead. "Hard to believe it has been eight years heading into nine that we've occupied this boat. Hard to believe... What do you think about a stonewalled woodburning oven? Maybe we can get one of those put together when we finally get things settled...." He let his voice trail off as he glanced out the window. The sun was almost done now and they would need to be moving on soon.

Victoria Dare

"We'd be done with Nikola a fair amount quicker if the Alliance weren't so determined to play politics," she replied with a glower, but it was hard for her to remain in a foul mood with Lin's arms wrapped around her.  As he held her, tension ebbed from her muscles and she leaned into him with a soft exhale.

"Anyway," she said at last, finally pulling away from him with reluctance.  "I intend to have a lot of things when we finally settle down, not the least of which being a complete collection of copper cookware."  She smiled then turned to begin putting together two plates of food from the cold platter on the table.  In his condition, the new pilot was barely able to hobble from the cockpit to his quarters and back again, and the trek up the stairs to the galley was more than would be considered reasonable.  Rather than see him starve, she intended to take him his meal.

"Enough talk about the future," she remarked as she filled the plate and grabbed a mug of water.  "Time to tend to the present."  She headed for the door with her hands full of food, leaning up to peck Lin on the lips as she passed him.

Ian Dugan

Ian and Abe's cabin

"Maybe I should get a sleep aid ... As long as I have backup."

She had whispered it but Ian heard her, as he was laying next to her.  His leg itched something fierce but it was better than the aweful hurt he had suffered already.

"What you need is a good workout.  Until then, all I can offer is a good body rub."

His rub downs were with as much excertion as he could muster with his hard, callouced hands.  He knew he could work her muscles down from the hard cords they currently were.

Lin Kuei

Quote from: Victoria Dare on January 23, 2014, 09:10:53 AM
"Enough talk about the future," she remarked as she filled the plate and grabbed a mug of water.  "Time to tend to the present." 

Lin kissed Victoria, followed her carrying the tray downstairs and into the cockpit just as the barbs finished being tossed. It was to be expected somewhat given what had occurred. But it was not something he wanted on his ship. Lin moved forward and sat down in one of the pilot seats. "Once the both of you are healthy and we are in a safer location, I'll give you each a pair of sticks to whack each other with. I could care less who was at fault but I won't have it on the ship."

Lin fired up the engines and then grabbed the comms. "This is the Captain. We're on our way." Lin nodded over to Victoria, Donovan and Snow so they could balance themselves. Within in a few moments, Ronin was airborne and heading towards a new location at height underneath five hundred feet. The new location was only a few hundred miles away but it would be easier to get into the Black from it then when they were being watched.

Abenette Kelker

Ian and Abe's cabin

Abe loved feeling the warmth of Ian's body on the bed next to her.  Even before they were giving their romantic feelings a try, she always welcomed that.

"What you need is a good workout.  Until then, all I can offer is a good body rub."

God... She so needed a good workout.  She couldn't wait until Ian was better.  He was making steady progress, but it seemed to be taking forever.  She knew it sounded weird that they enjoyed some pretty physical sparring sessions, but she really needed one.  She just didn't trust anyone else to push her without stepping over that line of going to far.  She trusted Ian 100%.

But a body rub?  That would be just fine too.

She sighed with a smile.

"A signature body rub by my Capt'n?" she drawled.  "Let me put myself in your capable hands then."

She was feeling a little more relaxed when she heard the announcement.

"This is the Captain. We're on our way."

She started to tense back up.

Great.

Victoria Dare

As Victoria entered with the plate of food, she said in a classic, motherly tone, "Am I going to have to separate you two?"  She gave them a look before settling her gaze on Donovan for a moment and indicating the plate of food in her hands.  "This is for you once we're settled."  She then turned her attention to Blake.  "Yours is in the kitchen."

It wasn't that she was playing favorites--she simply knew that Blake was physically capable of getting to and from the galley with relative ease, while Donovan was pretty much stuck where he was.  Even if not for the fact that his foot was torn nearly to shreds, the very nature of his responsibilities kept him fairly effectively rooted to the spot.  It wasn't uncommon for her to have to bring pilots their meals, particularly on days like today.  She held on to the food for now, waiting until Donovan was in a situation where he could reasonably take it from her hands.

Quote"Once the both of you are healthy and we are in a safer location, I'll give you each a pair of sticks to whack each other with. I could care less who was at fault but I won't have it on the ship."

"They are very nice sticks, too," Victoria remarked as she secured herself for take off.  "Very good for hitting people with."

It should come as no surprise that a ship like this one was well equipped with sticks intended specifically for the purpose of hitting other people.

Luke Donovan

Once he had the cargo bay all secured, Luke headed down to the engine room. In-atmo flight could be tough on a ship built for the Black so he'd need to keep an eye on everything. Plus, they had a new pilot. Luke didn't really trust pilots. They always seemed to try and push things too far and try too many risky maneuvers. Still, it was his job to make sure the ship could handle it.

"I'm so glad you ended up with the mechanic job," Adriana Lucy mused as Luke went about his work. "You really are talented you know, when you work hard."

Luke smiled. Compliments from his dead sister didn't mean much since she didn't know the first thing about engines and she'd say anything to keep him from picking up a gun, but still, it was nice to hear.

"You've been much happier lately, have you noticed? I think you like being a mechanic way more than you like being a gunhand."

She was trying to put ideas into his head, just because she preferred him safely tucked away on the ship rather than out having fun. Although, did he really think shooting and fighting was fun? Maybe she had a point.

"I don't think you ever really wanted to be a gunhand anyway. I think you just took the job to get away from --"

Luke froze as Adriana suddenly stopped talking. She'd walked herself right into mentioning something she really did not mean to bring up. He didn't want to think about the Baroness either, because that meant thinking about Sabrina.

"Well you did the right thing." Adriana added hurriedly. "You needed to get away from her and it all turned out for the best this way. I'm sorry I brought it up."

Luke missed Sabrina. Adriana Lucy was probably right - she usually was. Luke had let himself fall for Sabrina and that was more dangerous than any work could be. Still, that didn't mean he didn't miss her.

kysenp

As the ship rumbled off of the surface and jumped the few hundred miles to the next hideout, there was some sluggishness to the response of the control panel. Nothing too terrible, but it was noticeable. Landing went smoothly, and they were tucked once again into a position with low visibility from outside and many exits. The scans indicated that there were now two ships of medium size (crew sizes between 10-20 usually) just outside atmosphere, and one shuttle which had departed recently and was entering atmo at the town they had recently visited. Indeed it seemed that their activity hadn't gone unnoticed, and the ships were not broadcasting or receiving any signals at all.

It was only a few hours after dusk, and full night was a slow process on this planet. There was the feel in the air of rain, but the clouds hadn't quite decided to break open their gifts onto the parched surface of the near desert.
What if one's greatest fear is that one could be truly extraordinary? What if to avoid fear one avoids the chance of a lifetime?

Ian Dugan

Abe and Ian's Cabin

"A signature body rub by my Capt'n? ... Let me put myself in your capable hands then."

She had to relax when the announcement came.

"This is the Captain. We're on our way."

"Easy now.  Dont let him rattle ya so."

He knew that she really wasn't rattled ... but it seemed to be the thing to say.  His hands moved along her body and worked the muscles that he found tight and tense.  It was most of them.

He marveled at how much he truely loved her, as well as he body.  It was fantastic.

By the time they landed, he was no where near done with her.

Vega Barnet

Quote"This is the Captain. We're on our way."

Lins announcement over the comm, and more so the rumble of the ship taking off were what finally shook Vega awake. He straightened up, and realized he'd fallen asleep sitting on his bed while cleaning his revolver. He did not immediately get up, just sat there for a while, absentmindedly spinning the cylinder. His mind wandered. The flight was not a long one, and as the ship touched down in its new spot Vega loaded the weapon and closed it with a flick of his wrist. He got up, put on his thigh holsters and holstered his revolvers. He made sure his rifle was safely locked in its case, left the room, and headed off to the engine room to find Luke.

Luke Donovan

Luke clenched his jaw, debating whether to admit to his sister's ghost that he missed Sabrina. He didn't really understand why Adriana Lucy was so against Sabrina. Usually his sister was happy to see Luke spending time with real, live people. And she'd said many times before that Luke needed a girlfriend. She wanted him to find someone that could bring him into the light; maybe Sabrina had been too accepting of his darkness, or had too much of her own. Still...

"I miss her," Luke admitted finally. He hadn't realised Vega had appeared at the engine room. Adriana Lucy had though, and her wide-eyed warning and incline of her head made Luke turn quickly around.

"Hey man," Luke greeted Vega casually after a brief awkward pause. Luke wondered if Vega had heard him just now. Well, whatever if he had.




Abenette Kelker

January 30, 2014, 12:11:37 AM #18 Last Edit: November 27, 2017, 06:06:29 PM by Abenette Kelker
Abe and Ian's Cabin

"Easy now.  Dont let him rattle ya so."

She snorted a little.

"He don't rattle me.  I guess it's all the new people and how a couple of them look like they want to beat the Hell out of each other," she told him as she sighed, appreciating his efforts.  "And the one is or was a Marshall?  I ain't exactly the most law abidin' person.  You ain't either.  What if he looked into our past and found some warrants outstandin'.  I know I have a couple.  Makes you want to be guarded when it comes to him."

She tried to concentrate on Ian's wonderful hands and the way they kneaded her body.

"You've got great hands, Capt'n," she remarked with another sigh of contentment.  She noticed at that moment that she still called him Capt'n when they were alone, but she had yet called Kuei that.  She figured that as long as she was with Ian, he was the only Capt'n for her.

She felt them land and turned towards him a little.  He was a good looking man.  The woman in her woke up and looked him over.  Although they professed their attraction to each other, they hadn't moved forward very fast.  Most probably because he had been injured.

"How is that leg comin' along anyway?" she asked as she returned to a position that he could return to working out her tight muscles.

Blake Snow

Blake grunted slightly and pushed himself away from the wall as he began walking towards the kitchen. He didn't really find himself contemplating that 'favorites' were being played here- he was just a little more annoyed at the fact that he couldn't do his damn job without any commentary about his hotheadedness towards the Marshall being made. Then again, it was his fault for shooting the man in the foot, so he had to suffer the consequences. That was something he did not like at all.

Once he reached the kitchen and grabbed his plate, he walked back to one of the tables, sat down, and began eating his meal in silence. He was never one to talk when on the job... or when he wasn't severely pissed off.

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