One Hour Later...


The Away-Team:

Over the passing hour, Mister Potter's complexion continued to yellow. A sweat had broken out across his forehead and the top of his lip and the one hand not clutching the briefcase against his chest was nestled between them and grasping at his abdomen. Every so often he'd slump left or right as though his head were just about to come to a rest upon Viktor or Arlo's shoulder, before he'd jerk upright again and continue to stare forward into the sleet and flurry before them. Slowly, he turned toward Arlo, offering him the same steely, mesmerizing, unyielding gaze he'd shared with the Captain earlier.

"We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far," he informed him, his tone slow and careful, as though making sure each word was formed with the perfection and weight that the sentence deserved. Then, he turned to look in Viktor's direction, finally responding to his question about chickens, although a good deal of empty air had filled the space between then and now. "We shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age."

As they rode, it wasn't uncommon to see another vehicle or two passing them in the snow. Locals here were used to this sort of weather and while traveling during a blizzard wasn't advised, there were those who knew how to do it with relative safety and comfort. Of course, those few had had far more time to prepare for the voyage than the Darling's crew. As they began to approach another set of lights, the two beams began flashing off and on again. A signal? An attempt to get their attention? A play of the light as it made its way through the crystalline veil between them?

The Home-Team:

Things had been relatively quiet for the hour that had passed. Tabitha had shown Riggs his new work area in the engine room and had walked him through the rest of the tour before letting him escape her gravitational pull. The fuel-up and minor repairs were concluded by the docking team, and Rian had earned himself a set of eyes outside of the ship. The ship continued to run in low power mode, staying active enough to keep the ship warm against the chill outside, but not running hot enough to deplete the fuel they'd just filled up with.

Every now and again the ship would rock ever so slightly as a stray blast of arctic wind pushed up against its side, but the majority of the wind on the edge of the blizzard was still nothing strong enough to move a ship as big and heavy as The Darling. The sound of the storm, however, gently reverberated through the hull of their metal home, and under the right circumstances, it might have been quite soothing. What wasn't soothing, was the fact that their connection to the Away Team's comms unit seemed to become weaker as the mule rode further away from them and closer to the blizzard.

With a gentle blip, Rian's cortex pad received a message from an unknown address.

"Hey, this is that dock wurker you taked to b4? Dont know if you rember me. Nother ship landed jus now, dwn the way but theyve jus kinda been siting there. Didnt seam wierd ekcept they askd about your ship. But that's all. Thot you should kno?"

The Away-Team:

Hank Potter lifted a single hand to brush beads of sweat off of his forehead, skin pale all over and clammy to boot. Heat radiated off his form despite the cold conditions as the Mule whipped through the snow. His hand returned to the red briefcase, grasping its handle tightly as he held the thing against his chest.

"Have you, ah, been to this planet before?" Arlo asked, being a good sport about it all.

"No," was the answer. Then, after a moment of silence, with Potter's eyes focused forward and his expression blank, "By the way, it is very easy to hypnotize a chicken," he added, his heavily accented voice barely audible above the flurry of wind and sleet passing them, but just loud enough to be heard by those in the Mule with him.

The snow and cold started out pretty typical, and remained comfortable for the first few moments of their trip. Perhaps the reports of a blizzard had been overblown? Perhaps this trip would only take a day there and a day back and they'd be free of their passenger? The passenger whose skin was becoming a sickly yellow with each passing minute, although perhaps it was still too subtle to notice.

The Home-Team:

Having been given the green-light to go through with "the works", the dock's maintenance crew set to refilling the liquids needed to operate a ship smoothly, got to work on inspecting the essential systems visible to them in the cargo bay, and made sure to sweep up after themselves, although the wind blew the snow and dirt right back in once they were done with that. A younger dock worker, late teens and bundled up in coats to stay warm, made his way up to where Rian stood. At first, he said nothing, almost unsure if he should break the man's concentration. His head turned to see what the other man might have been looking at, but upon turning back around, came to the realization that he was the one being watched. As well as his coworkers. And just about everything in the gentleman's range of vision. Suddenly feeling like a mouse in the gaze of a hawk, he held out some forms with timid hands.

"Er, Sir. We got tha' coolant an' fuel runnin', everythin's lookin' fine on our end. Eh, we jus' need you ta sign this, sayin' we ain't done no damage to yer ship. Just fer...eh...liability an' all that?" he asked, smiling hopefully, although the expression was filled with nerves and only ended up making him look ill.

Location: Docks - Sloane

Paul halted as she did, looking down at the screen at her wrist with a curious tilt of his head. One hand rose to idly scratch at where his beard met his skin, little flakes of 'coal' dust fluttering free as they were agitated. He nodded slowly as she spoke, mentally verifying information and marking where it synced up with what he knew. "Yea, that sounds about right," he murmured, falling into step with her when she began moving again, "Let's see what Iscariot's watchful eye got a look at."

Location: Sector 3: Control Center - Sloane

After a few minutes of walking, and moving between Sectors of the station, they made it to the Control Center settled into the working zones of Sector 2. Sector 3 had a Security Center, but that was sure to be controlled by Lil' Sebastian and his men. Sure, this center was probably being surveilled by the little crime lord as well, but it was a little further removed from the fence's physical location of operation and might give them more time to react should they be found out. A dim green light shone out from the cracks along the door and Paul moved to stand one one side, leaving Sloane on the other. He rapped on the door with his knuckles, then shot his companion a toothy grin.

"Who is it?"

"Paul."

"Paul, who?"

"Damnit Felix, you know which Paul!"

There was a light chuckle from behind the door, muffled by the metal between them, then the door slid open to a friendly looking gentleman in a pressed work suit with Iscariot's logo on a patch above his heart.

"Oh, that Paul," he said amid restrained chortles. He looked in Sloane's direction and pointed at her, "And this? You guys bring me something to eat? Any snacks? Some alcohol?" he asked, raising a brow. Paul reached into his dingy coat pocket and wrestled free a baggie of what might have looked like chocolate pearls, dropping them into Felix's hand. The man grimaced at the offering, but stepped aside to let them in. "What can I do you for?" Felix asked.

Location: Docks - Sloane

"No one's gonna believe your street urchin appearance with those damn fancy shoes, Alliance man," the Breene woman informed him, which brought another grin out from beneath his facial hair, a dirty hand moving to brush against the bridge of his nose almost bashfully. "Maybe they'll think I stole them," he countered, wagging his brows at her playfully before shoving those hands back into the tattered pockets of his coat. As they walked, he started leading her away from the docks and deeper into the station, toward the more functional warehouse and infrastructure sectors.

"Any movement?" she asked. Paul grunted a little, shrugging one shoulder and allowing the smirk to melt off his face. "Some. How much did you look into Iscariot?" he asked, turning his chin enough to eye the side of her face. "Place is run by some shell corporation, hidden pretty good behind layers of paperwork and aliases, but the daily minutia and the back end nastiness is controlled by 'Lil Sebastian.' Nothing on this station happens without his say so, especially the kind of thing you're investigating. Gonna take us to the security hub and look at some footage, trace those kids to where their generous benefactor stays, and then maybe we go pay him a visit? Hope you have some bribery cash on you. Or a wrench," he continued, grinning again. All the guns newcomers came with were confiscated upon docking and held in secure lockers until they left again, for the safety of the station residents of course. "You learn anything more about the girl from her Mama on the way here?"

Location: Shops/Sector - Octavia and Moira

As it turned out, Prime Cuts was most assuredly just a salon. Well, at least that was what it looked like from the outside. And from most of the inside! The sign above had a conspicuous gap where there had likely been a word preceding Prime Cuts, and inside there was a gentleman getting his hair trimmed by what looked like a wholesome young man. It looked above board in just about every way, so it was understandable why someone might have been confused about why they'd been sent here after asking for medical attention. Occasionally, however, a gentleman or lady of apparently ill repute would saunter past, look inside, and vanish into the crowd once more only for the pattern to repeat again an hour or so later. And there did seem to be a lot more foot traffic around this portion of the shops than what might have been normal for a salon or barber shop.

The Darling vibrated and groaned in mild protest as it set its full weight down onto the empty landing pad at Secondary Claim, the sound of the metal landing clamp securing the ship into spot echoing through the metallic hull in welcome. As the ship powered down most of its functions, the temperature dropped significantly before the Darling had a chance to let its heating system kick in and bring it back up to a comfortable temperature. That left ten or so minutes of their ship being mildly uncomfortable before the thrum of the heating turning on finally began to pump the vessel full of warmth again. Outside, dock workers bundled up for the typical cold of the planet worked to brush some mildly accumulated snow off the dock controls and while they registered the ship in their systems and went through the checks and balances required, which did include a small docking fee being sent to their Captain's data pad.

The Mule had been prepped as much as it could have been, supplied strapped in tight and its wheels removed from the main chassis, its hover functionality more or less re-calibrated for a snowy terrain. Mona had helped them prepare, had worked with Viktor on a small walk-through of typical snow storm conditions, and then had left to pack the rest of her belongings. When it was time to depart, some of the crew had already gathered in the cargo hold, including Chris who looked apologetic as he stood with the tall blonde viking and let his new Captain know he'd be getting off here as well. Tabby just about imploded from the loss of not one, but two crew members, but she contained it rather well while making sure the Mule had enough tampons on it to service an entire fleet of women folk, still not entirely understanding the need but wanting to be helpful anyway.

Outside the freshly docked ship, a bundled man in furs and clearly prepared for the weather stood ready and waiting. The berthing station of the Darling had been updated in Rigg's data pad just moments before they had entered the planet's atmosphere, giving him just enough time to meet them there when they arrived.

The docking bay doors opened and the ramp lowered to allow them to disembark, the dock workers shuffling up toward the waiting crew and heading in to begin the standard refueling process, as well as attempting to add on minor ship repairs and/or other liquid or supply replacements in order to pad the docking fee. "Jus' need yer sig here fer the dockin' agreement, basically sayin' you ain't here ta cause trouble, an' that you agree ta' pay the standard dockin' fee. You can check them boxes there if'n ya want any of tha extra go se, coolant, oil, what have ya. Or you can jus' sign and we'll get outta yer hair," the dock foreman mumbled to the Captain from behind a fuzzy scarf, only his eyes and the tip of his nose visible beneath his winter gear, a pad held out for Barnaby to look over.

Mister Potter stood like a gargoyle about a foot behind Barnaby, his red briefcase held tightly against his chest and a stern look on his face. He was pale, paler than usual, and was now sweating obviously through the neck of his sweater, which poked out from beneath his winter coat. A shaking, skeletal hand rose to smooth out what remained of his hair, his fingers visibly shaking before it returned to grasping the red briefcase's handle for dear life.

Location: Docks - Sloane

"You look terrible," came a voice from her left, which had been preceded by the light tapping of immaculately polished and maintained Oxford shoes. A pair of scruffy black work pants covered the long legs that led up to a soot and coal covered tattered blazer. The man's face was mostly obscured by a grizzled beard and his head concealed with a worn out newsie cap, but his eyes were quite familiar to the woman forcing herself not to hurl. Paul Davisdon grinned down at her with a twinkle in his eyes, apparently playing the part of a down and out worker, although his shoes gave it away to any observant onlooker. He'd cover himself in grime and wear clothes from the bin, but he'd be damned if he's sport anything other than his signature Oxfords.

Paul was an old contact that had worked with Sly on a couple of cases back on Ariel. He'd once been on the official Alliance Police payroll before deciding private investigation was where the money (and excitement) really was. He'd been sleuthing around on Iscariot for a month now, running his own job looking for a wife who'd absconded with all of her husband's fortune, but had been trilled to receive a ping from his favorite gumshoe. When she'd told him about her current job, it had been him who'd rustled up the dock footage on Iscariot's end, following the tip Sly had given him about the tickets and their rough arrival time.

"You need a quick coffee, or are you ready to get into things?" he asked, laughter bubbling in the back of his throat as he tried to contain it. She really did look awful, but he figured laughing at her about it wouldn't have been polite, in the strictest sense of the word.

Age:	30
Gender:	Female
Primary Occupation:	Alliance Certified Doctor
Secondary Occupation (optional):	Freelance Veterinarian (Not Certified)
Appearance:	TYPE HERE
Faceclaim:	Aubrey Plaza
Initial Personality:	Were there ever to be the perfect human personification of a cat, it would be Abigale. Aloof, cold, cynical, dark, and more than a little terrifying in her ideals and thoughts. She is anti-social to a fault, unless it benefits her in which case she has been known to begrudgingly allow some forms of social interaction. Abigail is also wildly mischievous, dangerously troublesome, and amazingly accident prone. Although typically the accidents happen to those in her sphere of influence rather than to her directly. She does not seem to be easily phased by violence or the bloody outcomes of violence.
Underlying Personality:	Mildly neurotic and extremely particular, Abigale has a perfectionist streak that is vastly harmful to her own self esteem. Despite being hyped up by her family regularly and excelling in everything she does professionally and personally, she suffers from intense impostor syndrome and anxiety. Being an older sister, she does have the capacity to be caring and kind, and although she doesn't typically express it, she is a strong guardian of the underdog. She expresses her affection for those she cares about via little secret gifts, hidden words of encouragement, and occasionally by sabotaging any of her loved ones enemies or bullies.
Known History:	Search Queary: Abigail Layton...| ... ... ... Date of Birth: 2489 Place of Birth: Saint Lucy's Hospital, Ariel City, Ariel. Father: Obediah Layton Mother: Winnifred Layton (Maiden Name: Bonney) Siblings: Ambrose Layton (35), Clementine Layton (32), Ethan Layton (26), Michah Layton (20). ... Would you like to make another search? Y/N: Y ... Search Queary: Abigail Layton, Education...| ... ... ... Official Education Transcript: Completed 4 years of medical school at Shinei University in Ariel City. Completed 4 Years of Residency Training at Saint Lucy's Hospital in Ariel City.
Other History:	TYPE HERE
Skills and Strengths:	TYPE HERE
Weaknesses:	TYPE HERE

Iscariot had made another full circle as it moved on its deep orbit through Border Space. Its circular  build allowed for a full rotation that simulated the typical 24-Hour Day Cycle that most planet-side individuals were used to, and thus kept the station's residents and visitors on somewhat of a steady and predictable routine. Night ended, the neon signs flickering off and the artificial lighting lining the walkways and thoroughfares brightening to mimic daylight. Businesses began to open, the loud karaoke music died down to a dull throb in the shopping sectors, and the cacophonous buzzing of commerce filled the metal hunk of junk sailing through the Black.

In the past few weeks, there had been an increasing amount of chatter in the back channels about ducks and geese and other foul birds. There had also been a surge in the mentioning of snakes and eggs, but to the layman, this was all nonsense fueled by the insanity of being out in space too long, or inspired by the low-grade high-potency drugs peddled in the dark alleys of the less than lawful space station. Word on the street was that Lil' Sebastian was up to something, but what that was was anybody's guess and no one planned on asking him for specifics.

Down at the docks, ships came and went carrying cargo, tourists, and new faces who found themselves drawn to the morally ambiguous nature of the station lost out in the stars. Here, they could be whoever they wanted and no one would care enough to look too closely at a forged ID or a halfheartedly constructed backstory. Jobs were plentiful if one knew where to look, friends were plenty if one had the right temperament, and adventures were boundless if one lacked a sense of self preservation.

In another area of the Station, a certain woman's cortex pad bliped with a response to her urgent message. "Prime Cuts," was all it said and was distinctly lacking in any sender information. It looked like most of it had been scrubbed clean very purposefully.

10. Lounge
The upper room on the starboard side of the cargo hold is set aside as a lounge for off duty crew. With the décor of a planet-side bar, this area has a billiards table, video game console, and self-serve beverage station. A small kitchenette and microwave allow for a limited selection of snacks. The bar and stools provide a commanding view of the cargo hold below and the office across the way. As with the office, the doors exiting the room lead onto the cargo hold balcony while the ladder leads to the chamber below. On this side of the hold that lower chamber houses the secure storage vaults.


11. Engine Room/Engineering
The engineering room is built hard up against the ship's engine and access to the chamber is via a short ladder at the aft end of the cargo hold balcony.  The chamber itself is low-ceilinged and cramped. Often it is hot and loud due to the surrounding systems. Diagnostic and control panels are squeezed in where possible and removable wall and floor plates allow hand-on access to power and life support systems.

13. Office/MedBay
There are a pair of rooms, one above the other, on either side of the massive cargo bay. The upper room on the port (left) side is an open office space. This area is typically used as a place to meet customers and conduct the day to day business of a commercial vessel. It has currently, however, been retrofitted as a semi-permanent Infirmary/MedBay.

As this room is built over and partially into the port engine nacelle, there are also engineering diagnostic and control panels to be found along the perimeter of the chamber. Doors at the front and back of the room lead out onto the cargo hold balcony. A ladder leads down to the garage.

8. Cargo Hold
The majority of hull space in a Scarab is taken up by a single cavernous cargo hold. In a Scarab-class vessel, the hold is 100 feet long, up to 60 feet wide, and 35 feet high for most of its length. If filled to capacity this yields over 1600 register tons of cargo space.

Both the roof and the back end of the ship sport massive doors that allow for rapid loading and unloading of bulk cargo. There are dedicated hookups for adding and extracting liquid cargos and pressurized gases. Structural support is provided by a framework of girders and ribbing - leaving the hold itself free of pillars and other obstructions. The floor contains numerous clamps, tie downs, and magnetic fusing plates for securing cargo as well as a no longer used hideaway filled with a certain 'herbal' paraphernalia.

On one side of the hold is a garage for cargo moving equipment. On the other side is a secure storage area for small, valuable, cargo. At the forward end doors lead to the crew space. At the aft end a retractable ramp allows for easy access to the ground.

9. Vaults/Armory
Within this area are three secure storage rooms. The doors are reinforced and the area has additional sensors and alarms. These small rooms aren't vaults like one would find in a bank, but they do provide a much higher degree of security and privacy than the main cargo hold. Of course stowage rates are also much higher for customers who wish to keep their valuables here. Because demand for secure storage is typically low on this type of ship, the forward-most vault is also used to store tools and cleaning supplies. Outside of the vaults this chamber has some engineering panels and a ladder which leads up to the lounge and down to the crawlway beneath the cargo hold.

The room is also equipped with a garage door which can slide up into the ceiling. This reduces the security of the room but adds another 100 square feet of usable floor space to the main hold. The vault room is entered through standard doors fore and aft. These doors are at the level of the cargo bay floor. The balcony is overhead, at the level of the lounge and office/medbay.

12. Garage
A garage dedicated to the storage and upkeep of Mules/Landmovers and other shipping equipment. The garage has all of the facilities needed to maintain and repair said equipment. Recharging ports are built into the wall as is a diagnostics console. A pair of lockers holds tools and parts. Crates outside hold additional gear.

One wall of the room is a garage door which slides up to allow for easy access. A couple of normal (human sized) doors also lead out of the room, though these are sometimes blocked by cargo. As with all means of exiting the cargo hold, the doors to the garage are reinforced and constructed to withstand the various substances and conditions that may fill the hold outside. A ladder leads up to the office (or Med Bay) above and down to a crawlway tunnel beneath the cargo bay floor.

When this garage is not being utilized for housing transport vehicles, its floor has been painted in the required shape for a rudimentary 'ball game'.

3. Workroom
Sandwiched into the front end of the ship is a narrow room filled with communications, sensors, and navigation systems. The ship's rudimentary computer core is also accessible from here as it oversees and coordinates the above systems. As with the engineering room in the back of the ship, wall and floor
panels can be removed to allow direct access to several key components. Also as with engineering, basic functionality can be routed to the bridge. Because of this the comm/sensor room is often unoccupied or used as a work room for various hobbies/jobs.

4. Food Storage
Immediately forward of the restroom and adjacent to the kitchen area is a food storage pantry. Within the pantry a cabinet and shelves hold food, dishes, and similar items. A freezer unit is also provided. The Scarabclass does not have rehydration units and so must devote a fair amount of space to food storage. On long hauls an additional crate or two may be kept in the hold to resupply the kitchen and pantry as needed. As mentioned previously, Scarab has a ladder tube running vertically through the ship. On the lower deck, it can be accessed at the aft end of the galley area.

Going up the ladder from this deck would place one in the upper level of the tube. Going down, one would pass the crawlspace access and then reach the pressure hatch in the bottom of the ship. This can be used to exit the vessel even when landed as the engine nacelles keep the middle part of the hull several feet above the tarmac.

5. Galley & Mess
The forward section of the lower deck is dedicated to living space for the crew and the galley is the large open area within this space. A kitchen section is set against the foremost wall. It contains a sink, stove/oven, and refrigerator; plus an oldfashioned dish washer beneath the countertop. A large dining  table with seating for eight occupies a raised area on the starboard side. A small sofa (which can fold out into a bed) also occupies the spacious dining alcove.

The remainder of the galley space is more or less a wide hall running down the center of the ship. On one side are stairs leading up to access area of the upper deck. On the opposite wall are the doors leading into the bunk room. Additional exits at the aft end of the hall lead into the cargo hold, the primary air lock, and the central ladder tube.

6. Showers
A large restroom is located to port. It contains a pair of showers and trio of toilets & sinks. A steel cabinet holds supplies.


7. Bunks
All crew members aside from the captain share a single room for sleeping. There are four pairs of bunk beds, allowing for eight crew members plus the captain under normal circumstances. It is not unheard of the beds of this model ship to be replaced with triple bunks.

Storage lockers are provided for crew personal effects. Bedding and similar items are stored underneath the stairs outside, as well as in the pantry in the galley. Most of the bunk room has been decorated to excess by their resident Doctor, Tabby. This includes prayer flags, dangling dried flowers, fresh flowers, shiny prisms, and a handmade quilt for each bed.

1. Cockpit
This area could be called either a large cockpit or a small bridge. It has seats for a pilot and copilot with ample standing room behind. Redundant controls allow for basic communications, sensors, and engineering tasks to be performed from here when needed - though the dedicated stations elsewhere in the ship are more robust for their appointed duties. A crew of two can operate the vessel if necessary but four is the standard shift.

The wrap-around window allows for good visibility forward and somewhat to the sides but is limited otherwise. Unlike the forward windows on most ships, those on Scarab do not have built in display technology. Consoles and monitors must be used to present additional
information or alternate views.

2. Captain's Cabin
There is only a single private cabin on board and so it is typically occupied by the ship owner or captain. The proximity to the bridge makes it a convenient bunk. When stock, cabin holds a single bed, a small table and chair, plus a pair of standing lockers for clothes and personal effects. The tiny restroom nearby is shared between this cabin and anyone on duty in the cockpit.

3. Access Area
Not a really vestibule, antechamber, or foyer, this room is known simply as the "access area" as it allows one to go forward to the bridge/cockpit, aft onto the cargo bay balcony, down stairs to the lower level, or up a ladder to the dorsal exterior of the ship.

A quartet of lockers hold vacc suits, tools, and assorted sundries. The stairs lead down to the galley. At the back of the room are two sets of doors. The larger set leads out onto the balcony in the cargo hold. These are, of course, sealed if the ship is transporting liquid or gaseous cargo; or if the hold is being kept in vacuum.

The other set of doors grants access to a vertical tube running through the ship. At either end are hatches which open to the exterior of the ship (top and bottom). A ladder runs the length of the tube and it is bisected by another hatch set into the floor at this level. Either section of the tube can function as an air lock.

Going down the ladder from here puts one into the section of the tube on the lower level, with the crawlway access immediately below that. Going up, one would emerge onto the hull.

14. Primary Air Lock

15. Exit Ramp
The lowest deck is just a single chamber. From here a ramp in the curved forward floor leads down to the ground and another in the ceiling leads up to the main deck. Both of these ramps can be operated independently. Narrow windows look out on either side of the long, lowceilinged room.

This chamber serves as a large airlock and also allows entry to the access tube which leads up, past the main deck, to the bridge deck (and then out onto the dorsal surface of the hull).

If atmosphere changing is required, then the crew must wait here while the lower ramp closes and the airlock cycles. After that, the upper ramp will descend to allow access to the foyer above.

11. Cargo Bay
The cargo bay is rarely used to haul goods. It more often serves as a recreation area for workouts and impromptu sports. A small storage room on the port side of the bay holds sports equipment and cleaning supplies. There is a 15ft square smuggling area beneath the middle part of this room. It is 5ft deep (allowing 11 register tons of hidden cargo) and accessed by removing the floor panels. In the launch bay, this area is taken up by the docking-cradle machinery.

There is an air lock at the aft end of the bay. It opens out 12 feet in the air when the ship is landed planet side. A retractable ramp is used to cover the distance to the ground.


12. Engine Access
The systems in this room have been integrated with the computer system, and moved to
the upper deck. Now this room is seldom used except to directly monitor the power core or for physical access to the engines themselves.

There are three hatches (one in each wall) which lead into the machinery crawlspaces. The pair of triangular closets hold a variety of mechanics tools and a couple of space-suits.


13. Launch Bay
The starboard cargo bay has been refit to serve as a launch bay for a small shuttle (it has to be small as the bay doors are barely 12 feet across and 9 high). Near the center of the room is a rotating cradle designed to hold a Comet-class ship's boat. A magnetic guidance system has been installed to assist with landings and the cradle can rotate through 360 degrees to allow the Odille to both launch and land bow-first (it can move in reverse, but very slowly).

The storage room on the starboard side of the bay is filled with tools and parts used in maintaining and repairing the Odille. On the other side of the room are power and fuel couplings.

Even though it is rarely used, the retractable ramp beneath the airlock is still in place (allowing one to walk from ground level up to the launch bay). If the cradle is disassembled and the Odille moved out, this bay can add another 150 tons of cargo space.

9. Midline Passage
An irregular hall curves through the middle of the ship, from the cargo bay to the launch bay. It also connects the central foyer to the crew quarters. The entire area is designed for easy maintenance and repair - allowing access to the engine, power, and life support systems which lie above and below the main deck. Lighting is dim, and the hum of machinery reverberates through the metal grating in the floor and the numerous pipes overhead.

10. Crew Quarters
Six similar cabins radiate out from an octagonal central chamber. Each cabin contains a bed and computer workstation as well as a small book case and triangular closet for personal effects.
Note that the first cabin counterclockwise from the entrance has a hatch in the floor. This leads down a short ladder to the vents/engineering crawlspaces.

The octagonal chamber between the cabins has a very high ceiling (more like a wide shaft running up through the engine), with a transparent dome overhead. This provides a nice view of the space above the ship and includes an emergency bulkhead.


1. Cooper (The hatch room)
2. King
3. Pele
4. Francis
5. Jed
6. Evie

4. Forward Lounge
Actually the only lounge on the ship, this room also serves as the galley. The starboard side of the aft wall is taken up by the food preparation station. The port side has a sink as well as cupboards stocked with more food items.

In the center of the room is a large metal dining table surrounded by six chairs. The front wall of the lounge holds an expensive video screen and comfortable couch raised a step above the floor.


5. Medical Wing
The ship's sick-bay is a small room just big enough for a single examination chair (which folds down into an operating table) and room to work. As with most ship-board medical facilities, this one doubles as both an examination room and operation theater.

The locked storage closet next to the medical bed is stocked with medical supplies and pharmaceuticals.

6. Workroom
This room serves as general storage and a workroom for equipment maintenance, repair, and customization. There are weapon lockers along the left-hand wall (one for each crew member), a storage cabinet and work table along the right, and an array of electronic workstations at the front. A large, automated work table (with various machine-shop tools built in) lies concealed beneath the floor. It can be  brought up when needed, and retracted to increase floor space when not. The storage closet at the back of the room is jammed with tools and parts.

7. Foyer
Several rooms and halls lead off of this central chamber. In the center of the semi-circular front wall is the hallway to the forward lounge. To either side of it are the medical bay and workroom. Equipment lockers lie on the left and right-hand side of the foyer. The one on the port (left) side is an armory. The other holds vacuum suits and mission gear.

The hallway in the middle of the aft wall of the foyer leads back towards the crew quarters. To one side of the hall are the stairs up to the bridge deck; to the other is a small closet full of coats and boots. Also in the back wall are doors to the captain's quarters and the restroom, which has a single sink, toilet, and shower. The center section of the foyer floor is a ramp which, when lowered, leads down into the airlock on the lower deck. From there a second ramp leads to the ground.

1. Bridge and 2. Deck Access
The bridge is situated above the main deck, allowing for a good field of view across the top of the ship. There are three crew stations on the flight deck though only the pilot is absolutely necessary. The other two seats are provided for a computer systems operator (which covers sensors and communications) and ships systems engineer (covering everything else).

3. Engineering
At the back of the upper deck is the engineering room. From here, all computer and engine functions can be monitored and controlled in detail. The center of the room also holds an expensive tactical display table. There are a pair of gunnery stations here - for those who don't want to operate the weapons from inside the cramped turret spheres. Windows allow for direct observation of the areas to the sides and top of the ship.

Gryphon has one main deck sandwiched between the ship's major systems. There is a small bridge deck above and an airlock with exit ramp below. All of these areas are detailed in the following section and labeled on the interior map.

Clan history: The Haemish family has always lived a very simple and wholesome life on Athens. They made enough money to be reasonably comfortable and never knew hunger or hardship. Their parents (Bartholomew Haemish and Marianne Larson) were well respected in the community as healers and in her mother's case, as a 'witch'. Not to say she had any special powers, but when a woman comes to heal your son's fever with chants, waved smoking sage and an herbal remedy she prepared herself, people tended to assume she was a witch. Her older brother found a joy for working with his hands and took on apprenticeships with local carpenters and masons while her younger sister assisted the town's clothing makers and fabric manufacturers while Tabitha herself followed in her parent's healing footsteps.They have always lived on Athens, and have been a staple of the community for as long as there were people living on that rock, or so they assume.