Lotta promises made on that moon. Not a lot of 'em kept.

As Raven approaches the small desolate moon of Ezra, in the Georgia system, home to the mining slave-owner, Rohan Wallace, and base of operations for one Adali Niska, members of the crew gather on the bridge.

Shen Jiutai: "are we almost there?" She points to the skyplex appearing from behind the moon, "Yup, looks like we are"

Xiao Li Marshall nods grimly.

Shen Jiutai: "Do me a favor and steer clear of that, will ya?"

Xiao Li Marshall just nods again. It's a sign of how tense she is that she doesn't sass back at Shen.

Shen Jiutai shakes her head, "I remember the first time I saw that thing... all of the promise and offers of high money..." she drifts off.

Xiao Li Marshall: Lotta promises made on that moon. Not a lot of 'em kept.

Roland Josephus crosses his arms across his chest, and falls silent.

Shen Jiutai: "Hell, I'd prolly still be working for that old coot today if Chen hadn't..." her voice trails off again.

Li Mei looks out at the skyplex, "This is one place I never imagined I'd see up close. I haven't heard good things about it."

Shen Jiutai: "Still, it is kinda pretty, watching the reflections offa’ the Atmo, always did like Ezra, for a dried up rock, it ain't all bad." She glances at Xiao Li, "What I mean to say is... ahem..."

Xiao Li Marshall: "I wouldn't know," says Xiao Li flatly. "I didn't spend much time topside."

Shen Jiutai blushes at her faux pas "Sorry, I... um... sorry."

Xiao Li Marshall gives Shen a flat look, then turns back to the controls.

Shen Jiutai, looking for a distraction, dials in the Cortex News.....

::: And this just in... the settlement of Serenity Landing on the fourth moon of Athens has been destroyed in a tragic explosion...:::

Li Mei's mouth opens in shock, her hands come up to her mouth as she gasps, "What!? Oh my God, no!"

:::Cause is unknown, and there appear to be no survivors:::

Xiao Li Marshall: ...you gotta be kiddin' me...

Roland Josephus pales slightly, and shakes his head, looking down.

Shen Jiutai looks at the shocked look on Li Mei's face... "Know people there?"

Li Mei stands frozen in shock for a moment, then tears begin to well up in her eyes, "No, the guild ... all of them gone? It can't be possible!" She slowly nods, as she tries to gain control of her emotions, "Yes, I am . . . or was a member of the companion guild house there. Did they say there were no survivors?"

Shen Jiutai nods and turns off the speaker.

Xiao Li Marshall: Said there *appear* to be no survivors. That's what they said about Wallace's minin' operation, too, and look what happened there.

Li Mei: me discretely wipes the tears from her eyes, hiding the pain and fear she feels, "The guild is resourceful. I am sure some of them managed to escape in time."

Shen Jiutai tries to comfort Lei Mi in an awkward way, "I'm sure."

Li Mei: "I'll need to send a message to the guild in Sihnon. If anyone survived, they will know."

Xiao Li Marshall silently reaches over and starts up a message screen, then nods to Li Mei

Roland Josephus: Well ...if'n they didn't.. Sounds like they got a new head of the guild there.

Li Mei looks at Roland in disbelief, "Heads of houses are not my concern at the moment. The existence of my friends is."

Roland Josephus shrugs, "Just sayin’ is all... You could be the only one left."

Li Mei leans over to Xiao Li, "A simple message will do. Just send this ... "Did anyone survive?"

Xiao Li Marshall 's fingers fly over the keyboard as she types out the message and sends it to the appropriate address

Li Mei smiles, "Thank you Xiao Li"

Xiao Li Marshall just grunts in acknowledgment

Shen Jiutai points out the window to a spot below the atmosphere, "Is that the Mine?"

Xiao Li Marshall frowns at it. "Could be. Only saw it from this vantage point the one time." She frowns at it again. "Could be... Thinkin' we should turn the thermoptics on 'fore we get any closer."

Gabriel Keats: "So, let's check it out and get it done, yeah?"

Xiao Li Marshall: I will when someone gets OVER THERE to turn 'em on.

Li Mei focuses her attention on the actions of the crew, distracting herself from worrying about her friends in the guild.

Gabriel Keats ambles to the panel, looks at it as though it's some kind of ancient artifact. "Which one I gotta push?"

<><><> The Boat rocks through the re-entry sequence, the crew having to hold on to pieces of the bridge, when they are close they are hailed on a Radio frequency<><><>

:::Welcome to Wallace’s Mining Consortium. Please turn control of your helm to our Spaceport Command.:::

Xiao Li Marshall concentrates on the controls, ignoring the comm.

:::Welcome to Wallace's Mining Consortium. Please turn control of your helm to our Spaceport Command.:::

Xiao Li Marshall: "Somebody wanna shut that gorram thing off?" says Xiao Li without looking away from the viewscreen.

:::Welcome to Wallace's Mining Consortium. Please turn control of your helm to our Spaceport Command.:::

Xiao Li Marshall: Fuck you.

:::Welcome to Wallace's Mining Consortium. Please turn control of your helm to our Spaceport Command.:::

Xiao Li Marshall: I'm serious! Someone shut it off, I need both hands to drive!

Shen Jiutai walks over to the console and turns the volume down.

Softer: :::Welcome to Wallace's Mining Consortium. Please turn control of your helm to our Spaceport Command.:::
Xiao Li Marshall: You guys might wanna get ready for whatever it is you're plannin' t' do...

Shen Jiutai: are we planning anything? I thought we were delivering the goods...

Roland Josephus: If there’s another plan.. Someone better be lettin’ me in on it.... Right quick..

:::Welcome to Wallace's Mining Consortium. Please turn control of your helm to our Spaceport Command.:::

Xiao Li Marshall sighs. "Fine, if it'll SHUT YOU UP."

:::Welcome to Wallace's Mining Consortium. Please turn control of your helm ..... ::: Fritzzzzzzz::::::<<

Xiao Li Marshall grumpily turns over control

<><><>Raven is guided to a heavily fortified spaceport with guard towers, two rows of fencing with canine patrols in between, it looks as though Raven is landing inside prisoner-of-war camp from the middle of the 20th century. Visible beyond the wire fencing are the mines, a small town of barracks, mine tailings stretching on for miles, and at the top of the hill, rebuilt on the same spot it occupied before the war, a new, larger, swankier residence of one Rohan Wallace<><><>

Xiao Li Marshall stares at the mansion, teeth clenched.

Shen Jiutai takes note of the fortifications, "Looks like they learned a thing or two since you escaped.

Xiao Li Marshall: Mm.

:::Pleased be advised that for your safety, all ships landing at WMC will be required to adhere to the following regulations:
*While docked at WMC Spaceport all ships will be subjected to a Land Lock until cleared for take-off by Spaceport Command.
*All visiting personnel should remain onboard, or in close proximity to their vessels while docked at WMC.
*Any personnel leaving the Spaceport compound for authorized activity will be required to register with Spaceport Command and receive passes for re-entry to the spaceport
*No firearms are allowed at WMC. Please store any firearms securely onboard.
*Visitors are not allowed to have unsupervised conversations with WMC employees below the rank of foreman.
*No vessel shall give passage to any WMC employee without the express permission of WMC or Spaceport Command.
*Any vessels found to be in violation of these edicts will be confiscated and their crew will be re-assigned to the human resources division of WMC. We thank you for obeying these simple safety procedures, and hope your stay is enjoyable.:::

Xiao Li Marshall 's jaw clenches tighter at the mention of "human resources"

Shen Jiutai hits the comm, "Cap'n, you hearin' alla this?"

Rae Overholt: No, must be getting glitches on my end.

Shen Jiutai: well, we're about to land... you might wanna see this...

Rae Overholt: Yeah? What am I going to see?

Shen Jiutai: Well, it looks like a prison, 'cept we're landing inside 'a it...

Rae Overholt: Well then, remember not to drop the soap when we're inside.

Xiao Li Marshall: I'm not goin' in there.

<><>Raven lands at the Wallace Mining consortium, the spaceport is heavily guarded, apparently they learned a thing or two from Xiao Li’s escape all those years before. The ship is automatically placed in Land-Lock as soon as she has landed. <><>

Rae Overholt: Well, what do we have to do to override the land lock?

Roland Josephus: Give 'em what they want so they'll let us go?

Rae Overholt: That so?

Xiao Li Marshall: I *might* be able to break through it b'fore they found out I was tryin' to hack it...

Rae Overholt: Too bad I'm not in much of a giving mood. What's our other option? Xiao Li can you work on that?

Rae Overholt: You think on it, someone else go out and see what's out there.

Shen Jiutai heads down to the cargo bay... followed by the Cap’n.

Rae Overholt stands there, waiting by the doors with her arms crossed.

Shen Jiutai steps outside to face a couple of large men, "Um, Hello"

Rae Overholt eyes the men from inside the cargo bay doors, arms still crossed.

Shen Jiutai: "I believe we have some goods destined for you.."

Whip Cracker looks out over the nose of the hovertruck. "You.... are the captain of this....vessel?"

Rae Overholt: That'd be me.

Whip Cracker nods, motioning the smaller of the women aside. Without waiting for her to move, he signals the driver ahead. “This'll do.”

Rae Overholt: You folks expectin us?

Whip Cracker looks at the one that identified herself as captain, not choosing to dignify her question with an answer.

Rae Overholt: Shen, I say we go back in and lock her up. I don’t know these fellas and I don’t know they're trustworthy. Might be they's about to steal from us.

Shen Jiutai: "Uh, Cap'n? OK"

Rae Overholt replies in a deadpan voice, "Fine Shen."

Shen Jiutai pulls a weapon and aims it at the Foreman. "Can I help you sir?"

Castel Arctor 's hands go to his side weapons

Rae Overholt: No weapons Shen. We just go back in and lock 'er up.

Shen Jiutai holsters her gun, "I'm afraid I must ask you to either leave or state your business rather clearly.

Whip Cracker's lip curls in an easy sneer. "You can put that toy away before you end up havin' it removed from your spleen..... "

Shen Jiutai smirks, "Like you even could"

Rae Overholt: Boy, I don't think you want to be rude to me with what I'm carrying.

Castel Arctor 's eyes narrow.

Whip Cracker looks to Castel. "Fine. Let 'em carry it some place else."

Castel Arctor: "Yessir”

Shen Jiutai sighes, "Look, um sir, we risked our lives trying to get this here cargo to you folks..."

Rae Overholt: When the lady whats sent us on this mad hatter trip gets ready for us.

Shen Jiutai: I think whomever ordered it might be a bit put out if it is a complete loss...

Whip Cracker frowns, looking to the henchman. "Run back to control, find out who ordered this go se and why I wasn't informed."

Shen Jiutai looks to the Cap'n, "You want me to deal with this jerk?"

Xiao Li Marshall shifts restlessly in her seat on the bridge.

Rae Overholt: Ain't worth my time. He's so low he doesn't even know what's coming into his house.

Whip Cracker's eyes drift back to the shorter of the women, tilting his head. "For someone that's aimin' to do business, you're a might tetchy. We've drawn no weapons or made no insults.... you might wanna do likewise your you can put yourself back in the black."

Shen Jiutai sighs and walks to the hatchway, "Look Mister, perhaps we got off on a bad foot... this is a part of the Maldito cargo."

Whip Cracker pauses at the mention of the name, his eyes narrowing. Flatly, he states, "You're a month late."

Rae Overholt: That's because your original ship is dead. Boy, they really don't tell you anything.

Shen Jiutai: Look this here is ten out of the twelve crates, you can inspect them if you like, the rest is a loss...

Whip Cracker: They tell me what I need to know. This cargo'd been written off.

Rae Overholt: Well, guess you got lucky. Nice to know cargo like was on that ship's written off so easily. She looks at him, eyes dark.

Whip Cracker repeats. "A MONTH late... what were we supposed to think... and now you're tellin' me two's gone missin'?"

Rae Overholt: I would think, if its a month late, you'd be buyin’ me a drink for bringing you even one.

Shen Jiutai: Why don't you just take a look, it was supposed to come here, we salvaged it off of the wreck it was on, two of the crates were destroyed by scavengers.

Whip Cracker: For all I know, it's ten cases of paperwork for me to flll out... don't be thinkin' I give a crap, lass... cause I don't.

Shen Jiutai: We were hired by the owner, she sent us to deliver it to you, she said you needed it. I don't know much about this gear, but you wouldn't have ordered it if you didn't need it...

Whip Cracker begins to inspect the boxes, despite his skepticism. He looks around the hold for a crow bar once his visual inspect is done.

Rae Overholt: Ah, he don’t need nothing Shen. He's happy long as he's got someone under him to drive the hover-truck. Don't make him no never-mind if they don’t get stocked up in the offices and med labs and science labs. Whoever uses this stuff.

Whip Cracker finds a suitable piece of metal to start towards the crate, but once he's close enough to look for a place to pry, he notices the release catch. He smiles over at Shen and hands her the crowbar. "We won't be needin' this."

Rae Overholt rolls her eyes.

Whip Cracker slips his finger beneath the tamper seal and pops it free before throwing back the lid. He whistles low and says, "It's a..... hrm.… “ He looks to Shen, "What is it?"

Rae Overholt: Well, you wouldn't need to know that would ya? You don't care after all.

Shen Jiutai: Those are ore scanners... you do have someone who knows how to use this stuff, don't you?

Whip Cracker smiles, "Might help to know if you be expectin' much of a price for it... but ore scanners... yeah... I was just testin' to see if you know what ya had." He nods seriously. "Good answer."

Rae Overholt: Price was already agreed upon. By the lady we're here to see. Mind having her trot on out to visit with us?

Whip Cracker dusts off his hands and stands, looking at the other boxes. His gaze lingers a moment before it settles upon the captain. "You hold tight...." he says, then walks to the corner of the hold and speaks softly into his headset. He finishes up his conversation, looking to the cook and captain. "You stay put... someone'll be here soon enough to settle with you.... might be a good time to cough up them other two boxes as well.” He turns and walks off.

Rae Overholt glares at his back.