"I am not one to question a possessor's ownership, now, I posses the slave, and you posses what?"

Shen Jiutai holds her head, "What the hell was that?"

Rae Overholt shakes her head, "I feel sick."

Li Mei slowly sits up, shaking her head, "What just happened?"

Rae Overholt: “The bitch tricked us. We gotta get the ship going, find a signature, follow it.“ She puts her hand to her head, gazing around.

Kevin and Roland struggle to their feet and make their way to the bridge...

Rae Overholt staggers up and goes to help Li Mei.

Sean M. checks his own vitals before going through the rest of the crew in a methodical manner.

Kevin hits the comm button, "Cap?, Um Rae?"

Li Mei looks at Rae, "She took my shuttle?"

Rae Overholt: “Seems like she did. Did you have anything you cant live without in it?” She touches the com button, "Yeah?"

Kevin: “Raven is flying blind, without Helm, Navigation, Sensors or Comms.”

Rae Overholt still holding the button, "Can you get anything working?"

Li Mei shakes her head, "I just had possessions on the shuttle. Nothing that can't be replaced."

Kevin:"We're working on it, give us some time, gotta figure out what she did first." After carefully scrutinizing the jury-rigged re-patching of the flight controls, Kevin comes to the conclusion that helm control can be re-attained, but with some precise work, and the assistance of Roland. "This may take a few."

Rae Overholt nods and then speaks into the com, "Do it as fast as you can. I want to try to trace them."

Kevin grunts into the com, "Unh Hunh."

Shen Jiutai holds her head, "What did she do? leak that stuff?"

Rae Overholt: Probably. She's on my list too.

Li Mei raises an eyebrow at Rae's comment, "How many are on that list?"

Rae Overholt: Enough.

Shen Jiutai looks at the Cap'n through narrowed eyes, "I think she may be on more than just your list."

Rae Overholt nods at Shen. "Suggestions are always welcome."

Shen Jiutai nods, "Well we gotta find her first, why in the hell did she gas us? and Xiao Li? What's that about?"

Rae Overholt: Revenge? Some cult following? I dunno.

Shen Jiutai: Yeah, but revenge for what?

Kevin Cliffe tries the nav board again, hopefully they can at least tell where they're going before they can get the helm restored...

<><>Partial navigation is restored, and Kevin can tell that Raven is flying directly away from anything, towards empty space.<><>

Kevin: "Cap'n?"

Rae Overholt: Yeah?

Kevin, "We got eyes! at least we ain't aimed at the sun or nohin'"

Rae Overholt: Yeah, turn us around.

Roland grunts to himself, Kevin hits the comm "Working on it Cap!"

Rae Overholt nods and goes to slump in a chair.

Shen Jiutai heads towards the door leading to the lower decks, "Any reason I can't dump that Go Se overboard now Cap?"

Rae Overholt: Do it. Be careful, it might still be leaking.

Shen Jiutai nods and heads for the cat-walks, "I'll wear a suit..."

Rae Overholt: Good thinking.

Li Mei sits down as well, mumbling to herself, "This is not how I imagined renting a shuttle would turn out."

Rae Overholt: Not what I imagined either Li.

Shen Jiutai pulls a suit out of the locker and puts it on, wrinkling her nose at the smell of the barrels near-by.

Li Mei sighs, "Oh well, I suppose things could be worse. Though I'm not entirely sure how at the moment."

Rae Overholt stands up and looks around the galley, wondering what course of action would be best. “They could have spaced us.”

Li Mei: Ah, well yes, there is that.

Shen Jiutai mutters to herself about bad headaches and straps a sling around the barrel closest to the bomb-bay.

Rae Overholt: “I'm going to help her purge that stuff.” She runs down and puts on her own suit, checking and rechecking the fittings before walking onto the cargo bay and setting to work with Shen so she doesn’t feel helpless.

Li Mei nods, "I would offer to help, but .. well, I'm not going to."

Shen Jiutai hooks the sling to the winch and raises it, so that it is hovering above the bomb-bay, then lowers it inside.

Rae Overholt moves another barrel within reach of the winch for Shen.

Shen Jiutai smiles at Rae and the two continue to load barrels into the bay.

Rae Overholt gives a nod in response to the smile and turns to bring another barrel over.

Li Mei makes herself somewhat useful by tidying up in the galley.

After the enough barrels are loaded into the bay to fill it up, Shen hits the button to close the inner lock, looks to the Cap'n and gives the thumbs up with a questioning look.

Rae Overholt returns the thumbs up and stands there, staring at the far wall.

Shen Jiutai hits the big red button and the Barrels go whooshing out into deep space.

Rae Overholt has already turned and begun bringing over the last of the barrels.

Shen Jiutai closes the door and helps Rae to sling up the final barrels.

Rae Overholt steps back, nods to Shen and then turns to go back up to the galley, taking her suit off and wiping her face with her hand as she does.

Shen Jiutai loads the final barrels into the Bomb-bay and dumps them as well.

Rae Overholt steps back into the galley and looks at Li, "Everything OK up here?"

Li Mei looks up from wiping off the countertop and smiles, "Yes, I'm fine."

Rae Overholt nods and heads to the bridge to check on things.

Li Mei finishes wiping off the countertop and proceeds to clean the rest of the galley. She thinks to herself,“I'm not touching Nigel's litter box, though. Someone else can clean that.”

Finally Kevin is able to get Comms and Sensors back online, and although a search for Shuttle #2’s pulse beacon comes up empty, he is able to pick up a transmission between shuttle #2 and a third party. He tries tuning into the transmission...

Kevin Cliffe: Hey Cap'n, I think I got something...

The quiet and determined voice of Niska is heard over the Comm, :::"...and this is a good deal for me how? Hmmm?":::

Kevin Cliffe stabs the recorder for an analog reading, he wants as much info on this as possible...

:::Fan Newall frowns a little at the screen. "It's a good deal for you because when all's said and done, you have more money than you did before you met me.":::

:::Niska: "My associate Mr. Wallace is Very interested in the one who made him look like a fool...":::

Kevin Cliffe checks to see whether he has navigation up, if not the helm...be nice to see where he's going and be able to get a direction fix on the signal...

:::Fan Newall smiles. "Then you know he'll pay you handsomely for her, and right now I'm the one who can give her to you. As my finder's fee, I want you to use a cut of the reward to pay Wallace off for my freedom. He wants her more than me.":::

:::Niska:"Wallace will pay me 600 credits for her, you, Probably only 400, I give him the one who escaped, and keep the difference, you go away free and clear, Hmm?":::

:::Fan Newall nods. "That's about the size of it.":::

:::Niska:"I can see you value my time, you may be of use to me in the future, we have a deal.":::

Rae Overholt smirks at the transmission. "hate to throw a wrench in her plans but, can you find the origins of this signal or what?"

:::the wave ends:::

Kevin Cliffe: Working on that. Did you recognize that slavic accent?

Rae Overholt: it sounded a mite familiar.

Kevin Cliffe: Got a name to put to it?

Rae Overholt shakes her head, trying to think. “Not just yet.”

Shen Jiutai comes into the bridge, "Did I hear you say there was a transmission?"

Rae Overholt: Yeah.

Kevin Cliffe: Yeah. our escaped slave/kidnapper with some guy who sounded slavic or something...

Shen: Play it back.

Kevin Cliffe replays the wave, and keeps trying with the nav...if the nav works, he goes back to the helm...

Shen Jiutai 's face goes white as she listens to the recording with Niska’s voice, "That's him... my dear old boss, Adelai himself."

Kevin Cliffe: Adelai?

Shen: Niska.

Kevin Cliffe: Niska? THE Niska? Whoo...I've heard of him almost the day after I went rogue. supposed to be one mean piece of work.

Rae Overholt: Well, isn't that a pickle.

Kevin Cliffe: I heard if he gets his hands on you he ties you up and makes you listen to his bad accent.

Rae Overholt looks around at the group. "How we going to salvage this one folks? Bait and switch? Slip in during a transit? Be better if we get her before Niska forks over anything. If he feels cheated by us...” She trails off.

Kevin Cliffe: Then we blow him up?

You: How do we not blow Xiao Li up with them?

Kevin Cliffe: Frankly I'm all for liberating that slave camp, but yeah, we need to get our pilot back first.

<><>Kevin and Roland are able to restore Navigation and Helm. From this position, at top speed, Raven won’t reach Niska’s Sky-Plex until over an hour after Kevin estimates the shuttle has.<><>

Rae Overholt shakes her head, "Get us moving in the right direction, we'll think while we move."

Kevin Cliffe: Yeah. Even if we go hard burn, we're still going to fall short. Wow...she's a bit slower to turn than the Osprey, but she can sure move... Captain... supposing that Niska makes the handoff with Wallace, where's Xiao likely to end up?

Roland Josephus shrugs, "Ya know... 1000 for both ain't a bad price...."

Rae Overholt: Not a bad price? Xiao Li's worth three times that! That Fan ain't worth a quarter of it.

Roland Josephus: Thats what I'm sayin Cap'n.... If he only thinks he can turn 1000 from both.... Well.. I imagine he'll at least listen to a better offer.

Rae Overholt: We got the funds for a better offer?

Shen: Um, Cap'n, we ain't got 1000...

Rae Overholt: You know he'll turn us into Wallace and then double what he gets from that if we do it.

Shen Jiutai checks her data pad, “511 credits, that's about it...”

Roland Josephus shrugs, "If'n we do or we don't.. It'll buy us some time."

Rae Overholt: We bluff.

Shen: “Bluff Niska? Are you crazy? That old bat will have you roasting on a spit!”

Rae Overholt: How about we bluff Fan. Offer her enough to pay her debt off.

Roland Josephus: Naw.. He's got to swim in the same sewer as the rest of us.. He crawfishes on a deal... Nobody will deal with him... If we got the money.. I say we make the offer... Might keep us alive, and give us some quality time with our new friend."

Shen: “511 Rol, that's all we got. Still, I do have some cargo... might could sell it to the bar keep on the Sky-Plex, he's an old friend, and would prolly keep my presence here a secret...”

Kevin Cliffe: If hard currency is the only language this guy speaks then it's going to be a pain... I do have one idea...

Rae Overholt: That would be?

Kevin Cliffe: We let her get sold and then bust her out at the destination. We know that Wallace is no friend of ours, right? And we know where she's going, right?

Rae Overholt: We think we do.

Roland Josephus: Assumin’ Wallace don't shoot her on site...

Kevin Cliffe: Yeah. There's that.

Shen: Cap'n, you storm that Sky-Plex, you have to do it without me, 'sides, it's already been done...

Roland Josephus: We got anything else we can sell?

Rae Overholt: So you think you can get us more money? We can buy her back?

Shen: I might not have enough, but I'll try...

Rae: And if’n you dont, what do you suggest?

Kevin Cliffe: Hmmm... Well we ought to get our shuttle back, shouldn’t we?

Merasu Acropolis nods.

Kevin Cliffe: And we don’t have enough coin to get Xiao back right off the bat, right?

Roland Josephus: We got any alliance in the area?

Kevin Cliffe runs a sweep of the sensor net, looking for ships in the navigational network and anything on the passive. “Well bear in mind...she’s got an hour lead on us. If we’re not lucky, Wallace may already be at the station.”

Roland Josephus: Shuttle is registered to the Raven ain’t it? Seems like it was sure enough stolen.... And I reckon the last thing this Niska fella wants is to have the Purple Bellies sniffin’ around his place. Maybe it’d be enough to send out a wave... Niska is sure to read it.

Rae: They wouldnt bother to sniff for our shuttle.

Roland Josephus: They wouldn’t have to... I reckon the threat that they might would be enough to sour that deal...

Kevin Cliffe: Well he might just junk the shuttle...if we can get in ahead of Wallace, we can try to intercept Fan and Xiao. If not...we might be able to recover the shuttle, and hopefully, Fan.

Rae: I’m more concerned about Xiao Li.

Kevin Cliffe: So am I. And if we get Fan, we may get some intel on where Xiao’s liable to be headed, or if Wallace wants her alive.

Rae: Think if we got the Companion’s Guild involved we might get somewhere? After all, she stole a companion’s whole personal cargo.

Roland Josephus: Not unless she’s got 1000 creds stashed in her drawers. Heyyyyy Not bad Cap’n...

Kevin Cliffe: Now that’s a good way to get intel...

Roland Josephus: Would Niska care if he got black listed with the Companions?

Rae: Might hurt his business.

Kevin Cliffe: Want me to lay in the course for the Sky-Plex?

Rae: Yeah.

Roland Josephus: It could... Hurt more than the 1000 he’ll make on those two.

Kevin Cliffe brings the ship into alignment, punches in the course data...“ready for hard burn.”

<><>Raven approaches the now-heavily-armed Sky-Plex belonging to one Adelai Niska.<><>

Kevin Cliffe: Wow.

:::Firefly Class Transport, Cease your approach! Do not come any closer! State the nature of your visit and wait at a distance of 5000 meters for further instructions!:::

Roland Josephus: Sounds like they're serious.

Rae Overholt looks around. "Suggestions?"

<><>A quick glance of the docking ports makes it apparent that Raven is too late, Fan has already left with the shuttle.<><>

Kevin Cliffe: Well those guns look like 100 mm plasma tubes...nasty fire load but they suck for muzzle velocity and recycle time...I'd be more worried about the missiles. Other than that...maybe we should try to play this cool and do what they say. We need our shuttle back and I think as far as the companions go...I believe Li can speak on that? And as far as Xiao goes...we are not letting her go in the end.

Rae Overholt: Shall we let Li speak for us then?

Roland Josephus: I don't think we got any better options... ‘Sides.. We're here till he lets us go it looks like.

Shen Jiutai: Cap'n, just tell them what you want, Niska is a straight shooter, in more ways than one.

Kevin Cliffe: Best bet.

Rae Overholt sighs. “Ok, open up comms.”

Kevin Cliffe flips the switch

Fan Newall hums happily as she works the shuttle's controls, with the Sky-Plex already more than an hour behind her. Satisfied with herself, she begins softly singing an ancient song she learned from another mine slave. "On the road again! Goin' places that I've never been! Seein' things that I may never see again, and I can't wait to get on the road again...."

Rae Overholt: “We are here to retrieve some stolen property. We're missing a shuttle rented out to a companion we have on board. It's registered to our ship and we know it came here.”

Roland Josephus coughs, “… and a pilot.”

Rae Overholt: “Few other things went missing with our shuttle, I reckon you know what they are.”

:::Mr Niska is a busy man, and does not take kindly to random space pirates wasting his time:::

Rae Overholt: “We're not pirates. Our companion may be rather upset if she doesn't get her shuttle back.”

:::As you can see there is no shuttle here:::

Rae Overholt: It WAS … even if its not, our pilot is.

:::That is not OUR concern, you mentioned other property?:::

Rae Overholt: Our Pilot.

After a pause of dead air for 10 seconds: :::Mr. Niska will see you:::

Kevin Cliffe frowns, and punches up the sensors...and fires off a few active pings away from the Sky-Plex, along likely routes that a ship with the shuttle's engine config could carry...

Fan Newall sets a course and puts the shuttle on auto so she can go back and look through Li Mei's old things, which Fan supposes are now hers. She finds an assortment of luxury items, a small collection of weapons, both functional and elegant, and an array of... novelty items, some of which she can recognize an intended use for, others of which leave her bewildered.

:::Firefly Class Transport Raven, Proceed to docking port #3 now. While docked, anyone brandishing weapons in any form will be summarily shot.:::

Kevin Cliffe then reads up the course data and eases the ship in to dock...

<><>As Raven approaches, two large cannons follow Raven’s every move, adjusting to track every corse correction and adjustment.<><>

Kevin Cliffe knows that while the plasma tubes were probably a joke out at long range, close up they're a viable threat...he knows what one of those things can do.

Shen Jiutai: “Well, Cap'n, good luck, I'm gonna call Buck, see if he could help us with takin' some cases off of my hands.”

Rae Overholt: Good luck with it. I'd like our companion with me.

Kevin Cliffe scans the passive sensors, praying for a return from one of his pings, hopefully with the hull signature of the shuttle...

Shen Jiutai: Can you wear a comm, I'd like to call you when it's set, anyone else have any cash squirreled away?

Rae Overholt: I have 50. And yes, I'll wear a com.

Roland Josephus: I got a little.

<><>Raven Docks with the Sky-Plex<><>

Kevin Cliffe: I have 45 creds. Want 'em for this job?

Shen Jiutai: "Yeah, Kevin, that'll help." Shen hands Rae the datapad, "I'll wire ya what I get from Buck"

Kevin Cliffe: Guess I can go junking for a while for parts and materials. Damn, I hope my material stocks hold out. Okay.

Rae Overholt: So, we have 605

Kevin Cliffe waits on the returns...einsteinium physics can suck, if the shuttle has an hour's lead away, any radar return, weak or strong, will take some time to come back...

<><> There is a loud thud as the airlock seals and pressurizes. An impatient knock on the hatch is heard all the way up to the bridge<><>

Kevin Cliffe: “Where do you want me, Cap'n?"

Rae Overholt: On the bridge. Planning if need be.

Shen Jiutai: I can hold down the fort, Cap, we ain't goin' nowhere...

Kevin Cliffe: Oh, I'll be doing that. I've sent out a few active pings along whatever course tracks the shuttle is likely to take.

Rae Overholt turns and heads towards the airlock, opening it and looking at the person there.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Fan Newall picks up one particularly odd looking toy. Turning it over in her hands, Fan ponders using it to replace an entire valve and spring assembly in the shuttle's engine. Fan has no idea what Li Mei used it for, but to her trained eye, it looks perfect for handling high pressure plasma flow. She's just not sure what it's made of or what kind of temperatures it can withstand.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Kevin Cliffe calls up the sensor logs and tries to pick up the data on the slave camp...any aerial shots of the approach...millimeter wave radar or anything... “100 mm plasma coil-tubes, and those look like semi-active multitrack space to space missiles. Very fast and hard to dodge. Ta ma de...he's got long and short to mid-range coverage. how could he get coverage like that without the alliance breathing down his neck? I'd just hate to try to use them at anywhere within a hundred meters...then again I'd say this array is meant to stop anyone before they get within a hundred meters.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
<><>When Rae and Li Mei step into the Sky-Plex, six large and heavily armed guards professionally frisk them before escorting them to Niska’s office. They remain in the room as the doors seal behind them.<><>

Niska:"So, this is the Captain that wants her slave back, Hmmm?"

Rae Overholt: Pilot and shuttle.

Niska waves his arm around, "There is no shuttle here, and I am not one to question a possessor's ownership, now, I posses the slave, and you posses what?"

Rae Overholt: Well Niska, we possess a companion who is missing her things and money for our pilot.

Niska, "Ah, now we are talking how you say? Turkey? Hmmm? The slave is worth 600 credits to my associate."

Rae Overholt: She's worth more to us.

Niska, "Really? And how much more is that?"

Rae Overholt: “Well now, that depends on what condition she's in.” She gives the datapad in her hands a glance.

Niska, "Ah, you'd like to see her, Hmmmm? Well right this way." He gestures to a closet across thew room.

Rae Overholt follows, staying well behind. She spots Xiao Li and does a quick once over, looking for damage, "You okay Xiao li?"

Xiao Li Marshall is bruised and battered, and there's a large bloodstain on her sweater from a stab wound on her right side. There's also dried blood around her mouth, but it's not clear how it got there...

Rae Overholt narrows her eyes. "Xiao? Who stabbed you?"

Xiao Li Marshall: The Tooth Fairy. Who d'you think?

After a quiet and untraceable wave conversation with the bartender onboard the Sky-Plex, Shen is able to negotiate the sale of 5 cases of Blue Sun Grain Alcohol for 12 credits a case. She punches the transfer of 60 credits to Rae's data pad.

Rae Overholt: We'll give you 665, she's not in good condition.

Niska, "665, Hmmm? You have a deal, I might have sold her to you for less, but since you offer, I think you are right." He motions to his henchmen who let Xiao Li down.

Xiao Li Marshall yanks herself out of the henchmen's grip and bolts over to Rae.

Rae Overholt waits, "Now, where did our shuttle go?"

Niska, "That I do not know, but now that you have your slave back, please leave, my time is precious."

Rae Overholt takes Xiao Li's elbow.

Xiao Li Marshall flinches and pulls away from Rae's touch.

Rae Overholt gives her a look.

Xiao Li Marshall gives her a Look right back. She is in NO mood to be led around like property.

Rae Overholt rolls her eyes and figures if Xiao Li can stand on her own after her ordeal more power to her.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Kevin Cliffe: “Great...either they're too far away or there's too much noise, but I don't think I'm getting a return on the ping... Just hope that we get Xiao back one way or another...preferably alive and intact.” He punches up the nav display and does a radial plot for the shuttle range... “Okay. I sent out radar pings here, here, and here...”

Roland Josephus: “She's got to be close.. Limited range on that shuttle... What close that she'd head to?”

Shen Jiutai: Heck, would that thing even make it to the planet?

Kevin Cliffe: “Well...if she's as clever with machines as she says she is, maybe. All I know is if we can't get Xiao back, our best bet is to hunt her down and find out where she'd get to.” He scans the display...

Roland Josephus: Buzz the captain, and see if anyone knows where she headed?

Rae Overholt: So, our shuttle. What heading did it take?

Kevin Cliffe: “She couldn't dogleg her course if she wanted to make it to any planet...that narrows it down. Shuttle can't go hard burn, that narrows it down...”
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Fan Newall pulls one of the nicer fuzzy sheets off of Li Mei's canopy bed and drapes it over her shoulders. Then she crowns herself with some sort of ornate bowl that she imagines the companion uses for some kind of dumb tea or wine or incense burning ceremony. Standing in the middle of the shuttle's cabin, she proclaims herself queen of the shuttle and all space within sensor distance!
Fan Newall, having exhausted her options, sits down in the middle of the shuttle's floor. She's been trying to keep herself occupied to milk her newfound sense of freedom for all it's worth, but as boredom begins to set in, she can no longer deny the guilt nagging at her. She's spent so many years cultivating her anger toward Xiao Li that she had forgotten about the friendship and affection. She pulls her legs up close to her chest and leans her chin down on her knees as the stars pass by outside the shuttle's viewport. Her voice is barely a whisper, but it carries across the vast emptiness of space as clearly as a shout, which is to say it doesn't travel beyond the shuttle's hull at all. "I'm sorry, jie jie. I had to. I couldn't stay there anymore... You got out once. Maybe you'll do it again."
* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Roland Josephus nods, "Yeah.. she can't be far... Hour or so out for the shuttle? We can find her sure.."

Kevin Cliffe: “Please let there be a return ping... Wait a minute...” He tries something...if Xiao could see him now... HAH!

<><>Hacking into the Nav. Computer of Raven’s Shuttle #2 show it on a corse towards the closest planet, Georgia. The engines have been shut off and the shuttle is coasting on stored inertia. (Presumably to allow the short range shuttle to transverse the large distance from moon to planet)<><>

Kevin Cliffe:Damn, I can't believe I didn't see it before... maintenance access into the shuttle's nav system!

Rae Overholt returns to the ship and hits the com button, "We got anything? Got her?"
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Fan Newall wraps the blanket tighter around herself. She has turned life support down to squeeze every ounce of power out of the shuttle as it coasts to its destination. Through chattering teeth, she passes the time singing to herself. "You who are on the road must have a code that you can live by, and so, become yourself, because the past is just a good bye.…”
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Kevin Cliffe: WOOHOO!

Roland Josephus: You find her?

Rae Overholt: Needs patching up though.

Kevin Cliffe: You got her back? Niska actually sold her back?! We don't have to chase her down? Cool...wow. Ready for some more good news?

Xiao Li Marshall leans heavily against the wall of the cargo bay.

Rae Overholt: Med bay Xio Li.

Kevin Cliffe: “Maybe not as good as getting Xiao back without needing an assault...but...I got a bead on our missing shuttle. Ta ma de, I can't believe I didn't see it before. Actually it's Xiao who knows this stuff better than I do but...”

Sean M. attends the wound on Xiao Li's side, and wipes the dried blood from her face. “Who's blood is that?”

Xiao Li Marshall flinches and squirms at each touch. "'M fine, stop *touchin'* me..."

Kevin Cliffe: Airlock clear and sealed?
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Fan Newall is unaware that Xiao Li is back aboard Raven and that the crew has tracked the shuttle. Unable to sleep, she changes to a Chinese song whose title translates to "Where is my friend?" It's a simple child's song that begins, oddly, with counting. "Yi er san si wu liu qi. Wo de pengyou zai nali? Zai zheli! Zai zheli! Wo de pengyou zai zheli."
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Kevin Cliffe: “The track and maintenance channel shows the shuttle on a drift course. She's run up her engines and cut them to drift to...Georgia.” He keys the comm: "Sky-Plex, this is Raven, ready to release. Requesting departure."

Sean M. finishes bandaging Xiao Li, "Ok, I want to see you in 2 hours, Dong Ma?"

Xiao Li Marshall just grunts and marches out of the infirmary, heading for the galley.

:::Firefly Class Transport you are cleared for departure:::

Kevin Cliffe: “Release on my mark...mark.” He fires docking thrusters, easy does it, get some clearance, no sense in pissing someone off who already has firepower drawn and sighted in... He brings the ship about...it's not too much different from Gaia's Hope, really, one is just a scaled-down chassis of the other...and lines up the course track, enters the data to pursue...

Shen Jiutai goes to secure the remaining booze crates that she has stored onboard.

Kevin Cliffe: “Going for hard burn.” He burns clear....and opens her up, with the ship lighting up and leaping into the void in pursuit.

Rae Overholt sits there and waits for them to catch up, plotting what she'll do.

Kevin Cliffe keys the comm..."Cap'n, is Xiao Li okay to come to the bridge?"

Xiao Li Marshall steps into the galley long enough to grab the biggest bottle of the foulest liquor they have on board before tromping back to her bunk.

Rae Overholt: No Kevin.

Kevin Cliffe: Can she at least hack the shuttle from where she is?

Xiao Li Marshall leans back out into the fore hallway. "Say what?"

Rae Overholt: Why do you want her to do that? Can we not catch it?

Kevin Cliffe: We can catch up, but docking is another matter. We want the shuttle and crew alive, right?

Rae Overholt: That's debatable.

Kevin Cliffe: I can handle the helm for now but Xiao's a way better hacker than I am. It's a long way from just pinging on the maintenance port. We need to seize control of the shuttle and force it to land and dock, or at least make her stop.

Xiao Li Marshall: You got a bead on 'er?

Rae Overholt nods, "OK, XIAO LI, get your butt up here and earn your 665 creds."

Kevin Cliffe: Two minutes and we've got line of sight.

Xiao Li Marshall: “Dang ran!” She runs up and hops into the pilot's seat--wincing and rubbing her bandaged side, but still.

Shen Jiutai reappears from the passageway to the Port Engine Compartment, and starts across the catwalk.

<><>Xiao Li, by hacking through the sub-commands of the Navigation Comp, and Helm control, is able to over-ride cockpit commands and take control of the shuttle <><>

Fan Newall feels the shuttle shudder as its velocity changes. Thrusters shouldn't be firing, but they are. With a curse, she walks slowly with joints stiff from the cold toward the cockpit only to find that the controls no longer respond.

Xiao Li Marshall patches through to the shuttle's comm system... "Guess who's back, 'mei mei'?"

Fan Newall sits very still, blinking in disbelief. "You... how?"

Kevin Cliffe: Good to have you back, Xiao. I thought we'd have to chase you all the way back to that camp, but damn if the Cap'n didn't pull off a miracle deal.

<><>The shuttle is returned to her mother-ship, and securely docked, locked and powered down.<><>

Shen Jiutai reaches the door first and pushes the buttons to equalize the pressure.

Kevin Cliffe makes his way to the catwalk...he too has a few choice words...

Rae Overholt stands up and gets hoer pistol ready, going for shuttle door to wait.

Kevin Cliffe has his pistol out as well...to think that she had him fooled.

Xiao Li Marshall steps in front of Rae and Kevin. "Oh no. She's *mine*."

<><>The shuttle doors open.<><>

Kevin Cliffe: Well I think we'd better have words before any sort of violence.

Rae Overholt curses, crosses her arms and throws a sulk.

Fan Newall feels a deep sense of dread as her heart sinks into her stomach. The sounds of people at the airlock door terrify her. As the doors slide open, the crew finds her huddled in a corner, eyes wide. “I WON'T GO BACK!”

Roland Josephus shrugs, "She tried to sell Xiao... It should be her call."

Shen Jiutai draws her weapon, aims it at the center of Fan's torso and squeezes off two rounds.

Xiao Li Marshall: “FUCK!” She jumps back, narrowly avoiding being hit herself. “What the HELL, Shen?!”

Kevin Cliffe: TA MA DE...what the hell was that?! MEDIC!!!

Shen Jiutai sneers down at the crumpled body on the shuttle floor. "Nobody messes with one of mine, bitch! Nobody!!!" She sends another bullet into Fan's head.

Fan Newall chokes on her next words. She has a moment of extreme peace during which the world around her slows down to a crawl. Her face twists into an expression of surprise first, followed by the sense that something is wrong. A moment later in real time, which seems like an eternity in her time, the pain sets in. Laying with her face against the floor as her life drains from two neat holes in her chest, her eyes strain to seek out Xiao Li's face in the crowd. Then there is darkness as Shen's final bullet makes Fan's brain into a grey mush within her shattered skull.

Xiao Li Marshall launches herself at Shen, attempting to push her to the ground and wrestle the gun away from her.

Roland Josephus crosses his arms across his chest, and looks over to the Captain.

Rae Overholt watches the whole scene with a curiously blank face.

Shen Jiutai holsters her weapon, and turns Xiao Li's tackle into a bear hug, holding her back from the body.

Kevin Cliffe holsters his gun..."'I won't go back,' she said..." He knows what he'd like to do...but he's not the one in charge...and it's not his call to make...so...he looks to Rae. "Your orders, captain?"

Rae Overholt: Guess someone has to clean it up.

Xiao Li Marshall struggles against Shen, yelling incoherently. "YOU! You--she--you just--" She dissolves into tears, sagging against Shen.

Rae Overholt turns to reguard Xiao Li, eyes unreadable.

Shen Jiutai holds Xiao Li upright and walks her from the shuttle, "I'll take care of it Cap'n, this one need some rest."

Kevin Cliffe nods..."I'll see if the doc has anything for cleaning up blood then...after that, then what?"

Rae Overholt: Guess after that we'll let Xiao Li decide. Burial or spacing. I'd think she'd want spacing herself after being under the ground most of her life.

Kevin Cliffe nods..."I can mind the helm until Xiao's ready to take her back again...if that's okay."

Rae Overholt: Sure.

Xiao Li Marshall just stares at the floor as she walks, tears streaming down her face.

"You'll get yours, Fan. Sooner than you think."

<><><>As Xiao Li regains consciousness, she discovers herself bound to the bed of Li Mei’s shuttle (it appears that companions have to be prepared for a variety of client experiences), without her cortex goggles, or anything else, aside from her clothing. After a few seconds it becomes apparent that the shuttle is not attached to Raven, but is flying on it’s own. From forward, the sound of a self-satisfied humming drifts out of the cockpit.<><><>

Xiao Li Marshall tugs at the restraints, gently at first, but with increasing urgency.

Fan Newall calls back from the cockpit when she hears the movements. "Morning, sleepy head!"

Xiao Li Marshall: FAN! You houzi de pigu! What the hell do you think you're doing?!

Fan Newall pokes her head into the rear cabin. "Right now? I'm flying. Probably better than you."

Xiao Li Marshall thrashes against her bonds, cursing a blue streak. “You are gonna DIE for this, you hear me??”

Fan Newall ducks back into the cockpit to check the controls and then comes back into the cabin and stands just a few feet from Xiao Li. "Don't struggle so, jie jie. You might damage yourself."

Xiao Li Marshall: You're gonna BEG for a slave-master's whip by the time I get done with you!

Fan Newall smiles thinly. "Big talk from a girl who's tied down. I suppose I understand why you're so upset. This keeps you from doing what you're best at. Running away!"

Xiao Li Marshall lets out a feral growl as she looks up at Fan. “Whad'you think you're gonna gain from this? Advancement? A place in the mansion as Rohan's latest sex toy? Another cunt for him to use up and kill when she gets inconvenient?? WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HELPING HIM?!”

Fan Newall spits on Xiao Li and snarls viciously. "I'm gonna gain my freedom, that's why! You think I'd consider being a slave-master's slut? -advancement-?" Fan narrows her eyes. "Why do you think I wanted to be like you, hmm? Do you think it was because I admired the one who ran away and left me behind? Keep dreaming. It was because I had to make myself useful as something other than a faceless cunt! I had to learn to hack and repair their machines so they'd stop raping me! What other good could a young female slave be in a mine? I couldn't keep up with the hard laborers..."

Xiao Li Marshall shakes her head. "You think they're gonna let you go if you bring me back? YOU'RE the one who's dreaming."

Fan Newall grins. "I'm not as small minded as you've become since you left, big sister. I'm not giving you back to them myself. I'm giving you back to somebody else who will return you to the mining colony. The price on you is higher than my value as a slave. The one who returns you will be more than able to pay for me with the reward, and then he'll keep the difference."

Xiao Li Marshall: So you're gonna go be a slave for someone else, is that it?

Fan Newall: No. He'll pay the mining colony what they think I'm worth, so they won't have a claim on me anymore, but he won't have a claim on me either. Terms of the agreement.

Xiao Li Marshall: An' we all know how much an agreement with a slaver is worth. You got in that mine same way I did, remember? Somebody promisin' you work on the Rim, gettin' away from the slums on the border worlds... That worked out GREAT, didn't it?

Fan Newall shrugs. "I can't just let things stay the way they are. You got out and left me behind. Now it's time for me to look out for number one. Sorry."

Xiao Li Marshall 's expression softens for a moment. "If there was any way to get anyone else out, you know I would have, mei mei."

Fan Newall walks over and begins rummaging idly through the companion's things. "Yes, I'm sure you would've. You and your friends on Raven are just one big pack of do-gooders, huh? Fat lot of good it's done you."

Xiao Li Marshall says nothing, but shifts in her bonds, trying to find a weak point or a way to work loose.

<><><>Xiao Li hears the signal of the comm, a wave transmission; incoming. Fan disappears forward to the cockpit to take the call. After Fan talks her way past the administrative assistant, Xiao Li hears the slow and deliberate voice of an older man with a Chezk accent. With an almost grand-fatherly demeanor, there is a sinister determination conveyed by the crime-lord Adelai Niska.<><><>

Xiao Li Marshall goes pale. "Wo de tian a..." She thrashes harder against her restraints.

Fan Newall calls into the cabin during a brief lull in the conversation. "I told you, no struggling, jie jie! Mister Niska doesn't deal in damaged goods! Besides... I grew up in a slave labor mining colony. You think I don't know how to tie somebody up?"

Xiao Li Marshall: “An' I got OUT of a slave labor colony, by my own-self. What does that tell you?” She flexes her wrists, trying to work the knot to a point where she can grab it between her fingers...

Fan Newall comes back out of the cockpit smiling, with a bounce in her step. "Hey, Xiao! You'll be happy to know you're worth a whole 600!"

Xiao Li Marshall: So little? Business must be slow for ol' Wallace.

Fan Newall frowns, seeing that Xiao Li has made some progress on her ropes. "If I were Wallace, I wouldn't want you back that bad either. But I don't need him to pay a fortune for you. I only need him to pay more for you than he'd pay for me."

Xiao Li Marshall: Well, congratulations. Too bad you ain't gonna live to collect.

Fan Newall goes through Li Mei's things until she finds one of the swords that the companion owns. She hefts it in her hand and gives it a couple of graceless swings. She's got no formal training, but she's got a sure hand and enough sense to know that the sharp end goes into your opponent. "Fancy whore's got some good taste in blades. Now you quit wiggling, or I'm gonna give you a neat new air hole. I gotta tie you down better..."

Xiao Li Marshall: You want me dead or not? Make up your gorram mind.

Fan Newall shushes Xiao Li like a child. "I want the same thing you wanted years ago. I want you to walk out of my life for good. But this time, we're gonna be on opposite sides of the slaver's fence." She holds the point of the sword against Xiao Li's side, pushing just enough to cause distinct discomfort through the pilot's clothes as she uses her other hand to tug at the ropes, repositioning them on Xiao Li's wrists. She gives Xiao Li a rough poke for good measure as she leans down and uses her teeth to hold one end of the knot and her free hand to pull it painfully tight.

Xiao Li Marshall abruptly rears up, heedless of the sword cutting through her, and bites at Fan's ear.

Fan Newall yells and curses loudly as she feels Xiao Li's teeth pierce the skin and cartilage of her ear. She resists the urge to bolt upright and damage her ear further while it's stuck between Xiao Li's teeth. Instead she gives the sword a firm push, piercing through Xiao Li's clothing and into the flesh between her ribs. She stops when she feels the razor sharp point strike the pilot's ribs. She doesn't want to go through to her chest and major organs. "LET. ME. GO!"

Xiao Li Marshall growls again, not moving an inch.

Fan Newall struggles to slow her frantic breathing down and regain control of the situation. The pain blossoming out from her ear and the glaze of hot tears in her eyes are clouding her concentration, but she takes two deep breaths and decides it's now or never. All at once, she jerks her arm back, freeing the sword from Xiao Li's side. She doesn't have the skills or wrist coordination to bring it around with any precision, so she just holds it out behind her and away from Xiao Li as she abruptly straightens out her waist to stand back up, howling with pain as she leaves Xiao Li with a mouthful of skin, a bit of cartilage, and a trickle of blood. Stumbling back a few steps, she finally regains her footing. With her free hand on her bleeding ear and the sword held out rigidly in front of her with one shaking hand, she glares at Xiao Li. "You... you bit me! You bitch!"

Xiao Li Marshall spits out the piece of ear. “You know it. That's how *I* kept from bein' ‘another faceless cunt.’ By being the meanest chusheng xai-jiao de xiang huo in the mine.”

<><><>As the proximity alarm sounds from the flight controls, Fan once again disappears forward. Some time later, after a rather clumsy docking, the shuttle is quiet and Fan returns to the cabin.<><><>

Fan Newall returns to the cabin after the docking, which -she- thinks was flawless. She glances at the lost bits of her ear splat unceremoniously against the fine rug that Li Mei has used to cover the shuttle's cold floor. "There's different kinds of mean, jie jie. You're just stupid and ornery. I'm crafty, and a little bit cold. Looks like today, my brand of mean trumps yours." She goes over to the airlock hatch to await the arrival of the folks who will take XIao Li off her hands and carry Fan one step closer to freedom.

Xiao Li Marshall mutters quietly, "You'll get yours, Fan. Sooner than you think."

<><><>Fan opens the hatches to the airlock and three large and heavily armed Sky-Plex guards enter the shuttle. One of them frisks Fan, and then escorts her out of the shuttle.<><><>

Fan Newall grins and waves a cheerful goodbye to Xiao Li as she's escorted out.

<><><>The other two guards untie Xiao Li, and with professional efficiently, handcuff her and put a sack over her head. She feels herself pulled to her feet and marched through a series of halls with twists and turns before being forced into a room where her cuffs are linked to an overhead suspension point. The sack is removed from her head, and through a doorway she can see Fan and an older gentleman sitting at a desk, deep in conversation.<><><>

Xiao Li Marshall writhes and snarls like a mad alley cat all the way, but can't break the guards' grip.

Fan Newall leans slightly forward and leans on the table with a hint of a smile on her lips. "Perhaps you would be kind enough to refuel my shuttle, so I can leave here. You have what you want, and she and I have said our goodbyes."

Niska: “I see great promise in you, you did not cheat Wallace, but bought your freedom. You are solid. Here is how to contact me, let me know when you are able to work for me. My boys will help you with your shuttle.”

Fan Newall grins broadly. "Thank you, sir. You'll be hearing from me soon, I'm sure."

Fan Newall is led back to Li Mei's shuttle... her shuttle... to await her departure.

Xiao Li Marshall hisses "Burn in Hell, bitch" at Fan as she passes.

Rae Overholt sets her glass down, with a quiet, "To us."

<><> As the Raven crew makes their way back to the spaceport, they can see Jake the Flake speeding out the gate with his mule listing heavily and beginning to spark and smoke.<><>

Rae Overholt says a curse word under her breath and hopes the cans don’t fall off and break open.

Kevin Cliffe: Did anyone ask what was in those barrels?

Rae Overholt: Yes we did Kevin.

Shen Jiutai looks to Kevin, "Chlorol-Hyrdo-Clotonate or something..."

Sean M. Writer: It's a major irritant. They used to use it for crowd control in the prison camp system.

Kevin Cliffe: Tear gas?

Sean M. Writer: No, it's a smell and vomit agent.

Kevin Cliffe: Puke gas?

Sean M. Writer: Puke gas. Overexposure, you pass out like you drank a liter of vodka made from rotten potatoes.

Kevin Cliffe: So...a liter of vodka, then.

<><> The Ravenites pass through the guard-house where their biometrics are checked against their entry to the colony and their visitor badges are collected. The small man who processes them from time to time reaches over to the terminal on his desk to press a button, each time he does so, “Welcome to Wallace’s Mining Consortium. Please turn control of your helm to our Spaceport Command.” is heard over the monitor behind the desk.<><>

Rae Overholt turns and eyes Gabe at the sound.

Xiao Li Marshall, up on the bridge, fidgets restlessly, eager to be out of this place as quickly as possible.

Roland Josephus: You see him?

Sean M. Writer: Same side effects--potential brain damage, blood poisoning, liver failure...

Kevin Cliffe: Do the gas effects also include hallucinations of people trying to turn themselves inside out?

Sean M. Writer: Not that I know of... Then again.… I've never hung around to find out. The smell was usually enough to make us clear out.

Kevin Cliffe: Well, we'll need to tie these things down.

<><>Upon approaching Raven, The Captain, First Mate, Doctor, Companion and Cook find Roland, the Mechanic pondering the rusting pile of barrels that have been unceremoniously dumped inside the cargo bay.<><>

Kevin Cliffe: Yeah. Definitely need to tie these things down.

Rae Overholt: Well hop to it.

Shen Jiutai walks up to the barrels, "Which one is she in?"


Sean M. Writer: I'd suggest welding them all together if I didn't think that'd perf them...knock on them 'til you find the hollow one.

Shen Jiutai goes from barrel to barrel, knocking on them, looking for Fan.

Kevin Cliffe goes to his stateroom and comes back with a heavy set of gloves, a can of hull sealant foam, a mass spectrometer for picking up gas leaks...

Fan Newall sits with her limbs folded up close to her body. The barrel's almost empty, but she can smell a trace of the fumes from the barrel's previous contents through her mask. She's eager to get out, so she taps back when she hears Shen knocking.

Rae Overholt: Good job.

Kevin Cliffe: Never can tell when there's something that'll leak on something I'm working on...*he calibrates it to the room air, then sweeps it over each barrel, waiting for the needle to twitch...if it does, he puts a squirt of sealant on the hole, and rolls each barrel carefully to the wall where it can be tied down and secured*

Fan Newall taps again, more urgently. She's not a claustrophobic person, but she's definitely over this barrel.

Shen Jiutai stands up, "Over here!!"

Rae Overholt walks swiftly over and begins to help with the barrel.

Fan Newall puts her arms out to brace herself as the barrel begins to move. She raps gently with her knuckles against the top of the barrel and utters a muffled shout through her mask. "Contents fragile! This end up!"

Shen Jiutai looks to the Captain, can we get airborne already? I hate the idea of opening this thing in here, can we put her in the airlock by the cargo door?

Kevin Cliffe: *Roll roll tie down...*

Sean M. Writer: Uh... get her out first. We can isolate the bay with the outer door open, right?

Rae Overholt nods and presses the coms, "Pilot get us off this rock!"

Fan Newall knows that there's somebody outside the barrel, but she can't hear what's going on well enough to figure out why she's still inside. Fearing that somebody from the colony might've come aboard, she goes quiet and still again.

Xiao Li Marshall, who was pacing back and forth on the bridge, jumps back into the pilot's seat and starts the entry sequence.

Sean M. Writer: Jesus y maria...

Kevin Cliffe ratchets down the tie-downs on the last barrel...these things are not going to come loose until they want them to come loose...

:::This is Spaceport command, we hope your visit to Wallace’s Mining Consortium has been a pleasant one. Your ship has been cleared for departure, Please fly safely, and have a nice day.:::

<><>The Land-Lock that has been holding the ship’s nav systems hostage since landing, is lifted<><>

Xiao Li Marshall is already lifting off before the announcement finishes.

Fan Newall tries to breathe shallowly. Her respirator keeps the gas residue in the barrel from getting to her, but it's cramped and hot and stinking inside. She begins to rock gently as noise and vibration from outside the barrel threatens to nauseate her.

Kevin Cliffe mutters... "WMC, your partner in slave-based mining..."

Shen Jiutai pulls the barrel to the airlock door, "Can someone ask Xiao Li not to break atmo too quickly?"

Sean M. Writer sighs. "Can we get the pendejo barrel open please? "

Rae Overholt: Why's that Shen?

Kevin Cliffe: What, is she welded inside?

Shen Jiutai: 'Cause I wFan open this thing in the airlock, can we crack the ramp?

Rae Overholt nods and presses the coms again, "Hover us up here a bit Pilot, don’t take us out yet."

Kevin Cliffe: There still that much gas in the container?

Sean M. Writer: "Just pop the freakin' lid. She's gotta be ready to puke *without* the fumes...

Shen Jiutai struggles to open the door to the airlock, "Can someone give me a hand here?

Xiao Li Marshall reluctantly throttles back and reduces the angle of ascent.

Kevin Cliffe pushes the airlock actuator.

Shen Jiutai shoves the barrel through the hatch, follows it out and closes it behind her. She takes a deep breath of fresh air before prying the lid off of the barrel.

<><>Amid the swirling and rapidly dissipating green vapor, Fan manages to struggle out of the barrel and collapse on the floor of the air-lock.<><>

Shen Jiutai shouts into the comm, "She's here, but she don't look too good..." She closes the lid to the barrel.

Fan Newall tries to take several deep breaths to calm herself, but it's nearly impossible through her old respirator. She is trembling as the barrel is manhandled to the airlock, and when the seal cracks, revealing a thin beam of light, she is mightily relieved to see the Raven's crew.

Shen Jiutai opens the door and pulls Fan back inside the cargo hold...

Rae Overholt shouts back, "Get rid of the barrel, get her to med bay."

Sean M. Writer takes out a scalpel from his med-kit, and cuts through the suit to administer a quick anti-tox shot.

Fan Newall claws at her respirator to pull it off her face and takes several deep breaths, allowing the Raven's doctor and crew to do all the talking until she gets her bearings.

Shen Jiutai: "That could not have been pleasant." She says as she closes the Cargo-bay ramp. "OK Xiao Li, we're sealed up here. Cap'n?"

Rae Overholt: yup?

Shen Jiutai looks to Rae, "Nothin', just we're all sealed up here, I reckon there's nothing keeping us here, is all."

Xiao Li Marshall holds back on the throttle, waiting for orders.

Rae Overholt: Then out to the black. She hits the com again, "Take us out Xiao Li."

Xiao Li Marshall: Dang ran, Cap'n! She pulls back on the throttle and the Raven fairly rockets into the black.

Kevin Cliffe: One slave freed, a bazillion more to go.

Li Mei heads to the galley to make some tea.

Shen Jiutai holds onto something, and looks at Fan, "You OK Kid?"

Kevin Cliffe punches the comm. "Cargo is tied down, it's not moving unless we let it move. I can't say much for the integrity of the containers but I tried to find and patch what I could."

Rae Overholt turns and grins at Fan as well.

Fan Newall is regaining her balance and clearing her head as the Raven gets a kick in the pants from her pilot. As she lurches, she curses gently and looks around. "Hey! Is this the pilot's first time?"

Xiao Li Marshall waits until they're well clear of Ezra before throttling down and setting the Raven on autopilot.

Kevin Cliffe: So... Fan, right? how's it feel to be free?

Fan Newall rubs her temples. "Oooh... remind me never to fly in barrel class again."

Shen Jiutai takes Fan's arm, "Come on let's get you sitting down," She leads Fan upstairs.

Li Mei returns from the galley with a cup of tea and hands it to Fan, "Here, you look like you could use this."

Xiao Li Marshall takes a deep breath, lets it out, then stands and walks out of the cockpit, heading toward the cargo bay. She meets Shen and Fan halfway up the stairs.

Kevin Cliffe: Xiao, you seemed a bit anxious to get us clear of there...

Xiao Li Marshall glares daggers at Kevin. "You want me to drop you back down there?"

Fan Newall looks up and grins broadly as Xiao Li enters the bay. "Hey! Maybe next time I can give taking off a try! I mean... if that's OK with you."

Kevin Cliffe seems unfazed..."you want that stuff rupturing in the cargo bay?" He nods towards the secured barrels.

Xiao Li Marshall smirks. "On someone else's ship, maybe."

Rae Overholt smirks at Xiao Li's comment and makes her way around the bay, checking over everything.

Kevin Cliffe shrugs...he could think of a few people whose ship he'd like a barrel of puke gas rupturing on... “Hey Fan...I hope you're not allergic to cats.”
Xiao Li Marshall 's smile softens a little. "Good to have you here, mei mei."

Fan Newall stands up straight so Xiao Li won't see that she doesn't have her space legs yet. "Good to be out of that barrel, jie jie."

Kevin Cliffe leans to Shen as he heads up to the galley deck..."If you want me to make her something to protect herself, firearm, tazer, something like that, I'll whomp one out, just say the word."

Shen Jiutai nods to Kevin, "Good , I'll let you know."

Fan Newall takes a deep breath and does her best not to wobble as she walks over to Xiao Li with a bright smile. "So when do I get to start helping out, hmm?"

Xiao Li Marshall: When you ain't wobblin' like you've just been doped, that's when.

Shen Jiutai looks to Fan, "Why don't you start in the Galley..."

Kevin Cliffe flomps in one of the chairs, reaching out to give Nigel a scratch behind the ears, and he looks up at Li..."Gettin' crowded in here."

Li Mei grins at Kevin, "Would you rather be alone on this ship?"

Kevin Cliffe: Meh... I've done alone when I still had Gaia's Hope. I like working with others better.

Fan Newall smiles lopsidedly and throws her arms around Xiao Li's neck and kisses her on the cheek, mostly because she's happy to see her, but partially so she doesn't fall over. "The galley?! That's easy stuff!"

Xiao Li Marshall flinches a little at the sudden display of affection, but lets it pass.

Shen Jiutai: "C'mon, Fan, this way..."

Fan Newall lets go of Xiao and walks over to Shen, a little more stable now that she's had time to get used to standing up again. "Well, ok... show me this galley. Maybe I can rig up somethin to make your stove work better!"

Kevin Cliffe: You're a machinist?

Fan Newall nods. "Yeah... tha's why those goons back at the mining colony were fooled so easy when I asked 'em for nonsensical doohickeys to check out the cargo." She beams and boasts just a little. "I practically kept that place runnin’!"

Rae Overholt trotts in and grabs a fruity oaty bar.

Shen Jiutai makes her way to the Galley, "Here kid, have a seat, I'll make some soup..."

Fan Newall plops down in a chair and looks around the galley. "Cozy boat..."

Kevin Cliffe: Well glad to meet you. I usually do the machinist work here...parts, weapons, I make 'em. Long as I have materials.

Fan Newall props her elbow up on the table and leans her face against her hand. "Shiny! Maybe I can help you!"

Xiao Li Marshall sags into a chair, popping open a bottle of Blue Sun Liquor.

Kevin Cliffe: “Maybe. ” He smirks as he tries to imagine... the double headache for the alliance, two people with military weaponry engineering secrets...

Rae Overholt leans against the counter eating her fruity oh bar.

Shen Jiutai brings a few glasses from behind the Galley, "Here let's have a toast."

Rae Overholt wanders over and takes one, holding it out.

Kevin Cliffe gets up and gets one for himself and another for Fan...

Xiao Li Marshall just lifts her bottle halfway, looking at Shen expectantly.

Li Mei takes a glass from Shen

Shen Jiutai: "Well, ya gonna pour some? I got more downstairs..."

Xiao Li Marshall: What, I gotta *share*?

Rae Overholt: Hell yeah you gotta share.

Fan Newall picks up her empty glass and holds it up to her eye so everything looks blurry. "It's a lil easier to toast when we got some drink..."

Shen Jiutai levels her gaze on Xiao Li, "You think that's all there is or something?"

Xiao Li Marshall rolls her eyes, but she's smiling as she starts pouring out drinks for people.

Fan Newall smiles. "Just a little, please. I'm still a bit queasy from the barrel ride."

Xiao Li Marshall pours out a smaller measure to Fan than to the others. "Careful, mei mei, this stuff's strong."

Fan Newall nods. "Kay, jie jie."

Xiao Li Marshall finishes pouring out, then looks back to Shen.

Shen Jiutai takes her glass and raises it in the air. "To us!" She looks to Rae.

Fan Newall raises her glass and looks from Rae to Shen. "To.... you!"

Kevin Cliffe raises the glass in agreement and adds..."to freedom!"

Roland Josephus crosses his arms across his chest, and lets out a deep breath.

Xiao Li Marshall nods and raises her glass. "To sticking it to that hun dan Wallace."

Fan Newall giggles and keeps her glass held high. "To Xiao Li! If I didn't wanna be like you, I wouldna been useful... an' I'd be dead or a whore by now!"

Kevin Cliffe: Can we raze his dwelling? Just a little?

Rae Overholt raises her glass and downs her drink.

Xiao Li Marshall: Too impersonal. I want that bastard to KNOW who's killin' him.

Shen Jiutai drinks to the toast.

Kevin Cliffe downs his as well...

Rae Overholt sets it down, with a quiet, "To us."

Li Mei raises her glass to her nose and sniffs it, shrugs, and downs the drink in one gulp.

Kevin Cliffe: Maybe if we paint the name on the bottom of the hull and land the ship on him.

Xiao Li Marshall downs the rest of the bottle.

Shen Jiutai: He ain't even on world now Kevin...

Rae Overholt: “What about that woman that hired us?” She starts pacing a bit. "Where can we find her?"

Roland Josephus looks over to Rae, "Its too late... I reckon the wave will beat us where ever we go.."

Kevin Cliffe: Xiao, you going to be okay to fly?

Fan Newall tosses back her glass and has a split second to regret it calmly before the after-burn makes her shudder and splutter. "Y... you were right 'bout this stuff."

Xiao Li Marshall: Ah, that's what autopilot's for, ain't it?

Shen Jiutai: Oh, that reminds me Cap'n, I should wire her her cut, I mean a deal is a deal...

Kevin Cliffe: Yeah. We use the Blue Sun stuff for degreasing engines, mostly. But the old engineer on this ship, her family made a moonshine that would melt lead.

Xiao Li Marshall: I think we still got a jug of it someplace, for emergency fuel.

Shen Jiutai pulls out her data pad and does a few quick calcs.

Rae Overholt sighs and silently adds the woman to her list, "I still want more information on her, incase she happens to be somewhere we might like to go one day."

Xiao Li Marshall nods. "Think I can manage that, Cap'n."

Kevin Cliffe: Frankly I wish we could liberate that whole mining camp...but it ain't a perfect 'verse.

Rae Overholt nods at Xiao Li. "Thanks."

Fan Newall looks down into her empty glass, feeling the effect of the small shot and the weight of Kevin's words. "With me gone... stuff's gonna start breakin’. They're gonna get meaner to the slaves they still got..."

Roland Josephus: Fightin’ for freedom is nice and all.. makes ya feel warm and fuzzy.. But it don't pay much at all... And I reckon even as we sit here feelin’ good about ourselves... Waves are goin’ out sayin’ how we stole from someone we was supposed to be workin’ for.

Kevin Cliffe: "Stole?" She's a human being, she's not an indentured servant under contract, and we ain't kidnappers.

Fan Newall puts her glass down and places her hands into her lap. "M... maybe if I'm that much trouble to you folks... and considering what's gonna happen to the ones we left behind... I mean... I appreciate the kindness y'all have done, but maybe you should send me back."

Rae Overholt shakes her head. "What's done is done."

Xiao Li Marshall: Yeah, they wanna claim theft of property, they're gonna have to put it out in the open that they're slavers, an' I expect the feds will want to have words with 'em.

Rae Overholt: Those suits, ones we wore in that wreck. No recorders in them are there? Video feed that is?

Xiao Li Marshall: Fan, when I lit out from that place, I never looked back.

Kevin Cliffe: Video feeds are server-side, on the ship.

Roland Josephus: You can work it out however you want.. She was owned.. right or wrong.. .. We took 'er... The reputation will still be out there that the Raven crew can't be trusted... Its hard enough findin’ work as it is... Now it will be twice as hard.

Fan Newall smiles at Xiao Li. "I know, jie jie. I know you'd never leave me if you had a choice. I just don't wanna get you and your friends in trouble."

Xiao Li Marshall snorts. "In my experience, we don't *get* in trouble, we *make* trouble."

Rae Overholt: Shouldn't be hard as long as we don’t traffic with anymore slavers. Or, if we can get some dirt to scare them into keeping quiet with.

Kevin Cliffe: Like the fact that they had slaves in the first place?

Xiao Li Marshall: Exactly.

Kevin Cliffe: What would it take to liberate that place?

Roland Josephus: Right... Big operation like that... Out there.. Alliance cracked down on it real quick didnt' it.. How long they been keepin’ slaves there?.... Xiao?... We're lucky if they dont' send bounty killers after us..

Kevin Cliffe sighs..."just a thought."

Xiao Li Marshall: Hey, *I'm* s'posed to be the pessimist here, Rol.

Fan Newall sighs and slumps in her chair a little. "Well, if y'all are gonna keep me on, then... I should at least make myself useful. I wanna help you for what ya did for me. I don't know a lot about ships, but I know some stuff you might need."

Li Mei nods at Roland, "In my experience, the Alliance doesn't exactly have a problem with slavery."

Kevin Cliffe: In my experience they don't have a problem with murder or cover-ups, either.

Roland Josephus nods, "But I reckon even slavers take exception to folks takin’ their property.. Even if they stole it themselves."

Shen Jiutai: Cap, I should still wire Miss Small her 455 credits, if we're gonna do something to her, at least she shouldn't see it coming...

Roland Josephus: I'd say she already knows.. Crew she hired ... She may be in hot water too.

Kevin Cliffe: Fan...if given the chance, would the slaves rise up against the masters?

19:41] Fan Newall looks over at Kevin. "Well... I mean, yeah, if they had some kind of advantage. But it'd take more than just getting them riled up. You'd have to show them that they had a chance. The guards may not outnumber them, but they got all the gas and weapons. We're cheap to replace. If the slaves try something and fail, they don't just get punished. They get liquidated and replaced."

Kevin Cliffe glances to the captain...

Shen Jiutai: Still, we did make a deal with her, even if we don't believe in what's she's doing, a deal is a deal, we should at least hold up our end of the bargain...

Rae Overholt nods at Shen.

Shen Jiutai starts punching in the transfer to Miss Small's account...

Fan Newall leans closer to Kevin, since he's the 'tech on board. "Look, I feel useless here. You guys have given me a new life. Back on the mining colony, I rigged up the air scrubbers so they'd work twice as long between filter changes. Helped a lot with air quality in the mines. Maybe I could do something to make ventilation maintenance on your boat easier?"

Kevin Cliffe nods..."well I may be the machinist, but the chief engineer on board is Roland. That kind of stuff you need to check through him. If you want parts made, that I can do." He looks to the captain, then back to Fan...."An advantage...would airborne cover with heavy weapons be advantageous enough?"

Rae Overholt stands there, staring at the floor, listening to it all quietly.

Kevin Cliffe already has an idea that the captain may veto the idea, very likely...and after all, she is in charge...but what Fan is telling him just doesn't sit well...

Xiao Li Marshall: Considerin' the slaves spend most of their time underground...

Fan Newall stands up. "If it's OK with you all, I'd like to go take a little rest. The barrel ride and that booze are catchin' up with me."

Roland Josephus: Let me explain somethen’ to you all.. It may not sound right, but its true.... Thick as all these hulls seems.. We ain’t flyin’ in a tank.. We're flying in a an eggshell.... It won't take much damage for us to be in a world of hurt.

Rae Overholt nods at Roland.

Fan Newall looks agitated as the crew discusses an operation to free the other slaves despite the possible risk to themselves. She looks around the room, her eyes lingering particularly on Xiao Li.

Kevin Cliffe: What, do you expect them to be flinging armor piercing missiles back at us?

Xiao Li Marshall: This ain't a military base, Rol. If it's anything like before, most of the security is based on keepin' the slaves *in,* not keepin' invaders *out.*

Roland Josephus: We aint' got armor.. We aint' a military craft.. We're a civilain craft... We aint' built to take any kind of shots.

Rae Overholt: We can't fight a whole moon.

Xiao Li Marshall: ...you *have* talked to Kevin 'bout the upgrades he made to this boat, right?

Roland Josephus: Half of which are dangerous...

Fan Newall excuses herself from the room, hoping to find some place quiet and distant from the bickering so she can clear her head for a moment.

Kevin Cliffe: Okay...ships generally have armor hulls because random micro-debris is murderous. a loose nut could gut a hull during an approach. But if they're going to shoot us, they have to find us first.

<><>From the cargo bay a thud is heard, and not long after a funny smell permeates the ship. Before anybody can do anything, the crew finds themselves unable to move, crumpled on the floor with their lungs burning.<><>

Kevin Cliffe: And if...IF we do this...oh ta ma...*HURL*

Xiao Li Marshall goes pale as she catches the smell. "Wo de ma... no..."

<><>As the crew drifts off into unconsciousness, Some can see a small figure wearing a gas-mask walk among them. The muffled sound of laughter and Fan saying, “This was too easy!” is the last thing they hear.<><>


<><>As the crew regains consciousness, they discover that not all systems are on line.<><>

Kevin Cliffe: “Unh...remind me never to touch that black sun crap...” He reaches for his holster, trying to make sure the gun is still there...

<><>Soon they notice that two people are unaccounted for, Fan and Xiao Li.<><>

<><>The helm does not answer, and no ready fix appears evident.<><>

<><>Shuttle #2 (Li Mei’s shuttle) is missing, and on the catwalk outside is laying a familiar looking pair of green cortex goggles.<><>

Rae Overholt shoots Fan a smile, hoping its filled with confidence.

<><><> It turns out that Jake's mule was all busted up, so he could not bring the waste to the spaceport. Fan and Whip escort the Ravenites through the security at the spaceport gates, where each is photographed (with a retinal scan) and issued large, visible ‘VISITOR’ tags, “To allow you re-entry to the spaceport,” the official explains. Once outside of the spaceport Fan leads the crew to an isolated and deserted section of the workers barracks. <><><>

Rae Overholt looks around, taking in everything she possibly can for future reference.

Fan: "We used to live here, before the leak... at least those of use lucky enough to see the sun.”

Rae Overholt: The Leak. What's the chances of this leakin’ on my boat?

Gabriel Keats stays close to Rae, taking his surroundings in, listening half-heartedly to the conversation around him.

Sean M. Writer: What's the exposure limit?

Li Mei mumbles something in Chinese about ruining a perfectly good dress.

Fan: “Well, take a look, I think they're pretty secure, and the effects didn't appear to be fatal...” She leads the crew around the corner, where a large pile of barrels with biohazard labels on them lay strewn about.

Sean M. Writer: Uh.... yeah. Anyone got a dosimeter on?

Gabriel Keats: "Well. That sight sure ain't comforting."

Li Mei stays well back of the containers.

Rae Overholt eyes them. "They don’t look too safe."

Sean M. Writer: Well, it's biohazard, not radioactive.

Li Mei: Somehow, that's not reassuring.

Rae Overholt: What were the effects of it?


Sean M. Writer: For all I know, it could be stored ships' sewage.

Gabriel Keats chuckles nervously to himself, mutters, "Ai ya, Rae, you gotta stand so ruttin' close to it?"

Li Mei: Again, not reassuring.

Rae Overholt: “Why? Think my standin’ here's gonna make it 'splode? We's gotta get it on the ship and someone's gotta stand much closer' n this.” She examines the drums, looking for any leaks or corroded areas.

Gabriel Keats: "That don't mean it's gotta be you." He also inspects the drums, though he really has no idea what he's looking for. Glowing green sludge, most likely.

Rae Overholt reaches out and tests the seal on one of the containers, looking skeptical. “Never did tell us what the affects were."

Sean M. Writer: “I could run a test...

Rae Overholt: Most likely wont let us have the time to do it.

Sean M. Writer: Or, I could just drink it and see what happens.

Rae Overholt snickers at his comment. "I say we get Whip ta drink from it."

Li Mei nods, "I agree with the captain."

Rae Overholt grins at Lena.

Gabriel Keats: "Thirded." He looks at the two of them, smiling

Sean M. Writer: That makes.… well, some sense.

Rae Overholt: we could serve it up at one of them there shindigs here. Tell 'um its a mixed drink.

Fan: Most of them are in good shape... and this one here is mostly empty...I'll just suit up, climb in, you all seal me in and I can use my comm from inside to tell Whip it's good to be picked up, I should go rig the comm so it appears I'm calling from the supply shed. All that happened when it leaked, was folks kinda got groggy and passed out, they just didn't want to live here after that... We just build some new homes further on down the road..."

Li Mei raises an eyebrow, "Did they ever want to live here?"

Fan: Well, it ain't like we got much of a choice... Wallace controls the air traffic near here pretty good... We're basically on our own.

Gabriel Keats: "Ain't that always the case?"

Rae Overholt shakes her head. "You folks don’t wanna be here? Why not everyone stand up or somethin’?"

Sean M. Writer: Maybe they don't want to lie down or somethin'.

Rae Overholt: Maybe they don’t.

Fan: Boss man made us live here and build our new shacks while we was still workin', after a twelve hour day.

Gabriel Keats: "Well, ain't he a right bastard?"

Rae Overholt: Boss man sounds real nice like.

Fan waves her arms in the direction of the screw's barracks, "They ain't all assholes, but some of them do enjoy the fact they have power over us."

Rae Overholt: You mind givin’ us a moment alone to examine these canisters?

Fan: “Not at all... I need to go get my suit and rig the comm in the supply shed to the comm in my suit, for that matter... ” She walks away.

Rae Overholt: Right then. Let's get this over with.

Sean M. Writer: Anyone have a straw?

Li Mei laughs

Sean M. Writer looks at the fine print. "May be harmful if swallowed."

Gabriel Keats: "You needed to read the ruttin’ side to tell that?"

Rae Overholt: That's our doc, space dementia.

Shen Jiutai crinkles her nose, "Cap'n, this stuff smells."

Rae Overholt continues to examine the containers. “Yeah, it does.”

Shen: "Gonna ruin dinner tonight? How long we gotta carry it?"

Rae Overholt: I say we dump 'um before we get good out of orbit, just as long as they don’t fall where they can find 'um or know we dropped 'um.

Sean M. Writer: "Hey, I just was reading. Doesn't mean that I *needed to*... But I left my copy of Jane Eyre back in the sick bay.”

Rae Overholt snickers.

Gabriel Keats: "Risk someone else comin' up upon this stuff? I mean, I know they're rusted-ass metal, but put a few of these in a shipping lane, get a pilot who don't know his head from his pigu, and I can see a shiny, stinky little mess happenin'."

Rae Overholt: Nah, I mean dump it on the planet, before we get out of orbit. Let 'er fall back down on some place no one lives.

Shen: Perhaps we should wait until we're out of the gravitational pull of the planet.

Rae Overholt: Alright.

Sean M. Writer: "How about we use them for a nice little game of Go? As in Go drop them on the person who gave us this damned job...”

Rae Overholt: That I wont argue with. She's on my list.

Shen Jiutai snickers.

Li Mei grins, "That would be appropriate."

Gabriel Keats looks at Rae, meets her eyes, face questioning, dark. "Sure'n she is."

Rae Overholt looks back, eyes cold as death, "I'd say so."

Shen Jiutai kicks one of the drums. “ Hey, Cap'n, at least we got around 500 creds after this!”

Gabriel Keats: "Ai ya, Shen, you gotta kick them? Yer foot's gonna go right through, and then we're humped."

Rae Overholt: Right. Thought we got closer to 700.

Shen: Well, we gotta wire that bitch her cut...

Rae Overholt: I say we lie about what we got.

Sean M. Writer remembers something. “ Ah, christ. anyone seen Poe?”

Shen: Is that wise? I mean it sounds like she does business with these folks all the time.

Rae Overholt: Or, meet her face to face to give her her "cut". ::her tone indicates cut might mean something entirely different from what Shen's meant.::

Sean M. Writer: “Ah, there he is...” He whistles and the crow lands on his shoulder.

Gabriel Keats walks over to Rae, face concerned. "You mean that gorram bird?--" And then there's a sudden flurry of Mandarin cursing.

Li Mei looks at the bird circling overhead, "Why did you let him off the ship?"

Shen Jiutai sneers at the bird for a moment, "Hey, let's see if he likes the stuff! Just kiddin' Doc."

Gabriel Keats: "Cat's first on the list. Ruttin' thing woke me up this morning."

Poe: Caw!

Shen: Did he fall down the ladder?

Poe: Caw!

Shen: Heck Nigel was sittin’ on my chest until around 4 am.

Gabriel Keats reaches for Rae's upper arm. "He sure did." He looks at the Doc. "Least the bird's quiet at night."

Sean M. Writer: That's because I give him bourbon.

Shen Jiutai giggles.

Gabriel Keats: "Reckon that's what we shoulda’ done with Petey?"

Shen: "Don't let Xiao Li hear you're feedin'the bird that an' not givin' her any!" She looks around, realizing she said the pilot's name.

Sean M. Writer shrugs. "Not familiar with parrot livers enough to say if it'd kill 'em or not, but how do you think I caught this one?

Rae Overholt looks to Gabe.

Sean M. Writer curses in a string of Basque.

Gabriel Keats squeezes her arm reassuringly, then looks at the Doc. "What in the hell was that?"

Sean M. Writer: Stupid bird.

Shen Jiutai looks all confused like at the stream of Basque from the Doc.

Rae Overholt gives him a small, tight smile.

Rae Overholt: Thought you docs would curse in latin.

Sean M. Writer grins. "Well, it depends who you do your residencies with...

Rae Overholt: I see.

Gabriel Keats , quietly, under his breath "I know, bao bei." He looks back at the rest of the crew, brain dropping back into the conversation.

Shen: Where are you from anyways Doc? I know nothin' 'bout you..

Sean M. Writer shrugs. "Here, there, everywhere. "

Gabriel Keats: "What about that time you helped those Buddhist nuns out on that colony offa Boros?" He grins, clearly pulling this shit out of his ass.

Li Mei looks incredibly bored and checks her nails.

Rae Overholt nods at Gabe, appreciating the sentiments.

Sean M. Writer: I worked in the infirmary of a core-world prison planet right out of med school. Mostly a bunch of terrorists... Basques, mostly. They thought it would be funny if they put a Spaniard in there as a Doc, old thinking and all... Of course, my family's Cuban, not spanish... so I taught them how to make Molotov's cocktails out of cooking oil. That went well. I learned a little Basque, mostly things like "Shit! I just burned my hands again."

Shen Jiutai nods in approval.

Li Mei squints at the doctor, "I wasn't aware cooking oil was explosive."

Shen: depends on the oil..

Sean M. Writer: "It's not the explosion you're going for, it's the sticky burn. Canola oil, for example, on fire, soaks into just about anything and keeps smoldering. And when you've got canned atmosphere... It's better than an explosion. It's like a neutron bomb.”

Shen: ...not to mention soma that stuff Blue Sun sells...

Li Mei: Ah ... well, I am suddenly hoping I never need your services as a doctor

Sean M. Writer laughs.

Li Mei: But I will keep you in mind the next time I need someone immolated.

Sean M. Writer: Well, it's like this...I also am very proficient at treating burns now.

Shen Jiutai laughs. "Good to know."

Gabriel Keats lowers his eyes, fixes them on the ground, keeps them shaded by his glasses.

Sean M. Writer: And then there was the time we broke loose some PVC pipe and used the methane vent to make a potato cannon...

Li Mei stares at the doctor for a moment, "What kind of medical school was this?"

Shen: Now, it ain't like a potato cannon is gonna hurt anybody...

Rae Overholt shakes her head.

Sean M. Writer: You know, a potato can knock a guy out clean through a riot helmet if it's the right size... Oh, this was residency.

Shen Jiutai smirks, "Radical kids, gotta love 'um."

Sean M. Writer: I went to med school on the government dime.

Li Mei shakes her head, "Did you ever actually practice healing anyone you didn't injure yourself?"

Sean M. Writer: "Oh, all the time."

Shen: And this was leading up to the war?

Sean M. Writer: Yeah. I was resident at a prison for a reason, ya know?

Shen: Really?

Sean M. Writer: They don't like anarchists in the fleet medical corps.

Shen: What, did you treat the POW's?

Sean M. Writer nods. “And then helped them harass the guards.”

Shen Jiutai wonders if the Doc saved the lives of any of her family.

Fan returns carrying an EVA suit bundled under her arm. "This thing is kinda old, but do you think it will work?"

Shen Jiutai looks at the suit, "Well, it ain't like you're going into the black."

Fan looks relieved, and looks at Sean M., "You're a Doctor, right?"

Gabriel Keats: "We got duct tape?"

Sean M. Writer checks his doc's kit. "I have some tape... I also have surgical super-glue."

Rae Overholt: Do what you can. We don’t have much time.

Fan waves him off, "It ain't that, it's just they put a chip under our skin, to keep track of us."

Sean M. Writer: Ah... Where? You have an.. ok.

Fan rolls back her sleeve. "It's somewhere around here." She points to a spot on her fore-arm.

Sean M. Writer takes the arm, and palpates it to find the chip. "This tamper-resistant at all?"

Fan: Not that I know of, no-one's tried that yet...

Sean M. Writer takes out a small bottle with a swab, and applies a small dose of a local anesthetic.

Gabriel Keats puts his right hand on a gun, suddenly nervous.

Sean M. Writer pulls out a surgical swiss army knife, and makes an incision just above the chip on the arm.

Fan grimaces as the blade pierces her flesh.

Sean M. Writer pushes the chip out carefully, using tweezers to remove it. “Well, this is a p.o.s. sub-dermal.…” He wraps it in gauze.

Fan sighs as the chip is removed, "Thanks, They might have sensed me going through the gate to the spaceport.”

Sean M. Writer bandages Fan's arm.

Sean M. Writer applies some surgical glue to the skin flap, and re-closes the bandage.

Gabriel Keats: "Ai ya. . ." He breaths again, hand relaxing.

Sean M. Writer: Ok, careful with that. I'll want to give you an antibiotic later just in case.

Fan starts to work herself into the suit, being careful of the dressing. "OK, wow, I've never actually had a doctor who cares about anything other than when I'm ready to work again."

Shen Jiutai helps Fan pull the suit over her shoulders and hands her the helmet.

Sean M. Writer looks at the suit to check for any obvious perfs

Fan looks a little nervous as she takes the helmet. She looks at Rae with a slight, hesitant smile.

Sean M. Writer: "The suit looks intact to me. Of course, I'm not a suit tech.”

Rae Overholt: Only one way to know for sure.

Shen Jiutai nods to the Doc, "Yeah, it's old, but... should be OK for this.."

Li Mei looks worried, "How long will she be in that?"

Rae Overholt shoots Fan a smile, hoping its filled with confidence. She hopes none of them die getting her in since they don’t have suits.

Fan contemplates the helmet with obvious fear in her eyes, "You guys are gonna take care of me, right?"

Rae Overholt: We got ya, no worries Mei mei

Sean M. Writer smiles confidently. "You're golden."

Fan slowly places the helmet over her head, Shen helps her seal it.

Shen: "Press the green buttons to get a positive pressure.”

Fan does as she is told, "I guess you guys might want to stand up-wind."

Sean M. Writer:“Okay, those of you not planning to take a dirt nap today...”

Gabriel Keats looks at Rae. "C'mon, Rae."

Rae Overholt nods.

Shen Jiutai follows the rest of the crew.

Fan waits for the Ravenites to move away to a safe distance, then opens one of the barrels, "Someone's gotta slam this lid down after I'm in!" she shouts.

Rae Overholt nods. "I'll do it."

Gabriel Keats: "The hell you will."

Sean M. Writer: OK... jesus y maria. fine, I will.

Fan climbs into the Barrel and slides the lid over her head.

Rae Overholt runs up and shoves the lid down, putting all of her weight on it, ignoring Gabe. She crinkles her nose at the smell but continues to press on the container, making sure there is a proper seal then calls over her shoulder, "Don't make sense to let our doctor get sick. We can't fix him."

Gabriel Keats sighs heavily. "Don't make sense for you to do it either, *Cap'n*"

Rae Overholt then dashes backwards, waiting for the smell to disapate. “Why not, you're fit for duty.”

Gabriel Keats: "That ain't the point."

A muffled voice comes from inside, "I just called Whip, he says Jake got the mule running again, they'll be here soon."

Sean M. Writer sighs.

Rae Overholt: “You can fuss at me later.” She calls out, "Okay."

Sean M. Writer: Somebody put *me* in a barrel.

Shen Jiutai holds her nose, "Yup, dinner's ruined."

Rae Overholt coughs a few times, nose still crinkled.

Sean M. Writer: “Ah...I know that sme...” He catches himself before he reflexively vomits.

Rae Overholt: Let's just hope the smell fades so's they don’t notice it.

Gabriel Keats doesn't react to the smell; his mood, however, is equally foul.

Sean M. Writer: They used to use that for crowd control.

Rae Overholt looks sideways at Gabe, face showing mild irritation due to her lack of understanding what the fuss is.

Rae Overholt: Reckon it'd control me if'n I was in a crowd.

Sean M. Writer: That gives me an idea. Unfortunately, I don't see enough components for a catapult here.

<><> Whip Cracker and Jake the Flake cruse up in a mule that is slightly listing to port.<><>

Whip: "That little slave girl said youse guys were gonna take this stuff, I reckon I owe her a 'special gift' for that idea."

Rae Overholt: I'm sure she'll be thrilled.

Gabriel Keats: "Bet if you gave X-- our pilot the coordinates, she could work it out to sling it on 'em. She's a whiz that way."

Jake starts piling the barrels onto the mule, not taking much care with the condition of the containers, or the contents.

Sean M. Writer watches Jake load nonchalantly.

Rae Overholt: “That leaks before we get out of atmo We're droppin’ it on your asses.” She crosses her arms and glares.

Whip walks up to Rae, "OK, I got the transfer all set, Now just give me the account, and I'll process it."

Rae Overholt motions to Shen.

Whip: "Now why would you say a thing like that?"

Rae Overholt: Cause you're not bein’ careful and you don’t give a care.

Whip, "Jake, be a little more careful there, You could gas me!"

Sean M. Writer: I hear that stuff makes a lovely bath additive.

Jake slows down and only drops the Barrel with Fan in it with half of a thud.

Whip:"Ya got the account number?"

Rae Overholt: Shen?

Jake finishes up loading the barrels, and without waiting for Whip or anybody else, speeds off in the direction of the Spaceport.

Shen Jiutai looks to Gabe, then the Cap'n, "Oh, yeah, right here..."

Shen and Whip sync their data-pads, "OK that looks good." She says.

Gabriel Keats discreetly reaches into his pocket, pulls out a slip of paper, hands it t o Rae.

Rae Overholt takes the paper and looks at Gabe.

Whip, "OK cutie, there you go, now if you want some more runs, next time you're in the Georgia System... look me... er us up." He leers at Rae.

Rae Overholt gives him a twisted smile. "Oh I'm sure I'll look you up."

Shen Jiutai scowls and pulls away from Whip, "We got the money, Cap. nothin' else keepin' us here."

Rae Overholt: I agree.

Sean M. Writer sighs. “And, gee, I thought this place would be great to set up a family practice...”

Gabriel Keats looks at Rae without speaking, temper waning.

Li Mei follows in silence.

Shen Jiutai watches the crew head towards the spaceport and follows.

Sean M. Writer: There does seem to be a shortage of canola oil, though.

Rae Overholt: Shame that.

Li Mei graons at the doctor.

You've got all the help you need here, mei mei.

The Story So Far: When we last saw our intrepid explorers, they had landed in the mining colony where Xiao Li had been a slave. Whip Cracker, was negotiating with Shen over the cargo. Rae Overholt was stewing in the background and plotting. Xiao Li was having a minor panic attack on the bridge.

Shen Jiutai gestures to the merchandise, "Look, Why don't you confirm with your Boss about this stuff.."

Whip Cracker clears off the com-link, looking less than pleased. "Wallace is off world... but it's a check.. we need it."

Rae Overholt: Yeah, why don't you have her trot on down to meet us like she said she'd do?

Shen Jiutai looks to Rae, "Actually Cap'n I think she wanted the her cut wired to her... she gave us the account.."

Xiao Li Marshall shifts restlessly in her seat in the cockpit, wishing she'd bought that hip flask she'd meant to buy after the last gig.

Rae Overholt frowns.

Shen Jiutai opens a case and starts fiddling with a dial, "This sure is some fine lookin' gear here..."

Rae Overholt kicks a box. "reckon if they don’t want it we can offload it somewhere else. Plenty of colonies be proud ta get it."

Whip Cracker folds his arms, looking over at the one that seems to be running the show. "That's just more fuel burnt... we need it...just hold your horses." He picks up the com-link again. “Jake... find that damn slave girl what knows this go suh.... tell her to hurry her ass up.”

Shen Jiutai glances to the Captain, then back to Whip, "You let a slave use this stuff?

Whip Cracker smirks, "You don't think we're gonna do the work, do ya?" He brings a cigarette to his lips, lighting a match on the nearest crate. "That's what slaves are for, girly."

Rae Overholt: 'magine that. Takes a little girl to do a man's job here.

Shen Jiutai's eyes narrow on Whip, "I kinda thought that was something the authorities frowned upon."

Whip Cracker eyerolls. "You here to sell or here to lecture?" he asks gruffly. "Ain'a person on this dustball that ain't here legal and all... they can't pay their bills, they can dig."

Shen Jiutai shuts up and nods her head. After a pause, "So I guess everyone here is just a paycheck or two away from the mines then?"

Rae Overholt crosses her arms and looks at him. The look says she isn’t one to be fooled so easily and she knows the con he's runnin’.

Whip Cracker says flatly, "Such is life on the rim... " He draws deeply from the cigarette, then blows a billowing cloud skyward. Tendrils of smoke continue to trail from the cigarette, carrying the smell throughout the hold.

Li Mei coughs.

Rae Overholt: You can step outside to finish that.

Shen Jiutai: If you don't mind waiting out side for a sec... we'll just have a small chat, if that's OK with you...

Whip Cracker drops the butt to the deck, snuffing it with a toe. "No need", he says quietly, turning to walk out onto the ramp. The com comes to his lips again, and with unmistakable impatience, he shouts, "JAKE! GET HER OUT HERE IF YOU HAVE TO BEAT HER ALL THE WAY UP THE RAMP!"

Shen Jiutai watches the small-time tyrant leave, "Cap'n I think this Hu-dan is going to try to talk us down, We’re already short two cases.”

Rae Overholt: He ain’t gettin’ nothin’ unless he pays our price. I think we should charge him extra for the work our O2 scrubbers are gonna have to do to get his stink out of the air.

Shen Jiutai: and I didn't like the way he was eyeing the condition of the ones that were closest to the blast...

Rae Overholt: Well then distract him.

Shen Jiutai scowls, "Yeah, How?"

Rae Overholt: jiggle for 'im. I don't care. Or maybe Li here?

Shen Jiutai frowns, "Yeah, right!"

Rae Overholt: Think he's got enough fake class to try to be charming to a companion Li?

Shen Jiutai: What did that woman pay us for this trip?

Li Mei smiles, "I believe I can keep him occupied for a bit."

Rae Overholt: Would you mind? ::she smiles at Li::

Shen Jiutai looks to Li Mei, "Yeah, at least she has something to jiggle." She folds her arms across her chest, a little self-consciously.

Li Mei grins and nods her head, "I'd be glad to help. But you owe me for this, Captain."

Rae Overholt giggles despite herself at Shen. “I owe a lot of people, no big surprise.”

Li Mei heads out of the cargo bay to have a discussion with Whip. Portions of the conversation drift into the cargo bay: "No, I was just bored and decided to get some fresh air... And your ‘nethers’ as you so colorfully call them, are the least of my concern."

Whip Cracker nods, turning away to look out over the landing pad. He says nothing, though he can't help but to sneak another peek. He lets the comment slip right on past, deciding instead to ask, "So what is it you do aboard this... ship?"

Li Mei notices Whip peeking at her, but pretends not to notice. Looking back at the ship she says, "I conduct my own affairs, I am merely a renter of a shuttle, not a crew member of that ... ship."

Whip Cracker grumbles, "Where is that girl? I can't be standin' around all night with this... there's work to do."

Fan makes her way through the security gate, with Jake as her escort, as they get near enough to Whip, Jake waves and Fan proceeds towards the Firefly. She walks up to Whip, "Yeah, What is it?"

Whip Cracker looks up as they approach, a scowl on his face. "Get your ass inside and look over that gear! You got five minutes to tell me what it's worth."

Fan rolls her eyes a little, "What in the 'Verse are you talking about?"

Whip Cracker smiles over to Li Mei, "So hard to find decent help these days... enough to drive a man batty." He gives the girl a shove towards the vessel, pushing her along. "Inside! Hurry up!"

Xiao Li Marshall has taken to pacing restlessly across the bridge.

Fan walks towards the ship, "Yeah, right, whatever..."

Li Mei follows Whip back inside the Raven.

Fan looks around the Cargo bay, as if she had never been inside a ship before, or at least for ten years.

Rae Overholt watches the girl, face blank.

Whip Cracker points Fan towards the crates, "I need to know if this go suh is worth what they're askin'" He gives her a pat on the ass, letting his hand linger a little longer than polite.

Rae Overholt: So I reckon this here girl who's what? 18? Couldn't pay her bill what? When she's about 15? And it got her a slavery tag in the mines? ::she gives Whip a flat look::

Fan glances at the cook, and the captain, her eyes linger on the fine clothing of the companion. She jumps at Whip's touch, "Ya know accidents happen all the time...ah never mind..."

Fan opens one of the boxes and shakes her head.

Whip Cracker folds his arms again, smiling at Rae without saying a word.

Xiao Li Marshall 's pacing has extended down the fore corridor, far enough that she can pick up bits of what's being said in the cargo bay...

Rae Overholt 's eyes go strangely blank as she looks at Whip, adding him to her mental list.

Fan goes to next box, breaks the seal, opens it and powers the scanner up. She fiddles with the dials, "Yeah... these things look like they're in good enough shape, it's just I can't tell for sure..."

Whip Cracker frowns, "Why not?"

Fan moves to the next case, "Well the sensors ain't calibrated on the electromagnetic spectrum... I'm gonna need the Analytical Reference Diagnosis Meter." She Grins, “You wouldn't mind getting that for me, would you... that security guard gives me the creeps."

Rae Overholt looks to Fan.

Fan grins as Whip walks out of the cargo bay.

Rae Overholt: Well?

Xiao Li Marshall stands in the fore stairwell, just out of sight.

Fan turns to Rae, "I thought he'd never leave!"

Rae Overholt: Me too.

Fan smiles, "This gear is in perfect shape... no problem there... it's just... well... Hi, I'm Fan."

Rae Overholt: I'm Rae.

Rae Overholt: This here is Li, That there is Shen.

Shen Jiutai looks at Fan, "Hi."

Li Mei bows her head slightly at Fan and smiles, "A pleasure to meet you, Fan."

Fan lowers her voice and steps closer, "Who's the Captain of this boat?"

Rae Overholt: That'd be me.

Fan grins, relieved by the kind look on Rae's face. "Well, I know I work here and all... but it's not like I chose to come here, if you catch my drift..."

Rae Overholt: Oh I catch it. You thinkin we can get you out of here somehow?

Fan gestures to the scanners, "I guess 'cause I can use this stuff, they trust me a little, otherwise I'd never be left alone on a boat... but I guess they got you locked down tight..." Fan's eyes go wide, "Well... since you brought it up..."

Rae Overholt: And yeah, lockdown.

Fan waves to the expanse of the bay, "Man, a boat like this!!! I've only been on one once before... but ever since Xiao left... they're kinda careful."

Xiao Li Marshall jumps a little at the mention of her name.

Rae Overholt smirks at Xiao's name. "Famous is she? The only one what got away?"

Fan grins to herself, "Heck yeah!! Man was that something to see... she did it!!! She figured out how!!!"

Rae Overholt: And have you figured out how?

Fan looks down, "I can't do it alone, not like her... she could just learn the machines... well I did that too, and there's no way... not without help."

Rae Overholt: What kind of help?

Xiao Li Marshall finally steps out onto the catwalk. "You've got all the help you need here, mei mei."

Rae Overholt grins up at Xiao Li.

Fan looks to the Mechanic, Cook, Companion... Doc and Co-pilot "Well, we could figure somethin’ out... There's some waste needs haulin' away..."

Rae Overholt nods

Rae Overholt: How many folks you figure can smuggle out in a tub of waste.

Xiao Li Marshall: Not near enough. There were *hundreds* of slaves down in the mines when I was there.

Fan follows Rae's eyes and glances back to the catwalk, "How many? Heck we'd be lucky to just get me out!"

Rae Overholt: Well, its a start.

Fan sees Xiao Li, "You!!! Here again!!! OH MY GOD!!! If they saw you!!!"

Rae Overholt: ‘Preciate it if you wouldn’t yell it all out Fan.

Xiao Li Marshall: They won't as long as you don't go *advertisin'* that I'm here.

Fan is shaking, "You came back!!!" She shakes her head, "No, no I won't say a thing... but MY GOD (and lots of Chinese expressions) YOU!!! I never thought I'd see you again!!"

Xiao Li Marshall: What about you? I thought you were dead, along with everyone else here.

Rae Overholt: Catch up later. Business first. That fella wont be gone long.

Fan: Well they bombed us, that's for sure... but that's the thing about mines... Right... well there's this Waste we gotta get rid 'a.

Rae Overholt nods, "They always ship it off world??"

Fan:"I put on a suit, climb inside... exactly...But someone's gotta seal me in."

Rae Overholt: Someone here. They wont let us out. How you suggest we do it? She looks to Li.

Li Mei raises an eyebrow at Rae, "What?"

Shen Jiutai: Fan: Oh, they'll let you out... the fence is to keep us from getting in.

Rae Overholt: Ok then. Go on. She wonders if they ever figured miners could tunnel under a fence.

Shen Jiutai: Fan: They'll just give you IDs to come back... This stuff is kinda nasty.... You could say you want to see it before accepting it onboard.

Rae Overholt: Okay.

Whip Cracker strolls back in, meter in hand.

Xiao Li Marshall freezes in place, hoping she won't be noticed.

Fan reaches out for the Meter without looking up from the scanner she's examining.

Rae Overholt stands there again, arms crossed and frowns at Whip.

Fan: Find that thing alright?

Whip Cracker's eyes go to the task at hand, with little interest in the others in the hold. He hands over the meter and grumbles, "You got this figured out yet? I've got more important things to do that grapple with this all day."

Xiao Li Marshall starts edging, very quietly, up toward the stairwell again.

Fan takes the Meter, plugs in a few wires, and looks out the door... "What's that?"

Whip Cracker turns, staring out into the field.

Xiao Li Marshall dashes up the stairs.

Fan spins up some dials and makes impressive electronic noises.

Xiao Li Marshall presses herself against the corridor wall, breathing heavily. That was TOO GORRAM CLOSE.

Fan goes down the row of scanners, one by one, all making impressive whirring noises... She closes the lid on her meter, "They all check out boss."

Rae Overholt continues to watch stony faced.

Fan begins to close the cases with the scanners inside, taking care to stack them carefully, like precious items.

Whip Cracker looks back, pursing his lips. "Well... ten cases new checks out to just shy of 850... but this is used." He looks to the ringleader and says, "I'll lose my ass on this, but I'll give ya six"

Rae Overholt: No, it isn’t used.

Shen Jiutai scoffs, "Six!!!!"

Rae Overholt: You must not need it that bad then.

Whip Cracker frowns, looking towards the nearest unit. He points out an unmistakable bit of wear on the unit where dirty hands have rubbed away a bit of paint. "Bit of an echo in here, mmm?"

Shen Jiutai gestures wildly, "What do you expect !!!! They were in a rutting shipwreck!!!"

Rae Overholt: No deal. Risked our life to get this for you.

Whip Cracker headshakes, "I expected better than this.... damn sure ain't gonna pay full price for what... something that's half used up already?"

Rae Overholt: Eight.

Shen Jiutai nods her head and stands firm.

Rae Overholt: We both know you got free labor to work these here mines, and you're rakin’ in money hand over fist. Eight's not gonna make you starve.

Whip Cracker shakes his head. "Let's be reasonable, captain.... You're short and the gear's less than new... Six is a fair price. besides.… Gettin' greedy ain't gonna raise your standin' for future work... little rock like this be needin' cartage on a regular basis. We deal with them that don't hold a gun to our head over a couple hundred cred."

Fan: They are in good shape boss, ain't been used... just a little micro-meteorite damage on the boxes 'sall.

Rae Overholt: Six is thievery

Shen Jiutai asides again, "I think we gotta go to seven Cap."

Rae Overholt: Not greedy tryin’ to feed my crew and get enough creds to get back home.

Whip Cracker looks between the women. "Seven. Take it or leave it."

Rae Overholt looks at Shen then back at Whip.

Shen Jiutai: Fan fiddles with her meter.

Rae Overholt: Fine then.

Fan sighs in relief, "Uh, Boss?"

Whip Cracker looks over, no longer quite so impatient with the girl. "What is it?"

Fan, "Remember all of that Clorophilic-Hydro-Clorinate? That stuff that leaked and knocked out have the town?"

Whip Cracker frowns, "I remember... I remember we weren't gonna talk about that, either."

Fan: “Well, it's still there, and just as likely to leak again, if the wind is right, it could be your barracks that get it next time... why don't we get this boat to haul it away... dump it in space?"

Whip Cracker ponders for all of about 20 seconds. "If they'll do it for a hundred cred.... why not?"

Shen Jiutai glances to the Cap'n...

Rae Overholt: Fine, I'll wanna see what we're getting first though.

Fan grins at the exchange.

Whip Cracker lifts the com-link. "Jake... wheel up that CHC... and cut a draft for eight hundred cred to the Raven.... " He lowers the microphone and says to Fan, smiling. "Good job, darlin'... get this stuff boxed up and I'll let you sleep in MY bed tonight."

Shen Jiutai: Fan rolls her eyes, "Yeah, right! Don't you think these people should look at the stuff before we load it? They might want to take some special precautions...”

Whip Cracker turns back to the ramp, pausing to take another look around the hold. His eyes rest on the young Fan and he tells her, "I told him to bring it to the ramp. If they don't take it, we'll push it off on the next desperate sap." He looks at the captain. "Fan here will see to the transfer... if you'll excuse me."

Rae Overholt frowns. "Whatever" and mumbles something about cheap under her breath.

Whip Cracker strolls off, already mentally spending the hundred creds he just saved the operation.

Fan heads after him.