"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.