Rae Overholt makes her way to the common room
Li Mei is passed out on top of the table
Xioa Li Marshall freezes as the lights die. "...I didn't do it."
Shen Jiutai is cursing in the darkness and fumbling around for something that produces light.
Rae Overholt is staying absolutely still so as not to damage any body parts or step on anything furry and squeakish.
Xioa Li Marshall pulls her goggles down and turns them on. A soft green glow emanates from them. "Okay, deng yi mao, I think I c'n fix this..."
Rae Overholt kneels by the grate, waiting for a sign of a spark or a light or something to navigate by.
Shen Jiutai curses "Why DID we bring that gorram cat on board? to get these ruttin' things? does he? NO!!!"
Shen's fingers brush across one of the small furry invaders, but it's moving quickly towards the spilled rice. - And judging by the patter of tiny feets, so are the rest of the mobile ones. There's a bit of a scraping sound as they raid the fallen wok for rice, wheeking in victory.
Li Mei begins to stir awake, groaning
Xioa Li Marshall fumbles in the tangle of wires, trying to find the one she pulled out
Gabriel Keats tilts his head. "They're about as cute as the gorram cat..."
Rae Overholt: If you can catch it you can keep it, Gabe.
Rae Overholt: Hell, get us out of this and I might grapple with you tonight.
Xioa Li Marshall: Anybody wanna rescue our dinner or are we gonna have to eat the rodents?
Rae Overholt: Shen's closest! I cant SEE to rescue!
Li Mei comes fully awake and sits up quickly, slapping at her legs to see if the hamster is still there
Gabriel Keats finds himself suddenly motivated. He stalks over to the sound of scrabbling claws. "Are these tame? D'you have any seeds, Shen?"
Xioa Li Marshall: She has the gorram RICE. That's what they've been eating!
Shen Jiutai pulls her katana out of it's sheath and swings in the dark towards where she thought the rice landed.
Scrabble scrabble- CLANGWHEEKSCREECH! - The end of the katana hits the wok- But doesn't slow it down enough to keep it from going through one of the softer targets.
Rae Overholt winces, hearing the swish of the blade and figuring if she hit one that the rice was a goner.
Gabriel Keats: "Ni tamade tianxia suoyou de ren dou gaisi!" He jumps backwards.
Xioa Li Marshall: HA! Got it! ....now if I can just work out where it was *plugged in*...
Li Mei brings her knees up to her chest and wraps her arms around them, and rocks back and forth, "Let me know when they're all dead. I'll be on the table cowering."
Gabriel Keats: "You nearly cut me in two!"
Rae Overholt stumbles over to Xiao li, holding out her wrist and pressing a button to light up its display, "Not much help am I?"
Gabriel Keats is perhaps overreacting a little.
Xioa Li Marshall: Xiexie, Cap'n. Point it upward, wouldja? Tryin' ta find the socket this came out of.
Rae Overholt swivels her wrist, aiming the dull illumination up.
Gabriel Keats moves back in--QUICKLY--and scoops up a little pile of the rice. Scatters it in a pile at his feet, keeps his hands splayed just above, listening. Yeah. This is going to work.
Xioa Li Marshall: Hold it right there... for just a... THERE!
Xioa Li Marshall sticks the cable back into what she hopes is the right spot.
Rae Overholt lets out a noise of jubilation.
There's still that warm little furry lump on the table next to Li Mei, though thankfully -that- one isn't moving. There's no more rodent sounds... Though on the other side of the door, the cat is all mewling mournfully at being left out.
And of course, that's when the lights flicker back on due to Xiao Li's tinkering. It's... messy. Half of the gold-and-cream hamster has a forlorn look on its face. - The other half is in Gabe's hand, along with the stained rice. It's leaking, too.
Shen Jiutai pulls her sword back and places it at the base of the cabinets, "Sorry!" she reaches for a lighter and flicks it on, the flame lights some of the carnage.
Gabriel Keats looks down at his hands. Looks back up at Shen. Whistles in awed appreciation.
Rae Overholt stands up, nose crinkling at the surprise in Gabe's hand.
Xioa Li Marshall looks back at the murder scene behind her and cringes. "Suddenly I ain't so hungry."
Rae Overholt: I don't think I"m going to be able to sleep after this.
Li Mei looks around as the lights come back on and jumps a little on seeing the furry lump next to her
Gabriel Keats: "Can you use these for anything?"
Xioa Li Marshall: Okay, let's try this again. I think *this* wire controls the doors...
Xioa Li Marshall carefully disconnects a different wire
Shen Jiutai grins as she picks up the sword and wipes it clean, "The places I've lived, heck in the war we ate rats..."
Xioa Li Marshall: 'kay, try opening the door now.
The bandit-masked hamster by Li Mei... Is still stunned. But, if one looks closely enough, is still breathing! - And the doors 'ka-chunk' as the safety lock disengages between the sides.
Gabriel Keats: "They're kinda cute when they're all intact."
Shen Jiutai walks to the table and grabs the "hamster" by the scruff of the neck.
Li Mei shudders as she gets a close look at the little beastie
Rae Overholt: tries to open the door with the panel, waiting for results.
Shen Jiutai picks up one of it's little paws and waves it at Lena, "Anyone still hungry?"
Rae Overholt: AH no way!
Gabriel Keats: "If you're gonna make it wave, it ain't gonna be dinner. . ."
Li Mei scoots back on the table away from Shen and the hamster and shakes her head
Li Mei: Get it away from me!
Gabriel Keats mutters. "It's just a gorram pet. . ."
Xioa Li Marshall: Wonder if we could get any money for these li'l hun dans on the black market.
Rae Overholt: For what? pets? Food?
Shen Jiutai: "Black- Market Hamsters?"
Xioa Li Marshall: Hell, I don't care.
The -panel- is non responsive, due to all the fiddling. But the cat claws at the door on the other side. Scraaaape. With a 'let me in!' mowl.
Gabriel Keats: "There's more meat on the cat."
Gabriel Keats rubs his temples.
Rae Overholt peers out the window and looks down at the cat, "Gorram varmit"
Xioa Li Marshall: Oh for--
Xioa Li Marshall steps sideways and shoves the doors apart
Li Mei: I don't care what you do with them either .. as long as they don't have anything to do with me.
The doors open! Angels chorus! - Well, not really, but the cat bolts for the free meal of hamster-head on the floor over there...
Rae Overholt aims a kick at the cats posterior as it flys past.
Shen Jiutai: Any ideas? I'm sure Kevin would love to make a cage... with a little exercise wheel...
Gabriel Keats gives it the hamster-ass, too
Xioa Li Marshall: Oh sure, and NOW the cat starts doin' its job.
Rae Overholt: Now, how many do you think are left?
The feline purrrrs (and sheds) all over Gabe's leg with the offering, taking it back to the corner to start noisly chomping at it.
Li Mei: Ewww!
Xioa Li Marshall cocks her head to one side, listening to the scrabbling sounds still echoing through the ship
Rae Overholt: Maybe we need a new cat?
Shen Jiutai: Mabye they just had a litter...
The sounds are rather faint, now... But, they -sound- like they're coming from the 'guest' quarters section. Maybe?
Gabriel Keats: "Or a better mousetrap. . .how in the gorram hell is it gonna have a litter if there's nothing for it to rut with?"
Xioa Li Marshall: ...somethin' tells me we oughta check on our 'patient.'
Rae Overholt: Who's going to do that?
Rae Overholt looks around, "Li Mei?"
Gabriel Keats: "Couldn't we just open the gorram door?"
Li Mei shakes her head vigorously back and forth, "No way! I'm not moving from here!"
Rae Overholt: Ok, Ok, I'll go do it. ::she heads for the now open dow, making her way downstairs for the guest quarters:: ((but stays here so she can hear))
A shreak is heard echoing up the stairway from the passenger dorm.
Rae hops down the stairway, going in the direction of the shriek. She is now somewhat enjoying this as evidenced by the big grin on her face.
Shen Jiutai walks to the galley, places the hamster in a jar, and starts to clean up the spilled rice and hamster bits.
Xioa Li Marshall sighs. "I'd better go check an' make sure they haven't chewed the engine apart..."
Xioa Li Marshall tromps toward the engine room
Li Mei looks over at Shen cleaning up, "I'd offer to help, but .. I'm not going to."
Rae stops in her travel, hitting a com on the way down, "Gabe? bring me some rice?"
Gabriel Keats scoops up a handful from the floor silently, jumps down the steps and clatters over to where Rae is standing
Gabriel Keats kneels down, makes what he assumes are hamster noises
Shen Jiutai curses under her breath in a collection of expressions fit for the dock-yards as she tidys up her galley.
Xioa Li Marshall sighs and starts gathering the tools up off of the floor. "Kevin's gonna have *kittens*..."
Dana Maelstrom shrieks again and pounds on her door<"What the?!!!! LET ME OUTTA HERE!!! there's something in here with me!!"
Rae would be all to happy if Kevin had kittens, apparently more are needed. She taps on the locked door and tries to speak to Dana, "Hey we got hampsters, dont go all reaver on us in there over it okay? If you can catch some and keep 'um still for us we'd appreciate it." ::she holds out her hand for the rice and decides to scatter it near the closest vent, after wrenching the cover off. She then stands back waiting::
Dana Maelstrom: Catch one??? What the??? It's in here with me!!!!
Rae Overholt: Well, CATCH IT!
Gabriel Keats: "Do you have any luggage, Dana?"
Dana Maelstrom kicks at the pile of clothes strewn about the cabin floor, "Are you NUTS!!!???"
Dana Maelstrom: Luggage, Yeah I had time to pack as I got in that escape pod...
Rae Overholt: well can you at least count them for us????
Gabriel Keats: "Well, you are a woman."
Rae elbows Gabe at that comment.
Shen Jiutai snorts, "I loaned her a few things."
Gabriel Keats gives Rae a "what" look.
Gabriel Keats: "Do you have anything you can slam down around it?"
Rae rolls her eyes and looks back to the closed door. "Well? How many?"
Dana's quarters: Though it's hard to hear over the shouting and pounding, there's a, well, -tiny- wheeking sound from under some of the laundry. And... Dana's second-best underthings go scurrying towards the other side of the room! -- Of course, the sound of all this echoes up into the engine room, for Xiao Li's amusement during the clean-up. - How'd they get teeth-marks into a screwdriver?! -- Scraaaape, scraaaape. Bandit-mask hamster is awake! And is pawing at the glass barrier about him
Dana Maelstrom pounds at te door with increasing urgency, "Will someone over-ride the lock down and let me out?"
Shen Jiutai picks up the jar and looks at the 'prisoner'
Gabriel Keats: "It's just a gorram hamster!"
Rae bluffs, hoping that xiao li is working on that as quickly as she can, "We're getting there, but we want those hampsters stopped first and you are our last line of defense. Go get 'um hampster girl!"
Dana Maelstrom: Hamster? We've had hamsters onboard the ship the whole time?
Li Mei shudders again, "I hate small furry things!"
Gabriel Keats mouths to Rae, "Hamster girl?"
Dana Maelstrom remembers the hamsters she had as a little girl, which wasn't that long ago.
Rae shrugs her shoulders and gives him a 'help me out' look as she jerks her head towards the door.
Xioa Li Marshall tosses the last wrench into the toolbox and slaps the comm control. "Everything's shiny back here--what the HELL are you guys doin' down there?"
Rae presses the com and says, "Hampster hearding, you working on the override yet?"
Dana Maelstrom sits on the floor making "Shhh-Shhhh" noises as she methodically lifts each piece of clothing.
Xioa Li Marshall: Almost...
Xioa Li Marshall reaches down beneath the engine and fumbles for the panel where the hard reset switch is located
Gabriel Keats: "C'mon, girl. Bet you can catch at least one. Can name 'em after."
Dana Maelstrom sees her panties start to move, she slowly aproaches them and gently cups her hand over the small, white scared hamster underneath.
Rae dashes off to find a container for the ones dana may manage to catch. She comes back hauling an empty cargo container about the size of a large fish tank and sets it outside dana's door.
Xioa Li Marshall flips the panel open and pokes the switch
Dana Maelstrom: "there there she says as she holds the petrified rodent, "Ain't you a cutie!"
Gabriel Keats: "What color is it?"
The cat decides to be helpful- While leaving behind a half-eaten hampster rump -right- on the rug- And leaps up onto the counter, scrabbing a bit to get his furry pi gu over the edge. The bandit-mask is trying to give Shen the 'I'm cute, don't eat me!' eyes... But that turns into panic when being stared at by Nigel, and tries to push the jar over! Escaaaaape! -- There's a skittering from the vent while Rae dashes off- Hey, some of the rice is missing! Unless Gabe is -really- fast... -- The klaxon braps once when Xiao Li hits the switch- Then ker-chunks come from all the doors about the ship, as they once more allow free movement.
Gabriel Keats tries to grab the hamster. Misses.
Dana Maelstrom: thank Budda
Gabriel Keats: "Gorramit, STAY STILL."
Xioa Li Marshall shouts "Okay, I think we're good!"
Rae flips the lid of the cargo container open, "Ok, load 'um up. Dana, looks like you're in charge of hampster rescue."
Shen Jiutai rolls her eyes, "Gorram cat! at least do your job all proper-like this time!"
Mocking hamster sounds come from the vents, going towards the other end of the ship... Dana's captive is trembling all over, though! Not nearly as brave as the other compatriots.
Xioa Li Marshall scrabbles her way back out from under the engine.
Dana Maelstrom opens her door and gently lowers the hamster into the box, "I used to have a white one like you, her name was Snowflake."
Shen Jiutai swats Nigel away, "Hey this 'uns mine!!"
Nigel is affronted! Rebuffed, he lifts his tail in Shen's direction and goes back to 'his' meal.
Something- about the box freaks out the little white hammy- Maybe it smells off? Either way, it tries scrabbling up Dana's arm.
Li Mei looks over at Shen as she swats at Nigel, "You're not keeping that thing are you?"
Li Mei's stomach grumbles loudly
Xioa Li Marshall pokes her head back into the kitchen. "Everything shiny in here?"
Dana Maelstrom catches the hamster and holds it up to her face, something transports her back to a happy childhood on Newhall, where life was simple, "Oo don wanna go inna box, do oo?"
Li Mei: As long as there are no hamsters on the table, I'm shiny.
Rae frowns as she watches the hampster crawl up Dana's arm, "Well you find a spot for it and all its friends. Let me know when you catch them all."
Dana Maelstrom: What?
Xioa Li Marshall: I'ma go check the cockpit, make sure everything's still intact.
Dana Maelstrom: how many is "All?"
Xioa Li Marshall heads across the galley to the opposite door, not waiting for a response.
Rae Overholt: We don't know but I heard them in this vent here. ::she kicks the open vent next to dana's door::
Shen Jiutai places 'Bandit' on a high shelf, out of Nigel's reach, "You know, they ate Guinnea pigs on Earth that Was, I think I have a few recipies..."
Shen Jiutai: Spice 'um right... they're kinda scrawny, though...
Shen Jiutai: these things, I mean.
Li Mei groans, "Oh wonderful. Now I'm going to starve."
Li Mei: I am not eating a furball!
Shen Jiutai: Well, I'll take the fur off first won't I
Xioa Li Marshall tentatively pokes her head into the cockpit, afraid of what she might find there.
Shen Jiutai looks at Li Mei as if she were stupid.
Li Mei: You can take the fur off .. but that doesn't change the fact that it's a furball.
In the cockpit... It's terrible! The horror! - The only damage seems to be that the comms are receiving the Best of Blue Sun infomercial stream. And it's on that -really- annoying one.
Xioa Li Marshall: ...SON of a...
Dana Maelstrom picks up one of the T-shirts on the floor that has her scent on it and places it in the box with one hand, then resumes stroking 'Whitie' under the chin, and calming it down.
Dana Maelstrom tries again, slowly lowering the hamster into the box, "There, is that better?"
Xioa Li Marshall leans under the console and starts reconnecting loose wires, cursing under her breath.
Shen Jiutai surveys the damage overall, inspects Nigel's progress on the but end, and finds the rest of the hamster and tosses it in his direction.
Shen Jiutai goes to the sink to wash her hands before attempting to salvage what's left of dinner.
Li Mei looks around the galley, scanning for anymore live hamsters roaming around
The white hamster finally submits to her capture, all snuggled up in warm/safe. Oh, how little she knows... -- The wok's a little dented, and the rice was all over the floor and/or bled on, but other than that...! Nigel keeps doin' what he does. Which is be a lil' pig, apparently. -- Annnnd, up on the bridge, the damage is easily fixed, at least. More of just furry menaces running around than actually chewing.
Li Mei decides it's safe, and climbs down off the table
Shen Jiutai curses as she finds the dent in the wok, she immediately pulls her katana out and inspects the edge.
There's a slight skittering sound in the ducts, but it sounds like it's from a central point somewhere. And isn't really going anywhere...
Li Mei begins to relax and takes a seat
Dana Maelstrom grins as 'Whitie' settels into the crate. Shanding she approaches Rae, "Where DID these things come from, anyway?"
Xioa Li Marshall connects the last wire, and breathes a sigh of relief as the infomercial babble cuts off.
Shen Jiutai: satisfied that no damage occurred to her weapon, she re-sheaths it and starts dinner over from scratch.
Rae shrugs and gives her a 'ya got me' look before again asking, "So you round up as many as you can catch ok?"
Dana Maelstrom grins, happy to have something to do, and feeling useful and *almost* as if she is a part of the crew, "OK."
Rae nods and turns to head back up to the cabin, "We probably got one upstairs you can get from shen too."
Dana Maelstrom: Really?
Dana Maelstrom follows Rae up the stairs, beaming.
Rae nods and continues, going through the galley and into the walkway to the cockpit, she calls out, "Xiao Li, whats the status?"
Xioa Li Marshall: Got 'er back up and running on this end, Cap'n!
Rae Overholt: Shiny, we can head on out to our destination then?
Xioa Li Marshall: Dang ran, jus' lemmie make sure we're still on course.
Dana Maelstrom approaches Shen tentatively, "Um, the Captain said you might have another..."
Shen Jiutai ignores Dana as she busies herself with dinner.
Xioa Li Marshall taps a few controls to correct for the drift. "We're good!"
Dana Maelstrom swallows, blushes and sits next to Li Mei.
Xioa Li Marshall: ...if any o' those rats got inta my booze...
Dana Maelstrom noticed the Jar-O-Hamster, but is still quite a bit frightened of the cook, and decides to grin at Li Mei instead.
Rae Overholt: "How far out are we from our destination Xiao Li?"
Li Mei smiles weakly at Dana, "You're not scared of hamsters?"
Xioa Li Marshall: Same as it was 'fore this whole mess started, Cap'n.
Rae sighs, having hoped maybe they'd made it a little farther, "Alright then. Guess we finish finding Hampsters, have some dinner and maybe play some cards."
Dana Maelstrom grins, "Me? no! I love them, I used to have a few on Newhall growing up."
Li Mei nods her head slowly, "I had a friend when I was young who had hamsters. He used to torment me with them. I have a phobia about small furry things"
Xioa Li Marshall sags back in her seat. She's not getting near the galley again for a while.
Shen Jiutai grins, and hides it.
Dana Maelstrom: That's awful!!
Li Mei shrugs, "I got him back. He was scared of blood. I dumped a whole lot of cans of tomato soup into his bed one night. While he was in it"
Dana Maelstrom is shocked, apparently her assessment of Li Mei needs fine tuning.
Dana Maelstrom sighs, any brief feelings she might have had of being a part of this family were dashed by the cold shoulder she received from the cook.
Shen Jiutai looks up at Li Mei's last comment, "Tomatoe Juice! how does a Ragu sauce sound?"
Li Mei's stomach grumbles again, "Oh, that sounds delicious. Um .. unless .. what meat are you serving?"
Shen Jiutai busies herself with the pots and pans, humming to herself, "Why not the basic Blue Sun 'beef flavor' protein?"
Li Mei laughs, "Not the most flavorful meat, but better than hamster."
Li Mei wonders why the doctor's been so quiet through all this commotion
Rae plops down in the copilots chair and props her feet up, staring out at the stars.
Dana Maelstrom shifts nervously in her seat, then stands and looks around, "Anyone have any idea how many of those..". her eyes land on Nigel and his 'treat'
Li Mei shakes her head, "I was too busy being scared senseless to count."
Dana Maelstrom suppresses the urge to vomit and turns away.
Luke Hu: I doubt they've had time to establish a breeding colony
Shen Jiutai chuckles silently at Dana's distress.
Luke Hu: then again the gestation period is 16 days so if any came on board WHILE pregnant...
Dana Maelstrom looks to the Doctor, "Heck, it doesn't take them long to have babies..."
Li Mei shudders, "Oh God no, I hope those things haven't bred here."
Luke Hu: nope
Li Mei looks at the doctor and gives him her best puppy dog look, "I don't suppose you would go check my shuttle and make sure it's hamsterless, would you?"
Luke Hu: so if there is a mother hidden somewhere we will have another pack running aorund in a bout a month
Dana Maelstrom: I can do that for you, unless...
Luke Hu:
Li Mei: Oh thank you, Doctor
Dana Maelstrom glances at the doctor to see if Li Mei is putting the moves on him.
Dana Maelstrom: never-mind.
Luke Hu: gets up and leaves to go to shuttle
Dana Maelstrom: I guess i could look around the rest of the ship, if you people don't mind my looking, that is..
Shen Jiutai ignored Dana again.
Li Mei: That would be up to the captain
Dana Maelstrom: She did want me to catch them.
Dana Maelstrom sighs heavily, and gets up, "well... I'll just start in the Cargo bay, no body would mind that, I'm sure."
Li Mei: I'd offer to help, Dana ... but I think I'm safer here
Dana Maelstrom sighs and stands, leaving the room and descending the stairs crestfallen compared to the way she bounced up them.
The Companion's shuttle is... well, not -really- all that bad. Though there's something rather shiny and purple slightly covered by a corner of blanket. Rather eye-catching, in fact! - Is that glitter?
Luke Hu investigates the shiney object.
Amazing! One might never expect Li Mei to be interested in canine anatomy. Though the rest of the model seems to be missing, with just the phallus there. A rather remarkable recreation... But still. Why the glitter embedded into the surface? Not scientific at all.
Luke Hu carefully replaces the cover, checks the rest of shuttle and leaves.
Shen Jiutai contunies to fix dinner, without any 'special' ingredients.
Li Mei breathes a sigh of relief, "Thank you doctor."
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