Dana Maelstrom looks at Bandit, "I'm sooo glad I finally got you away from that nasty cook, I think she was going to serve you for dinner."
Rae Overholt walks into the cockpit and looks at the panels, "We about there yet?"
Xiao Li Marshall: Three hours, give or take.
Rae Overholt nods, "Find anymore damage from that last varmint we have loose in the ship? Any sightings?"
Dana Maelstrom places Bandit and Whitey in the cage that Kevin built, it's an all-out affair, with water bottle and running wheel.
Xiao Li Marshall: Not yet. Still hear the little fucker scrabblin' around in the middle of the night, though.
Rae Overholt: Well at least it isn’t a rat.
Xiao Li Marshall: A rat that the gorram cat would actually catch?
Rae Overholt sighs loudly, "Guess we should have a game plan for when we go to set our guest down eh?"
Johanna Zerbino sends a text wave to the ship Raven: "Greetings. I have an embarrassing confession to make and a question to ask. Due to not finding a caretaker while I was off world, I secreted aboard some small pets. During the confusion of the ship troubles, I had not noticed they had escaped their habitat. They enjoy hiding in small places, but are otherwise harmless. If you see these furry creatures and are back in Downing, I would be glad to pay for their return. Humbly yours, Johanna.
Shen Jiutai goes through the galley, inventorying the goods, making a shopping list.
Xiao Li Marshall turns to the console and calls up the incoming message... "Huh."
Rae Overholt snorts at the message, "pay for our repairs is more like it."
Xiao Li Marshall: You wanna tell 'im that Shen used one for target practice or should I?
Rae Overholt: We'll tell 'im that it crawled into the engine.
Xiao Li Marshall: Gotcha.
Xiao Li Marshall: Guess we really gotta find that last one now.
Shen Jiutai goes into the pantry, and after moving aside a large can of pears, big enough to knock a merc. out cold, she checks the cat's kibble.
Rae Overholt: We'll get Dana on it. She can find it I'm sure.
Shen Jiutai scratches her head, and makes a note, "Damn, that critter can put it away..."
Xiao Li Marshall: Maybe the guy knows how to lure it out?
Rae Overholt Gets up and decides to look for Dana, "We'll check with him if she cant get it. I'm going to find her."
Shen Jiutai takes the list forward in search of Rae, finding her in the hallway...
Shen Jiutai: "I've got a list of food-stuffs, any requests?
Rae Overholt stops short as Shen comes up to her, "Hey, um. Looks like we need more rice. Otherwise nothin specific."
Xiao Li Marshall shouts from the cockpit, "Something that the gorram rodents can't get into!"
Shen Jiutai nods, "Yeah, I got that..."
Shen Jiutai looks back to the cockpit, and with a slight roll of her eyes, "OK, whatever you say Xiao Li."
Rae Overholt: I can't think of anything I'm craving more than any other time. Don't know what creds we got to stock up. Might have to conserve a bit just in case. Ask the others maybe? But be realistic?
Shen Jiutai turns to follow Rae towards the Cargo Bay. "Yeah, until pappy pays us for his daughter, things are tight, we should prolly look for some simple cargo runs for a spell."
Rae Overholt: Yeah, that wouldn't hurt.
Rae Overholt enters the cargo area and looks around, "Dana! Front and center!"
Shen Jiutai: "I'll just go make one last check of the list... " Shen heads back up the stairs.
Dana Maelstrom, surprised and a little excited, pops up straight, a little confused, "Um, Hi?"
Dana Maelstrom: "Where is the front?"
Rae Overholt: Any word on that third space hamster?
Rae Overholt points in front of herself at the walkway.
Dana Maelstrom looks at the cage, "I think I heard him... but I think Nigel's keeping him hiding."
Rae Overholt: well stow the cat, find the hamster then.
Dana Maelstrom stands and walks over to Rae, fidgeting and looking awkward.
Dana Maelstrom nods, "Um, How does one 'Stow' a cat?"
Luke Hu: its called a locker
Luke Hu: :P
Dana Maelstrom a bit confused, but not wanting to look stupid, smiles and wanders off in search of Nigel.
Luke Hu: or an airlock
Luke Hu: either way...
Shen Jiutai grins at Li Mei as she reenters the Galley.
Shen Jiutai: Any special requests while I'm restocking?
Li Mei looks up at Shen as she walk in, "No, I don't think so. What are you grinning about?"
Shen Jiutai: Just bein' all plesant-like, I could grouse like the pilot, if'n ya like...
Li Mei laughs, "No, I think one grump is enough."
Shen Jiutai goes back into the pantry and starts examining the supplies on the lower shelves.
*There's that scurrying sound that's become all too common over the last day and a bit, as Shen is back in the pantry. A greyish-looking fuzzy lil' head pops up over the can of 'Merc Killer' pears... And there's a smug-sounding 'wheek!' before there's a metallic scraping.*
Li Mei shouts, "Shen! Look out!"
Shen Jiutai takes the can to the small of the skull, and passes out cold.
Li Mei jumps up from her seat and goes to check on Shen
Xiao Li Marshall turns in her seat. What was that loud 'clunk' from the galley?
Li Mei shouts for the dcotor, "Dr. Hu! Could you come here please, we've had an accident."
Luke Hu stands down in the cargo bay completely oblivious to the drama unfolding just several feet above him
Luke Hu: on my way
Luke Hu heads up to the galley.
Li Mei gets up and walks over to the sink, looking around for a rag
Shen Jiutai is lying face down in the pantry, a dented can of pears rolling nearby. The shopping list is still clutched in her hand, and a small bead of drool begins to form at the corner of her mouth.
Li Mei finds a rag, wets it in the sink, and kneels back down by Shen, wiping the drool off her mouth
Dana Maelstrom climbs the back stairway and heads aft, looking for Nigel.
Li Mei checks Shen's head for any signs of bleeding while waiting for the doctor to arrive
*Nigel is helpful! He peeks out of his corner to pad over towards Shen and... flops out across her backside.*
Li Mei shoos Nigel away
Luke Hu enters the galley and moves over to Shay's lifeless body lying limp on the floor. Her life force slowly ebbing away. I lift her in my arms and shake a fist to the heavens and cry out WHY? WHY? WHHHHHY?
Luke Hu then notices she is breathing
Luke Hu breathes a sigh of relief, lays her back down gently and says
Luke Hu: Yeah...um ..shes out cold
Xiao Li Marshall raises an eyebrow. Dramatic much, Doc?
*Nigel just whines at Li Mei- But the Doctor's ham and cheese scares 'im away towards Dana.*
Li Mei scowls at Dr Hu, "Help me get her up into a chair"
Dana Maelstrom hears the commotion in the common room and makes her way forward, to rubberneck.
Luke Hu:
Luke Hu: Lifts her eyes and pulls out light pen and shines light and watches pupils contract to light
Luke Hu: She might have a concussion. We should get her to med-bay
Li Mei: I'll help you take her down there.
Dana Maelstrom notices, in the midst of all of this, that Nigel is in the pantry, so she decides that that's as good a place as any to 'stow' him., so she shuts the door, not thinking that Ninjaster might be in there as well.
*Nigel gives a startled yowl! - Then starts purring for some reason.*
Shen Jiutai is carried down the stairs, head lolloing from side to side as Luke decends.
Li Mei follows Dr. Hu and the floppy, unconscious Shen to the medbay
Li Mei: "Watch her head, you don't want to give her a second concussion"
Luke Hu brings her into med-bay and sets her down on the table
Luke Hu begins checking her vitals
Li Mei suddenly realizes Dr. Hu didn't see what happened, "Oh, a can of food fell out from the pantry and hit her on the head."
Li Mei: "It was a big can."
Luke Hu: Ah
Li Mei: It was the strangest thing, the can just kind of slid off the shelf and fell. Almost like it was pushed.
Luke Hu: That explains the the GREEN GIANT logo imprinted on her forehead
Luke Hu: Thought she pissed off a Corporation and they altered her skull to mark her
Dana Maelstrom , after watching Shen being carted away with some concern, decides to move forward, on her hands and knees, looking for the last hamster.
Li Mei looks at the doctor like he's lost his mind
Dana Maelstrom crawls up towards the cockpit, making "shh...shhh" noises.
Rae Overholt follows everyone to the medbay and pokes her head in, "What in the diyu happened?"
Li Mei looks over at Rae as she walks in, "A can fell of the shelf and knocked her out."
Li Mei: "If I didn't know better, I'd say something pushed it off the shelf"
Shen Jiutai begins to snore, rather loudly.
Xiao Li Marshall shifts in her seat in the cockpit, idly wondering what everyone else is up to.
Rae Overholt: A can fell.... Is she okay??? Ahhh DIYU! ::she turns and rushes upstairs to the galley, figuring they have shen well in hand. She bursts in and spots dana yelling,:: "It's in the pantry!!"
Dana Maelstrom looks up in fright, "But that's where I put Nigel!"
Rae Overholt dashes over to the pantry and then looks at dana, not about to open it without dana there to catch whatever flies out.
Dana Maelstrom stands and runs to follow Rae.
*From inside the pantry, there's that contented purring sound...*
*- Loud, too. Can hear it clear through the doors!*
Rae Overholt frowns, "Well, guess we'll just have to see" ::she reaches out and puts her hand on the doors then gives Dana a nod to let her know to get into position::
Dana Maelstrom looks at Rae with a combination of shock and horror.
Dana Maelstrom squats by the door, waiting.
Rae Overholt snatches the doors open, hoping to surprise whatever is inside and get it before it can come flying outside. She automatically reaches for Nigel and hopes Dana gets ninja.
*Inside...! - A sleek (for a hamster) grey rodent is curled up with Nigel's tail around it, one paw resting on the cat's nose, both apparently sleeping. At least until the door comes -flying- open. Both critters freeze and stare at the humans in surprise.*Dana Maelstrom gasps.
Rae Overholt freezes in her reach and blinks before choking out a laugh and reaching for Ninja.
Dana Maelstrom reaches down and gently picks up the Hamster, petting Nigel behind the ear, and giving a puzzled look to Rae.
*Shock! Horror! - And fleeing! Ninjamster abandons Nigel, who's just a little -too- slow to avoid Rae, and -scampers- straight out! - Towards the bridge and the apparently bored Xiao Li...*
Xiao Li Marshall is playing Tetris on the console screen and not paying any attention to the happenings in the galley
Rae Overholt sighs and puts the cat back down.
Dana Maelstrom goes to follow the hamster to the bridge, "Have you seen...?" she starts to ask Xiao Li.
Rae Overholt closes the pantry, leaving Nigel in for the time being and goes back to check on Shen, "You catch it Dana"
Xiao Li Marshall: mm? Seen what?
Dana Maelstrom is quiet, looking and listening.
Xiao Li Marshall: What's goin' on?
*From somewhere up above... Ninjamster wheeks in a brief panic, before -plopping- right onto Xiao Li's screen, looking kinda stunned.*
Xiao Li Marshall jerks away from the screen with a yelp of surprise
Dana Maelstrom blurts out, in a rapid fire... "Well first this guy, oh here he is..." She goes to quickly pick him up.
*The last of the furry troublemakers finally goes quietly. Nothing like slipping off the overhead cables to settle a critter down!*
Dana Maelstrom continues, "First he knocked Shen out, then I shut the door with nigel inside, then the captain said he was in there with Nigel, then we found them sleeping together, then he ran out here..."
Dana Maelstrom looks at the grey hamster and grins, "Come on, let's find your friends, and some food too, you'd like that Hmmm?"
Dana Maelstrom heads down to the cargo bay to 'stow' the new hamster, forgetting completely about Nigel in the pantry.
Rae Overholt pokes her head back in the medbay, "So, update?"
Shen Jiutai drools and snores some more.
Xiao Li Marshall stares at Dana's retreating back for a long moment.
Xiao Li Marshall rises from her seat and stalks toward the galley. "I am WAY too sober for this goushi."
Li Mei looks up as Rae walks in, "Yes, she's out cold"
Luke Hu: Dabs forhead with cloth....She is still out but alright for now
Dana Maelstrom heads toward her bunk, carrying the hamster cage, looking to find a secure place to stow it, knowing that they will be arriving at Hera any minute.
Rae Overholt: well, everyone get secured we're getting close to Hera and we should be landing soon.
Li Mei finds a seat just outside the medbay and straps in
Meanwhile on Hera, Arex Koltai continues to scan the sky from behind his cover, waiting for the sight of an approaching ship
Xiao Li Marshall stops just as she's about to pour herself a glass of Scotch. Oh, yeah, that's right, she's supposed to be *driving*!
Luke Hu: secures Shay and holds on
Xiao Li Marshall gallops up the fore corridor and hops into the pilot's seat just in time to start the entry sequence.
Rae Overholt secures herself in the cargo bay, leaning back and looking at the ceiling, thinking.
*And... No anti-aircraft rockets fire out from supposedly abandoned warehouses, no interceptors swoop in over the horizon... No random bits fall off of the ship... Though that dented-up can of pears goes rolling down the stairs. Thump-ump-ump!*
Xiao Li Marshall: Touching down in 3...2...1...
Xiao Li Marshall touches the ship down gently
Rae Overholt unbuckles as soon as they land and goes to get Dana. "Dana, grab your gear. You're here."
Arex Koltai watches the firefly touch down safely, but stays stationary and watches the horizon.
Dana Maelstrom looks up, "OK, Um... did anyone call Dr Miles?"
Rae Overholt: You can do it yourself.
Dana Maelstrom nods and looks around, "Um, which cortex terminal should I use?"
Rae Overholt nods towards the cockpit, "That one, make it secure with xiao li"
Li Mei unbuckles and returns to the medbay to see if Shen is still out
Dana Maelstrom heads up to the Cockpit, "Captain says I need a secure terminal to call Dr. Miles."
Arex Koltai satisfied, stands up and walks to the firefly's cargo door, keeping an eye on the surroundings
Xiao Li Marshall: Okay, deng yi mao...
Xiao Li Marshall steps over to the copilot's console and types in a complex sequence of characters.
Xiao Li Marshall steps back. "She's all yours."
Dana Maelstrom punches in the cortex address of her friend, and former testor at the Blue Sun facility on Osiris. She waits impatiently for someone to answer.
Arex Koltai tightens his lips at the still-closed doors, thinking to himself, 'Don't invite me in, I prefer to stay out here as sniper bait...' He takes his kukri out of its holster and absently runs his left thumb over the edge of the blade.
*The signal goes out... Goes out... - And returns with an 'address has been disconnected' automated message.*
Dana Maelstrom looks at Xiao Li, then back at the screen, "Wha? I don't understand... I'm sure I put it in correctly..." She reenters the address.
Xiao Li Marshall's expression is grim. "I'm thinkin' it's not our end that's the problem, girl."
Arex Koltai steps up onto the ramp and looks over the console and pounds his fist against the "Call" button
Rae Overholt heads down to the cargo bay and exits by the side door, not bothering to open the main hanger doors. She looks around at the location for anything amiss.
Xiao Li Marshall pulls down the ship's comm. "Cap'n, I think we got a problem..."
Dana Maelstrom: But I don't understand, this was the only way I knew contact her...
Xiao Li Marshall: Who else knew where she was located?
Rae Overholt doesnt respond to the ships com but stares at the man pounding on her ships call button, "Needing some help there Mr.?"
*And of course, the guy looks Military, and has a big knife...*
Dana Maelstrom begins to panic, slowly her breath quickens, her heart rate speeds up, "No one!!! She was afraid! She thought someone was out to hurt her!"
Arex Koltai raises his eyebrow and turns to face Merasu, "...Koltai. I am here to escort your cargo."
Xiao Li Marshall: And she was probably right.
Rae Overholt: "Doesn't ring a bell. " ::she eyes him steadily, taking in the hardware::
Arex Koltai returns his knife to his holster, and responds cryptically, but with a smile, "I would hope not."
Dana Maelstrom starts to totally freak out... "But if she's hurt... then I'll get sick... alot of people will die!"
Rae Overholt: "fraid I can't help you then."
Arex Koltai narrows his eyes slightly, trying to figure out if he is being tested or not, "I am to escort one Dana Maelstrom to Sarah Miles...does that clear up anything?"
Xiao Li Marshall: Calm down. Is there *any* other means of getting in contact with this woman?
Rae Overholt: Depends, who is Sarah Miles?
Rae Overholt: and, you got any proof?
Dana Maelstrom curls up into a fetal position in the chair, hugging her knees, "No" her voice is quiet, subdued, distant
Arex Koltai parses his lips and juts his jaw off to the side, "...perhaps you should ask Dana if the name is familiar."
Rae Overholt: Uh huh. Wait here. ::she marches back in and up to the cockpit and looks at Dana:: "Do you know a Koltai who might be escorting you to Sarah Miles?"
Xiao Li Marshall sighs.
Arex Koltai rubs the bridge of his nose and inserts an unlit cigarette into his mouth, bringing out a lighter to ignite the item.
Dana Maelstrom: "K...Koltai?" She looks confused, "Does he know where Dr. Miles is?"
Dana Maelstrom: Her address is disconnected!
Rae Overholt: So he says. You want to risk it or not? Your call.
Dana Maelstrom begins to look more hopeful, like she's being brought back from the grave, "He knows where she is?" "Does he look trustworthy?"
Arex Koltai absently picks something out of his teeth with his fingers in a very un-couth way
Dana Maelstrom once again places her life in Rae's hands.
Rae Overholt not in the least, but then again, who does nowdays. Let's give it a go. I'll come with.
Dana Maelstrom gets to her feet, her legs still a little shaky, and follows Rae.
Arex Koltai sighs audibly. At least in the Xi Detachment he didn't have to deal with escort missions.
Rae Overholt makes her way back down to the cargo with Dana in tow, along with her things and out to the Koltai feller waiting for them.
Arex Koltai turns and ambles back out into the open, scanning the surroundings again as he waits
Luke Hu continues tending to Shay
Dana Maelstrom glances back at Raven, and with a small sigh and heads towards the docks outside.
Rae Overholt: I could have snuck right up on you and shot you, what kind of escourt are you?
Arex Koltai holds up his hand to Rae as he focuses on the surrounding land, "...quiet..."
Rae Overholt raises an eyebrow and waits, wondering if the ninja next to her senses something. She'd almost ask about his spidey sense if she had any clue about that old earth movie. Instead she continues to watch him.
Arex Koltai places his hand on the knife holster, flexing his fingers as he does so.
Arex Koltai: ...we aren't alone here
Rae Overholt places her own hand on her gun, flexing those fingers, "Nope, imagine we aren’t. You've been here waiting, what else is here?"
Arex Koltai frowns slightly as he inhales on the cigarette deeply
Arex Koltai exhales and responds tersely, "Someone who was here before me...."
Shiro Jiagu apears out of nowhere, getting the drop on Arex, he grins at Rae and Dana, "Well what have we here? and look who's brought her to my world!"
Shiro Jiagu's eyes linger on the necklass around Rae's neck, "Long time no see, mei mei."
Rae Overholt crinkles her nose, looking a bit disgusted. Rolling her eyes she gets ready to dismiss him, "Oh, him."
Rae Overholt curses.
Xiao Li Marshall shifts restlessly in her seat. She's happy to have Dana off the ship, but things still aren't exactly shiny...
Rae Overholt spits.
Rae Overholt looks at Koltai and says, "Some escort you are."
Arex Koltai tightens his lips as the unseen people come out of the very cover he had been watching absently. God damn escort missions....
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