The Stars Await - Mists of Europa

[MWBailey]

Bailey contacted the Port Tower and acquired an Approach and Berth Clearance. Bringing the ship over the indicated landing area, he shut off both the aether screw and all but the tertiary control thrusters, and manipulated the Antigrav and thrusters such thatthe ship sanl slowly into the painted square, finally coming to rest with a whine of the pneumatic and a groan of the hydraulic components of teh landing struts, their broad pads crunching down onto the scattered detritus that lay on the hard concrete.

He leveled the ship, and locked the legs of the landing gear, while techs outside in the landing bay attached hoses and electrical lines to replenish what had been depleted. Making sure first that the ship's forward antimeteor/strafing gatling was properly secured within its turret, he then unbuckled the seat straps, and wound his shemagh around his neck such that it resembled a port constable's ascot. It was still really just the shop rag that he had liberated from the prison shuttle; He planned to purchase a better, actual scarf once he made it into Tranquility. Maybe even an actual desert scarf, if that shop in the Tenderloin District was still there. Maybe he'd be able to get a few drinks with the proprietor, an old buddy from the Ionian Rangers. Perhaps Miss lou'd want to come along and knock back a few...

But first, business. "Ya need somebody ta back ya for th' job hunt, Cap'n?"

[The Corsair]

Perhaps the most crucial thing he had learned from Lou in the time before planetfall, or rather moonfall, was that his few remaining Francs were useless literally everywhere besides Venus. He'd need to have both Marks and Pounds depending on who's colony he was on, the Americans supposedly being happy with trading in Pounds as well as the local Dollars. He decided he would meet with Jemima to see if he could dip ever so slightly into her funds so he could exchange some Francs for Pounds and get a meal. She agreed to lend him some money for food provided he brought her something.

He found one place that would let him buy a meal and take it away with him. In small wooden bowls, which were presumably quite cheap, they served up a strange slop of meat, sauce and possibly vegetables which the handed to him with two large, flat, bread-like objects and he returned to the ship having avoided spilling any of the mysterious liquid. He and Jemima sat outside the infirmary and ate. It was odd, the liquid. The meat was in tasty, tender little chunks and the sauce seemed to be a spice-based thing, similar in flavour to some of the things he'd eaten on Venus. The bread-thing seemed to be pretty much that, a form of bread, and was best eaten in conjunction with the meaty liquid, he discovered.
"It's like a thick, spicy stew..." Jemima remarked after a fairly long period of silence. She seemed to have it dead-on, too. The meals in the Houses were fairly bland and often consisted of stews made from butcher's off-cuts and the cheapest vegetables on the market and Roger's taste in cuisine while working as a mechanic was along those same lines, stews, soups, anything slow-cooking that he could leave sitting while he worked and would keep for a couple of days. They emptied their bowls quite unceremoniously, him having the idea of using a bit of the bread-thing to mop up the last bits of liquid, Jemima trying to shovel down the last drops with a spoon. He wondered if he had really enjoyed the meal or was just hungry, but nonetheless he felt satisfied.

"So you shot someone?" he said once the cheap wooden bowls were disposed of.
"Yes, and I can explain to some extent." she responded. She told him of her brief confrontation with the German boy who tried to detain her, on Wallace's orders too, explained her reasoning for pointing a gun at the captain and how she had intended to negotiate her way into a job.
"Then he appeared behind me. I was startled, it was reflexive." she finished. There was a pause.
"There's a lot I could say about that but during the whole story I was left dwelling on the fact that there is a crewman locked somewhere on this ship..." he said.
"Oh, no, the captain searched the ship for crewmen and sorted them all out." she assured him. Sorted them out... It was a very safe choice of words...
"Well at least she didn't see fit to sort us out too." he responded.
"She might ask you to sort out your hair though." she said with a giggle, rescuing the conversation from impending seriousness. She was right, his hairstyle made him stick out like a sore thumb now that he wasn't on Venus. Hers was short but still feminine, but his was extremely girly by moon standards.
"Let's go and get me a haircut then." he said with a smile, finding he was slightly comforted by the granule of guidance she had offered.

[Alexis Voltaire]

"No, I think I'll be good." Mariah said, "I've got an old friend here that should be able to come up with something. He used to run a smuggling ship back when I was new on the Nighthawk, before the atherdrive on his ship went up and he got caught up in it... Turned him a bit odd, he's been stuck here ever since, but now he owns half the surface-runners* in Tranquility now. Runs a fair bit of not-so-legal work on the side as well." She shook her head, lost in old remembrances. "Besides, I'd prefer having someone I can trust look after the ship while I'm away, if you wouldn't mind, I won't be long."

---

Once she had left the ship, she headed down to the edge of the port, and down a narrow sidestreet past what appeared to be disused buildings, to a run-down looking building with the name 'J. Alister Aetherfreight, Ltd.' marked in faded lettering above the door.

"I'm here to see James, is he busy?" She asked the secretary behind the front desk. The secretary shook her head and pointed Mariah to the back room, used to this routine from anyone who asked for James by his first name, which wasn't more than a dozen people in her experience.

"Thanks." Mariah said, heading down the hallway to the back room, walking quietly into the dark room.

"Mariah, nice to hear you're back in town." James said as she came in, fixing her with his unsettling blue-white eyes.

She shook her head. "I'll never be able to guess how you do that... How've you been, you old pirate?" She said, taking a seat in front of the desk.

"Keeping my debts paid. Last I head you were bound for Venus." James said conversationally.

"I managed to get out of there, got a new ship too, the Sabertooth." Mariah replied. "I'm in a bit of a hurry, I'd like to find a job that can get us enough pay to run for a while, preferably one that leaves today."

"Hmm, I don't have anything like your usual work that can leave for another week or so." James said, the metallic joints of his right arm clicking as he shifted several sheets of braille-printed paperwork across his desk. "If normal work will suit you..." He sat in thought for a moment. "There's a few good-paying contracts that leave today or tomorrow." He found a pen and wrote a few careful notes on a piece of paper and passed it to her. "You'll have to work out the details up front, but will any of these work?"

[MWBailey]

So, Bailey was left in charge of the ship; Heinrich set off for some kind of hotel that rented by the hour, for soem reason (he could guess and was probably right, but he didn't really care, as long as the lad didnt catch anything contagious).

He set up a folding table and chair with a passenger Roster opened and weighted down with a pair of large worn gears, and sat and strummed a hide-headed tackhead banjo that one of the now-departed crew had left behind. He had played one in his childhood and early adult life, and still enjoyed plonking about on one when he had a chance. It wasn't lng before he had his head down, getting into Sandy River Belle, a good old-fashioned shuffling tune. he finished playing all of the verses, and then set the instrument aside as a reasonably well-dressed man walked up -- and flashed a Federal US Marshal's badge.

"What ship is this?"

Bailey smiled and answered politely, though he wanted to point straight up overhead to where the ship's name was painted in large letters right over the door, where the jerk could have read it if he'd just looked.

"Sabertooth, Marshal..."

"Borland. Sam Borland, outta Baton Rouge Louisiana. I notice this vessel has a nose turret. Is there a gun in there?"

Bailey got the idea that wasn't really what the fellow wanted to ask. He had left the cutlass and the shotgun in the cabin that he had claimed for himself (next down the corridor from the captain's), and kept the .50 caliber walker in the hip rig, and his dirk on the opposite hip. His grey greatcoat was draped ovder the back of the chair he was sitting in, and witha sinking feeling, Baileyt remembered that it still bore most of its former piping and brass buttons. Was the Marshal trying to get him for some kind of generic former-con-fed petty crime or something?

"Yessir, there's a two-pounder gatling autocannon in there. We're also armed with six more autocannon in strategic posituions, and anti-smallship weaponry." He left off describing the othe rweaponry. The man was making Bailey suspicious of his intentions. Of course, it was possible that he was thinking about booking the Sabertooth for a manhunt, but that didn't feel like the purpose here. The Marshal slapped down two photographs and a calling card. "send me an aethergraph if you see either of these two people," he said. "There's a reward offered for 'em."

"How much?" Bailey asked.

"Five thousand Pounds or ten thousand dollars, depending on where you turn 'em in at," the Marshall replied.

"I see, well, we'll keep and eye out," Bailey said, and waved the man goodbye.

[Cpt Wallace]

Once at tranquillity he pulled on his coat and strode off the ship, heading into the town he found his down down a beaten track to a small run down dwelling turned parts shed, he didn't bother knocking on the door instead just pushing his way inside. He was greeted by a trio of greasy men who each had weapons pointed at him before he'd even straightened up to his full height.

"Hello boys."

They each relaxed a little putting the weapons away, he moved pulling an upturned crate to sit with them.

"How's you like your old jobs back?"

"What you mean Wallace?"

The man who spoke was old in his sixties at best and he had the look about him of a man of loose wits, his clothing was worn worst than most and coated in layers of dirt that would never wash out, his hair was a wild and untidy mop of darkness that could be more greasy and dirt or his natural colour it was difficult to tell, his mouth was a mass of missing or broken teeth and his left eye was milky.

"Well now bilge me old mate seems the Sabertooth's found her self a new captain, a new captain in need of some crew."

He lived up to his name in every way as he let out a dry cackle, the other two looked at him and then back to Wallace.

"What you two did for ole Bilge was mighty fine, Schmidt was dammed unfair when he turfed you out along with him, I'll see if the Captain will take ye back give you your old duties too, she needs a crew after all."

"That's mighty fine of yer Wallace."

"Nothing to it fer me old pals, be at the docks come sundown, and for the love of all things see if you can get some of the dirt offa him and in some new threads."

He tossed a small pouch of coils at one of the men.

"Don't be drinking it away I want to see Bilge at his best."

He stood and left them turning into the two he headed for the warehouse district in search of provisions

[steamcowboy92]

In the background a rather annoyed voice could be heard calling for someone o let him off this damn table that he was strapped to.

I

[MWBailey]

Bailey cocked his head, listening to what soundede like a far-off voice. "You'd think he could figure his way out of them straps, now that he's sober," MW muttered. "Well, hell, I guess I'll have to go let him loose."

HE closed the hatch, moved the table and chair to the side of the hatchway, and went to the sickbay, where he found Talon still in his bunk. "So, the green fairies finally stopped chasin' you, did they?" Bailey jibed. What happened to that skinny li'l' shiv you used to carry in yer sleeve?" he sighed. Right, lemme see, these locks aren't too difficult." In short order, he had managed to pick all four locks with a length of silver wire that he kept on a ring in his pants pocket. "Now, there ya go," he said. "You got 'til sundown to get your local bizniss taken care of. Cap'n 'll be back in a bit, then I'll be gone for a lil bit too; I'm gonna get me a real shemagh instead o' this dang towel, an' maybe a few drinks with Miss Lou."

"But right now, I have to get back to the main hatch and see if we can catch a fare or two." Within a few minutes he was set back up at the door and strumming away on the banjo in the shadow of the bulkhead. The melodies of Billy in the Low Ground and Shady Grove flowed out of and echoed in the hatchway and the surrounding landing and docking area...

[Stella Gaslight]

Engineers were in a unique position on ship. They could function almost separate from the rest of the ship in their own little worlds.  Each planet with a port had a quarter for them where there were plenty of parts and other things to appeal to them.  Like the port rabbit on a stick she was currently nibbling on while listening to the parts market calls.  It was almost like home.  She was quite happy to see Threadway's stall up and jumping with customers.  It was run by a formidable indian lady who looked as tho she had been built the same time as the jumble of stalls.  She sat at the back of the store impeccably dressed in bright silks watching over her empire.  "Ah Louisa dear come sit with me and have some tea."  Lou sighed a bit at her full name but complied with the request.  It just didn't do to ignore an invitation from Iaia Threadway.

[MWBailey]

Heinrich had found his favorite girl in Liu Fong's Noodle Shop, where she worked as a waitress, and was sitting kneeling at the low table in one of the almost room-like booths putting away the ramen and beef like there was no tomorrow, using the chopsticks as if raised in a Japanese household (which he was, actually, but that was beside the point). The stuff was perfect, the noodles just right and 'to the tooth' as the saying went about their texture. Wasabi and miso soup with fried rice completed teh meal, with a small white porcelain flask of sake, and water in a glass.

A rap on the sliding door caught his and Yuu's attention. the Proprietess looked in and said, "I know you have not seen one another for a long time, but Yuu has other guests to attend to, Master Heinrich. She will complete her shift in a little while, do not worry..."

[Alexis Voltaire]

Mariah returned to the ship shortly before standard noontime, carrying a large envelope with their shipping paperwork in it. "I got us a job with the Aquilis mining corporation here on Luna." She announced with a smile as she approached the table Bailey had set up. "It's just one trip to haul supplies out to a mining base on the far side of Luna, but it pays well enough to covered us until we can get something better... And I got our port fees here taken care of."

She glanced at the passenger roster sheet on the table, seeing that they hadn't picked up anyone so far. "I'll take over here if you want to head into town. Aquilis should be here at one o'clock to load the supplies on board, and maybe I can pick up a few passengers." She wasn't entirely hopeful of that prospect, after picking up the contract paperwork she'd checked the signboards and usual places for offers for a doctor looking to join up with a ship, but the three she'd checked on had either been gone or weren't interested. She'd put up a notice of her own, and left contact information with those that had been out, but since the Sabertooth would be leaving in only a few hours she doubted anyone would be responding to the offer before they left. Still, they would probably be back in tranquility in a few days after they finished the Aquilis contract, and hopefully they'd be staying a little longer then.

[MWBailey]

The way that the streets and neighborhoods and boroughs in Tranquility were arranged, the tenderloin and the boulevard that was known as Little Asia butted up together and gave out together onto Port Street, which ran directly to the Spaceport where the Sabertooth was parked. Thus it was somewhat fated that Bailey and Heinrich would probably meet. It was not to be until a bit later, however.

Bailey went to a shopfront near the gate of the port, paid the proprietor a small bit of his poker winnings from V3, and left astride a huge-wheeled, rented highboy bicycle, making for the shop in the tenderloin where his old friend ran a curio and shonky shop. On the way, he rememberd the area where Miss Lou was probably visiting, and made a mental note to pop in at the Threadway shop.  But first thigbs first. He finally found teh shop, after doing som ethreading of his own through the traffic  willy-nilly setup of teh booths, bazaars and caravans that clogged teh tenderloin. "Aw, here we are." He pulled up before a ramshacle first-generation edifice built by one of the original colonists, an adobe-like affair, complete with the corner fireplace chimney. The sign out front read:

Graymonger's 
Souvenirs, Thrift and Surplus

Tables of goods were stacked high outside and inside (at closing time, part of the shop's security came from the fact that the tables from outside,  brought inside, blocked the front  doorway), and behind a counter awash and nearly swamped with new, used and handmade textiles and curios, there resided a wizened old man, tallying figutres on paper and an old abacus. "MW!" he beamed as Bailey walked in, having chained the highboy to a standpipe outside. "What can we do ya for -- and what in tarnation are ya wearin' around yer neck?"

Bailey explained the past week and his experiences.  Old Grymonger laughed until he cried, to hear that the "shemagh" was actually a shop towel. "Well, whatever works," I guess, he said, still chuckling, "but I'll have to say I hadn't ever thought about using an old towel. Say, how's about I sell you a three-scarf package so's you can take that thang off?"

"That's what I'm here for, old-timer," Bailey said.

A little while later, he was pedalcranking his way back down teh Tenderloin, bundle of new and true shemaghs strapped to the frame of the bicycle, toward the junction of Tenderloin and Asia, when a heavily-laden Lorry (with the name Swallow Laundry Service in foot-high chinese characters painted down the side) swerved to avoid a collision with a rickshaw coming from the opposite direction, ran up onto a wagon that had been left in front of a greengrocer's, and flew through midair to crash in the middle of the three-way junction. Ensign Heinrich stepped out of the rickshaw in question, which had been forced to stop behind a steam tram, as it took on passengers. He had His girlfriend Yuu in tow, and was carrying a long, silk-bagged bundle that looked suspiciously as if it held a cavalry-length katana. Bailey swerved his own vehicle to avoid the mess at the intersection, and nearly ran down Heinrich and Yuu.

"Fer Korn's sake, watch where yer walk--!" Bailey stopped in midsentence as he recognized the Ensign, and the fact that he held the hand of the almost -unbearably-cute girl he had nearly run down. "Heinrich?!"

"Mister Bailey!"

"Who's that with you?"

"I am Yuu" The girl said, and held forth her hand. Bailey took it."

"Awhm, no ma'am, You're his, not min--Oh. So very sorry, Miss...Yuu, is it?"

"Yes. You must be the dashing Mr. Bailey that Heinrich has been telling me about." she turned to Heinrich "And to think you told me he locked you in a closet--!"

"Yes Ma'am, I did," Bailey corrected. "it was a moment of distrust that I regret."

"No need to regret it, this fuzzy-headed lunk probably deserved it."

Heinrich yelped in emotional agony. "AI! Yuu!"

"She hugged Heinrich from the side, squeezing his arm between her wrapped arms and he rbody.. "But I love him anyway, so please don't kill him until I'm through with him," she teased

A little while later, the traffic snarl and meeting Heinrich's light o' love resolved, Bailey rode onward and finally pulled up outside of Threadways, chained the highboy to a hitching post, of all things, and then went inside. He found himself assaulted by the unfamiliarity of a Sewing ...empire, apparently. An attendant came forward and asked if she could help him. "I'm lookin' for a Miss Lou?" he asked, and described her...

[Stella Gaslight]

She had forgotten how sweet and spicy Iaia liked her tea. After the first gulp Lou sipped her tea carefully.  They talked about many things with orders slipped in side ways.  Threadways was the only place she could find the proper parts for her side work in automatons and they did not visit Luna often so Lou was stocking up.  It was superposed to be a shop for sewing machine repair and cloth sales but everyone knew if you wanted specialized parts without the hefty price you came here and made a deal.  Lou had to stop herself from waving and calling out to Bailey when she was at Iaia's she had to behave better than the time she went to church.  "Sorry if the captain sent you Bailey. Time got away from me a bit." She stood up.   "Bailey this is Lady Iaia Threadway.  He is the big man on the crew i have been telling you about."

[MWBailey]

"I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, Milady," Bailey said; when he was able to locate his manners, he could be as charming as any lord in a monkey suit.

To Miss Lou, he responded, "Actually, there's no rush. I just came to see if you would like to accompany me to a local establishment for vittles and libations." Ooops, Bailey thought to himself, 'vittles' ain't courtly lingo, you stupid cob. He suddenly realized how awkward the situation was. Will she think I'm up to something? Idiot!

"Please, continue with your business if you wish."

[Stella Gaslight]

Iaia smiled courtly and amused. "Dear Louisa told me much about you.  I hope you continue to take her under your wing. Abaram." She called and a head poked out of the back. "I need Louisa's order please and put in some of my tea biscuits she is a growing girl after all."  Lou flushed a bit pink Iaia always liked treating her like family.  "Thank you so much.  I promise to stop back by soon."  Lou beamed as Iaia nodded to them getting one of the shop boys that schooled like fish to guide them out.  "Man alive she can be scary sometimes."

[Cpt Wallace]

He returned to the ship leading a small procession of steam carts their drivers coaxing the engines to idle as they found space round the loading bay he directed each team to unload the provisions he'd secured having them packed in the hold ready for him to sort them later, he made not of the perishable's and the fresh produce and had it packed to one side for his immediate attention before paying the men with notes from inside his coat as the carts were turning to depart three figures appeared before him, two were dressed in crewmens uniforms the third in a new set of labourers fatigues and a riggers vest they looked at him expectantly.

"Right Morrison, Jameson get these cases and crates down to the cold store in the kitchen, these ones here into the dry store and these last two to the ice room."

They looked at him for a second and then nodded.

"Aye right you are Wallace."

"Good lads, Bilge you come with me."

He led around the ship heading for the table Bailey had set up hoping to find either him or the Captain.  

"Ah, Captain glad I could find you, have you a new crewman, well more like an old crew man that Schmidt booted off, this here is Archibald Fitzherbert the third or as we all call him Bilge, I know you have an experienced crew of your own but no-one in the solar system knows the Sabertooth as well as Bilge, he knows ever inch of wiring and piping in the old tub and best of all ole Bilge here knows ever nook and cranny you can slip items of a delicate nature in."

He leant in close to the captain as Bilge fidgeted.

"And best thing is he's free don't need or want no paying, he sorta came with the ship you see afore Schmidt cast him adrift here."

He stood up again.

"I also took the liberty of hiring two kitchen hands outa my kitchen kitty to help me with my duties, they're good lads stood up for Bilge against Schmidt, dab hands as gunners too."

[Alexis Voltaire]

Maraih looked up from the book she'd been reading as Wallace and another man came up to the table. "Alright then." She said when Wallace had finished. She wasn't entirely happy that Wallace had gone out recruiting new crew without telling her, especially since as far as she was concerned he was new himself. Still, she could use a few more people, especially if they were experienced gunners.

"Welcome back aboard the Sabertooth." She said to the man Wallace had called Bilge. Looking back to Wallace, she added. "I've managed to get us a job, nothing fancy but it'll get us back on our feet. We'll be taking on cargo soon, so keep the hold in good order if you would."

---

Some time later she heard the sound of a large transport vehicle approaching, and she looked up again, seeing a compact steam-powered earthmover trundling down the avenue between the landing pads, followed by a flatbed truck hauling three huge wooden crates bearing the red eagle symbol of the Aquilis mining corporation. She set the book down and got up, meeting the driver of the truck as he pulled up and got out with a clipboard to get the necessary signatures and paperwork.

"Transport order here from Aquilis... Not your usual kind of contract is it?" The man said, glancing to the sleek fighting form and turrets of the Sabertooth.

"Just doing a favor for a friend at Alister Aetherfrieght while I'm in town. You'll find the paperwork is signed in the right places." She replied, signing the forms on the clipboard and adding a couple more from the envelope she'd gotten earlier.

"Alrighty then," He said, taking back the clipboard and looking over everything carefully. Finding nothing out of place, he signaled to the driver of the earthmover to get into position to load up while Mariah hurried to open the cargo hold door. When the door was down, she and the truck driver guided the earthmover carefully into the hold, chaining it down to secure it once it was in position, and loading the crates in behind it. When they had finished she waved the drivers off and closed the hold door, returning to the chair at the table with the faint hope of picking up any passengers, though at the moment she was honestly more intent on finishing the last chapter of her book.

[MWBailey]

You have some very interestin' friends, Miss Lou, Bailey said, as they exite dtothe street. "Here, just let me strap your packages to the rack back here," he turned to the highboy bicycle and unchained it from the hitching post, then propped it against the post and strapped her things to the handy rack down just above the seemingly-tiny rear wheel, on top of his bundle of desert scarves. "Well, that's that," he said, then said to Lou, "There's that passenger seat up there, or would you prefer to walk?"

[The Corsair]

There was no barber they could afford, so they settled for a pair of hair scissors and a comb. Now they sat in the infirmary while Jemima quietly worked away at his hair, attempting to make it as boyish as she could with no experience at trimming hair. He had noticed a while back that she had conveniently position him facing away from the mirror.
"If it's truly awful then it will at least grow back out." she had assured him. It was true, of course, but he would still have to deal with having a head of ridiculous hair for the months it took to regulate itself. After what he was sure was too long for just a trim, she claimed to be finished. She did her best at brushing out the loose hairs on his head with her hands, rinsed them, then stood him up and spun him around to face her.
"I think it's alright, a bit lovely." she said, her eyes darting between his eyes and his fringe.
"Then move so I can see it myself." he said, making sure he wasn't snappy.
It was alright, really. Fairly standard. There wasn't much that could have gone wrong with the cut he realised in hindsight.
"Well done, I don't look like a broomstick." he said, deadpan. She giggled and spun him back around.
"Now, let's cut your hair." he added with a smile. She exhaled sharply out of her nose, the corners of her mouth twitching up slightly, all saying 'absolutely not' but meaning well as she turned him around once more and said "We should see what everyone else is up to, they should be back soon." As she let go of his shoulders and they walked out of the infirmary.

[Stella Gaslight]

"If you promice to keep us up right I will gladly ride with you.  Iaia is quite a lady.  She is the only one I know who hires refuges no questions asked.  She helpedme get on my feet once."

[MWBailey]

As they pulled away from the curb, Bailey remarked, "I think I kin keep us oriented in th' proper position, but th' traffic 'round 'ere's gotten to be murder; I kin 'member when there weren't trams all over the place." He cut arond the back of one of the aforementioned trams, and passed it, the vehicle having stopped dead with no warning whatsover. the big wheel trundled on, pulling them and its companion rear wheel along surefootedly through the streets, until they made it to the Pub.

"I'd sure like to buy one o' these things," Bailey said. "The rentals're fine, but it'd be good to have somethin' aboard to ride on, so I wouldn't hafta hoof it wherever we land. I could go a lot farther than I can on foot, too." He braked to a stop, propping the cycle with the bamboo pole that had come with the rental to hold it upright so that he could help Miss Lou dismount.

"There we are. Shall we?"

[Stella Gaslight]

"We could build one.  I bet it isn't even that tricky." Lou said slideing down.  She rather like the bike and being tall for a change.  "This looks like a proper sort of place for us."  She likerd that the doors were set for her hight and everything.  Being almost bowled over by swinging salloon dorrs was embarising.

[Cpt Wallace]

He smirked at the Captain.

"Don't mean to be stepping on your toes Ma'am but felt you should be having boys you can trust and who know the ship, I just happened to know where to find em is all."

He waved Bilge away after Mariah's approval and leant on the table.

"How about I whip up some some decent grub for the crew we can all get to know each other before we set off, nothing like loosing the tongue that some good grub. I got some fine salted beef fresh from earth and some Martian White Ape loins that have been deep chilled, both would make a right fine stew, but it's you call Captain I can cook just about anything and my provision run today has refreshed that rather bland German excuse for military cuisine "

[Alexis Voltaire]

"I appreciate the new crew, Wallace." Mariah said. "Just tell me next time before you hire anyone on, I like to know who I'm flying with... And beef stew sounds good. Everyone should be back here by three o'clock standard, so have it ready by then if you can. I'd like to take off by four thirty at the latest."

She glanced down the avenue between the ships, and seeing no one heading in their direction at the moment went back to reading.

[Cpt Wallace]

"Yes Ma'am."

He snapped a salute and headed into the ship stalking down the corridors he headed for the kitchen bellowing as he entered.

"Morrison, you know how to cook don't you?"

"Aye."

"Good bring me one sack of spuds, carrots,  a handful a' Luna vine, some of the garlic and the tin of pepper."

He scooped up a cleaver and strode towards the cold store.

"You hang the beef?"
 
"Course I did, I've worked for you before Wallace!"

"Good."

He strode into the cold store savouring the cold wash as it hit him and went to the handing beef with four deft swings he hauled a large chunk of the beef up over his shoulder and turned entering the warm environment of the kitchen, even when the engines were on idle the heat remained. He dumped meat on a wooden slab and with a snap of his hand embedded the cleaver into a wooden wall panel several feet away before either Morrison or Jameson could react another blade was in his hand and he was caring the meat.

"Morrison, when you've got all those veg together start peeling the spuds, then chop em into quarters, Jimmy you get the large stockpot and get it onto this hob to my left crank the heat up and find me the dark Saturn oil."

His eyes never left the meat as he worked carefully trimming the fat he tossed it into the stockpot when it arrived waiting until it started to spit in the heat then he added the black oil closing his eyes and relishing the sound of it boiling in the pan, before it caught he tossed in the chunks of beef smiling as they sizzled away happily then he turned picking up the Luna vine stripping the outer from it he started to chop it into neat slices adding it to the cooking meat followed by pepper and garlic.

Soon the smell of the cooking meal could be detected throughout the whole ship.

[MWBailey]

They found a table and Bailey ordered a round of drinks and a porterhouse steak; he still had a substantial amount left over from his winnings on Venus, and felt like indulging a bit.

"What'll you be havin', Miss Lou?

---
Yuu and Heinrich finally made it to the Sabertooth."So that's your ship?" Yuu asked, awestruck. "It's bigger than I expected!"

"Yep, that's her, the Sabertooth, the terror of the Cytherian Lanes. C'mon, you can meet the new Kapitan." He guided the petite and pretty japanese girl over to the hatchway where Captain Harper sat, reading her book.

"Fraulein Kapitan? This is Fong Yuu, a very good friend of mine. Yuu? This is Kapitan Harper."