The Stars Await - Mists of Europa

[MWBailey]

Bailey nodded, and walked out anongst the throng in the bar again, and stood rather conspicuously in plain sight of Lou, took out the steel turnip watch that head seen him through a rebellion, fifteen merc campaigns and countless barfights and brushfire fracas, and opened the case, looked at the time, then closed it with a rather loud snap; it was the old pre-arranged signal (they each had their own, individual version of it, and of course others as well, tailored to their personal habits) for 'Time to go,'  'Get ready,'  'Let's Talk,' or just 'Attention!' He turned and walked back toward the cap'n.

[Stella Gaslight]

The parts man was slurring his speech and wobbling back and forth.  All it took was getting him to stand up and shake hands for him to crash to the floor. Lou smiled as he fell dropping coins that she pocked. A fool and money was soon parted after all.  All in all she came away with enough in small change to feed her for a week and a nice warm flush to her cheeks.  All in all not a bad evening.  She wandered casually over to Bailey grinning.

[Cpt Wallace]

He' decided to take a walk and was busy pulling on his out doors wear his mask and goggles hung off his waist while he fastened up the long coat his blades and pistol hidden under it, he never liked walking about an unfriendly town and Venus was independent and German Friendly a Brit like him found places like this hard work at the best of times, he was heading for the cargo hold and the outside when the exterior bulk head swung open and a slurring German voice drifted too him.

"Thiz iz de cargo hold, bit on ze empty zide now but ve haven't taken on provizionz yet."

He pause in his stride folding his arms over his chest as the crew man came on board followed by two civilians.

"What have we got here crewman? I didn't know we were taking on passengers today."

At six six he towered over the crewman who seemed to be taking far too long to register he was stood there, his eyes shifted to the two civilians behind the crewman.

"I'm more like to get some sense out of you two lasses, so what's he been offering? tour of the ship all the works?"

[Alexis Voltaire]

"Alright, lets get going..." Mariah said quietly, once everyone had returned from thier various conversations, heading for the door and out toward the direction of the spaceport.

"I have a few plans for the Sabertooth." She said, once they had left the rows of taverns and other portside businesses behind and the crowds had thinned enough that she was confident they wouldn't be overheard. "Once we're on the ship we have to get her off the ground and out of the dome before the port control catches on."

She paused when they reached the edge of the spaceport and the intersection of several of the broad 'streets' between the huge ship berths, looking to the signs that designated the numbers of the rows for a moment before finding the right one.

"That plan Bailey had back at the shuttle, about telling them there was an aetherdrive leak gave me an idea. If we can sneak on board through a side airlock and get to the engine rooms, we should be able to trip the internal radiation sensors by crossing a few wires. That should clear most everyone out of the ship. It'll attract attention from the port control, but if the standard protocol for an aetherdrive leak here is anything like the domed ports on Europa, they'll order the pilots to get the ship out of port and set down at a safe distance as fast as they can, to keep anything from going off inside the dome. It's risky, but I think we can do it..." She looked to her crew. "Any other ideas?"

[The Corsair]

"It's lad and lass, sir. I'm guessing you have spent little time on this planet."
It was generally known that hairstyles on Venus was in reverse the norm on other planets, but this man seemed to have missed that entirely. Roger only took offense because he had simply never met someone to make such a mistake. He was certain he didn't look that feminine... He held the man's gaze, tension becoming palpable.
"Ah, yes, a tour was my intention." managed the soldier that had brought them aboard, who was obviously outranked by the man who had called Roger a girl.
"I'm sure we won't be long, sir, and I will make sure we do not disturb the ship's goings-on." Roger added. He didn't care much for the tour but he definitely didn't want to be on the wrong side of a whole crew of Germans.

[MWBailey]

"Lead on, Cap'n," Bailey said, surreptitiously checking his smallarms, and  and  "You want me coverin' Miss Lou in the Engine room, or should I try for the Bridge?" He asked, as he switched the shotgun from it's diagonal across-the-back sling position to hanging from one shoulder, sliding three more alternating shells, slug, buck, slug, into the magazine as he did so. He was thinking that this was shaping up to be remarkably similar to a job he did on Ganymede back right after he went mercenary, and his unit had to steal a frigate to get offplanet again after blowing up a munitions dump. "Since we's want'n to fly her ourselfs, I guess we won't want to use much inna way o' grenades?"

[Alexis Voltaire]

"We should stick to the engine room and stay out of sight until we can set off the sensors, but once we get that done you should head to the bridge as quick as you can." Mariah said, catching sight of the Sabertooth from around the hull of a huge freighter, and turning to follow the narrower street beside the freighter to come around to the Sabertooth's side. "And no, I'd prefer not to use grenades if you can help it. If you have to, just don't damage anything we need to fly."

She reached the side of the ship, and after a moment's looking into the shadows under the upper parts of the hull, found what she was looking for. She climbed a short ways up one of the landing strut supports, and onto a narrow railed walkway that ran along the lower parts of both sides of the ship, used only for emergency maintenance when the ship was in the aether. At close end of the walkway was an airlock hatch, which to her surprise opened without much difficulty. "Never even bothered to lock the thing..." She muttered, shaking her head.

She reached for the slim knife inside her left coatsleeve, and the quieter of her two hideout pistols. "If we have to take anyone out on the way keep it as quiet as you can, at least until we sound the alarm. After that everyone should be worried enough about other things than gunfire."

[Stella Gaslight]

Lou primed her neck blade moving quiet and small.  The ship was empty except for from snores echoing down the hall. She stuck her head in to the main hall but quickly jumped back.  There are three people not to far from here.  Two little ones and a big person.  I don't know if they are headed our way but they are certainly up and moving."

[MWBailey]

"Let's 'ead back this way, Bialey suggested  in a low, whispering voice. "We don't want to meet anybody just yet. The Engine Room on these old buckets can be approached from a couple differn't cdirections." he drew his dirk and one of the scabbard's throwing knives. You go first, Miss Lou, Cap'n, Talon, I'll cover this quarter..."

[steamcowboy92]

Having seen Bailey and Mariah exit the bar, Talon wiped his blade on the deaf mans shirt and hefted his wallet thoughtfullly. The idiot had made himself a target for predators by throwing cash around and eventually one had found him. his bloody scalp was tied to Talons belt. Following the others, Talon drew his hawk, understanding the need for silence. 

[Cpt Wallace]

"I'm not so sure the Captain would take kindly to a drunken crewman showing civvies round the ship, you get some rest I'll show these two round."

He stepped past the crewman looking down at Jemima.

"So I'm guessing by the smile on your face it's you that wants to see the ship, so....what do you want to see first?"

[The Corsair]

"I think we might be best off leaving." he said,the last thing he wanted was to come between crewmen. The Englishman seemed a good man, he had no quarrel with him, he was better than a drunken German. The drunken German himself was the problem. No doubt he viewed Jemima as a pretty catch (why else would he offer a tour?) and Roger didn't want him trying to follow them around once they left the ship because his tour guide position was taken from him. He started walking, not waiting for a response. He was assuming Jemima would follow. She did.

He only made it a few paces before stopping in his tracks.
"Is everything alright?" asked Jemima in a slightly louder voice than he would have liked. He turned and strode back to the Englishman, stood up close to him and said in a low voice,
"There's some people on this ship just down there that don't want to be seen. Given that we have the two of us, a lady and a drunk soldier I think it's best we don't pick a fight."

[MWBailey]

Bailey heard the young woman's voice, and then just barely caught someone, it sounded like a young man, saying that there were "people down there who don't want to be seen." It took Bailey a few seconds to figure out the accent and the slang, and fit it together with the apparent content, but the intent was obvious.

Well, that's torn it, he thought.  He looked back behind himself, but the others were apparently already gone, so he sheathed the dirk and unslung the shotgun, remembering that the last shot fired had been a slug, so he now had buckshot; well and good, he thought, mayeb I can get more'n one with one shot. He cocked the weapon, waiting for the (it seemed to him) inevitable investigation, but also moving forward. Gotta give Lou and them time to bollox the Aetherdrive, he thought desperately. The sounds of the 10 gauge cocking sounded like pistol shots themselves in the relative silence of the corridor. So much for silence and stealth, he thought, and then his regular nature took over. He squared his shoulders and body, got in a ready stance, aiming the gun down the hallway, and slowly, deliberately, and somewhat ominously, whistled the first few bars of Dixie's Land, singing along in his head with the notes: Oh... I..wish...I...was...in...the...land...of...cot-ton...

[Alexis Voltaire]

Mariah paused and looked back when she heard Lou's whisper, and a few moments later the loud cocking of Bailey's shotgun.

Hell, they're sure to have heard that... she thought, looking back in the direction they had been heading to see if there was a corner they could get behind, and maybe take thier followers by surprise. But the long corridor was empty of intersections until the door way down at the far end. Well, enough of the stealth then. She thought grimly, pocketing her hideout gun and switching to her peacemaker, still keeping the knife in her left hand.

"Lou, can you and Talon handle things down in the engine room?" She whispered quickly. "I'll make sure no one follows you for a while."

[Stella Gaslight]

"Sure Captain.  Be careful I trust this crew as far as I can punt them." Lou gave a big grin and then started wiggling her way in to the wiring. once in there she would be hard to spot but unable to escape quickly.

[Cpt Wallace]

He heard the gun cocking, and screwed his face thinking sounded like a shotgun, not a good prospect, his face softened again and he looked down at the lad, lowering his voice.

"I think you two best come with me."

He turned round sharply grabbing the crewman by the shoulder and drove him into the bulk head wall head first and the turned to look at the pair again as the man slumped into some cargo sacks unconscious.

"It's best he stays here so he doesn't get himself into trouble, he's German but I've no beef with him myself."

He gestured to a open hatchway to his left in the furthest corner from the shotgun cocking behind him.

"Name's Wallace by the way."

He said as he led them off towards the hatchway, a pistol had appeared in his hand on the blind side to the shotgun, he'd chosen the hatchway because it allowed him to put the weapon in his best hand as they walked.

[The Corsair]

"Roger." he replied, beginning to follow the man. He was armed, Roger was not, he had every intention of doing what Wallace said and hopefully helping to get them out of this. Then Jemima's voice rang out down the corridor.
"We don't want any trouble! Please."

[Alexis Voltaire]

"Hold off," Mariah said to Bailey, hearing Jemima's shout. "If we can keep them talking long enough..." She trailed off as the first man entered the corridor.

"Well then, we don't want trouble either." She said evenly, still keeping her weapons at the ready.

"What's a Brit doing on a German ship?" She asked, hoping to stall for time and give Lou and Talon a chance to get to the engine room and set off the sensors...

[MWBailey]

What the--! Bailey was nonplussed by the captain's reappearance. What's she doing? He acquiesced, however, and stood against the same bulkhead along which the British fellow was edging and trying to take the other two along. If they tried something, his first shot would be buck, but a slug would be next, and the shotgun then would not be that much different from the musket he had become a crack shot with in basic training.

"Try not to be too much of a target, Cap'n," he said in a low voice that only she would be able to hear, "I done lost half the people I signed up with; I'd like to keep a few friends fer a while."

[Cpt Wallace]

He stopped turning to regard the voice of the woman as she stepped into view he didn't make a show of hiding his pistol but held it at his side, he put himself in front of Roger and Jemima.

"Earning a living, this old bird's been every colour under the sun in her time."

He took a step forward

"Question is, what's a set of stowaways doing on a grounded ship in fer repairs?"

[Alexis Voltaire]

"Taking payment for a debt." Mariah said cryptically after several moments, noting the man's step closer, and tightening her grip on the weapons but making no move of her own... yet. She was well aware of the chance she was taking, and if it meant their plan had a better chance of working she was willing to take the risk.

"Who's your friends?" She said, looking to the others behind the man. She guessed one of them had shouted earlier, and it took here a second to recognize that while one of them was female, the other was male, but with the notably feminine hairstyle native to the Venus colonies. Both of them also looked out of place on the ship, she noted, though she wasn't sure what to make of that at the moment...

[Stella Gaslight]

The wiring was in a different configuration than she was used to but soon Lou found what she needed even tho she had to be turned halfway upside down to reach the proper wire.  A few cuts and splices later warning lights started to blink all over the ship.  Lou admired her handy work and then wiggled out patched in a listen only handset to the ship wide com.  She turned to Talon smiling.  "This way we will be able to hear if they come down here."

[MWBailey]

The lights in the corridor suddenly turned red and began to pulse in tim eto the klaxon alarm that began to sound all over the ship, and Bailey smiled a decidedly unsettling smile, which became a truly disturbing grin as a strident bell began clanging away, giving the universal signal for a compromised aether containment system. he one-handed the shotgun and raised his other hand.

He stepped away from the wall and called out, "Looks like we've all been dropped in the pot, friend. I'm a Class Twenty-eight Aether Pilot," the highest grade was 30, "and I've heard that kinda bell before. Believe you me, the Port Authority can hear it too. You've got an Aether Manifold Leak, and it's just a matter o' moments afore the Port Captain either kicks yer collective cans out, or orders you towed off th' pad an' out inta high orbit an' scuttles you. I can fly us out n' save us all th' trouble o' bein' scuttled into atoms. How 'bout it?"

[The Corsair]

At first he was terrified of the clearly armed strangers aboard, given that he was only an unarmed stranger. That terror was very quickly redirected at the wailing klaxons and flashing lights around him. The dialogue shifted from tense negotiations descending toward violence to a jumble of jargon that meant nothing to Roger, though he could make decent guesses at its meaning. A dangerous something was leaking somewhere and they had to take off.
"Where's her engines? I'm a mechanic, maybe I can do something." he called out over the sirens to the alleged new pilot.
"So, are we hired?" said Jemima to him.

[steamcowboy92]

As soon as the klaxons went off, Talon lifted Lou of the ground by her belt and shoved her behind him. with a shout of "Look out little missy!" Shoving his hawk in his belt, Talon burst out, guns blazing in true texas fashion as he started gunning down crewmen with wild abandon, inhuman maniacal laughter  bursting from his lips like rolling thunder above the roar of gun fire as he sang. "TO ARMS! TO ARMS! TO ARMS FOR DIXIE!"