[Game] [IC] Into the Black

[Tyg3rW01f]

*Generally about the ship*
Aidan
They had been underway long enough for the ship's routine to settle down. Aidan "Wolf" McCuan knocked on Lizzie's door.
"May I borrow your copy of 'And Then There Were None' Lizzie?"
He held out the copy of "The Definitive Collection of Sherlock Holmes" he had borrowed the trip previous.

[Chanlin]

Tucker and others - Deucalion, the Galley

"I'm up for cards." Tucker says, "So long as you don't mind me taking a break now and then to make sure we're still on course and not about to crash into anything." He gives a slight smile as if he has made some private joke.

[Ellain]

Rowan- Deucalion, morning of departure

Rowan gets up early to exercise, as is her habit. After working out, she freshens up a bit and heads to the kitchen to enjoy Sama's cooking. As she has a bit of extra time, she goes ahead and cleans up the dishes before going on with her day.

At crew introduction

Rowan is surprised when the Captain admonishes Wolf, but keeps quiet. Wolf certainly wasn't being very welcoming to their passengers, but that was only to be expected...

When introduced as "Mrs. Rowan Li", she quirks an ironic smile. The captain was forever mixing up titles, and she found it quite amusing.

Overhearing Weyland, Rowan interjects, "Would you be interested in learning a space-safe way to play with metal? My grandparents owned a jewelry store- made some of their own pieces. They taught me some of their techniques."

Addressing the rest of the passengers, "If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to ask! I should be available most of the time, but in the event that I'm not, another crew member will be happy to help." She turns to Gilchrist and continues, "The labor intensive tasks are pretty well taken care of, but we'll keep that in mind. We do have a small space you can use to work out in, if you so desire."

[Sarlon]

((full explanation in OOC....extremely sorry for the delay))

Sama -- various places
Evening before:

She wakes in time to cook dinner for the crew, and leaves the clean up to one of the boys.

Day of Departure:
After preparing the morning meal and leaving the clean up for a less hectic time (also hoping someone else will clean them), she heads to the engine room doing last minute checks working with Tucker on the bridge for a clean, hassle free take off.

By the time the captain calls the meeting of passengers she heads up with her hair in disarray, a smudge of something on her cheek, and barefooted as normal for being shipboard.

When the captain makes the introductions she smiles and gives a cheery wave when her name is mentioned, and had arrived to late to notice the confrontation between Zhan and Wolf.

Having little to do till an emergency rears its head, and hearing the mention of card games, she sidles over to Lerga, with the most innocent expression on her young face. "I can play cards....but I'm not that good....but friendly wagers with me are harmless enough right?"

She puts on her most endearing smile and holds out her hand to shake, "Sama Alborne, chief mechanic...and amateur poker player!"

[Tyg3rW01f]

Aidan -- His personal quarters
"Aidan, me boy, ye be a man t'dee, an' so ye be larnin tae shoot. Nary o th' fam'ly be a coward. Cowards canna nay shoot; ye'll larn or ye ain' none o' th' family." His grandfather, James Kilpatrick, had said the day Aidan "the Wolf" McCuan had turned 8. And so, Aidan had learned how to shoot Grampa Jim's heavy Callahan Single-Action Diamondback revolver.
Aidan had learned to knock free the wedge with a knife pommel, then clamp the wedge in his teeth and rotate the barrel/rammer assembly counterclockwise 90 degrees. Opening the loading gate and giving six pumps of the rammer emptied the cylinder. The barrel was then rotated 90 degrees clockwise and the wedge replaced. Another hard whack with a knife pommel secured the wedge into place and the weapon was ready to be reloaded. As Aidan had grown, he learned to hold two rounds in the knuckles of his left hand to help speed reloading. Over the years, Aidan had improved his speed greatly; what had once taken him fifteen minutes as a child now took less than 17 seconds.
Fancy tricks had also been tried, but Grampa Jim had very quickly proven their futility. One trick the older man had praised, however, was the Road Agent Twist. When done properly, the Twist allowed a pistol being surrendered to be brought into lethal action before the confiscator could take possession, and Aidan had honed the move to startling speed over the years.
Aidan also learned to use rifles, like his Uncle Reuben's Sharps Quigley, Grandfather Charbonneau's Lee Enfield SMLE Mk III, Aunt Eustace's AR-15 and the M1 Garand owned by Aidan's own father. Even though Aidan was a fine rifleman, and a marksman pistolero, Grampa Jim's most important lesson had been to NEVER use any firearm unless the situation was so dire there was no alternative.
And it's why I'm the best knife-fighter in the entire McCuan family, Aidan grinned as he played with his tablet computer in quarters. Well, that, and he had learned the craft in the back alleys and pubs of New Highland after Aunt Mavis told him, "Knives never run out of bullets."

[Jay 2K Winger]

Deucalion - Galley - Everyone, sans Zhan & Wolf

Only the crew would really notice it, but Mando's usual stoic expression flickers with faint disapproval when the captain snatches Aiden's knives away and sends him off. Otherwise, he just stands there, arms folded, as impassive as ever.

The four passengers give their nods to the various crewmembers. "If it helps," Gilchrist the laborer says, "I'd gladly help out with any, y'know, heavy-lifting or any work you need done." This gets him some puzzled looks from Blevins the accountant and Weyland the metalworker, but he shrugs. "I feel useless unless I have something to do with my hands, and there's only so long I can drift on the Cortex before I get bored..."

"Easy for you to say, Nick," Weyland mutters. "I'd normally do some for-the-helluvit metal sculpting, but I can't do that while we're in the black. I'll probably finish out those sketches that Meridian asked for before we're even a third of the way there."

They both glance at Blevins, as if expecting him to interject with something himself. But the accountant just adjusts his glasses and says, "Don't look at me. I have books to read. Got to catch up on the financial laws and wherebys on New Melbourne before I get there."

Then Syman Lerga beams. "Is no problem! I am having much games to play. I love playing the games of cards and bluffing. Also, I am having poker chips. Don't want to go blowing actual credits and specie on gambling, no?" He pats his pockets a few times and then produces no less than three decks of cards. One is clearly a set of round-cards (suitable for Tall Card and Floodfire*), one is a standard set of playing cards from a casino, and the third... actually looks not unlike a Tarot deck. "Games helping with the hours passing, yah?"



* Floodfire is a game not unlike Rummy, which I stole/made-up from a book I read once. I'll post up the rules I've just made up in the OOC thread because what the hell why not.

[Ghel]

Lizzie - Deucalion Galley

Lizzie's normal warm smile flickers slightly when the captain introduces her as "Ms." Elizabeth Lock, but she's smiling again before anybody but the captain notices.

[Chanlin]

Tucker et al.- The Galley of the Deucalion

While the Captain makes his introductions Tucker will be doing his best to watch the reactions of the passengers when his own name is given without being too obvious about it.

[Tyg3rW01f]

Aidan "Wolf" McCuan -- Bridge

Zhan found Aidan at his console, boots on the tiny counter.

Wolf's tone was calm, cool, and quiet as he puffed on his e-pipe.
"Captain, I understand the Alliance trains its troops in hand-to-hand, and that includes take-away's; however, you snatched three knives out of their sheathes, in plain view of the passengers. If that isn't telling them this crew is divided and easy to overcome, I don't know what is."
Wolf looked over at Zhan, "I'm up here on the Bridge because no one else is; now that you are here, I can retire to my quarters."
Standing, the Celt said quietly, "C'll may wh'n y're teed up and nayd'n rescue bee a sodding Browncoat, Alliance."

With that, Wolf walked away. Over his shoulder, he called, "Oh, and that diagnostic was clear."

((Translation: "Call me when you're tied up and needing rescue by a f'ing Browncoat, Alliance." ))

[Exile]

Deucalion - All crew and passengers

Zhan swiftly and purposefully walks at a deceptively quick pace to Wolf, snatches his knives away and half growls half whispers, "You are relieved from your post." and stares him down until he leaves.

Once he does he paints a smile upon his face and addresses the passengers in (almost) his standard passenger lift off greeting, "Hello, and welcome aboard the Deucalion. I believe I have met you all but just in case I am Captain Zhānmǔsī Cook. As for the rest of the crew" (He gestures to each member as he introduces them,) "first and foremost this is my second-in-command Mrs. Rowan Li, your pilot Tucker Webb, the ship's steward Senor Mando Alvarez, our lovely medical expert Ms. Elizabeth Lock, our mechanical engineer Sama Alborne. Our computer technician Aidan McCuan is doing a final diagnostic system scan before we take off. If anyone has any dining schedule requests please list them over there on the sheet. Otherwise meals will be prepped at the noted time. The next will be at 1200. The galley and passenger cargo area are open to passengers at all times however, the bridge, crew quarters, engine room, infirmary and the marked off bulk cargo area are at all times restricted. Empty cargo area can be used with crew clearance since we do not have any cargo in transport at this time. Thank you again for flying with us. If there are any questions feel free to approach any of the crew members in the public areas. I'm sorry I can't take your questions personally at this time but I have to check on the diagnostic scan. So I surrender the floor to my able-bodied First Mate."

After gesturing to her he abruptly makes his way to the crew quarters to confront the absent crew member.

[Tyg3rW01f]

Deucalion - All crew and passengers

Wolf leaned against the bulkhead door, his knives and pistol in plain sight, his paranoid/suspicious eyes scanning constantly.

[Jay 2K Winger]

Deucalion - All crew and passengers

Once his workers' belongings are stowed and they start moving off toward the galley, Frank Brisket nods his goodbyes to them and the crew and leaves. Gilchrist does return some of Lizzie's looks with a friendly-enough smile. Brisket's workers seem familiar enough with each other that they chat a bit during the cargo storage. Mr. Lerga seems content to just let them do so, although he's humming some tune and burbling the lyrics in what is presumably his native tongue.

Eventually, everyone ends up in the galley for the captain's speech.

[Chanlin]

Tucker - To the Galley

After the Captain makes his announcement, Tucker decides to head to the Galley along with him. Some on the crew might recognize it as one of his lesser past times as he often likes to see how the passengers will react. The Captain however would probably note that Tucker somehow always manages to avoid meeting the passengers for the first time without his presence.

[Exile]

Zhan - Bridge of the Deucalion

"Thank you. I'll be right down." his says sincerely in response to Rown. Afterwards he finishes double-checking the course coordinates he sent to the faithful pilot that he had plotted out the night before and heads ouf the bridge and down to the cargo area.

Calling down to the large open cargo area in an projected but pleasent voice that echoes slightly in the hold, "Hello everyone, This is your Captain Zhānmǔsī Cook. You may call me Zhan. If I could get get you all to come up the stairs here to the galley I would like to address you all personally and let everyone know the rules aboard the Deucalion. Thank you all, and I'll be seeing you soon." After that he heads to the galley himself to meet everyone there as they come in.

[Ghel]

Lizzie - Deucalion

Lizzie greets each of the passengers warmly as they arrive, introducing herself as the ship's medic. She makes small talk with each of them, trying to gauge each's interest in her. She spends extra time chatting with Gilchrist, and it's obvious to anyone who sees them talking that she's quite attracted to him.