Destiny Crew

Wyatt Sung – Captain
Fenris (Wolf) Apollo – Mechanic
Jonah (Pops) Hicks – First Officer and The “face” man
Alex Castlebrandt/Dakota Jones – Pilot
Sean Callahan – Tech
Alaxis Van Stathem – Doctor
Ivy Sanders – Pilot/Wyatt’s ward

The war was over. The battle of Serenity Valley was done and all that was left was to pick up the pieces. It has has been a year now but it was a long hard year.

You (Wyatt, Fenris and Pops) were abroad the Alliance ship “Victorious” along with many late released brown coats and people generally suspected of being a disturbed of the peace. For Jonah, it was just a simple “pickup” job for the alliance but he ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Either way, you were bound for the core planets, whether you wanted to go their or not. Some of you had your card in hand, with coded access to reparation money the alliance was throwing your way to keep you quiet.

But then something happened. Alarms starts clanging, the ship shook with the sounds of missile hits. Explosions followed. People running.  An alliance guard came to the door and opened it quickly “To the life pods!” He said firmly, “Now! Quick quick quick! We are under attack!”

Under attack? But the war was over? Why was anyone still fighting?

Another explosion rocked you and you decided to ponder while running. You make it into the life pod and it seals itself and launches. There is one view point to watch as you spiral away from the burning ship. You see small ships (one to two man interceptors), black and diamond shaped flying pass, launching more missiles. The “Victorious” breaks up into pieces. Unfortunately Jonah’s freighter was attached to it at the time.

The big guy, Fenris immediately starts opening panels and looking around, “Gonna kill the beacon. Don’t want them xxx homing in on it.”

Jonah went to the flight controls and found they were locked out. “I can figure out how to get these working.”

Wyatt checked the stores. There was enough rationed food for 6 people for 10 days, 2 Heavy duty EVA suits and 4 suits that were basic keep you alive for a very short time EVA suits with 12 hours of oxygen tanks total. No weapons but a basic tools kit and a manual for Blue Sun Life Pods XL3’s.  Fenris quickly discovered you were in a Blue Sun Life Pod XL6.

Jonah got the ship controls working and you moved away from wreckage and debris. Wyatt suggested that since you did not have a lot of fuel, you would drift for a time (two days) and then use the thrusters judiciously to try to get to a shipping area where you could reactivate the beacon.  Nothing came around to shoot you down and you all worked on getting as much life out of the pod as possible.

After 5 days, you got a ping on the proximity detector. Something was out there. Was it a transport? Alliance or one of the ships that destroyed the “Victorious”. Wyatt made the decision to activate the beacon and take your chances. But nothing happened. Jonah moved the pod around and soon found the ship. It was a derelict floating in space. Looked like a transport but it was painted black and very stylish. There were no signs of life on the ship and no power signatures – it seemed completely dead.

The three men debated the options at this point. The Life pod was not going to last forever but the ship was dead in the black. Jonah wanted to stay with the pod, Fenris wanted to try the ship. Wyatt again made the final decision to see if they could get in to the ship and see what was salvageable.

The cargo bay had to be manually opened through an outer hatch which Fenris did via the EVA suit. Once inside, Wyatt and Pops took the two HD suits and explored the ship, short distances at first. The cargo bay looked like it had been through a battle. It did not take long to realize that someone had lined the walls of the Bay with claymore mines and then there were all set off. Not much left inside.  

The ship had no dead aboard, but there was definitely a battle here before. Most of the ship was shot up from within, or destroyed by an explosive force. The only places intact were the cockpit and engineering. You found another HD EVA suit and more oxygen tanks in a locker. Fenris checked the engines and found to his surprise that they were operational. There was some damage, enough to stop them but he could at least it spinning.

So you fixed the ship as best you could, keep life support and heat to the cockpit and engine room only. It was tight, but not as tight the life pods.  Once you had that, you scavenged as much fuel as you could from the pod and put the ship on a slow course to the nearest planet – Beylix. You were alive and had a ship – but who did it use to belong to? The only clue you found was a locked cabinet in the cockpit, indie was a suitcase, also locked. Inside it was a polymer sheet of paper with four words written on it.

Ubiquitous
Mendacious
Delphic
Destiny

Other interesting things about the ship:

The Speed Gauge went to 13. Most transports can reach a hard burn of 6, maybe 7.
The ship’s wiring had been hand rolled with anti-magnetic tape. Every sign piece of wiring.
There was a backup fusion battery that drew power from the engine. It was basic put in to restart the ship and life support if ever hit by an EMP attack.
The Pulse beacon had seven setting (Seven different call numbers spots). Pulse beacons are only made to hold one. However all the numbers in the array were wiped clean.

Once you reached Beylix, you landed as discretely as you could (Beylix is notorious for criminal activity) and you were alive and on a planet. What to do now? Something about the ship drew you all together and you decided to pool your money and work of fixing it up. Yes you could have bought a ship, plenty for sale now that the war was over but something about this one – like it was your Destiny to find it.

Fixing the ship up was difficult as many parts it had were simply not the same as others. Fenris had to retool almost every piece that went into the ship. He hand wrapped every wire he redid with the anti-magnetic tape because someone cared enough to do it before. Jonah had a wealth of knowledge about fixing the ship and he sold of his now defunct shipping business to help with the repairs.

Soon you were able to get the boat in the air and test flew it, often with terrible results but always making progress.  You pulled a registration number of an old wreaked Whitefire Class ship and submitted it as you own: Destiny – WhiteFire (Modified). You waited for someone to come take it away but no one did and the paperwork went through without a hitch.

You started gathering a crew. Alex Castlebrandt signed on as a pilot, Sean Callahan came on as the Technical and computer guy and finally Alaxis Van Stathem joined you as Doctor. Each one of you had a past and you all wanted to be the master of your own future. Destiny was running well except for some odd glitches. It would vent steam in places and no amount of repairs seemed to fix it. The steam often looked like a shadowy woman in white (decide what you wish on that) which was a bit distressing at first but you got used to it. You could get speeds up to 12 on the ship and the handling was quite precise. It flew as a transport but handled like a gunship.

Wyatt got a message one day and you flew off to Rhamba. Wyatt left on his own for what he called a personal errand. When he returned he had a young lady with him. He said her parents were dead and she would be joining the crew. Her face and Wyatt’s did not broker any discussion. Ivy is a very bright young lady with an aptitude for learning. She is very shy though, so much so that she rarely if ever leaves the ship.

So now you are looking for the big score, a job to develop a reputation and get your name known.  That has come now in the form of a crime lord in Berylix named Molly Malone. She is willing to give you a trial run, Beylix to Haven hauling foodstuff for a shelter. Pays 200 credit, plus full tank of fuel. Do it in a week and there will be a job on Haven with a better payout waiting for you. Don’t manage the time and then, well good luck with you then. Molly is very well known, very influential, and has a good reputation compared to the Badger’s and Dodgers of the Verse.

So you have four full skids of foodstuff packed and wrapped delivery to your ship’s hold. Haven is 5 days at a regular speed so you are confident that you can get there on time with room to spare.

OOC: Please post a brief intro to your character with whatever you want the crew to know about you.

His mother would have found a shaman to bless Destiny before they ever even stepped foot on it. Wyatt reflects on the luck that had drawn them to the ship floating in the Black, painted black... Luck is certainly at play. Lucky that they found the ship. Lucky that Wolf and Pops were able to bring the engines back to life. Lucky that they were able to make it to Beylix. And that's where their luck should have turned. That was three. Three up, three down, that's the rule. But no, not this time. Their luck had continued.

Lucky that they were able to machine the parts they needed to repair this enigma. Lucky that Molly Malone had decided to take a chance on them. What is that? Five? Sung's stomach twists in a knot. Where's the bad? It's past due. Running his left hand through his thick black hair, the half-Korean captain settled his eyes on the polymer sheet of paper with the words Ubiquitous, Mendacious,
Delphic, and Destiny printed on it. 

They had found the paper in the locked cabinet case combination—like one of those Russian nesting dolls—and had no idea what it could mean. So as not to forget about it, Wyatt has since kept it on the co-pilot's console. There it sits just beneath his hat, the bottom word visible in the shadow of the brim: Destiny.

At first, Wolf, Pops, and Wyatt had spent a lot of time discussing the possible connection between this ship, Destiny, and the strange, slick-looking attack ships that had taken out Victorious. What do the words mean? Who left the ship floating, all but dead, in the 'Black? All they'd come up with was conjecture, imaginative speculation, and (depending on how much sleep they had) fantasy. We're no closer to answers now than when we first found you, huh, girl? 

Destiny is female. Not just because of nautical tradition but because of her. A wholly supernatural event had happened to Wyatt once they had managed to bring Destiny fully online. He'd been visited by Eden, his dead wife. He candidly had to admit that the first visitation scared the living daylights out of him but when others amongst the crew started reporting sightings as well, he began to feel that Eden was there for a benign purpose not to haunt him for failing to save her life. Since then, Wyatt Sung had looked forward to her appearances gaining a sense of peace and comfort from her nearness. He didn't even hesitate to share his thoughts on the misty white dress wearing apparition with his crew and it hasn't even occurred to him that they might think him a little cracked. Ivy is especially thoughtful where Eden is concerned.

Ivy... where is that girl? Wyatt leaned forward and instinctively reached for the comm mic but stopped himself before the move had even fully been realized. Leave her be. Don't hover. His concern for her well-being often drifted to the far side of overprotective. Ivy Sanders is his second chance. She's too old to be the reincarnation of Summer but the 'Verse has a way of making things come round again and Ivy is his chance to make right his inability to save Summer's life. Ivy is also his lifeline when those long nights turn to terror and guilt. Even the memory of the taste of mind-numbing alcohol on his lips is tempered by Ivy. He has to stay strong for her. He can't lose himself in the bottle anymore. Fear of losing control. Fear of not being in his right mind when she most needs him. These are all tools that he uses to keep the demons at bay. Not that they work during the long dark. He still wakes sweating with his pulse racing as memories of his wife and child lying dead with the house burning around them sweep down on him like a prairie vulture. But he has thus far managed to refuse the bottle as a means of serenity thanks to Ivy. 

Settling back in the co-pilot's seat once more, he glances at Castlebrandt and wonders about how they have all come together. Seven individuals with very little time as a team under their belts speeding off into the Black with criminal intent. What could possibly go wrong?

A NEW BEGINNING

They say the Black is infinite, a never unending darkness covering the span of dozens of different galaxies. That for the most part She is peaceful, tame, waiting in silance for just the right moment to show off her beauty....... 

However as Fenris watched out of the life pods small window he sure as hell thought that was all bulls*** at this moment.

Small ships, clearly some type of fighter or interceptor, shaped like diamonds, black diamonds, were attacking the Alliance ship, more like ripping it apart, he, Wyatt, and some guy named Jonah had just blasted away from. As the big ex-soldier watched missiles from the black fighters poured into the Victorious and she was gone.

*“Wuo duh MA!!!” Turning from the small window Fenris quickly searched the Alliance life pod’s basic tool kit finding to his dismay a manual for Blue Sun Life Pods XL3’s while they were in a Blue Sun Life Pod XL6. **“Go tsao duh tzao gao” The big man cursed as he threw the manual to the ground.

“These aren’t going to help.” Fenris stated when he noticed the old guy, what was his name, looking at him,”Don’t worry these were made from the same basic model.” Immediately opening panels, looking around, and finding the right wires “Gonna kill the beacon. Don’t want them homing in on it.” Turning back to the old guy, his name for the moment lost,

“Pops can you fly this thing and get us the hell out here?”

“It’s Johan, not Pops”, Fenris could not help but smile mischievously at ‘Johan’s’ slightly peeved response. Already knowing the answer, Fenris could not help but ask again, to see the old guys reaction. “So Pops, can you fly her?”

As Fenris watched Pops, damn now nickname was stuck in his head, the ex-soldier realized, went to the flight controls and found they were locked out. “I can figure out how to get these working.” Looking at him and raising an eyebrow, Fenris smiled a friendlier smile then before.

“Ok Pops ….and ahh, you can call me Wolf, welcome aboard”.

Though at the time, and not for many years after, would the two men realize in that small moment was when they first became friends.

The men talked over the next several days, as Wyatt and Fenris listened, Jonah told them about Nora Lee. He told them of the events and how he’d got her from his former employer. He told them of his time serving both sides during the war as a diplomatic courier and that he was neutral. Though he emitted a small growl at Johan’s neutrality, he liked the old guy and getting a kick out of calling him Pops was, the ex-soldier had to admit was fun and after Wyatt started calling him that Jonah stopped objecting and he was Pops pretty much from then on…….

5 DAYS LATER

**“Wuh duh ma huh ta duh fung”!!, Wyatt, Pops, come see this”

As Fenris moved from the life pods lone window the other two moved to take his place. There before them was a ship, a derelict floating in space looked like a transport but it was painted black and very stylish. There were no signs of life on the ship and no power signatures it seemed completely dead yet Fenris thought he felt something calling to him, something lonely and in need of attention?. Shaking his head he figured it had to be from the 5 days crapped in the life pod. Options debated, life pod or ship, and a 2-1 win for ship.

The cargo bay had to be manually opened through an outer hatch which Fenris did via an EVA suit. Once inside, Wyatt and Pops took the two HD suits and explored the ship, short distances at first. The cargo bay looked like it had been through a battle. It did not take long to realize that someone had lined the walls of the Bay with claymore mines and then there were all set off. Not much left inside but body parts. Fenris thought, nice little surprise for bad guys, he would have try to rearm the trap with more claymores and maybe a few more surprises. When the big ex-soldier checked the engines he found to his surprise that they were operational. There was some damage sure but not enough to stop them and he was sure he could at least it spinning.

“Engines are working, Pops can fly her”

BEYLIX

Over the next few days Fenris fixed the ship as best he could, keeping life support and heat going to the cockpit and engine room only. It was tight, but not as tight the life pods. As Fenris watched Johan and Jonah watched Wyatt take charge, Fenris knew what he himself had always known since the days fighting beside him as a Browncoat, that Wyatt was the new captain of this ship.
Fixing the ship up Fenris found was difficult on so many different levels as many of the ships parts it had were simply not the same as others. Fenris had no choice but to retool almost every piece that went into the ship. He hand wrapped every wire he redid with the anti-magnetic tape because someone cared enough to do it before. As he fixed they found out that Jonah had a wealth of knowledge about fixing the ship and taking a big jump of faith the old man sold his now defunct shipping business to help with the repairs.

Soon the new three man crewmen were able to get the boat in the air and test fly her often with terrible results but always making progress. Wyatt pulled a registration number of an old wreaked Whitefire Class ship and submitted it as the Destiny – WhiteFire (Modified). Once again Fenris swore he felt something, almost as if the ship was purring at her new name, and when he approached his new quarters next to the engines he again thought he saw a cold, yet somehow comforting and pleasant, feeling mist shaped and looking like a lady dressed in white. Rubbing his eyes quickly and looking again it/she was gone. With all of the needed paperwork done and the ship for all intents and purposes belonging to the three men it was time to fill out the crew list.

With Wyatt as Captain, Fenris as Mechanic, and Pops, their Public Relations guy, they still needed a full hands on Pilot, A Tech person, and most of all, a good Doc

First to sign on was Alex Castlebrandt as pilot, then a younger looking guy calling himself Fox as the technical and computer guy and finally Alaxis Van Stathem joined you as Doctor. For Fenris and the doctor their first meeting took place as the big mechanic was carrying an armful of sealed cardboard boxes filled with loose ammunition. A glance to his left into the med bay as usual caused him a slight stutter in his step seeing a red head lady standing inside going through medical gear and stocking shelves. As he tried to pause to say hello a cold feeling and a loose bullet that had not been there before caused the big mechanic and roughly 500 rounds of ammo to go flying. After a quick and embarrassed greeting the Destiny’s new doctor and mechanic shared in the task of picking up loose ammo. Yet Fenris could not figure out how a single bullet had found its way to the floor through tightly sealed boxes and why it was colder then normal in his room the rest of the night.

To Fenris’s relief after the bullet incident the Destiny was running well except for some odd glitches. As Fenris had seen it now more of the crew were seeing it too a type of mist or steam venting in different area’s around the ship and no amount of repairs by Fenris seemed to fix it. As it had appeared that first time to Fenris, the steam often looked like a shadowy woman in white which was a bit distressing at first to some but over time everyone got used to it. Fenris was amazed Destiny flew as a transport but according to Alex it handled like a gunship reaching speeds up to 12.

Wyatt got a message one day and you flew off to Rhamba. Wyatt left on his own for what he called a personal errand. When he returned he had a young lady with him. He said her parents were dead and she would be joining the crew. Her face and Wyatt’s did not broker any discussion. Ivy is a very bright young lady with an aptitude for learning. She is very shy though, so much so that she rarely if ever leaves the ship.Then it was back to Beylix and a job

However all that was past and they had a first real job working for a crime lord in Berylix named Molly Malone willing to give this new crew a trial run. Beylix to Haven hauling foodstuff for a shelter paying 200 credits and full tank of fuel. Do it in a week and a promise of a second job waiting at Haven with a better payout waiting. Molly, Wyatt knew, was very well known, very influential, and has a good reputation compared to the Badger’s and Dodgers of the Verse.

With four full skids of foodstuffs packed and wrapped and delivered to the ship’s hold and Haven only 5 days at a regular speed the trip should be an easy run. However Fenris knew to think that for even one minute once in the Black could get them killed.

They say the Black is infinite, a never unending darkness covering the span of dozens of different galaxies. That for the most part She is peaceful, tame, waiting in silence for just the right moment to show off Her beauty.........

(TRANSLATIONS)
*Mother of Jesus!
**Dog humped crap!
***Holy Mother Of God!

Jonah had his paperwork in hand and was rounding up the passengers assigned to him. With the wat over he’d been able to make some money doing pick and delivery of POWs being released and returned to the some of the core planets. They’d docked the Nora Lee to the Victorious. Jonah had left Nathen and Elum to prepare while he reported in to collect his passengers. 

Johan had come to the holding room where two men waited. A tall muscular bald guy paced like a caged animal and slightly older fellow with dark hair and a slight oriental just stood there calmly resigned to the events. Unfolding the passage documents he was about to address the men when alarms starts clanging, the ship shook with the sounds of missile hits. Explosions followed. People running.  An alliance guard came to the door and opened it quickly “To the life pods!” He said firmly, “Now! Quick quick quick! We are under attack!” Jonah starred as the boat rocked from the impacts. He couldn’t seem to get moving but he knew he needed to get to the Nora Lee. Another explosion rocked, that was it the three men ran into the gangway. Jonah headed down the way but the Nora Lee was at the aft end and he could see ahead the passage was blocked with debris. Jonah could only hope Nathen would not wait for him and cut her loose. 

The three of them made it into a life pod; it seals itself and launches. They watch as they spiral away from the burning ship. Small ships black and diamond shaped ships fly past, launching more missiles. The “Victorious” breaks up into pieces. Jonah’s knees buckle as he sees his freighter is attached to it.

The big guy found a basic tools kit and a manual for Blue Sun Life Pods XL3’s.  He quickly discovered they were in a Blue Sun Life Pod XL6. “These aren’t going to help.” Jonah looked at him,”Don’t worry these were made from the same basic model.” He immediately starts opening panels and looking around, “Gonna kill the beacon. Don’t want them xxx homing in on it.” Turning Johan, “Pops can you fly this thing and get us the h*** out here?”

The big guys words brought his attention back, “It Johan, not Pops”, the big guy just shrugged. 

Steeling himself, he went to the flight controls and found they were locked out. “I can figure out how to get these working.” The big guy looked at him raising an eyebrow, “Ok Pops ….and you can call me Wolf”.

 The other man looked up, “I’m Wyatt since we do not have a lot of fuel, we should drift for a time and then use the thrusters judiciously to try to get to a shipping area where we could reactivate the beacon.” 

The men talked over the next several days, Jonah told them about Nora Lee. He told them of the events and how he’d got her from his former employer. He told them of his time serving both sides during the war as a diplomatic courier and that he was neutral. Wolf seemed to get a kick out keep calling him Pops and after a while Jonah stopped objecting, after all he was old to be his Pops.

After 5 days, they got a ping on the proximity detector. Something was out there.

Wyatt made the decision to activate the beacon and take your chances. But nothing happened. Jonah moved the pod around and soon found the ship. It was a derelict floating in space. Looked like a transport but it was painted black and very stylish. There were no signs of life on the ship and no power signatures – it seemed completely dead.

The Life pod was not going to last forever but the ship was dead in the black. Jonah wanted to stay with the pod, Wolf wanted to try the ship. Wyatt again made the final decision to see if they could get in to the ship and see what was salvageable.

The cargo bay had to be manually opened through an outer hatch which Wolf did via the EVA suit. Once inside, Wyatt and Pops took the two HD suits and explored the ship, short distances at first. The cargo bay looked like it had been through a battle. It did not take long to realize that someone had lined the walls of the Bay with claymore mines and then there were all set off. Not much left inside.

The ship had no dead aboard, but there was definitely a battle here before. Most of the ship was shot up from within, or destroyed by an explosive force. The only places intact were the cockpit and engineering. You found another HD EVA suit and more oxygen tanks in a locker. Fenris checked the engines and found to his surprise that they were operational. There was some damage, enough to stop them but he could at least it spinning.

The ship was like nothing Jonah had worked on during his years in R&D, but...well he just felt he knew more... something… he he noticed things.

The Speed Gauge went to 13. Most transports can reach a hard burn of 6, maybe 7.

The ship’s wiring had been hand rolled with anti-magnetic tape. Every sign piece of wiring.

There was a backup fusion battery that drew power from the engine. It was basic put in to restart the ship and life support if ever hit by an EMP attack.

The Pulse beacon had seven setting (Seven different call numbers spots). Pulse beacons are only made to hold one. However all the numbers in the array were wiped clean.

So he fixed the ship as best he could, keep life support and heat to the cockpit and engine room only. It was tight, but not as tight the life pods.  Jonah watched Wyatt take charge and he knew this was the new captain of this ship. He knew he could trust him and when he slipped and called Pops Jonah just smiled and nodded. Johan knew he’d settle up proper with Nathen and Elum’s kin, but this was his new ship and his new crew.

Alaxis stood clipboard in hand, pen tapping her chin as she stood infront of the cabnet she was currently stocking and taking inventory of. She couldn't help that her mind wandered to just how she had ended up here. 

In her father's perfect world she would still be on Ariel working in the hospital, helping only those who could afford it. She wouldn't want for anything should she had stayed. 

Scoffing at the thought she smiled as she came back to herself and her task, she hadn't stayed. She had left, and in doing so she felt freer then she ever did surrounded by everything she thought she wanted. Running a hand through her red hair she shook her head of the thoughts of her past, only to jump when something - or somethings she mused - clattered to the floor breaking the relative silence of the med bay. 

Smiling slightly to herself she set her pen and clipboard down and with a soft greeting of hello she helped the giant of a man pick up the fallen ammo before returning to finish her inventory counts. 

Sean eyed the interior of Tick Tock's Bar and Grill.It wasn't his speed, but to each their own. A few scans of the room satisfied him that only one table was looking at him. And based on the description he'd been given it was his new.... boss. And guest.

Jaw clenched slightly, Sean made his way to the men.He managed to relax enough to keep from grinding out, "You must be Wyatt Sung. Thought this was a private meet?"

Hazel eyes peered up from underneath the brim of his hat.The man holds Sean's gaze for a moment, before he looks back down to the table and slowly picks up the mug sitting in front of him. "I am. This is." Taking a sip of the drink, Sung sets the mug back down with a quiet clunk. "This here's a private interview 'tween you, me, 'n Pops. 'Bout as private as it gets." He gestures across the table from himself. "Sit down. Want anythin' t' drink?"

Sean freezes for a moment, then a small smile returns. "No, thank you." Seating himself, he briefly glanced at both men, making only sporadic eye contact as he continued scanning the room. "So then, I hear you're looking for a tech."

"We are," Wyatt looks up at again from beneath the brim of his cowboy hat and turns the mug about absent-mindedly on the table. "Yer credentials look t' be on the up 'n up. What makes you the right fit?"

Business. Sean settles and answers in a low, steady voice. "I've got the skills for the job, plus a few others. You won't find a better tech than me outside the Alliance. I can set up and fully test any security you might want, electronic or mechanical. I've got no attachments dirtside anywhere, and so no conflict of interest or divided loyalties. I'm almost perfect for the job, I'd wager." Right to the point. Wyatt Sung seems like the type to apprciate straightforwardness. Sean wondered how long before he was let go for merely annoying the man in front of him.

Glancing at the man introduced as Pops, Wyatt registers the older, bearded man's expression and looks back Sean. "Things'll happen, most likely," he drawls. "You averse t' trouble?"

Even if he'd been inclined, Sean couldn't have stopped the smirk on his face. Oh Cap, if only you knew. "You lookin' for it?"

"Would prefer t' avoid it if possible," Sung countered. "'Course, gotta know my crew can handle themselves when the Tian fuhn di fu. We do what we need t' do t' keep flyin', dohn ma?"

Sean gave a firm nod. He had the measure of the man now. At least enough of one to get to the next planet, if necessary. Hopefully farther. "Someone tries to ground us, I'm more than capable of doing what needs done." Once again, a smirk adorned Sean's face. "To answer your earlier question, no, I'm not adverse to trouble at all."

"Like I said, yer paper looks proper. This is the offer on the table," Wyatt shifts and leans forward. "One run. Consider it a trial. All goes well an' ya got yerself a home."

Perfect. He'd been a little worried. Sean felt he was more than qualified for the job, but things had fallen apart for the most asinine of reasons in the past. Sean's smirk transformed into a more genuine smile. "Jing Chai! Looking forward to working with you. Oh, and  Captain? You have my name, and I assume the old timer does too. But for the record, I go by Fox."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tian fuhn di fu -  sky tumbles while earth turns over

Dohn ma? - Understand?

Jing Chai - Brilliant!

The shipment was brought to the ship on a long bed mule, in the dead of night outside the city of Jagger. Yesterday, Molly made good on her word and you were fully “gassed” up on her account.  Four men, all Asian, got out of the vehicle and very efficiently pulled out a hover lift and took four skids off the mule and brought them aboard Destiny and strapped the skids down to the cargo bay without saying a single world. All of them wore black Gi with a “MM” logo over the left breast pocket and on the back, another logo in simple print “AliveOh Inc.” They silently returned to the vehicle as another person pulled up on a Harley Quinn Hover Bike. The rider took off her helmet to reveal a young Asian woman with white hair and very pale blue eyes. “Which one of you is Wyatt?” She asked cheerfully.

Even in the criminal world there is paperwork. Wyatt signed for the shipment, as the lady explained the “rules” once again. Do not open the goods, do not use the goods, do not let anyone examine the goods, avoid people who want to examine the goods and get the goods to Haven in five days. Payment will be made when goods are confirmed by a Wave. No, she wasn’t Molly. Molly doesn’t do the grunt work. Hey, that is a nice ship.

Each skid was the same – ten boxes labeled “Cockles and Mussels”, four tall, hard case of Protein Bars and two steel canisters labelled “HFCS” all wrapped within an inch of polymer shrink wrap. Destiny could do loops around a star and those skids weren’t going anywhere.

So you took off, left atmo and hurled off into the black. Three days went by in the usual way and everyone found ways to keep occupied. The route was put into the astrogation computer for an “out of the way” route to Haven that would still get you there with time to spare.

Destiny Day 3, 7:00 pm Ship Time (ST)

Alex sat back and watched the monitors. The autopilot was working the route and he did not need to be here but as it was the first mission, he wanted all to go right. The Pilot’s stomach was a bit upset after consuming Pops’ idea of “Chili” for dinner. Actually it was mostly beans and protein paste mixed with canned tomato sauce and some peppers that did not agree with digestion. Alex wished he had thought to get a Mint tea before coming to his post.

There was a polite tap at the hatchway and Alex turned his head to see Ivy stand there with a cylinder in her hand.

“Hey Uncle Alex. I brought you some mint tea.”

(assuming a response of thanks and how did you know)

“Oh I had the same dinner and I needed some too.” She said, “I was wondering if we could do some more astrogation lessons tonight? I am bored and could use the distraction.”

Whatever response Alex was going to make got lost as at that moment, the short wave radio monitor crackled and sputtered loudly. Alex quickly adjusted the scanner and homed in on the frequency that the signal was using.

Short wave out here? Who would be using Short wave in the Black?” 

Alex found the signal and boasted the reception. Whatever it was far way enough for the signal to be weak “”…life support failure is imminent. Error 417719, life support failure is imminent.  Error 417719, life support failure is imminent.“

The feminine voice repeats evenly over and over. A auto message to be sure. Alex did a quick query on the cortex for the error 417719 and came back with “medical life support system error – lost of power or backup battery power below 10%”

Doing a quick scan with the ship’s system and he got a location, about 3000 km away and directly in the path they were taking. Nothing on the charts to suggest a planet or moon which could mean a ship.

Alex hit the ship board intercom, “Captain to the bridge. Got something you need to see and hear.”

“Something is out there.” Ivy said while staring out into the Black. “Something that needs help.”

Next post by me  - Thursday August 8th.

Destiny Day 3, 7:00 pm Ship Time (ST)

“Captain to the bridge. Got something you need to see and hear.” 

“Something is out there.” Ivy's faint voice filters in. “Something that needs help.”

Looking up from the book he is reading on the Cortex, Wyatt frowns and sets the reader aside on the couch and quickly cuts across the remainder of the rec room to the bridge. Stepping through the door, he catches Ivy's worried look and gives a subtle shake of the head. 

"Might not be the best time t' be distractin' Uncle Alex, Ivy-girl," he moves up to hover over the left shoulder of his pilot and scans the panels. "What'cha got?"

(OOC: Assuming he's filled in quickly and succinctly.)

"Proceed at speed," Captain Sung orders and snatches the comm mic from its cradle. Thumbing the activator, Wyatt fills in the rest of the crew. "We got ourselves an unknown some three thousand klicks ahead and in path. I'd appreciate everyone gettin' situation for whatever Gorram shinanigans are 'bout t' go down." It's been a long time comin'... now at least I can start countin' the bad.

Hooking the mic back into the cradle, Wyatt asks Alex, "What kinda ship are you readin' it t' be?" Running his left hand through his loose midnight black hair, the captain's frown deepens. 

Jonas had cast his lot in with Wyatt and Wolf. With his ship Nora Lee gone all he had left to sell off was the remains of his business. Those remaining funds, after settling with Nathan and Elam's kin, was enough to buy a third ownership in the craft they had salvaged. The years he had spent in R&D came in handy as they needed to find replacement parts. The ship was unique and parts were not common to other crafts. But with Wolf’s ability to machine and rebuild what Jonas found they usually worked, if Wolf would listen. There were times when the two of them would go at hammer and tong. Wolf usually insisting he knew what to do and that the “Old man “should back off. Then Jonah telling Wolf that “he’d forgotten more than Wolf would ever know.”

In the beginning Wolf had said, “Pops, I’m doing it my way.” and when the part blew Jonah would smile and say, “Well at least you’re learning how to make replacements parts.” But in the end the two worked through it and they got the ship performing.

Wyatt had found an abandoned registration and he submitted it as the class “modified”, hoping no one would look too close. When it was accepted the three of them christened the ship “Destiny”. It had been one of the names listed on the paper they had found and it just felt right. The ship had a personality and every so often a wispy mist would appear, it seemed to have the form of woman. Both Wyatt and Wolf had eventually mentioned they’d seem the lady of the ship. Jonah guess they had their own feeling about her. To Jonah she would make him think back to Nora Lee and maybe she was here with him again. 

It was now time to find a crew and some work. Although Jonah had captained and piloted his own ship for ten years, it was mostly near the core planets and mostly just people that needed a pilot. Cargo transporting would take them away from easy access to medical facilities so adding a “Doc” made sense. Wyatt felt a third able bodied crewman was needed. And as he put it they should have “varied” skills and someone who help Jonah with the systems.

Wyatt had taken Jonah along when they met with potential crew, Jonah appreciated that Wyatt respected him and his opinion. As Wyatt's "First" he would have to be able to work with the crew and they with him, so it was good that all knew where they stood. The choice of pilot and medic sat well with Jonah, but the tech fella seemed a bit twitchy and put off that he had joined Wyatt for the talks. He seemed to be full of himself too. Jonah figured Wyatt felt too because he only committed to a trial period of the first run and the fella didn't want then to know his name; only wanted the others to call him as his handle “Fox”.

When they had finished Pops grinned at the fella, “Well..Fox..you can call me Jonah. I’ll be interested in seeing how you handle our systems.” Jonah saw Wyatt raise an eyebrow knowingly.

A bit later Wyatt had received a message and they traveled to Rhamba. The captain left on personal business. When he returned he brought a new a crew member, Ivy. Pops had looked at Wyatt with a raised eyebrow when he announced she was joining the crew. Jonah wasn’t used to having kids around so when they were introduced he may have come across a bit gruff. When they to got him he said,"Miss Sanders, I'm Mr. Hicks." Wolf blurted, "Mr. Hicks?... Pops what 'cha doing?" Jonah turned to the mechanic, "Son you earned the right and permission to use that." Jonah caught "Fox's" eye as he turned back to Ivy. "Miss Sanders there's a room up on the top deck next to mine you can use. That way you'll be close to Capt'n Wyatt if you need anything." Jonah could see a bit of puzzlement on Ivy's face; she may not have been use to being addressed formally and treated as an equal. This came from a stranger old enough to be her grandfather.

(Alacrity can add any dialog for Ivy if he wishes.)

They now needed a job. Jonah figured the years of easy transport were over but he still had some contacts. Between that and the job boards word got out they looking for a run. Not much came their way and Wyatt let it be known they weren’t too picky about where they would go or what they would haul. Jonah was a bit concerned but he could live with “questionable”. Jonah hoped that his reputation and the fact that Destiny was an unknown ship helped land their first job. It wasn’t much but it was a start. Finally a local Named Molly Malone took a chance on them. First impressions are everything, so they had to nail this delivery, no matter what.

Alex Castlebrandt looked around the Destiny when he first got on board.  It was an interesting ship – it didn’t really match the specs of anything he had seen before.  He’d flown plenty of transports, but this wasn’t one.  It certainly didn’t run like one.  The thing was a gazelle compared to some of the lumbering things he’d shepherded through the Black.  And that wasn’t all – a lot of other stuff was funny about the ship as well.  He wasn’t great with the mechanical stuff but even he could see that lots of stuff was not factory spec – and he spent enough time talking with the owners of the ship to know more.  The ship was interesting.

               Destiny seemed a fitting name.  He wanted to know more about it.  A ship like this, someone would probably be looking for it.  But he didn’t know much about where it came from.  He didn’t think the other three did either, but they hadn’t said much about its origins.  (Assumption here – that Alex would not necessarily have been told the story from post #1.)  He didn’t dig too deeply yet.  He’d need to earn his stripes with this crew as he had with the others.  He was glad he’d found them.  It was about time for him to be leaving Beylix.  He delivered a few canisters here because he thought there might be an interesting collection he could access but that had turned up craps.  Still, he’d asked enough questions that it was best to keep a move on.  He didn’t need anyone honing in on the name Castlebrandt.  It was still shiny, new and clean and he wanted to keep it that way as long as possible. 

               But the name had been enough to get him the job.  He was known as a pilot who could do certain jobs.  It seemed this crew had a need for one – and he got a good vibe from them.  At least if the Korean guy could keep his temper.  He seemed a bit wound up at times.  But give the guy a break until an issue arose.  It was off into the black.  He wasn’t sure exactly where he wanted to go next.  This job for Molly gave him a direction as good as any. 

               Later the pilot found himself sitting in the ship trying to digest Pop’s chili and wondering if there was a reason to be on deck.  But as usual, he wanted things to run smoothly.  Plus, the ship wasn’t all that big and it gave him some time to himself to sit and ponder.   He wondered what they were carrying.  Foodstuff for a shelter was the official line, and the various cannisters were labelled that way, but he’d have wagered a lot of coin against there being anything nutritious in the hold.  If he wagered, that is. It didn’t bother him much, but he would have been happier if he had been able to believe the lie.  If he knew it was something destructive, he might have pulled from the trip.  He had standards.  But plausible deniability and need went a long way.  Besides, who was to say what the greatest good was here anyway?

               His mind began to shift to thoughts about who he might know at their landing spot when his reverie was interrupted by some mint tea.  Ivy.  And she had the tea he had been thinking of.  Certainly that qualified as a lot of good at the moment with both of them feeling the side effects of Pop’s cooking.  It seemed they were carrying hazardous materials, regardless of what was in the hold.  The young lady like learning about astrogation and it felt good to Alex to teach her.  It had been a long time since he had been in front of a classroom. 

               But the lesson didn’t even get started before the ship picked up a shortwave broadcast.  Shortwave?  Out here?  He quickly did his best to home in on the object and called the captain to the bridge. 

"What kinda ship are you readin' it t' be?

Alex didn’t even bother taking his eyes off of the sensors as he replied.  “At this distance, I have no idea if it even is a ship. It could be just about anything.  All I know is that it is putting out a shortwave message.”  With that he paused briefly.  “But that in itself is interesting.  First, who in the blazes uses shortwave out here?  The odds of hitting anyone is tiny.  Second, assuming they aren’t just idiots into shortwave, where are the other signals?  Where is the pulse beacon?  Nothing.  There isn’t even a heat signal that I can detect.  Literally nothing else.  That’s odd.”  He tried another scan as they moved a bit closer.  “The only thing I’ve seen in the black with no signal like this was a crybaby – you know, the kind of decoy smugglers use to distract ships?  It sends out a message of some sort, but wouldn’t have the other sorts of signals associated with a ship.  But again we’re stuck on the whole ‘shortwave only’ thing.  What’s the point of crybaby using only shortwave?  Makes no sense.”  At this point he glanced at the captain.  “At this point I got nothing.  Maybe when we get closer.”

               As the Destiny moved towards the source of the signal Castlebrandt began to get some reading from the ship’s sensors.  Around 1,000 clicks he actually had some information, although not much.  “Bingo.  Got something cap’n.  There is a power signal, but it is very faint.  Not much there.  And whatever it is – its metal and kinda big, at least compared to us.  Maybe 2x the size of Destiny.”  He sighed, he hated not knowing.  “That’s it.  I’m checking every sensor we have, but until we get closer, maybe even visual range, I don’t think I can say much more.  Right now, we are on a course to intercept.  Let me know if that should change.”

               Alex stopped himself from humming.  He really wanted this to be a simple trip.  5 days.  That was the deal.  Simple and done.  Get the crew a name and keep moving.  But he did love a mystery.   What was that thing?  And a distress signal meant that someone was in distress.  Or more likely once had been.  The odds of anyone still being alive out there seemed remote, but you had to check. 

"I don't like it none," Wyatt mutters. "Xiâoxin. We've been running on too much good luck t' not have it blow back in our faces. Take us int' visual range but be ready on the throttle."

Striding back to the co-pilot's chair, Wyatt drops into it and straps down. Switching the sensor readout on, he plays with the dial until the readings are taking in as large a swatch of the Black as is possible. Without meaning to, his thoughts leap to his crew; newly together without any experience working as a team under their belts. Too little time together... no trainin' fer any Máfan as a crew, he considers while intently watching the readings on the sensors as Alex continues their course. Pressing his lips together and ignoring the crease developing between his brows, Captain Sung considers each of them.

Ivy's a special situation and he passes her by right away. He has no wish to put her in danger and doesn't like to think of her as involved in any Máfan. Moving on to Wolf, he knows for certain that the big man is a good hand in trouble. Not only due to the recent encounter that left them floating in the Black, not a chance in the 'Verse of being rescued, some crazy fighting ships having torn their transport apart—similarities between those fighters and Destiny notwithstanding—but Fenris and he had served together during the War. I can count on him.

Alaxis Van'Stathem. Doctor and thus far untested in Wyatt's eyes. Red hair... Earth That Was had a number of different opinions about red-headed people. Glancing up so he can see the stretching darkness of the Black out the viewport, Sung does his best to remember what he'd learned in school no small number of years ago. Most peoples of Earth That Was had been removed from superstitious considerations for centuries. Ma had taught Wyatt otherwise. Too zaizi, the captain mentally curses. Why can't I remember? He'd had the same problem when he considered hiring her on. The interaction with her had made him like her well enough but there's always that paranormal side of things to consider. Now I'm gonna have t' check the Cortex.

Pops is a good hand as well. Wyatt hasn't been around him long enough to really suss out the details, but he respects the ex-captain and trusts that he'll hold his own. So far he's been invaluable as both a person to bounce ideas off of and someone to bounce Wolf off of. 

Alex is still something of an enigma but has been competent at the stick. Just like everyone else on board Destiny, Alex has kept his secrets to himself. Similarly, Fox was a little bit of an unknown. These two being the most mysterious out of the lot of the crew and the least likely to offer up any part of themselves in conversation when everyone is at meal or hanging out in the Rec Room. Too many unknowns, Wyatt mentally grumbles as he tears his eyes from the Black and returns his gaze to the monitors.

"We got ourselves an unknown some three thousand klicks ahead and in path. I'd appreciate everyone gettin' situation for whatever Gorram shinanigans are 'bout t' go down."

Fox froze at the announcement, then shook himself. It was too soon for it to have anything to do with him. He needed to keep remindimg himself that the 'verse didn't spin around his problems. That was why he was here, on this ship, and not dragged back tot he Core or worse.

Nodding to himself, he beings the process of gearing up. Time to wander on up to the cockpit and see what kind of trouble the Captain's found.

"We got ourselves an unknown some three thousand klicks ahead and in path. I'd appreciate everyone gettin' situation for whatever Gorram shinanigans are 'bout t' go down." 

Alex found the captain's tendency to scatter odd phrases into his speech to be somewhere between annoying and amusing. It appeared to be Korean.  Surely he could figure out Korean.  Especially since most of his choicest selections appeared to be some form of profanity - or expressions used in similar situations.  Figuring out what the gorram the man was actually saying might prove an interesting puzzle.  

But he didn't think he'd used that word quite correctly.  

He'd get there.  

Though the ship’s engines were different, more expensive?, then the ones he had worked on during his days with Wyatt and their Firefly classed blockade runner he somehow still felt at home. Each day the big mechanic seemed to learn something new and interesting to gain a better bonding you could say between engine and man.

"We got ourselves an unknown some three thousand klicks ahead and in path. I'd appreciate everyone gettin' situation for whatever gorram shinanigans are 'bout t' go down."

Looking up at the loud speaker he replaced his tools and moved to his room to gather his two pistols and Browncoat. Knowing Wyatt, he would for sure the captain would for sure investigate. Gaining the cabin he found Pop already there along with Wyatt and the new pilot. Looking out the window he did not see any ship.

Instead of asking a redone-dent question he was sure had already been asked he just looked out the front window and waited for this contact to appear…….

Alaxis hums to herself as she recounts all the supplies she has on hand as she sits on one of the beds in the room, well at least the ship was well stocked if it came down to injuries in a fight. Looking up however as she heard the summons to the bridge. Sighing she hops off the bed and tosses her clipboard onto the now vacant spot and wanders towards the bridge, 
Upon reachiing the bridge she sees the gaint of a man who dropped the ammo as he tried to greet her. Lifting an eye, her lips curled into a smirk, she lets a simple greeting fall from her lips,

"Good to see you, Bullet"

Seeing the sudden blush on his face as he nodded a hello she tilted her head in confusion then mentally shrugged it off, she needed to focus on what she was called here for, but it would be something she would return her thoughts too when she had a moment to herself.