BACKSTORY
His name was John Christian Kane, JC for short, and he was a gunfighter. Not your western movie type, he had never had a street type gunfight as shown in the old Earth That Was movies, however you could compare him at times though. He was calm in the face of a fight, showing nothing on his face. Able to out stare an opponent in a card game and able to stare many people away with just his eyes and a set jaw and never say a word. A very tough SOB as spoke of by some that knew his name and his speed with his low slung personalized Avenger pistol. No stranger to the street, having walked them as a mob enforcer, and to many an Alliance bounty hunter a wanted man, a high bounty yet on his head, there had not yet been one better then he in a stand up fight. Unfortunately it was not a stand up fight that had got him in the end, but a set-up ambush by a ‘friend‘, a dead friend now. Dying, almost dead, his left arm gone, in what could only be called a vain ironic moment of triumph his ‘friend’, his boss really who had set him up, chose yet to save him and give him a stronger synthetic arm. In the end his former boss’s vanity was his undoing as JC cold bloody killed him and his White Tiger’s without a shred of remorse.

Then life became bad, very, very bad for the ex-gunfighter as he had no home and nothing to stop the pain of a non fully functioning arm. A fast hand turned to a beggar, a war hero turned vagrant, he came close to killing himself for no other reason then it was better then living. He went so far as to try to rip-off a former friend to gain the items for a quick death. However if not for the unasked for help from this same Browncoat war buddy, taking him in on his ship Destiny, JC knew that he would have successfully, somehow, ended his existence. With the help of Gracie, Destiny’s grease monkey and Doc Steph the arm was better, less pain and trouble though it did have a tendency to remind him all was not yet ok with it. He had also recounted with another old friend Tess Zhou who not surprisingly was the Destiny’s pilot. She too had fought beside him and Jon in the war so a bond was not needed to form over time it was already there from the start.

However of them all, most old friends, it was the newest person among them he seemed to connect with the most. Her name was Angela, or at least it was most of the time, however she had, despite her memory problems or who she was at the moment, sat by his bedside during the worst of the pain. Where at first she had been a stranger, talking to him clearly as another who knew real physical pain as well as the emotional. Somewhere in that time the two had bonded in an unspoken love, not of romance or sexual, but a love like brother and sister.

It was during one of his solo outings that he had stubble across a clothing store carrying a number of old style clothing including a very well worn yet sturdy poncho. Liking the look of it with its combination gray and brown colors and its mex type symbols he bought it. The way it helped conceal his 4 guns was also a plus and he became very fond of it. Then over time the poncho came to be a part of JC’s image, the first thing most people noticed about him. This piece of clothing became connected to him and along with his reputation as a fast gun caused many would be ‘gunfighters’ to avoid him. Yet in private sometimes things were very different as there were times when the past of the war, his time as a killer for nothing more then money, and the blood on his hands came in the night to haunt him and his heavy drinking and smoking was prove he was not yet 100% whole. Only time would erase those ghosts.

THE PRESENT
JC was bored as he sat on his bunk, one leg spread out flat the other bent up at an angle, tossing a tennis ball back and forth between his right hand and the wall. It was an old habit when not involved in anything to help keep his arm in shape and toned for action. He had tried throwing a different tennis ball with his left once but ended up with a crushed useless piece of furred fabric. So now he did it only with his right and only when bored out of his mind. Now you have to understand though never looking for trouble, JC still loved finding it, testing himself vs. the other guy with gun, games of chance, or just his bare hands. Having lived life both as one with money in his pocket and one with only lint he was not one to like sitting around bored. And bored was what was the word of this day once more, the fifth since they had dropped off the cargo of pure s*** that had left a very distinct smell as to scare any new clients away. So when Grace announced she had found them a job he was all for going to check it out.

“I got us a job and with the way this guy works, we won’t have to worry about the smell scaring him off.”

Grace told Jon she had a line on a local underworld boss by the name of Badger who JC was unfamiliar with when asked, who was looking for a fast ship to ferry five passengers to a cruise ship for some big event. The five had to be there on time, with no delays. As JC listened to Grace’s description that though Badger was a mid level criminal in the scheme of things with delusions of grandeur, he did have connects and ran a lot of various well paying jobs. A good run could make the Destiny’s rep for sure but a bad one could sink it faster the an old Earth that Was battleship. JC had no choice but to advocate caution as having lived that life and been betrayed by it, knew you never trust a criminal boss of anything, mid level or not. However they needed the money and the ex-beggar JC knew you never could be choosy.

The meeting was set up for 6 pm that evening to discuss the job and payment, at the underground business office of Badger himself, moving back to his quarters JC got ready. Avenger, black ivory handles engraved with the head of a growling white wolf, low on his hip, Berliner holstered in the small of his back. Next was the Tegra under his left arm and the Neo-tech up his right, all with rounds chambered and safeties on. Or as the old gunfighter saying went ‘cocked and locked‘. Yeah he had to admit to himself carrying four guns was a bit excessive but he would rather have them and not need them, then need them and die for leaving them behind on the ship.

Hey he thought to himself At least I’m leaving the X40 behind Sparing a glance at its hidden hidey hole. Wouldn’t that be a sight Laughing to himself he went to meet up with the others headed to the meet.

Persephone, Eavesdown Docks, Destiny Common room, 10:00am ST

When he'd first seen Destiny sitting in her docking berth a chill ran through him. He’d taken a slow walk around the boat, examining her hull, checking for damage and simply caressing this sleek beauty with both his hands and his mind. After coming up the gangway and hugging Grace and meeting Angela he’d done the same inside while Stephanie checked Angela. He sat in the pilot’s chair gazing out the port, walked the halls of each floor checking the rooms. He lingered in the galley remembering the time he’d made stew before they left on the trip to Osiris. That was the last time his …”family” had sat together. He moved on studying the “improvements Grace has added in engineering and finally end back at his cabin. Grace must have had Angela clean and prepare his room. All his cloths and possessions were cleaned and secured.

Now Jon sat it the dark of his cabin just ….”feeling” the boat. There was barely a sound, only the slight whisper of air passing through the vent ducts. The old leather padded chair that had been salvaged from the dump felt warm and gentle on his backside. As much as there was a peacefulness then was a void too left by the loss of their ..”Face” and PR man.

Ken had lugged it on board and dumper in Jon room as a joke. The legs were cracked and broken and the stuffing was sticking out of some splits and seems. The gunslinger had gotten little tired of Jon jokes about cleaning the chicken s*** out of the cargo bay, “You don’t need to be so High and mighty there” he’d said. “you’d think you got a throne in that room of yours.” Well Ken had gotten him his throne. But Jon had got the last laugh, Grace welded up the legs and Steph sewn up the leather. A little oil soap and elbow grease cleaned it up real nice. Ken was rough around the edges and crude as oil squirting out of the ground, but he was a good man in a fight and he’d given his life to protect Destiny. And for as crude as Ken was Jason had been refined and polished. Although he had checked past the man knew the business of business. That title of “face” fit him well as you could never see his thought. That face could be clod and blank when he was talking business, never giving the other person an advantage. Jon sat there for a while as said his goodbyes to the men.

Persephone, Eavesdown Docks, Destiny Common room, 1:00pm ST

It seemed the way of things, Jon had made his way to the galley and took his turn preparing the mid-day meal. The simple stew was easy to make and easy to clean up. The Captain watched and listened as this new family sat down to eat. He notice JC and Angela sat side by side and he wonder what prompted that. It didn’t take long to see how girl caught the sudden swing of JC’s bio-arm before he could knock over the stew pot. She smoothly guided it back to the table and JC smile appreciatively. Then she did real damage to the stew, boy could she eat. Just keeping her in supplies might be a job in itself.

After the meal the crew was gathered in the rec room. Grace had gone to check the cortex and returned with good new , “I got us a job and with the way this guy works, we won’t have to worry about the smell scaring him off.” Grace had a line on a local underworld boss by the name of Badger who was looking for a fast ship to ferry five passengers to a cruise ship for a big event. People had to be there on time, no delays. Badger was a criminal thug with delusions of grandeur but he had connects and ran jobs – a lot of jobs. A good run could make your reputation.
The meeting was set up for 6 pm that evening to discuss the job and payment, at the underground business office of Badger himself. Could things be finally turning your way?

Jon listened to various comments and then said,” We need the work and this doesn’t sound too risky.” He really missed Jason now, this was his area. “I’ll have to do the negotiating myself, but I’ll need back up… that’s not the nicest area. JC… you been around here so I hope you’ll know what and who to watch out for. Maybe they’ll see you all spiffed up and folks’ll think twice before crossing us……… Tess it’ll be easier to get the particulars of how to get where were going if you can ask um yourself. Second hand info ain’t always clear…….Angela” Jon sighed as he remember her action in the alley “I want you to come too, Grace will get you any special instruction if they are needed”

Jon gave Dr. Stephanie a weak smile as he left the room, he knew she would recognize how this wasn’t so different from how their last big job had started.

Grace wasn’t the mourning type. During her life; Grace had seen many people get hurt and die. So she wasn’t going to be seen crying into her pillow or looking around the room with sad eyes. Grace considered tears to be like a red flag to a bull, tears told others you had been hurt and with all of that Grace had been through, you can bet that she wasn’t going to let anyone know she was hurting.

She would never admit that while fixing Destiny, she had felt lonely and missed the sounds of her fellow crew members. Nor would she talk about how she had bad days back then, days where the grief would be so hard on her stomach, Grace wouldn’t get out of bed. She would never say how she had tip toed around Ken and Jason’s room, because she was almost scared to make too much noise. She would die first before telling anyone how much she had been happy to have Angela around before she contacted the rest of the crew, despite her first mistrust of the girl.

Ken’s death had hit her the hardest. Ken’s personality and behavior had been very similar to another friend of Graces’, one that had died long ago. Without thinking about it, Grace had started caring for Ken much like she had cared for that past friend, and with his death, a new and old wound had opened. It had stung so much, that Grace had even grabbed one of the handguns Ken left behind as a reminder of him, because holding it made the pain ease just a little.

Jason’s death hurt too. While Grace and Jason hadn’t always agreed about how one should treat strangers, (Grace: Keep them away, Jason: Let’s welcome them!), Grace had respected him. She knew he was a good man and the universe needed good men in it. Yet the only fault that the good always seems to have is, that it is taken away far too quickly.

Grace just kept moving forwards, finding jobs for the crew and doing her job. She had still had a life to live and she would shed her tears when ten minutes had passed after her final breath.

Persephone, Eavesdown Docks, Destiny Common room, 1:00pm ST
They were all gathered in the Common area, when Grace said her good news

“I got us a job and with the way this guy works, we won’t have to worry about the smell scaring him off. I had a line on a local underworld boss by the name of Badger who is looking for a fast ship to ferry five passengers to a cruise ship for a big event. People have to be there on time, no delays. Badger is a criminal thug with delusions of grandeur but he has connects and a lot of jobs. A good run could make our reputation. The meeting is set up for 6 pm to discuss the job and payment, at the Badger’s office.” she explained

“What do you know of this “Badger’?” Tess asked Grace.

“I don’t know him well. He’s a crime lord who thinks he got a throne instead of a stool. He’d sell his own mother for enough coin but he’s well connected. We impress him and we are set. Besides you know me. I trust people less than I can throw them” replied Grace

“Underworld Bosses aren’t the most trustworthy and besides his name doesn’t really instill a lot of trust,” Tess finished with a faint chuckle.

Jon listened to various comments and then said,” We need the work and this doesn’t sound too risky. I’ll have to do the negotiating myself, but I’ll need back up… that’s not the nicest area. JC… you been around here so I hope you’ll know what and who to watch out for. Maybe they’ll see you all spiffed up and folks’ll think twice before crossing us……… Tess it’ll be easier to get the particulars of how to get where were going if you can ask um yourself. Second hand info ain’t always clear…….Angela” Jon sighed as he remember her action in the alley “I want you to come too, Grace will get you any special instruction if they are needed”

Grace smirked a little before saying “Don’t worry Captain; I’ll stay on the ship and away from trouble. Assuming it stays away from me.”

She woke instantaneously; the transition from sleep to wakefulness being immediate and total. With wakefulness came the certainty that she wasn't where she should be. It was dark, surely that could be expected, but the thin mattress beneath her felt strange and the air smelled flat. Absent, somehow.

She rose to a sitting position, frowning to herself in the dimness. She reached out beside the bed to brush aside the blanket hung around the bed as curtain and swung her feet to the floor.

If this isn't where I'm supposed to be, then how' d I know to do that? Where should I be if not here? Where was I last night? Why can't I remember last night? Oh God, why does this feel like it's happened before? ohgodohgodohgodnotagainican'tdothisagainican'tstandthisohgodpleasehelpme
The woman bent over suddenly as her mouth filled with bile and the room spun. The sudden movement and the whimper/groan that escaped her clenched lips seemed to trigger something, though, as the room began to lighten and a holovid screen hummed to life, though it just glowed a grey light.

The woman on the bed raised her head, though still bent over with arms wrapped around her enraged middle and glanced furtively around. she seemed to be in a storeroom - shelves all around her and even the cot she was on was nestled under shelving, tucked in where a blanket could be hung to conceal it. A small crate near the bed held a metal mug, a small hand mirror, and a cloth messenger bag with a battered leather notebook on top. Before the woman had uncoiled herself enough to reach for the notebook, the holovid screen flickered and brightened.

A young woman appeared onscreen, smiling faintly as if not wanting to mock her distress. She had light brown skin and a fluffy cloud of dark hair floating around her face, but her thin nose and almond tilted eyes were at odds with the full lips and high cheekbones, as if she was of all races and none of them.

"Good morning, " she spoke, her voice light and friendly," I know you are confused, and maybe a bit scared. No, probably a lot scared. But you're ok. You're safe if you're watching this, because you are where you need to be. Actually, where WE need to be. Because, I'm you, or you're me....I never know how to say that part, but Dr. Stephanie says to just go with it. Really, I mean it. Look in the mirror. I'll wait."
Indeed, the woman on screen paused, though the clip was clearly still running, the faint hiss of the broadcast nearly drowned out by the woman on the bed's harsh breathing, each exhalation ragged with panic. She clutched the handmirror like a weapon and snatched a peek at it, even as she knew the woman lied, she didn't look like that at all, she....

Dark eyes started back at her from the holovid woman's caramel face, and she barely held back a scream. She flung the mirror down and scrambled to her feet. The holovid image of herself continued as if expecting the reaction.

"I know, hon, I know. Not what you were expecting, right? Think a moment. What were you expecting? What do you think you look like? " A pause. " You can't remember, can you? Just like you can't remember last night, or yesterday. Or your own name. See, I get it. This is what happens every morning, as much as I can tell. Sometimes we're scared, and sometimes we're angry, but every day's a new day."

The woman on screen sighed as the woman in the room paced back and forth. " I don't know who did this to us. Or why. I just know what we've written down in the book, but some days you won't have time to read it all through. So just know this: We call you Angela Ryan, and you're on a ship. The freighter Destiny. The people on board are good to you, and will keep you safe. This here's Captain Jonathan Brown ( a devastatingly handsome man appeared briefly) and this is Grace Lin ( a pretty red head who wouldn't look directly at the camera appeared). She's the one who took you in, so better do what she says. Doc Stephanie ( a stunning older woman with green eyes and a warm smile) is trying to figure out what was done to us, as our head's pretty messed up inside. Tess Zhou ( an ageless Asian woman stared defiantly in the camera) pilots the Destiny, and she flies like a demon on fire, but the Destiny seems to like her. New guy on the ship is JC Kane (pale blue eyes crinkled at her from a weatherbeaten face) and he's broken like us. He's the Tinman to our Scarecrow, so you look after him. You've been shown a kindness you can't keep; you have to pay it forward. "

"Like I said, I don't have time for everything, but want you to know it's ok to be scared. To be confused. But the people I just showed you? They're the good guys, and you can trust them. Now," and her smile returned, making her odd mismatched features light up," go get some food - you're really hungry and need to eat. Take your notebook, and read through it whenever you have time. I don't know what the day will bring, but t will be like nothing you've seen before. Literally. "

The holovid clicked off and the woman, Angela realized the room was now fully lit, and the sound she'd felt in her feet more than she'd heard was the rumble of engines. She'd stopped pacing as she watched the holovid, but she still wasn't sure she believed any of it. For one thing, her stomach was still churning so bad she was certain she'd never want to eat again, and....

Grrrrrrrlllllllll! her stomach rumbled loudly and Angela blinked...she was famished and couldn't remember when she'd last eaten. She stuffed the notebook into the messenger bag and slung it crossbody as she discovered the door and the passageway beyond. She was still scared, but hunger and curiosity compelled her.

She padded quietly around, until her nose guided her to the galley, where she coud hear voices talking. She hung back until she confirmed that the only people in the room where those from the holovid, at which point she stepped forward, too hungry to hold back anymore.

"Angela” Jon spoke as if she'd been there all along, “I want you to come too, Grace will get you any special instruction if they are needed. ”

"Ok, " Angela brightened, her fear melting away as soon as she had something to do." Can I get something to eat first? I'm starving . "

She looked around blankly as someone started to laugh.

Persephone, Eavesdown Docks, Badger’s Office, 6:00 pm ST
With a possible job in hand, everyone prepared themselves for the meeting. JC readied his weapons and had Grace do a calibration on his arm so he’d have optimal control over it. Angela received instructions from Jon and Grace as to what her role would be at the meeting. Tess prepared the Lucky charms she wanted for such a meeting and although she took her pistol with her, she hoped that there would be no shooting as it is usually bad for business.

(please let me know what you are bringing to meeting)

Persephone, while considered a civilized planet by Alliance standards, was still home to a large slum population. Therefore, one could find both the pinnacle of high society and the depths of the criminal underworld amidst the planet's famously tiered societal structure. Eavesdown Docks was a sprawling slum of shanty houses made of scrap metal, canvas and whatever would stand up long enough to put a nail through it.

It did not take long for Jon, Tess, JC and Angela to find where they were going, as the entrance was well guarded by thugs and goons brazenly armed with machine guns and assault rifles. A large Chinese man greets you and asks to see your ID, then checks a clipboard before showing you the way in without so much as a pat down or gun check. As you move down the tunnel, you pass numerous armed guards along the way as well as build in flash doors that can seal you in faster than you could run.

Located below street-level, Badger’s office is filled with all manner of junk. Fishnet hangs from the ceiling. A pin-up girl adorns one wall, along with signs in Chinese characters. Badger sits in a leather office chair behind a desk made of overturned crates. His desk is cluttered with cheap replicas of old timey objects, such as an apple peeler, two types of scales, an old-fashioned office phone, wire baskets stuffed with papers, and a funny-looking lamp, among other stuff. Sacks of grain are underfoot. An ornate curtain doubling as a door lends an air of sophistication to the place—at least to Badger’s way of thinking. There are armed guards in every corner, as well as two other well dressed men who stand at the side. farthest from the entrance. There is a table set in the centre of the room with sandwiches (smells like tunafish), cookies and a couple of pitchers of a orange coloured liquid.

A ma stands leaning on the desk. He is not a tall man, but he wears a tweed suit and wears a bowler style hat and appears to be completely unarmed. His smile is inviting but his eyes are sly. He looks you all over quickly, assessing you based on your body language, dress and choice of weapons. He goes over Angela in a second, while looking over Tess and Jon longer, but he spends a long moment on JC, as if he is trying to remember something.

“Hello,” He speaks in a Dyton accent (Cockney), “Which one of you is Jonathan Brown?”

(Although Badger speaks in an accent, I am not going to write in one because I find it distracting and I’m lazy that way. I will assume that you will make some form of introductions)

Badger smiles but makes no attempt to shake hands. He gestures to the table before you, “Since this is our first face to face, I thought we’d start out on the right foot. Compliements of me – I’m Badger. Now I hears that you have a fast ship and that you are reliable. That be two things I have a real use for right now.”

Persephone, Eavesdown Docks, On Board Destiny, 6:00 pm ST
Grace had a feeling that this job would be a go, and since it involved passengers, she decided to check all the passenger rooms – just to make sure there were no surprises. Not that there were any reasons to expect surprises, but to Grace’s way of thinking, that was the best time to check for them. Once she felt assured that everything was on order, she also checked the now spare rooms on the main floor. Angela had refused a cabin, and moved herself into the empty storage closet – no amount of convincing would change her mind and Grace didn’t see the point in spending a lot of energy trying. It made Angela feel better to be in closed in spaces – she came to notice that. She had her own quirks that she expected people to respect so she respected others. With passengers coming aboard soon, she would probably be spending a lot of time in her own room or the engine room.

Stephanie was working away in the infirmary, keeping herself busy. The doctor worried a lot when Jon was off on a job or getting a job. In order to stop herself from fretting, she kept herself busy. Part of her yearned for the Villa that her and Jon shared but she knew that life was not for him.

“We need the work and this doesn’t sound too risky. I’ll have to do the negotiating myself, but I’ll need back up… that’s not the nicest area. JC… you been around here so I hope you’ll know what and who to watch out for. Maybe they’ll see you all spiffed up and folks’ll think twice before crossing us……… Tess it’ll be easier to get the particulars of how to get where were going if you can ask um yourself. Second hand info ain’t always clear…….Angela” Jon sighed as he remember her action in the alley “I want you to come too, Grace will get you any special instruction if they are needed”
Tess nodded as if she expected Jon’s orders and she went off to her room; there she checked out her gear and strapped on the Speed Draw holster to her lower right thigh. Making sure her Heavy Pistol was loaded up she slipped that into the holster. She then began to check out her ‘trinkets’ she would bring with her; of course her goggles were sitting atop of her head and her black feather stuck into her hair, but along with those she slipped a couple of small items into her cargo pants. A purple bit of cloth, 7 Chinese coins of various denominations, size and color, a small ceramic Turtle (2”), and a cat’s eye stone (1”)

She opens a drawer and brings out a simple necklace, it is cheap metal, looking hand-made even, of a four leaf clover suspended by a simple small link chain; slipping it around her neck she nods thinking her good luck is now assured.

Opening a case she slips a flash-bang grenade into each of her two last pants pockets, just in case. She was hoping, with all the ‘luck’ she was bringing along, that everything was going to work out, but it never hurt to be prepared in case the worst happened.


Persephone, Eavesdown Docks, Badger’s Office, 6:00 pm ST
Walking into Badger’s office, Tess tries to hang bang a little behind Jon and JC as she tries to look just like another woman in the group. Her exorbitant style of dress usually made her stand out, but she didn’t want to appear anything more than a simple Pilot. She was surprised at the apparent lack of a pat-down or that their weapons weren’t taken; this Badger must be pretty sure of himself and his safety to let them in so armed.

Her quick eyes took in everything, studying the area and the people. The two handsome men drew her attention for a moment longer than others; she gave a slight smile to them and raised an eyebrow before moving on to look at Badger himself. He seemed rather eccentric himself, she didn’t get the Bowler hat though; totally out of style.

Badger smiles but makes no attempt to shake hands. He gestures to the table before you, “Since this is our first face to face, I thought we’d start out on the right foot. Compliements of me – I’m Badger. Now I hears that you have a fast ship and that you are reliable. That be two things I have a real use for right now.”
Tess smiled at the food, she was hungry and before Angela came aboard everyone made fun of her for the amount she would eat, but not anymore; Angela put twice as much or more away then Tess. Without waiting for word from Jon, she walked over to the table and looked over the food. This was far better than what they usually had aboard ship, though she remembers many a fond meal that Ma use to make on Rocinante that was far superior to most. Lifting a pitcher of Orange liquid and sniffed (assuming it smells good, Orange Juice maybe), she pours herself a glass with one hand while grabbing sandwich, sniff, tuna maybe, with the other hand.

She let Jon handle the business end until she was needed she would take advantage of their host’s generosity; who knew when things might change. Sniffing out the cookies; she held the sandwich in her mouth so she would have a free hand and grabbed about 4 cookies and shoved them in one of her cargo pants pockets. She would make sure to save some for Grace since she couldn’t come.

Persephone, Eavesdown Docks, Badger’s Office, 6:00 pm ST
The directions to the meeting had been pretty straight forward and simple. This guy Badger wasn’t too worried about his activities or else he believed in hiding in plain sight. The crew had armed themselves reasonably, at least Jon had.

When they had been allowed to enter while still keeping their arms Jon was thinking this would be an easy deal. But as they saw that the way in was a series of guards and flash doors this Badger’s hole was designed to get in easy, but getting out was a whole different story. Jon’s hopes of this being an easy fare were quickly dimming.

They wound their way down the tunnel going below ground level and finally coming to a beaded curtain doorway. Inside the room looked a bit rough and cluttered. Odd items and bric-a-brac adorned the room and a makeshift desk. Guards stood in each corner, two better dressed men were at the back of the room.

There behind the deck in a leather office chair sat a man in tweed suit and bowler hat. When the man stood Jon noted he wasn’t a tall man and he didn’t appear armed. Well that’s what the men in the corners where for. Sly eyes from under that bowler looked them over. He summing each of them up quickly, he only linger a bit on JC, as if trying to place him. Leaning against the desk he said, “Ello,….which one of you ‘s Jonathan Brown?”
Stepping a little crosser Jon extended his hand, “I’m Jon Brown.”

The man smiled but made no attempt to shake hands. He gestures to the table near you, “Since this is ar first face ta face, I thought we’d start out on the right foot..... Compliements of me – I’m Badger..... Now I hears that you ave a fast ship and that you are reliable.... That be two things I have a real use for right now.”
Jon could smell the food when they had entered, the table was set in the center of the room with sandwiches (smells like tunafish), cookies and a couple of pitchers of a orange colored liquid. He could really go for a free meal but he didn’t want to seem too eager. Jason always had been able to play in so cooly, never wanting to give up an edge. But before he could say anything Tess was diving in, checking out the drink, snatching a sandwich, pocketing cookies.

Smiling back at Badger Jon said, “Yes Sir, Destiny is one fastest boats about….. and we take our jobs seriously.... We aren’t the biggest but we can do special deliveries quicker’n anyone…....And for the that food there….well that’s mighty nice of you, my crew appreciates it. …..I hope you don’t mind I brought so many, Tess there is my pilot and I figured it’d easier if she could ask what she needed to know straight out......The others are fairly new to my crew and I thought the experience would be good for them..... Besides this ain’t the easiest area to walk through.” Jon nodded to JC and Angela that it was ok.

Jon watched as they too dug in to the sandwiches, he’d hoped there might be something left that he might grab before they go, that is if this goes well.

After everyone left the common area, Grace signaled to Angela that she wanted to talk to her. Angela smiled and naturally went up to Grace, perfectly cheerfully. A sudden anxious feeling hit Grace which she squashed down. Jon told everyone what to do and he never sweated bullets or doubted himself so Grace tried to imitate him as she spoke to Angela.

“Okay, Angela, I have a job for you.” started Grace

(OOC: assuming an okay or some sign of acknowledgement)

“You are going with the Captain to talk to this Badger guy. Your job is to make sure everyone comes home safe.” continued Grace trying to ignore the fact that it looked rather silly for her to be giving the taller woman instruction.

(OOC: again assuming a nod)

“However, don’t do what you did those Tong members, okay? These guys are going to pay us and you can’t kill the wallet. You do know how to knock people out, right?” asked Grace

Angela seemed to think about it before nodding confidently

“Okay, good. So if the deal goes sour and they draw guns and Jon tells you to act, knock ‘em out. Jon doesn’t like killing and my friend won’t be happy with me. Meanwhile, just relax and don’t draw attention to yourself, okay?” explained Grace

(OOC: Assuming an okay)

“Alright, go get what you need and good luck” finished Grace, hoping that her nervousness wasn’t too obvious. Hopefully she was warning Angela for no reason.

Persephone, Eavesdown Docks, On Board Destiny, 6:00 pm ST

Grace had a feeling that this job would be a go, and since it involved passengers, she decided to check all the passenger rooms – just to make sure there were no surprises. Not that there were any reasons to expect surprises, but to Grace’s way of thinking, that was the best time to check for them. It was also a way to keep herself busy while she waited. Grace never liked to nap during the times her crewmembers were gone and she slept better when the engines were going. Once she felt assured that everything was on order (well… at least in this amount of time. Technically she could strip the rooms down to make sure nothing was hidden in the walls or floor boards but there was no way she could do all that and then get all the room back to normal in time. Captain would not be pleased with her if she did that), she also checked the now spare rooms on the main floor.

Finally done, Grace passed Angela rather small room and mentally wondered if she should offer to build her friend a little food pantry, much like Grace had in her own room. Angela was often hungry and it might help in the mornings if she had a source of food to eat in her own room. Grace had her quirks and Angela had her own so Grace wasn’t one to judge. Considering she would be hiding until the passengers were on board. Then Grace wondered if her own supply of food (hidden in her room) would last the job.

There was no way; Grace would be leaving her room. So with a new task in mind, Grace headed towards the kitchen, planning to raid the pantry to re-fill her emergency food supply.

On Destiny
As people finished breakfast and left to make preparations, Grace signaled Angela to come sit by her. Angela smiled, both at the invitation and the warm feeling it caused her. She moved over and looked at her friend expectantly.

“Okay, Angela, I have a job for you.” started Grace

“I was listening,” Angela responded, wrinkling her nose, but she wasn’t offended. Her belly was full, she was among friends, life was good.

“You are going with the Captain to talk to this Badger guy. Your job is to make sure everyone comes home safe,” continued Grace.

“Okaaaaayyyy, everyone safe. I can do that, Grace, “ Angela responded cheerfully enough, looking around to see if there was any oatmeal left.

“However, don’t do what you did those Tong members, okay? These guys are going to pay us and you can’t kill the wallet. “ Grace was speaking, but Angela’s thoughts were drowning her out.

Don’t do what I did to who? What did I do? Was it wrong? Tong members? Kill the wallet? AM I A KILLER????
“You do know how to knock people out, right?” Grace’s voice sounded distantly through the roaring in Angela’s ears, but it was a question, and in response, Angela’s mind presented in rapid fire nine different ways to incapacitate, but not kill, an enemy. Angela tensed her muscles pensively, and received an affirmative – her body knew how to do what her mind suggested.

All this occurred in seconds; Grace had barely stopped talking when Angela blinked back from her thoughts and nodded confidently.

“Okay, good. So if the deal goes sour and they draw guns and Jon tells you to act, knock ‘em out. Jon doesn’t like killing and my friend won’t be happy with me. Meanwhile, just relax and don’t draw attention to yourself, okay?” explained Grace

“Relax, stay in the background, but if the guns come out and Jon gives the ok, keep the crew safe. Yep, I got it. Easy peasy, like lemon squeezy.” Angela spoke lightly, but the Tong comment kept reverberating in her mind. When had she met Tong?

“Alright, go get what you need and good luck” finished Grace, trying to hide her nervousness. Angela thought she was doing a pretty good job of it; really, it was just the little bit of shine on her upper lip that gave it away. Hardly noticeable.

Angela headed back to her room, wondering what “staying in the background” would look like. She rummaged through the trunks that had come with her, and decided against the guns, nor any weapons. She looked down at the faded red and white flannel shirt she wore over baggy blue jeans and decided they were non-descript enough. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, and decided to pull her hair back into a twist – there, even more unremarkable. Satisfied, she checked that the small messenger bag was tied shut and she went off to find the captain, whistling a tune she didn’t know she knew.

Persephone, Eavesdown Docks, Badger’s Office, 6:00 pm ST
As the crew approached the entrance to Badger’s lair, the open display of machine guns caught Angela’s attention. She stayed at the back of the group as she had so far, but the guns were out. Captain Jon didn’t say anything, though, so Angela decided she didn’t need to do anything, yet.

As they entered Badger’s office, Angela’s face lit up at the treasure trove within. There seemed to be no end of interesting things to look at, and Angela’s fingers itched to touch everything, something.

“Oh my, mister! What a lot of fine things you have! You must be important!” Angela breathed, then gasped and looked down at her feet when she realized she’d spoken aloud.

A man in a tweed suit and bowler hat smiles at the outburst, but his eyes are sly, and he barely glances at Angela, instead looking over Tess and Jon, then JC, as if he is trying to remember something.

“Hello,” He speaks in a Dyton accent (Cockney), “Which one of you is Jonathan Brown?”

Stepping a little crosser Jon extended his hand, “I’m Jon Brown.”

Angela lets the two men exchange pleasantries while she gets over her embarrassment. She continues to look around the room in sidelong glances, though it’s the two cute fellows sitting together that have caught her attention now. She started to brush her hair back from her face, only to remember it was already pulled back.

“Since this is our first face to face, I thought we’d start out on the right foot. Compliements of me – I’m Badger, “the man said. ” Now I hears that you have a fast ship and that you are reliable. That be two things I have a real use for right now.”

Angela’s gaze swiveled from the men to the table, but before she could react, Tess was diving in, pouring herself a drink and tucking in like she hadn’t had breakfast.

“Yes Sir, Destiny is one fastest boats about,” the Captain answered,” and we take our jobs seriously.... We aren’t the biggest but we can do special deliveries quicker’n anyone…....And for the that food there….well that’s mighty nice of you, my crew appreciates it. …..I hope you don’t mind I brought so many, Tess there is my pilot and I figured it’d easier if she could ask what she needed to know straight out......The others are fairly new to my crew and I thought the experience would be good for them..... Besides this ain’t the easiest area to walk through.” Jon nodded to JC and Angela that it was ok.

Angela smiled delightedly and stepped lightly over to the table, where her nose told her before her eyes could that the sandwiches held tuna. “Tuna? Like, from a real can? Mister, you sure know how to make a girl feel welcome! Thanks!”

As much as she enjoyed the sandwich, Angela made sure her back wasn’t towards any of the guards nor Badger nor the two men. The guns were out, and Jon hadn’t said the word, but from behind Angela's eyes, Ming watched and waited.

Persephone, Eavesdown Docks, Badger’s Office, 6:10 pm ST
“Oh my, mister! What a lot of fine things you have! You must be important!” Angela breathed, then gasped and looked down at her feet when she realized she’d spoken aloud.

A man in a tweed suit and bowler hat smiles at the outburst, but his eyes are sly, and he barely glances at Angela, instead looking over Tess and Jon, then JC, as if he is trying to remember something. Yet the simple compliment seems to enchant him.

Angela lets the two men exchange pleasantries while she gets over her embarrassment. She continues to look around the room in sidelong glances, though it’s the two cute fellows sitting together that have caught her attention now. She started to brush her hair back from her face, only to remember it was already pulled back.

“Since this is our first face to face, I thought we’d start out on the right foot. Complements of me – I’m Badger, “the man said. ” Now I hears that you have a fast ship and that you are reliable. That be two things I have a real use for right now.”

Angela’s gaze swiveled from the men to the table, but before she could react, Tess was diving in, pouring herself a drink and tucking in like she hadn’t had breakfast.

“Yes Sir, Destiny is one fastest boats about,” the Captain answered,” and we take our jobs seriously.... We aren’t the biggest but we can do special deliveries quicker’n anyone…....And for the that food there….well that’s mighty nice of you, my crew appreciates it. …..I hope you don’t mind I brought so many, Tess there is my pilot and I figured it’d easier if she could ask what she needed to know straight out......The others are fairly new to my crew and I thought the experience would be good for them..... Besides this ain’t the easiest area to walk through.” Jon nodded to JC and Angela that it was ok.

The sandwiches are simple but the fish is good. The drink is a fruit beverage made from powder and whoever made it didn’t read the measurements so it is a bit strong and sweet. But free food is free food.

Angela smiled delightedly and stepped lightly over to the table, where her nose told her before her eyes could that the sandwiches held tuna. “Tuna? Like, from a real can? Mister, you sure know how to make a girl feel welcome! Thanks!”

Again, Badger smiles broadly. “I like her. Knows how to appreciate a man’s largess”. Unfortunately, with his accent it sounds more like he says large ass. Any mis-cue the crew might take from this slip is lost as both the young men in suits chortle loudly. Badger turns on them with a glare, “Oi! You ain;t been around with me long enough to be showing anything but respect. I’m the boss! The man who pays you! Don’t be forgetting that.”

The two sheepishly apologize and regain their composure.

“Where was I?” Badger asks while looking at Angela with a smile, “Right. Sorry about that. A businessman like me, with roots in the community needs to remind people how they should behave. Hope I didn’t frighten you.”

(Assuming something passive from Angela)

“Right. The Job. The job involves chaufferin’ the stepdaughter of some well-to-do land baron to her wedding aboard a luxury cruise liner, the Rim’s Dream. The girl’s name is Lilianna Fairchild. Job is simple—deliver the girl to the cruise liner in time for her wedding which is 5 days from now. Actually, It will be the girl, her bodyguard, and a wedding planner. As well, these two,” he points a finger at the two young men, “Will be joining you in order to complete a business transaction of my own. I can’t hand over a simpler job. Course, it don’t pay much, 20 a head per day but you do this right by me and, well you be in my good book and there be people that would kill to be there.” he says with a modest chuckle.

Badger pulls a folded piece of paper off his desk and hands it to the Captain. “That’s the coordinates of the liner, five days good enough for you?”

(If Tess looks over the coordinates she will see that you can do so easily in five days, but only because you have Destiny. A Firefly or Hornet would have to hard burn all the way)

OOC: Some of you will get a PM with info your character knows

As JC followed Captain Jon to this job interview he kept his eyes open all around, his human hand never far from the Avenger at his side. As they reached the door leading to this Badgers office they were met by large Chinese man asking to see the four’s ID. Though hesitant to give his up a quick look from Brown and JC did so and watched as the man checked a clipboard in his hand. Expecting to have to give up his guns JC was totally taken by surprise as he showed them the way in without so much as a pat down or gun check. As they moved through the tunnels JC understood why, as they passed numerous armed guards and built in flash doors.

However finally they reached where the four of them were headed and shown into a room that JC would never have thought of as a mobsters office. Before them they found was a man standing leaning on a desk. Though not a tall man as men go he was wearing a tweed suit a bowler style hat and appeared to be completely unarmed. His smile though inviting was set off by his eyes, eyes though they looked everyone over lingered most on JC. As their eyes met and each held the others gaze the Gunfighter got the feeling that this Badger may have seen him before and was trying to remember. However as far as JC could remember he personally had never had any contact with this one while in The White Tiger Tong. Holding the man’s gaze till he looked away first JC did a quick scan of the room gauging possible escape routes, cover and obstcles to his gun fire if needed. Seeing the table full of sandwiches, tuna having been easily ID by Angela, he reached for a pair using his right arm. Though he had used his gun hand he was ready to drop the sandwiches fast if needed as he brought them to his mouth he listened without saying a word.

“Right. The Job. The job involves chaufferin’ the stepdaughter of some well-to-do land baron to her wedding aboard a luxury cruise liner, the Rim’s Dream. The girl’s name is Lilianna Fairchild. Job is simple—deliver the girl to the cruise liner in time for her wedding which is 5 days from now. Actually, It will be the girl, her bodyguard, and a wedding planner. As well, these two,” he points a finger at the two young men, “Will be joining you in order to complete a business transaction of my own. I can’t hand over a simpler job. Course, it don’t pay much, 20 a head per day but you do this right by me and, well you be in my good book and there be people that would kill to be there.” he says with a modest chuckle.

Badger pulls a folded piece of paper off his desk and hands it to the Captain.

“That’s the coordinates of the liner, five days good enough for you?”

Still keeping quiet JC watched Badger as he explained the job. Though not a medical degreed expert at reading people’s expressions or body language, he had remained alive being better then most. As Badger talked, JC watched, trying to get a read on this gangster.

(Ok trying to read his body language, his eyes sound of his voice, anything that could give me a possible read on him.)

Persephone, Eavesdown Docks, Badger’s Office, 6:10 pm ST
“Oh my, mister! What a lot of fine things you have! You must be important!” Angela breathed, then gasped and looked down at her feet when she realized she’d spoken aloud.

Tess’s dark eyes took in the assorted collection that hung around here. It vaguely reminded her of Uncle Benny’s, the pawn shop she had spent a number of months in on Beaumonde after Destiny had gone adrift. Only difference was, Benny had laid his junk out to sell whereas it looked like Badger had laid his out like a rat’s den.

The man who headed this operation was obvious, only dude in the room in a fancy hat. His eyes were calculating; Tess kept her face passive as he looked her over. There was a definite air about him that told her that Angela’s comment had set the right tone with the man.

Thank the devil fer that. Angela, I owe ya’ll a big damn sloppy kiss fer gittin’ our foot in the door.”
“Ello,….which one of you ‘s Jonathan Brown?”

“I’m Jon Brown,” Jon said, extending his hand. Badger made no move to shake it, instead gesture to the table. Tess’s nose twitched and she realized that the sandwiches laid out on the table were made of tuna fish.

Holy devil incarnate, that there smells like the real deal. Her mouth began to water at the thought; Grace hadn’t considered keeping up with the garden bunk a priority, and Tess was having a heck of a time bringing it back to flourishing like it had been. No veggies yet, lots of protein paste, and the reminder of this morning’s powdered eggs made this look like a gorram governor’s feast.

“Since this is our first face to face, I thought we’d start out on the right foot. Complements of me – I’m Badger, “the man said. ” Now I hears that you have a fast ship and that you are reliable. That be two things I have a real use for right now.”

The pilot strode the last few feet to the table, picked up the pitcher, and took a sniff. Ain’t no need fer the man to feel like his hospitality is goin’ unappreciated. Might’n be givin’ the wrong impression. She grabbed one of the tuna sandwiches and stuffed into her mouth. Tess moved around to look at Angela and nodded towards the table. Heavens know the girl could still eat.

“Yes Sir, Destiny is one fastest boats about,” the Captain answered,” and we take our jobs seriously.... We aren’t the biggest but we can do special deliveries quicker’n anyone…....And for the that food there….well that’s mighty nice of you, my crew appreciates it. …..I hope you don’t mind I brought so many, Tess there is my pilot and I figured it’d easier if she could ask what she needed to know straight out......The others are fairly new to my crew and I thought the experience would be good for them..... Besides this ain’t the easiest area to walk through.” Jon nodded to JC and Angela that it was ok.

Angela smiled delightedly and stepped lightly over to the table. Tess watched her inspect a sandwich, almost as if nothing else existed.

Amazin’ focus.
“Tuna? Like, from a real can? Mister, you sure know how to make a girl feel welcome! Thanks!”

Bless that woman’s innocence. I swear, we’re bringin’ her to all our fancy outings from here on out.
Again, Badger smiles broadly. “I like her. Knows how to appreciate a man’s largess”.

Tess had been taking a long pull from her glass of fruity drink, and choked at the sound large ass. Thankfully, the men behind Badger masked her noise with their laughing.

“Oi!” Badger exclaimed, turning to glare at his two henchmen, “You ain’t been around with me long enough to be showing anything but respect. I’m the boss! The man who pays you! Don’t be forgetting that.”

Tess turned her head so as to not look like she was staring, taking the opportunity to pocket a couple of cookies. Badger reminded her of a young captain she knew during the war. Stevenson. Liked to strut around like a peacock, and was constantly pushing people around to remind them of his rank. He didn’t last long. There was rumor of some nasty business that took place when he and his little regiment got pinned down by the Alliance, something about him pulling a gun on a new recruit before he was ‘gunned down by the enemy’. Funny thing was, the rest of the regiment made it out without a scratch. Ain’t no use for a man who has to drawn down to prove he’s in charge. No place for that during a war.
But this wasn’t the war, and the rules had changed.

“Where was I?” Badger asked while looking at Angela with a smile, “Right. Sorry about that. A businessman like me, with roots in the community needs to remind people how they should behave. Hope I didn’t frighten you.”

“Right. The Job. The job involves chaufferin’ the stepdaughter of some well-to-do land baron to her wedding aboard a luxury cruise liner, the Rim’s Dream. The girl’s name is Lilianna Fairchild. Job is simple—deliver the girl to the cruise liner in time for her wedding which is 5 days from now. Actually, It will be the girl, her bodyguard, and a wedding planner. As well, these two,” he points a finger at the two young men, “Will be joining you in order to complete a business transaction of my own. I can’t hand over a simpler job. Course, it don’t pay much, 20 a head per day but you do this right by me and, well you be in my good book and there be people that would kill to be there.” he says with a modest chuckle.

Badger pulls a folded piece of paper off his desk and hands it to the Captain. “That’s the coordinates of the liner, five days good enough for you?”

“Mighty fine vittles, sir, thank you,” Tess said, waving the remnants of her sandwich as she moved towards Jon. She looked over his shoulder to get a view of the coordinates.

“It’s a darn good thing ya’ll brought us here to be discussin’ this,” she said, “Don’t think another boat could make in time, least not without hard burn the whole way. Then what’d they have? An empty tank in hopes that cruise might give ‘em a little fuel to git back home?”

When Jon heard who the passenger was going to be he barely heard the rest of the information. “Lilianna Fairchild? The Princess?"

Jon remembered hearing Stephanie talking about this girl. Stephanie reads the trashy tabloids all the time. as such you have sometimes looks through her periodicals or overheard a ET special about Lilianna Fairchild, or as the Media likes to call her - Princess.

Stepdaughter of land baron Optimus Fairchild, Lilianna grew up on the Baron’s vast estate on Persephone. When Lilianna began to develop into a stunning beauty, the Baron began taking her places and showing her off. She was only sixteen when she became a media darling and paparazzi followed her every move.

Folk elsewhere, out on the Rim, started callin’ her Princess. They didn’t mean it kindly.

Lilianna might have grown up spoiled rotten, but her mother was there to keep her daughter’s feet on firm ground. Her mother was raised on one of the Core Planets, so when she visited newly terraformed planets like Regina after her marriage, she was shocked at the conditions she found among folk struggling to make a living on the Rim. She worked to help farmers and miners until she fell victim to one of the many maladies floating around the ‘Verse and became housebound back on Persephone.

Lilianna took over supporting her mother’s charities, using her celebrity status to raise money. Her reputation grew past Persephone and she is now much beloved all throughout the Rim. Now when folk call her Princess, they mean it as a compliment.

“They can afford a private luxury transport,……… why would she be slipping in through the back on freighter? ……. Mind you we are impressed to have her as the fare, but she’ll mean more security, …….better food,…….Oh God we got so much cleaning to do……” As he stammered Jon tried to organize his thoughts, oh god but he missed Jason.

Jon flash a pleading look at Tess.

“Lilianna Fairchild? The Princess?" Jon asked incredulously.

Tess had no idea who in the seven hells this woman was, but it certainly seemed to throw Jon’s head for a spin. He began stammering, a rare thing nowadays. That man had been shot at, blowed up, and heavens know what else.

Really must’ve taken those deaths hard. Hell, I did too, but at least I had some imminent heroics to keep me occupied .
“They can afford a private luxury transport,………,” he was muttering, “why would she be slipping in through the back on freighter? ……. Mind you we are impressed to have her as the fare, but she’ll mean more security, …….better food,…….Oh God we got so much cleaning to do……”

Tess rested her arm on his shoulder heavily, hoping to snap him out of it. If he kept on like this, he might cost them the job.

Doubtful.No other boat can make it in this time.
She decided to take his long-winded approach and run with it, “Yer darn right we do. We’ll be needin’ a little time to fix up our boat proper for such a fancy lady to come onboard. We want to make sure we make the right impression fer our employer here,” here she gestured to Badger with the remains of her sandwich, took another bite, and continued to address Jon in a voice that all the room could hear.

“Trouble is that we’re gonna hafta pull off a jing tian dwohn di miracle. Destiny ain’t no passenger ship. Sure, we got two rooms with two beds in ‘em. But that still means we’re movin’ some crew around, unless those two fellas there are a lot cozier with one another than they’re lettin’ on,” she smiled and nodded at the two behind Badger, “plus we’re gonna need to refigure our air scrubbers fer another five warm bodies, stock up on foodstuffs, refuel, and do a good scour of everything so our fine lady will feel right at home. Plus our mechanic’ll wanna do a once over before running at such hot speeds. All before an early take off tomorrow AM so we can get our passenger there on time to her big day.”

Here she took another swig of her fruity drink, and continued to address Jon, “I dunno Capt’n. Sounds like we’re gonna hafta be workin’ double time throughout the night, and then some afterwards to keep our guest happy. Plus we’re gonna be needin’ to hit the market first thing before we high tail it outta here. We’re fast, Capt’n, but do ya’ll think yah can be convincing the crew to be that fast?” Here, Tess lifted her eyebrows as she looked into Jon’s face.

Persephone, Eavesdown Docks, Badger’s Office, 6:20 pm ST
“Lilianna Fairchild? The Princess?" Jon asked incredulously.

“They can afford a private luxury transport,………,” he was muttering, “why would she be slipping in through the back on freighter? ……. Mind you we are impressed to have her as the fare, but she’ll mean more security, …….better food,…….Oh God we got so much cleaning to do……”

“Yer darn right we do. We’ll be needin’ a little time to fix up our boat proper for such a fancy lady to come onboard. We want to make sure we make the right impression fer our employer here,” Tess gestured to Badger with the remains of her sandwich, took another bite, and continued to address Jon in a voice that all the room could hear.

“Trouble is that we’re gonna hafta pull off a jing tian dwohn di miracle. Destiny ain’t no passenger ship. Sure, we got two rooms with two beds in ‘em. But that still means we’re movin’ some crew around, unless those two fellas there are a lot cozier with one another than they’re lettin’ on,” she smiled and nodded at the two behind Badger, “plus we’re gonna need to refigure our air scrubbers fer another five warm bodies, stock up on foodstuffs, refuel, and do a good scour of everything so our fine lady will feel right at home. Plus our mechanic’ll wanna do a once over before running at such hot speeds. All before an early take off tomorrow AM so we can get our passenger there on time to her big day. I dunno Capt’n. Sounds like we’re gonna hafta be workin’ double time throughout the night, and then some afterwards to keep our guest happy. Plus we’re gonna be needin’ to hit the market first thing before we high tail it outta here. We’re fast, Capt’n, but do ya’ll think yah can be convincing the crew to be that fast?”

Badger looked on as Tess and Jon went on with a face that spoke of bemusement. He even chuckled when Tess mentioned the scrubbers and foodstuff. “I’m sorry but you all seem to be working for a misconception. Now if anyone knew who the Princess was, i’d guess one of the ladies, not you captain. I collect trading card myself but whatever oils your chain. I’m asking you to transport Ms Fairchild her two lackeys and these two. I ain’t asking you to throw them a gorram teaparty! You don’t need special foods or rations or clean sheet or pretty dollies on the seats. She likes the charity work on the rim, so she can handle roughing it for awhile. In fact, her daddy would be mighty appreciative of her living like the other half because as I understand it, she’s been a bit of a prat about the wedding.” Badger sighed dramatically, “You have these two for extra security. Introduce yourself boys.”

The youngest of the two brothers steps forward and offers his hand to the captain, “I’m Rick Simon and that there is my brother AJ. Don’t you be fussing Captain, we can handle things as they come.” The brother offers a winning smile and a handshake but doesn’t comment further. “we can bunk together or swing on hammocks in the bay if necessary.”

Badger clears his throat noisily, “Right. The drop is late tonight, not tomorrow am. The idea here is to avoid the press getting wind of The Princess leaving, so her father wants her traveling in-cog-neat-toes. No one would suspect a high flaunting princess on a gar.. ship like yours. Get the picture?”

(assuming some comments)

“Listen. You can’t handle the job or your ship is too delicate for five passengers then fine. There an Arrowhead courier in port, I can use them. Don’t want to ‘cause the captain is a wáng bā dàn and I wanted to give you a chance to make a name. Get established, even hobnob with some bigwigs that could make your business. Kinda guy I am, see? But you can walk away, Guǎi mǎ jiǎo!, if you’d like and I will let my people know that you are not quite in my league for jobs. Understand?”




wáng bā dàn – Jackass

Guǎi mǎ jiǎo! - Throwing a monkey wrench into things!