Summary: The Vega gets ready to leave Santo behind when a young woman stumbles into the airlock by mistake. Considering she's involved in a gun fight her presence is an unwelcome one. Quinn confiscates Claudia's weapons and tells her she's to work to earn her meals until they can drop her off on Paquin. Xin is less than thrilled about her presence, and always the peacemaker, Shaiyat strives to disspell the harsh feelings.
Although the conversation over dinner had taken a slight dark turn, it really did put Quinn at ease to fully appreciate that she was in good company. XinTou had proven his worth and trustworthiness in the past but she still knew very little about him, and mention of working for the Alliance had, unfortunately, been enough to be alarmed. But she quieted those fears for the moment, able to place them in the back of her head instead of allowing paranoia to make decisions for her. She had set off the following morning with the list of supplies the doctor needed, mentioning to Shai that she'd like to get off Santo by evening. It took a few trips to bring back absolutely everything that was needed, and by late afternoon Quinn found herself happy to be dragging the last of the kitchen supplies up to the messhall. The day was a warm one, the occasional gust of hot wind blowing dust into the cargo bay from the street. “'Bout ready?” Quinn shouted on her way past the cockpit, glancing in for a moment before she continued downstairs.
21:56:53 [Shaiyat] After a long night of good food and good conversation Shai slept the best he had in awhile, feeling comfortable with the way things were going aboard Vega. With the doctor around he had less worries over Quinn and her needs when it came to her prosthetic, and any other crew members they picked up would be in good hands. The news of Reavers and war the night before festered at the back of his mind, but such concerns always did. For now he concentrated on getting the ship ready to fly, hoping as Quinn was to be on their way by nightfall…and maybe get Xin to start on his tattoo before to long? He was rather excited by the idea now. Anyhow, he leaned forward in his chair, pouring over the two view screens in front of him tracking different routes they could take while other screens scrolled with endless piles of info on how the engines and such were performing. Hopefully they’d find a mechanic soon…Vega was an old ship after all. As soon as Quinn entered the ship the engines hummed to life, softly
21:57:46 [Shaiyat] at first, vibrating the vessel throughout with a low thrumming sound that added to the opera music Shai played over the comm-system. “Ready ta fly as soon as everyone’s strapped in Captain.” He nodded back to the woman with a smile before punching the speaker above his head to speak aloud to the entire ship, but in particular to Xin. “Ya ready to leave this place behind Doctor?”
22:03:28 XinTou gave a thumbs up from the sickbay for a moment before realizing Quinn couldn't see it from the cockpit. "Sickbay secure!" He shouted up after locking up the last cabinet. At Shai's question, he chuckled and yelled back a barely audible, "You know it!" before strapping himself onto the sickbay bed. Easier than walking all the way to the messhall, and easy if he got sick, which he did now and then during a rough takeoff. Absently, he smoothed out a wrinkle in his labcoat as he felt the engines rumble beneath him, closing his eyes.
Quinn walked across the cargo bay, her hand rising to the controls to close the cargo and airlock doors. The sound of gunfire startled her, eyes zipping about as she sought out the source while ducking behind a tower of crates by the airlock doors. She pounded her fist on the comm, shouting a “Go, Shai!” through the ship while she activated the cargo door to lift and begin to close. What with all the chaos, Quinn had missed the fact that a woman was walking on said door; she would probably fall into the airlock if she wasn't careful. Not having much of a choice but to bring her along, the captain activated the airlock doors to close as well, shutting Claudia in behind something safe and bulletproof. Quinn strapped herself into the seat next to the controls, grinding her teeth at the sound of bullets ricocheting off the hull.
22:59:43 Shaiyat switched the opera music off, allowing him to better hear Xin’s reply. It sounded positive at least, even if he couldn’t make out everyword. “Check. Get yourself in here Driscol so we can wipe this planet’s dust outta our hair.” With the hum of the engine he didn’t notice the hustle going on outside just yet, finalizing a course and flipping through diagnostics pages on his screen. One hand absently flicked switches above his head, the other hovering above the clutch at his side, ready to move when he got the go ahead….which he received in a different manner than he expected. Quinn’s voice over the comm. Speaker made him jump, the roar of the engines increasing as he jumped into getting the out of the the sudden trouble that’d come there way. Looked like their luck had run out…from his vantage point in the cockpit those chasing Claudia looked very small, but he moved one hand to the joy-stick like apperatus on the control panel anyhow, swiveling Vega’s cannon in the general direction of the
23:00:25 [Shaiyat] the gunfire. He had no intentions of firing it into such a crowd, but most people had seconds thoughts about bullying an armed vessel. The lift off would be a shaky one, and Shai silently apologized to both his crew members before getting them airborne. After the shaky-period of breaking out of atmo into space the pilot finally had time to punch the comm. And figure out what was going on. “What happened Quinn? You both alright down there? Lemme get her floating and I’ll get down there….”
23:04:17 XinTou started at the sound of bullets dully banging against the metal of the doors. Hurriedly, he unstrapped himself, stumbling towards his bullet wound kit despite the turbulence. Holding the wall for support, he slowly but surely stumbled towards the front of the ship. "Shai? Quinn? What's going on?" He bellowed. As they broke atmo, he jerked forward, narrowly avoiding faceplanting by grabbing onto a handrail at the last second. Instead of seeing the wounded captain that he expected, he saw an irritated captain and a stowaway. "...Shénme shì dìyù?!" Irritated, he scrambled up. "I'm sorry, I must've missed the finer points of passenger carrying." Heaving a sigh at his efforts, he smacked the comm button to reply to Shai. "We got some unexpected cargo. Wǒpēi." He looked around for a bullet wound in either woman.
23:15:10 Claudia_Michaels || Her violet gaze never left her assailants, even as she grabbed a handful of cartridges from a small pouch that hung from her belt and shoved them into the chambers and whipped the loading gate back into place. “Ta ma de,” one of the henchmen shouted and tumbled to the ground, nursing his leg and growling curse words all the while. A sinister grin curled the edge of her lips and she fired another well-aimed shot into the shoulder of another. There was little time to bask in satisfaction as the sound of thick metal creaking brought her back to her surroundings. “Wh--AH,” she shouted, and felt the cargo doors tremble beneath her. Fearful that she might die if she leapt out of the ship, Claudia simply hopped backward into its mouth, bullets still glancing off of the hull at great speed. It hadn’t occurred to her to do any strapping in. She clung to the nearest railing for dear life as the ship quavered violently and shot into space with relative ease. When finally they had slowed to a steady <c>
23:15:28 Claudia_Michaels cruise, Claudia wrenched her lissome arms from the rail and released a sigh of relief. “Ta ma de…. That was close,” she breathed and shook her head. After briefly collecting herself, she allowed her purple eyes to wander the cargo bay until they landed on an indignant looking woman strapped to a nearby chair. “Uh… heh,” she smiled anxiously and rubbed the back of her neck with a leather bound hand. Her eyes shifted back and forth, head dipped low in shame. Claudia’s expression swiftly changed to one of annoyance and barely contained rage as an exasperated man came to their aid. She sneered at his comments and viciously retorted, “You glare at me like that again, boy and I’ll give you smile that won’t quit.” It wasn’t that she was a particularly angry person, but her mood was nothing cheerful.||
“<i>Lao Tyen yeh!</i>” Quinn growled, waiting until the worst was over to unstrap herself. She turned on the comm system to broadcast what was going on throughout the ship after XinTou explained what was going. Quinn peered into the little window between the cargo bay and lock, quickly spotting Claudia and fixing her with a rather irritated look as she spoke into the comm speaker by the door. “The hell you think yer doin'?” she demanded, not being as conscientious as the doctor to look for wounds – no, Quinn was just about to open the outer doors and allow Claudia to be sucked out, depending on what the woman had to say for herself. Which wasn't anything pretty, as her nasty retort to the doctor just about landed her a place among the stars. “One more damn word outta yer mouth an' you'll be sucked out them doors, <i>dohn luh mah?</i>” Quinn tapped her fingers on the control to the outer doors, the gears of which whined briefly but didn't budget... yet. One more tap and they'd open to the elements outside. “Now you better tell me a real nice story as to why the hell you're in my ship, 'fore I lose my patience.”
23:36:56 Shaiyat was hesitant about leaving the ship control’s without knowing fully what was going on. If he needed to get them out of there he couldn’t do it from the cargo bay, but he was worried about the others…Xin’s voice came as a relief, even if the message was a tad bit confusing. Unexpected cargo? “<i>Everythin’ alright? I’m comin’ down.” One finger held down the comm. button as he spoke hurriedly, his other hand typing in commands on the control panel to tell the ship to switch to stand-by until he knew better. He was out of his seat in seconds, long legs carried him quickly down the familiar path down to the cargo bay. He basically jumped down the stairs as he heard Quinn’s less than nice words…who was she talking to? He ran up to stand slightly behind the doctor and Captain, peering into the little window best he could to see just who they had. “Weren’t expecting another passenger… she the one doin’ the shooting?” As much as he fretted over the whole situation, he worried for Claudia as well…she wasn’t in the
23:38:06 [Shaiyat] the best of positions. “ ‘ey Driscol…should we, uh…let er in ta talk or somethin’?” He’d not heard any of the newcomers less than friendly introduction so he was a bit more compassionate….for now.
23:40:03 XinTou shot Quinn an unnaturally wide, extremely sarcastic grin at their new guest's rudeness. "Fantastic. Great to be back on the job, boss." He looked back to Claudia, glaring, as was his right. "If you're injured, I'm duty-bound by my license to treat you as long as you are in this ship, but I ought to warn you: threatening this ship's employees is not the way to stay in this ship." At that, he indicated the almost cartoonishly red EJECT button. He was a distinguished, educated fellow, but had no problem issuing a subtle Fuck you, bitch when needed. However, he deferred to Quinn and looked away as she shut the airlock, uneasily muttering profanities in Chinese and English. One could always hope that Quinn's hand would just...slip and hit the release button. No, he didn't mean that. Well, not really. He was just unused to such rudeness and disrespect. Eldest child from a high-class family, no one really had spoken to him that way, not even in the war. Most people were intelligent (cont)
23:40:21 [XinTou] enough not to piss off the medic. It was the second rule of war, besides “Keep your socks dry”. He smirked at the arriving Shai, continuing to hold on to the rail and willing his slight nausea to dissipate. “Eh, well, pleasant surprises, right comrade?”
23:47:15 Claudia_Michaels || With a frustrated sigh, Claudia pushed herself up from the uncomfortable floor of the airlock and slid her finger over the switch for comlink inside to reply to the furious woman on the other side. Her finger lingered over the button for a few precious moments before mashing against its surface. “Alright, alright. Look…” she sighed, “I was snaked out of a job by this chusheng xai-jiao de xiang ho, Artemis.” She shook her head and placed a hand against the airlock doors, her head falling with the loss of pride. Claudia was not the type to divulge a lot of her personal experiences, especially when it came to her work, but as it was she really didn’t have much of a choice. It was either spill and hope they’d take pity on her or say goodbye to life as she knew it. She settled for the former, “Didn’t get a lick of payment and I’ve got some debtors after me as it is. Now… I know you’re probably angry that some random woman just forced herself on your ship, lady… but I would really, really, really <c>
23:48:15 Claudia_Michaels appreciate it if you didn’t open these doors.” She indicated the cargo doors behind her with a quick nod. However lacking in eloquence her words may have been, Claudia was completely genuine about her request. Then again, who wouldn’t be? Her chest heaved with fear and expectation, although she wasn’t really sure what to expect anyways. Hell, if it had been her ship, she might have already pressed the </i>eject</i> button already. But she hoped against hope that these people might at least take a little pity on her.||
Quinn shot a brief, narrow-eyed glance Shai's way, hopefully enough to convince him to leave the situation alone for the moment. The captain quirked her brow impatiently, peering in on Claudia as XinTou spoke his mind – rightfully so. The man didn't necessarily look like the medic-type, but his revealing such would hopefully focus the stranger into a nicer frame of mind. Especially if she was injured, which had yet to be discovered. Quinn remained quiet as Claudia spoke, her expression not lightening any, though the control remained unactivated... enough to prove she was slightly interested in hearing the woman out. It'd all happened rather quickly but she had been able to see two of Claudia's bullets find their marks – impressively so. Such a skill was useful to an outfit like this. Quinn allowed the silence to stretch after the woman spoke her mind, aiming to give her a little more scare before allowing her in. A lot of seriously illegal weaponry was hidden throughout the <i>Vega's</i> walls, enough to put Quinn in an overly cautious frame of mind. “Put all yer weapons on the ground an let me see yer hands,” she grumbled, watching Claudia accomplish such if she felt so inclined. If Claudia did cooperate Quinn would allow the airlock doors to open, her pistol making an appearance from her belt and leveling at the woman's chest. “You make a habit of owin' the trigger-happy money?” The captain wanted to make sure she wasn't about to allow more of a liability on board, regardless of Claudia's gun expertise.
00:07:49 Shaiyat decided that he’d defiantly missed something. Quinn had a temper, so he wasn’t too surprised by her initial reaction to the stranger. But the doctor seemed unhappy with the new woman as well…so she must be a threat beyond the obvious. The look from the blonde drove this point home more so. The pilot stayed quiet for now, listening to Claudia’s story with a single nod. It was one he’d heard before, though he never heard it ending with someone coming onto a strange ship. He stepped away a bit as the scene played out, standing next to Xin as he slowly crossed his arms. He was relieved when the new woman was safe in the cargo bay…but he sighed soon after, a bit too loudly. He’d left his pistol up in the cockpit again. Great. Well, at least Quinn always remembered hers. She was a better shot anyhow, a fact Shai hoped Claudia wouldn’t need ta learn. “She jus’….walked on in?” Shai leaned towards Xin to whisper curiously.
00:15:46 [XinTou] "No idea." Xin replied grimly, slightly relieved his motion sickness was passing. "I heard shots so I came running. Aaaand then this was here." The indignance in his voice wasn't bothering to hide itself, although he was making a concerted effort not to say anything until Quinn had said her peace. He was a loyal crewmate, but a prideful son of a bitch to be sure. That was evident in his next loudly stated, passive-aggressive comment to Shai upon hearing Claudia's story. "I don't really understand why people can't take care of themselves and they end up owing money to every bái chī in the 'Verse, but I suppose some weren't raised to seek financial independence." As an afterthought, he mused, "Or higher education with regards to manners and social etiquette."
00:18:49 Claudia_Michaels || She swallowed hard at the deafening silence that permeated the airlock. Her arm shuddered against the airlock doors, invisible though it was to those on the other end of the bulky metallic doors. Her eyes shifted from one crew member to the next in a vain endeavor to read their thoughts. When the woman, clearly their captain, requested that she rid herself of her weapons, Claudia did so without question. It was this or death, so of course she agreed. She made haste to place her pistol on the floor, followed by several spares, what looked similar to a Derringer, and a bowie knife at her feet. Her gloved digits fumbled at her belt to loosen the pouch of bullets and a singular grenade, placing them gingerly next to, what might have been seen as, the ridiculous pile of weaponry already stacked in the corner. As the airlock opened, fresh air swept into the little compartment and sent long, obsidian tendrils streaming from Claudia’s face. For a fleeting moment, she allowed herself the luxury of calm, until <c>
00:18:59 Claudia_Michaels Quinn continued her inquiries. Her nose crinkled as Claudia cringed in response to the question. “Thing is, ma’am, them choo shi fook weren’t the creditors. I hate to admit it but… well hell it’s not like it ain’t well-known. I’ve got a temper, ‘specially when somebody swindles me outta hard earned money,” she explained, the faint sound of annoyance coating that last sentence. In a single, swift movement, she folded her arms across her chest and stared down at her scuffed boots, “Look, I’ve been fightin’ them damn creditors since after the war! Damn Alliance can’t keep their dirty hands out of the pockets of poor old women, well my gran at least. Old woman didn’t have a nickel to her name when she died, but she sure did rack up a damn good bit ‘a debt.” She cast a glare in Xin’s direction, angry at his assumption regarding her situation. Her fists clenched tight at his last words, but she bit back the urge to sock him in the jaw for fear of being shot or thrown in the airlock again.||
“Careful now Doctor, might be speakin' 'bout more 'n one of us.” Quinn's tone wasn't serious, in fact, she was pretty amused to see XinTou so bent out of shape. Emotion wasn't something he showed very clearly, aside from heavy sarcasm. The captain allowed Claudia's words to hang in the air between them after she finished, her pistol still pointed at the woman's chest. The sad story was a bit much but for the most part, everything else seemed believable. Then again, people would say anything to save their tails, and if Claudia was in the business she would certainly know how to lie. Another long minute passed before Quinn lowered her weapon back to her hip. “I'm gonna ta hafta hold on to yer weapons, but you can stay until we dock. Suppose we'll hafta feed you in the meantime, which means you've earned yerself a position hauling crates. Don't expect much private time. If yer nice I'll let ya hang with Shaiyat here more 'n me. He sure is friendly.” Quinn smiled in an unfriendly sort of way. “You got a name?”
00:46:03 Shaiyat had never seen the doctor so put off. Then again he didn’t know him all that well, and it seemed Claudia deserved what was coming to her. He nodded in response to the doctor, listening to the new woman’s story with slight interest. His bigger concern really was the captain’s descion and just where he was going to have to take this boat next. He was inwardly relieved when it was decided they’d let Claudia off at the next stop and not this one…though he did give a worried glance Xin’s way. Seemed liked the two had gotten off on the wrong foot. Not that Shai was thrilled…but his nature was always a bit too trusting. He chuckled very softly at Quinn’s last comment, as it was rather true. He waved a little towards Claudia when his name was mentioned, being one of the only members of the small crew who was smiling just a tad. “We’ll get ya off next stop, should be just a couple days…” He emphasized the last part mostly for Xin and Quinn’s sake. Only two days. Really.
00:49:34 XinTou didn't usually make such assumptions, but he was a little suspicious of anyone who automatically imposed and then started making threats. "A sweet, dead, poor ol' grandmother? How convenient. The shooter with a heart of gold. Wǒ kào, nǐ ge gǒu pì..." He grumbled off into the the distance, absently running a hand through his stylized hair, messing up his pompadour. He had a difficult time adjusting to people that demanded a lot of attention, it was always very irritating to him. At Quinn's admonishment, he muttered some hurried apology towards her and Shai but not towards Claudia. No, she hadn't really redeemed herself yet. And no, it really wasn't like him to get so worked up. After a moment where you could almost see his brain physically collect his thoughts, he managed a neutral, even tone. "You seem to have a few scratches. Best you head on over to the sickbay, I'll get some benzalkonium chloride and gauze ready." Without another word, he strode out of the room as politely as one (c)
could. He wasn't happy about this new...situation, but he was a doctor first and foremost.
00:58:23 Claudia_Michaels || It pained her to know that Quinn was going to keep her mini-arsenal, even if she couldn’t really blame her for it. But, they were her livelihood, after all, and being as how Claudia didn’t have many friends; they had pretty much replaced that aspect of her life. She had never bit back the impulse to curse in her entire life, but she did so and without so much a roll of her pretty violet eyes. It was lucky for Claudia that her expectations were low. Honestly, she figured they’d throw her in a room and lock her in until they docked again. So, when Quinn at least offered to feed her, she was damn near ecstatic. She nodded solemnly at Quinn’s conditions in which Claudia was allowed to stay. This would be unpleasant until she disembarked the little Firefly class vessel, she imagined. At mention that Quinn might allow her the distinct pleasure of remaining in Shaiyat’s company if her behavior was acceptable, she lifted an eyebrow. Her tone seemed a slight sardonic, and of course Claudia could not really <c>
00:58:43 Claudia_Michaels trust any of them just as they could not trust her. When Shaiyat waved cheerfully, her expression relaxed and she even allowed a genuinely amused smirk to curl the crook of her mouth. Her gaze darted in Xin’s direction and that familiar sneer was back. He was really grating her nerves with his attitude. She wanted off this boat as much as they didn’t want her there in the first place. If he hadn’t insulted her in the first place, she might not have snubbed him straight off. But, as it was, she really couldn’t be choosy, especially after learning that the snarky jerk was their physician. “Name’s Claudia,” she added curtly. Inhaling sharply, she followed after him, incredibly annoyed with her current circumstances. When she was out of earshot of the ship’s captain and pilot she muttered several harsh insults in regards to Xin and no other. The sooner she could get off of that ship, the better.||
Quinn wasn't always this unreasonable. She did like to scare people though, and judging by how Claudia kept her mouth shut despite the doctor's words, it seemed to be working. If the woman proved to be useful she'd be given a longer leash than previously described. She had one thing going for her in regards to her opinion about the Alliance. A brow quirked as XinTou seemed to shift gears back to something more familiar. She had no idea how the medical-types did it, putting themselves aside to treat the masses like they did. She figured that's why she didn't follow in her mother's footsteps and become a nurse – she disliked far too many people and would be rather choosy about who she treated. Quinn narrowed her eyes when Claudia smirked, making a note to wipe it off with hard work after the doctor was done with her. For now she allowed the woman to escape her smoldering gaze, taking her pistol and pressing the butt of it into Shai's chest. “Follow and keep an eye on her. An stop forgettin' yer damn gun.” The blonde went about collecting Claudia's weaponry, with plans on searching the woman for anything else.
01:15:37 Shaiyat was ready to run back up to the cockpit where he felt most comfortable and try to find a quicker way to the next port. Or at least get the ship out of hover mode and back on course…from the interactions between the doctor, captain and newcomer it seemed best to break them apart as soon as possible and get things back to what they were before. Calm. But, the end of a gun was shoved his way making him jump before he grabbed hold of it. He nodded slowly. “More likely ta shoot my own foot off than her…” He mumbled. He wasn’t that bad of a shot, but he was no top shot either. It dawned on him then he may be needed more to keep the peace than fire any shots. He bumped Quinn’s shoulder with his own as he passed, in a friendly way with a smirk. “Troubles always gotta find us, eh?” He ran after the other two then, siding up beside Claudia before she entered the sickbay. “My name’s Shaiyat…would be nice ta meet you under different circumstance, yeah?” He tried to open up some kind of friendly conversation.
01:16:00 [Shaiyat] ((That's gonna be my last post for tonight. Tired. ))
01:17:14 XinTou chuckled at the obscenities leveled towards him, broadly unaffected. "You are just a charming young lady, aren't you?" He muttered. Silently, the tattooed man readied some disinfectant on a cotton swab. "Please extend your arm and any other injury you may have." When Claudia had done so, Xin Tou gently swiped at the sides of the cuts, picking up any dirt or debris acquired on that hellhole of a planet. His touch was surprisingly light and wholly professional. He decided on silence being the best policy and allowed Shai and Claudia to speak without interruption.
01:23:49 Claudia_Michaels || “Thanks,” she replied, casting him a weak smile as the doctor ordered her to display any cuts or injuries so that he might clean them up. As it was, she wasn’t even fully aware that she’d been grazed by a bullet at all. But, she didn’t seem to feel any other wounds either, so it was likely the only one she had sustained in the gun fight. “Shensheng de gaowan,” she exclaimed as Xin tended to her, none to gently. She shuddered briefly in both anger and pain and glowered in Xin’s direction. No… this would not be a pleasant experience at lal, it seemed.||
