Firefly Universe

GR RP "Adventures in GunRunning" ACT 18

POSTED BY: Channain
UPDATED: Tuesday, July 27, 2004 02:50
VIEWED: 20189
PAGE 4 of 11

SQUEE

Thursday, July 1, 2004 1:27 AM

Damon's turn:
LOCATION - GALLEY

Book: "I guess I don't know, but I have faith."

Damon watches Book for a long moment, weighing his words. Faith was something Damon had a lot of- faith in things he can see, hear, touch and feel. But God was different... God was very different.

"Well, if he does, he must have selective hearing..."

Quote:
FLASHBACK

Damon brings the pick down into the hard dirt of the tunnel wall. His knotted muscles have a few moments to relax as his blistered fingers adjust their position on the handle. He yanks the blade free, letting the dirt and rocks fall into the pile growing steadily at his feet. It wouldn’t be long before he would need to shovel it out of the way to make room for the next pile. But his mind is far from his work.

He no longer feels the fluid rhythm of the pick in his hands, the shackles on his wrists, or the screaming pain from his muscles and wounds. Nor does he hear the shouts of the foremen, the threats from the guards, or the sounds of their whips and clubs keeping the slaves moving as fast as their battered bodies can take them. His mind rages a war with his stomach, trying to ignore its starved demands and focus on his escape plan. This will be his last day working in this section of the mine, which means it’s his last chance to take advantage of his knowledge of the area.

Lifts are guarded, only other way up is the vents, nearest vent is in the dining area. Food… maybe I can sneak some from the- no, won’t be time for that, now think. Dinning area’s also guarded, I’ll have to hide somewhere during mealtime… Shit, I’m hungry, maybe I can hide after mealtime- no, no time for that either. Forget food, you can live without it for another night-

His thoughts are interrupted by the sound of the bell echoing through the tunnel, signaling the start of their second and last 20 minute break out of the 18 hours of work to eat. He drops his pick and quickly looks around as he makes his way down the tunnel at a brisk pace.

Where to hide? Forget hiding and get some food. No, you have to do this tonight. I’ll have plenty of other opportunities. And you’ll be just as hungry then, besides, you’re in good condition to take on some guards. You mean kill some guards. The more the better. I’ll be so screwed when Crofton finds out.

The thought of Crofton brings Damon to a sudden halt as fear grips his insides. He quickly steps into the shadows before he can be spotted and slams his fists against the tunnel wall. “Shit!” He begins pacing frantically, fiddling with the foot of chain linking the cuffs on his wrists and trying to make up his mind.

There’s no escaping him. If you succeed in getting out of here, you’ll be free. And if I fail he’ll… He shakes his head. Forget it, I’m too hungry to think, I’ll get some food and worry about escape later.

By the time he gets to the front of the line, the runny slop they call food is cold and he only has five minutes to enjoy it in. But he could care less what the stuff tastes like; his mouth is watering at the thought of having anything in it. He grabs his bowl and cup of water and hurries to the nearest empty spot on the ground among the multitude of slaves. Grateful to be off of his feet for any amount of time, he drops to dirt, setting his cup down next to him and raises the bowl to his mouth greedily. He manages half a swallow before his arms are grabbed from behind and his bowl is snatched from his hand. Pushing himself to his feet, he elbows someone behind him and wrenches his arms free. More hands reach for him, one solidifying into a fist just before plowing into his face. Ducking to the side to avoid more blows, he sees someone reach for his cup of water and dives to save it. Too late. He lands face down in the dirt and receives a kick in the ribs. Rough hands pull him up to his knees, holding his arms, and a metal p

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MERCEDESTROY

Thursday, July 1, 2004 3:45 AM

MERZ move

LOCATION - DINING ROOM

MERZ watches and listens, intent and interested, as ROWAN explains the rules of the … simulation? … game? And then, ROWAN brings up the ranked balls again. MERZ is quite taken with the use of the technology – a true marvel for her. Holograms she has seen before, but not for such an unusual purpose. MERZ reconsiders. Unusual to her perhaps, but to civilians … maybe not. ROWAN flips the stick over her hand, an interesting bit of practiced coordination and then extends the stick (cue?) handle first towards MERZ.

ROWAN
It starts with the break. Shoot the cue ball into the rack of nine to separate them. If you sink one on the break, you take another turn.

MERZ studies the extended item, attempting to judge its frailty and/or its worth. It is beyond her ability to guess without contact and she is most reluctant.

MERZ
“Is that ‘cue’ your personal tool? Is it special or does it have worth to you? If it is, with all due respect, do you have another cue that I could use, one of lesser intrinsic value? This is new to me, and I have been known to … break things."

While more than a little interested in what ROWAN is sharing with her, MERZ is also spending part of her attention on DAMOM and BOOK and their discussion of God. Interesting the peace in BOOKs voice now, when he looked so concerned such a short time before. Before his ‘prayer’.

EOM

If Justice is the dish, then I am your waitress

CHANNAIN

Thursday, July 1, 2004 9:15 PM

Rowan's Move
LOCATION: Galley

MERZ: “Is that ‘cue’ your personal tool? Is it special or does it have worth to you? If it is, with all due respect, do you have another cue that I could use, one of lesser intrinsic value? This is new to me, and I have been known to … break things."

Rowan is rather touched by Merz's careful consideration, however unnecessary. Looking down, she notices that the symbols for Luck, Love and Storm are turned upward, glinting at her under Serenity’s interior lights.

FLASHBACK
Her mother stared down at her wedding gift with a starkly perplexed frown that had a strong overtone of disapproval. "He is not very...traditional, is he?"

The two parts of the custom cue stick were polished black titanium, with invisible connecting joints, and at the end where her hand would be when she used it, the Chinese symbols for Luck, Love and Storm had been inlaid in platinum. The two pieces were lying on a bed of twilight blue velvet in a black titanium case with a leather carrying strap and the symbols forBlack Dragon inlaid on one corner. She was already blubbering over it, and all she'd done was tear apart the wrappings and open the case.

Smiling brightly through the tears, she took the pieces out, twisted them together and looked down the length of it. It was, of course straight and true as an arrow, and would forever remain that way. Wiping away the joyful tears, she held the stick close to her heart and beamed at her mother.

“And to think, all I gave him was an antique book from Ancient Earth.”

END FLASHBACK

Rowan smiles warmly at Merz.

ROWAN: “It’s titanium alloy, specially treated to look like lacquered wood. You can try to break it, but I doubt you’d get very far. Besides, I’m sure you already noticed this is holo billiards not the real thing so no true contact. I appreciate your consideration, but I think you’re pretty safe.”

EOM

We have art so as not to die of truth ~ Neitzsche
http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=7922

MERCEDESTROY

Friday, July 2, 2004 12:36 AM

MERZ move

LOCATION - DINING ROOM (WITH 9-BALL OPTION)

ROWAN
It’s titanium alloy, specially treated to look like lacquered wood. You can try to break it, but I doubt you’d get very far. Besides, I’m sure you already noticed this is holo billiards not the real thing so no true contact. I appreciate your consideration, but I think you’re pretty safe.

that is comforting

MERZ reaches out and takes the cue in her right hand. For a moment she stands and just runs one hand along the length of it, assessing the size, weight, tensile strength, and flexibility. Merz fingers the faint ridge of the join in the middle, separation for storage she assumes. She runs one thumb over the inlaid symbols. The only one she believes she recognizes may stand for … tempest? She smiles faintly. This is a wonderfully crafted tool, light, strong, and wholly functional.

Resisting the temptation to step back and test how it would feel as a staff; an inappropriate move at best, MERZ steps up to the table. The white ball, the ‘cue ball’ is at one end and the ranked array of colored balls at the other. A subtle change comes over her; body language and stance shifting. She takes on ROWAN’s characteristics, observed while watching her earlier, not a perfect match but certainly representative of the other woman’s relaxed and focused pose.

MERZ
It starts with the break. Shoot the cue ball into the rack of nine to separate them. If you sink one on the break, you take another turn. You would have to be looking to see who is speaking, the voice is ROWAN’s down to the last syllable, register and intake of breath.

MERZ walks around to the south end of the table. The illusion is not perfect, as MERZ has never observed her break before. She lines up the cue in a fair imitation of ROWAN’s technique, calculating angles in her head. Deciding on her first angle of attack, she takes a deep breath, holds it, and swings.

EOM

If Justice is the dish, then I am your waitress

SAINT JAYNE

Sunday, July 4, 2004 1:23 PM

Jayne's turn:
LOCATION - CARGO BAY to GALLEY

Well, he couldn't just hide for the rest of the trip. Jayne would have to march up there to the galley with everyone else and take whatever he had coming. Damon, Merz, and now River seemed to all know something about the make-up, but how? Maybe Damon was broadcasting everything with a cam?

Jayne finds his thoughts running amok as he plods up the steps to the catwalk and into the galley. How in space did he misjudge the situation so badly? Jayne makes his way to one of the empty place settings and takes a seat. Ignoring the small talk at the table, he proceeds to help himself to anything in arm's reach. He glances at Rowan playing her game of nine-ball with Merz. Was she eyeing him?

Jayne sinks a fork into a piece of limp, warm, chicken-like protein. So if Rowan didn't use the Good Night Kiss on him, then... what?

Jayne lifts the fork to his mouth. It must have been poison in the tequila. Hey, sure, one of those little bottles she has could be poison.

Jayne starts chewing the food the Rowan prepared. Oh, it was delicious. Good enough to be a last meal.

SQUEE

Sunday, July 4, 2004 7:34 PM

Damon's turn:
LOCATION - GALLEY

Damon helps himself to a little more food and wathes Rowan and Merz play their 9-ball game. His attention is soon drawn by heavy footsteps echoing from the stairwell that could only be Jayne's.

Damon waits until Jayne is well into his meal before moving over to him.

"So what are we doin with those rails?"

I'm not broken, in my dream I win...

DECOY

Monday, July 5, 2004 1:24 AM

Wash's Move:
Location - Wash & Zoë’s Dorm to Location - Front Hall to Location - Bridge to Location - Front Hall to Location - Galley

(Excerpted from Wash’s last move.)

(Wash’s near scream fills the dank, dark air of the dorm.) “NO!” (An electronic female voice is heard in the darkened dorm room: “The time currently is now 1630 hours Alliance ME” (a thunk is heard, as Wash’s fist hits the top of the clock). “It was all a horrible nightmare… I could have killed Zoë… I must be going mad. Rex too… What is wrong with me, maybe I need this vacation… I need a good long soak in that kê ài spa on New Hokkaido.”

(Wash sits bolt upright in bed, covered in the worst kind of nerve sweat... He stares blankly at the wall for several seconds, thinking thoughts no sane human being should ever have to deal with... He states in a shaken voice to the wall): "I need to see Rex, and Zoe … I need to see if they are ok."

(Wash goes to the ladder way and climbs up, which opens the hatch to the front hallway. As he sticks his head out of the dorm, he can see partially into the bridge, where Zoë is still standing. He realizes that he can feel a breeze where there is normally none, and can smell the faint but puzzling aroma of ... chicken? He mutters to himself in a small flash of his old self): "Maybe I should put on some clothes before I continue charting the course of crime today." (Then louder to Zoe): "Bâobèi, come down here, please..."

(Wash drops back down into the dorm, and hurriedly gets dressed, as Zoë enters the dorm they share asking): “What's up, did you get any sleep?” (Wash tosses the memory stick to her.) "Oh, that... did you view it yet, lover?" (Wash replies): "Yes, I did... Just hold it up to your face and push the little button, and it'll play back the message, and did I smell chicken out there? What happened, did we hit an asteroid covered in some strange chicken-like life form?" (Zoë, still looking at the memory stick): "No, Rowan cooked dinner for us, let's get some while we still can" (Wash, taking just a second to think about that, tells Zoë): "Ok, good idea... Hey, she fixed dinner for all of us? Wow, she's already a nicer one this time ... Cook I mean ... The last one just fixed dinner for Mal … She turned out bad, though … I'm going to check on my bridge, while you see the message, and then we can eat."

(Wash, now having dressed completely, climbs up the hatchway, and goes to the bridge, and checks on Rex, and hugs him, like he could only rarely do with Zoë ... as she rarely felt safe enough to let go, let her guard down ... He sits down, and checks the course, and runs a scan of the black around Serenity. All is apparently serene, and so, hopefully stalling long enough, Wash goes back to the hatch to the dorm, opens it, and calls out to Zoë): All finished, my lady warrior queen? I would love to escort you to the scrumptious dinner,” (She comes up the ladder, and stands there mute, and hard faced, as ever.) "Let's go" she says, and then looks puzzled at Wash): “What did you do to the clock?” (They walk together to the galley.)

(Back in Wash & Zoë’s Dorm, a smashed LCD display gently wobbles free from a small pile of plastic and metallic trash and falls to the floor, trailing a few multi-colored wires. It reads 88:35 AMT (88:35pm) and a very low squelchy, scratchy voice broadcasts: “hiss-hiss thirty-five-five-five Alli-Me Me Me-five crackle.”)

- EOM -

Notes:
kê ài cute/adorable/lovely
bâobèi = precious (item); ie: precious jewels (endearment)

Decoy, they make me go first... but this time, I took Zoë along, to cover my six.

SAINT JAYNE

Monday, July 5, 2004 2:51 AM

Jayne's turn:
LOCATION - GALLEY

Damon
"So what are we doin with those rails?"

Jayne suddenly stops chewing and coughs so his cheeks bulge. His eyes grow wide and dart about frantically. Gorramit! She done poisoned the food! Jayne grabs the nearest cup on the table and fakes taking a big drink, quietly spitting the contents of his mouth into it. He turns to the owner of the cup and mutters, "Sorry. Thought I was chokin'."

Jayne gets up and moves behind the counter where he disposes of the cup's contents.

CHANNAIN

Monday, July 5, 2004 11:39 PM

Rowan's Move
LOCATION: Galley

MERZ walks around to the south end of the table. The illusion is not perfect, as MERZ has never observed her break before. She lines up the cue in a fair imitation of ROWAN’s technique, calculating angles in her head. Deciding on her first angle of attack, she takes a deep breath, holds it, and swings.

It was a power break. All 9 balls scatter on the table, rolling away from each other so quickly that Rowan finds it doubtful that any of them would have touched felt had the game been real. Several bounce back from the rail and assume positions on the table. The only one not remaining is the six, which has disappeared into the left corner at the foot of the table.

ROWAN (beaming): Gan de hao - that's called a good break. Anytime you can get balls off the table incidentally is great. Means you don't have to waste time with them later. Oh, and I didn't mention this before - if you can drop the 9 with a combination shot, you win the match automatically, no matter what. Now, you try for the 1 next.

The way the table has lined up, the 1 is on Rowan's side so she waves Merz over toward her. At the same time, she spots Jayne coming into the Galley. Remembering the towel tucked into her makeshift apron, she sends a secretive smile across the room, glancing away just as he looks at her. It'll be fun to make him wonder awhile.

Merz lifts the stick with stiff and precise movements that bring to mind soldiers going through their more artistic routines on a parade ground. It's likely she picked it up from watching Rowan's own movements, only her military training seems to be taking it to an extreme. Recalling what little she could remember from their research on the Troys, Rowan decides a little coaching is in order.

ROWAN: "Try to stay relaxed - tense muscles can affect your shot. Think of it more like meditation in motion, not so much an exercise - dong ma?"

Merz takes direction every bit as well as Rowan expected. Almost instantly, the rigid muscles in her slender shoulders go lax as she leans into the 1.

EOM

OOC: The rest of this game will be included in a blended post from Merz and Me.

Gan de Hao - well done

We have art so as not to die of truth ~ Neitzsche
http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=7922

SQUEE

Tuesday, July 6, 2004 5:16 PM

Damon's turn:
LOCATION - GALLEY

Damon raises an eye brow at Jayne, watching him grab Damon's cup from the table. The 'drink' would have been believable if there had been any water in the cup, but Damon finished it long ago.

Quote:
"Sorry. Thought I was chokin'."

Jayne gets up and moves behind the counter where he disposes of the cup's contents. Damon's confused gaze stays on Jayne as Damon moves toward him.

Where did Mal find this guy anyway?

He approaches the counter, spooning the last of his food into his mouth before looking up at Jayne. "You didn't answer my question."

I'm not broken, in my dream I win...