GR RP "Adventures in GunRunning" ACT 18

POSTED BY: Channain
UPDATED: Tuesday, July 27, 2004 02:50
VIEWED: 20189
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CHANNAIN

Friday, July 16, 2004 8:22 PM

Rowan’s Move
LOCATION - GALLEY

THORNE: You'll have to spend a couple of days at the Greentree after all, In a luxury suite posing as a poor little rich girl on the Grand Tour. You'll also need a chunk of 'Daddy's' money to throw around on clothes, jewelry, etc., and I'll provide that as well.

So it's some New Hokkaido yocal - a man, obviously - hustling the svelte tourists out on the frontier for kicks. Thinking of the lièzhì chûnrén she hustled back on Hera - but then any female with only half her talent could have - Rowan smiles slowly just as she sees Wash and Zoe come in.

Watching them and seeing a strong husband and wife dynamic at work causes her a little twinge. If she wasn't so determined to ignore the fact that, had it not been for the war, she would be celebrating her twelfth anniversary in about a week, she might indulge in a bit of envy. Then again, feeling anything in conjunction with her marriage and Xiang in general would probably begin the process of mending the broken pieces of her heart, which she figures has to be even more excruciating than having it shattered in the first place. It would also go against her personal mantra to avoid any and all reflection on that time in her life, which seems to be an endangered state of mind of late.

Turning her gaze down to the table, she firmly closes the blacker recesses of her mind around Xiang's face and puts him back where he belongs. Now if he could just stay there…

THORNE: Sound like something you'd want to do?"

Looking up, back on track, she gives the idea a nod of consideration.

ROWAN: My interest is piqued, no denying it, and that is the best offer I've had in some time. Playing dress-up could even be fun, within reason, but I should caution you, this would have to be someone very new to the game. No one on the regular circuit would ever take me as any manner of ingénue. I'm a dragon, and I play like one. No holds barred, no prisoners and although I may not always win, I never miss. So the question of whether we're working together or not lies in this fella's identity. Care to enlighten me?

EOM

lièzhì chûnrén = inferior idiot

Still on the table: 6, 7 and 9, possibly in different positions from where Rowan left them if Wash got a little whimsical while he was at the table.

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

GEEZER

Monday, July 19, 2004 6:56 PM

Thorne's Move

Location: Galley

ROWAN: "So the question of whether we're working together or not lies in this fella's identity. Care to enlighten me?"

THORNE's Move:" The man I’m talking about is called Samuel Merwin. He popped up on New Hokkaido about six months ago with a full poke and bought his way into the underworld there. Makes good money running gambling, loan sharking, and hiring out enforcers. Just likes to hustle billiards as a hobby. He’s taken big scores off some of my customers at the Greentree, so I ran a background check on him and came up empty. No trace at all until after he showed up on NH.

That piqued my curiosity, so I taped his play and ran a kinetographic compare. Seems his style is just like that of LeMaster Highland. You might remember he was a gambler, crook, and pretty good pool player back 20 years ago. He was involved with the daughter of a Core plutocrat, and when she dumped him he killed her, pretty messily, and made off with the family petty cash, a few million plat. Just dropped out of sight and was never found, despite huge rewards for his capture.

On a hunch, I checked freight manifests for the period around when he surfaced, and found that an ‘empty’ stasis box had arrived about a month before then. It had been in storage for 20 years on Ariel, with orders to ship to NH on a certain date. The recipient was a distant cousin of Highland’s, who, interestingly enough, hasn’t been seen since.

Now anything over a year in stasis gets risky, and at 20 years about one-in-five odds is as good as it gets. But the man was a gambler, and the payoff would be freedom instead of death by torture. A little illegal surgery to change his appearance and retinas, 20 years sleep, and he’s good to go. NH doesn’t even have an extradition treaty with the world he’s wanted on.

Did I mention he’s a misogynist when it comes to the table? Claims no woman could even give him an interesting game. Says he’ll leave the planet in shame if a “girlie-girl” ever beats him. And that’s what I want you to do; beat him and make him leave the planet. I'll make sure that the only ship going to a place safe for him will be one of mine, but it may make a slight unscheduled detour through the Core on its way. The rewards for him are still up, and even the best surgery can’t change his DNA sequences.

So, the Cliffs are: No, he couldn’t know you, unless you were on the circuit in the Core 20 years ago. He may have heard your name, even seen a picture, but we can take care of that. If you’re able to sandbag for a while, just play a bit less than your best, we can do it.

EOM

"Keep the Shiny side up"

CHANNAIN

Monday, July 19, 2004 7:41 PM

Rowan's Move
LOCATION: Galley

Rowan can't help but be more than a little impressed over Thorne's investigative skills. Although she'd promised to keep her intuitions to herself, the question is still on her mind as to whether or not they had communicated before. Several of her contacts during the war were anonymous aliases, same as hers. It wasn't entirely beyond the realm of possibility.

ROWAN: LeMaster Highland. Now there's a name I have not heard in some time. And a good bit of investigation, Mr. Thorne, if I may say so. You might add to it that just about everyone will agree he was one of the best players of his day. Since there was that little problem he seemed to have with authority, though, he never bothered to apply for a UBA membership. I was just getting into it my self when that whole scandal came to light. I think I was 14 or 15 at the time. Always wondered what happened to him. Andreas Bergeron enlightened me once as to Highland's opinions on women players, only Andreas tells a different version - that Highland was never able to beat a "girlie-girl." He's why any man who balks at playing a woman is said to have Highland's syndrome. I was fairly glad I didn't meet him. I probably would have skewered him. I have absolutely no patience for the heishôudâng liúmáng of this 'verse."

Then she gives him another cheshire smile because the entire scenario is just too delicious.

ROWAN: "Mr. Thorne, I believe we can do business."

EOM

UBA = Universal Billiards Association
heishôudâng liúmáng = gangster asshole

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

SAINT JAYNE

Tuesday, July 20, 2004 3:52 AM

Jayne's turn:
LOCATION - CARGO BAY

MERZ
"Somthin' I can do for you, sport?" Merz's acknowledgement to Jayne flows fluidly into conversation.

JAYNE
"I heard yuz fixin' ta take a swim with Kaylee", Jayne grins, "Suits're in the orange locker there." He swings his finger back to where Damon is still toiling over their project, but raising his eyes to check up on them both frequently. The rounded, almost sporty, orange locker sits ten feet from the airlock doors.

MERZ
"Seems like your engineer is not interested. Don't care who goes, just need some helping hands. You about done?"

JAYNE
"Nah, not even close." Jayne turns seriously back to Merz and catches her gaze, then smiles again. "But it can wait till t'morra. I'll come out with ya."

Jayne puts the breaks on his charms right there. A couple of times, with more adventurous and naive ladies, that had continued on to embellish the thrill of weightlessness and the awesome beauty of a sea of stars. This always ended up with him and a cutie outside of the ship, a "slip" that would send her momentarily out of control and panicked, and then Jayne to the rescue with some comment like, "I'd never let anythin' happen to you", which turned them into putty.

Not with this one though. This one knew her way around a space ship.

MERCEDESTROY

Tuesday, July 20, 2004 10:44 AM

MERZ move

LOCATION - CARGO BAY

JAYNE
But it can wait till t'morra. I'll come out with ya

Merz considers that for a moment. Man’s got something on his mind. But give him the benefit of the doubt, it could just be the job at hand, and there is nothing frivolous about EVA. Not when there is so little between you and something to thin for even her to breathe. Could be he is just thinking about that.

MERZ
That would be appreciated. Are you rated to assist me in suit checks before we venture out?

She starts for the suit locker, brushing past JAYNE and snagging the cannon’s disguise and hardware on the way by it. She passes Damon, still hard at work, still watching them. Briefly, MERZ wonders what has his attention so divided. … we should be able to check out the VAC suits while he finishes up his job, stay out of each other’s way …

At the locker she carefully sets down her burdens; cover, hardware and tool belt, and turns to JAYNE.

MERZ
Ready?

EOM

If Justice is the dish, then I am your waitress

SAINT JAYNE

Tuesday, July 20, 2004 12:40 PM

Jayne's turn:
LOCATION - CARGO BAY

Merz brushes past him and heads to the lockers, Jayne following closely. She obviously wasn't in the mood for Jayne to be anything more than professional right now. It could just be the job at hand - even he used to get a little twitchy thinking of what would happen if a piece of space debris punched a hole into his suit too big for the repair foam to seal.

JAYNE
"Hell, yeah, I'm rated." The locker door swings upwards with a hydrolic moan. "I'm fixin' that one there right now", he points to the empty chamber next to the three suits.

MERZ
"Ready?"

JAYNE
He gives a single, serious nod and moves to the other side of the locker. Taking the suit there, Jayne starts the equipment check with efficiency and speed.

"I take it you been out in space before", Jayne comments as he notices Merz's own speedy and efficient equipment check.

SQUEE

Tuesday, July 20, 2004 8:08 PM

Damon's turn:
LOCATION - CARGO BAY

Damon sets his tools down as Merz and Jayne open the locker near the bay door and walks over to them.

"You guys need another pair of hands?"

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

MERCEDESTROY

Tuesday, July 20, 2004 11:02 PM

MERZ move

LOCATION - CARGO BAY

MERZ glances up at Damon’s approach.

DAMON
You guys need another pair of hands?

She is puzzled. The question seems unnecessary – of course he is going along. Had he not expected to accompany her? She catches herself mid-thought. … ah, perhaps not. i may have been assuming …

MERZ
For the job outside, certainly. For the suit check, probably not. Nearly done now. Here, try this on.

One handed, she flings the Vacuum suit she has finished checking at him, and turns to finish the last one, without bothering to see if he catches it. She goes right on speaking, whether to DAMON, or JAYNE or both she is not sure.

You ever been out before? If not, and you have any questions best you ask them now. Better than after we suit up.

Now she turns to face him. Do you know how to put that on? The thought had never crossed her mind.

MERZ finally answers JAYNE's question, rather absently, while finishing up the last suit check. Zero-G acrobatics, years 4 to 6, followed by periodic refresher courses to present day. Does that count? she asks in her normal bland voice.

EOM

If Justice is the dish, then I am your waitress

TEELABROWN

Wednesday, July 21, 2004 3:31 AM

OOC: Posting. Don't feel like looking for the com message about food, so I'll just work around it...Oh yes. And the flashback is off the top of my head...
_______
River hears the com message, and keeps on walking. Silently she does some figures in her head on if she keeps walking, how soon will she turn around. She sees a wall up ahead, and turns around to the galley, where food is being served. When she enters, only Rowan and Thorne are in there (Teela believes. Maybe only Rowan). She grabs some food, and sees Rowan playing, and River looks at the angles. Then she smells the food, and is carried away...

Quote:
FLASHBACK: THE TAM'S HOUSE AND DINNER TABLE

River was 12. She was leaving her room, and the smell of chicken wafts down the hallway. She licked her lips, and closed her eyes, still slowly walking down the hallway. Suddenly, she is jolted from thinking about the dinner by someone running into her.

"Sorry mei-mei," Simon said. "I guess dinner just overwhlemed me." A funny though enters his head. He holds out his arm for River to take, and takes a slight bow, smiling. River does a slight curtsy, and takes it, with the smile on her face. A joking smile, having fun.

They walk down to the dinner table, and silently take their seats. Both brother and sister inhale deeply, look at each other and laugh. Laughing, laughing...

River is laughing as she looks at her chicken. She takes her untensils and carfully cuts the meat, still laughing.

_____________
"Freedom is the Freedom to say that 2 plus 2 make 4. If that is granted, all else follows"-Winston, 1984
Teela Brown, keeper of the delete key.
"No one reads these things any way."- Bart on Blackboard

DECOY

Wednesday, July 21, 2004 3:51 AM

Wash's Move:
Location - Bridge

(Wash is still listlessly staring at the map of the upcoming course, absentmindedly playing with a short model he has unconsciously made in this food. He suddenly leans back in his chair, and quietly says to himself): “Merz and friends are going outside to work on the cannon, I’d got to try to be more alert.” (With that statement, he gets out of his chair, food all but forgotten, and takes the few steps to the newly combined navigation/gunnery station. He leans over the console, and checks that the power to the firing circuit is off, and that power to the laser itself is off, and de-activated. He then uses a small joystick to point the cannon straight ahead, so that maybe it might be easier to deal with.)

(Meanwhile, on the piloting console, gravity has been working… Wash looks at the helm, as he hears a plastic clatter… yes, the faux chicken has… spilled on the console, but the console, which has been proofed against nearly anything from coffee to battery acid is unharmed. Wash swears in Chinese to himself, and grabs Rex from the console, now in danger, not from food, but from a washcloth, to clean the top of the console. He places Rex on the sloping navigation/gunnery console, and gets a cloth from a locker down by his feet. As he meticulously cleans the console, several very minute tremors go thru the ship, each time he lightly brushes the docking thruster controls… He also guiltily looks around at the door, and with his chopsticks, eats the last of his meal.)

(Rex, the loveable plastic toy dinosaur, is now making mischief all by himself… He is after all, Wash’s favorite fidget toy… for a reason. Each tiny tremor that goes thru the Serenity, Rex is rocked back and forth on the laser’s targeting system, making the cannon swing gently back and forth…)

(At the Greentree Spa, right at this moment in time, several plumbers are hard at work, watching the clock up on the wall of the sauna machinery room… it’s reading: 16:45 AMT (04:45pm)… One man says to the other: “Let’s say we left now, and grab dinner, we can get paid all day tomorrow fixing this little leaky plug…”

- EOM -

Decoy, they make me go first.

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