Take Flight (Peerless)

[Roger Davis]

April 8th, 2520

Peerless only touched down on Beaumonde earlier today but it was clear that they'd stayed too long already. It had certainly been a full day. They'd picked up three new crew members: a surprisingly convenient reference from Onas, an old friend from Roger's past, and then a coincidental pick-up from a new contact. To go with them they had a whole slew of new weaponry loaded aboard and a small lead on Marcus Lee. There was also something about getting in a shootout, killing four people, assaulting and evading police. Yeah, that's the string of events that made their less than twelve hours planetside already too much.

Fortunately things hadn't been a complete mess as feared. Roger and Vitale had made it back aboard without incident, Desmond and Rosalind were both already there, and the feds apparently hadn't IDed the ship so there was no port lockdown. All that was left was Mai. She was the least concern, already proving her skills at disguise and evasion. What little apprehension over her soon evaporated when Roger recognized her approach.

Mai was weighted down with a few bags but still retained the same look as last he saw her, vastly different than the feds had seen her earlier in the bar. Roger stood at the top of the ramp of the cargo bay and gave a polite nod once the grifter had reached the base of the ramp. "Welcome aboard, Miss Choi."

Roger called back over his shoulder, "Lewis." before turning around front again. "I trust things have been uneventful." Roger's expression straddle the line of stoic and friendly as Mai came aboard. "Lewis here will help you with your things and show you to your quarters. We'll be under way shortly."

[Deleted]

^{(((OOC: Jumping in with just this one post for fun, couldn't resist!)))}

Vitale checked in with Charlie and Mitch in the shuttle bay, while the rest were about doing odds and ends work. The ship was alive for a few hours, bringing supplies in, and taking junk out, everyone was moving up and down the hall on the main floor. Back in the shuttle bay though, it was a little quieter. It was large enough to be a small bay in most ships, and it was almost completely filled with the Nemesis class dropship they'd be using. It wasn't the biggest dropship he'd ever seen, but it was still friggin impressive that Davis had his own dropship. You know, considering that they also had two quads and a mule and also, the spaceship. Onas Knox was like a credit card or something. Vitale had spent a long time fighting against the guy, now, Knox was supplying tons of gear and personnel at Davis' beck and call. Vi had very mixed feelings about it.

Charlie asked if he didn't mind running an errand for him, and as Vitale had nothing else going on, he agreed to it. Charlie gave him a pad like they all carried here, and told him to find Davis in the cargo bay and let him know the Peerless was prepped now, and after the guys dumped the trash, they could go. Vitale took the starboard elevator down to the bay. It was a longer trip than normal, as the bay section of the ship had been lowered to the ground, but it still didn't take that long. At least they had the elevators due to the complex ship design. No stairs was completely unexpected. They had them of course, but he didn't plan to use them anytime soon with these babies. As the door opened, the guys piled past him into the elevator, and Vitale double checked that they were done.

He found Davis at the ramp, looking very captainy. He had that whole, military stand goin that they do in the movies. Vitale walked up to him from his right, and handed him the pad, "Charlie says we're ready when you are Sir." He got the word from the boss as the the hacker chick came into view, and turned back a step to clear the way. Davis welcomed her, and promptly put Lewis to work carrying the bags. Well, he'd dodged that little detail, Vi decided to dodge any others, by walking away entirely, and finding something to do on the bridge.

[Deleted]

Mai didn't have to wait long to be officially welcomed aboard the Peerless. Her luggage had arrived safe and sound and Mai herself hadn't been followed on her way to the docks. She didn't expect to be. She didn't commit that many crimes under her real name. She wasn't welcome to Core planets due to her little incident upon leaving the Guild but most of her legal issues were under different aliases which served her well. New aliases weren't difficult to come by when one knew what they were doing and Mai knew exactly what she was doing. She could fake spontaneity, pretend she was surprised but she was always in control of her actions and emotions.

"Thank you, Captain Davis." Mai smiled at the young captain and looked around briefly. A few new faces were in the vicinity and she kept stoic face upon meeting their eyes. "I was almost bored by how uneventful they have been," she told him. She noticed Vitale stand to Davis' right side and she gave him the same importance he gave her which was none.

Lewis then stepped up and the man was almost twice her size. "I appreciate the assistance, Mr. Lewis." Mai looked from Lewis to the captain. "If you excuse me," she said politely and walked further into the cargo area with Lewis close by carrying her baggage. She didn't bring that many things and the man looked like he could handled the bags with ease.

The way to her assigned room was marked by the same lack of eventfulness than her way to the docks to board the Peerless only this time that was a good thing. Mai had been aboard a few ships in her still young life and in some surviving the welcome party was half the job.

[Roger Davis]

Roger's welcome was first interrupted by Vitale arriving with a datapad and news they were ready to take off. Under normal circumstances the captain might have scowled at such lack of manners, pushing in front of their new arrival, but considering the current situation getting off-world ASAP was a bit of a priority and it could be forgiven. Roger gave the pad a quick glance as Vitale walked off and Mai walked on.

The hacker's arrival was smoother than expected and Lewis quickly moved to help as ordered. The captain nodded his head and grinned as Mai moved past into the ship. It was a bit unnerving that the woman's polite attitude might just be an act, a part of her professional skills for deceiving others. You could never be sure what was and was not genuine, even down to simple courtesies. It might make a man actually prefer the rough Keller. Fortunately Lewis apparently was such a deep thinker as he helper her with her things.

Roger soon followed the pair after he activated the bay doors and sealed the ship. The captain took the port lift up one floor for his next stop. Also recently arrived was Desmond, the new mechanic they picked up from Jiang. He'd been less than subtle in his attempts to get hired which Roger initially paid little heed. Shortly after their meeting, however, the captain pulled up a file for the man and did the due diligence required before including anyone on their less-than-legal enterprise. It turned out that the man indeed did have the credentials he boasted of. He was also former Alliance military and wanted by the feds. Fortunately for him, Roger valued a former soldier more than he disliked Alliance vets. Shortly thereafter a job offer was sent and before long Desmond arrived on the Peerless an hour or so ago.

Roger made the short distance to the ship's core and found Desmond within, getting the lay of the land. The man likely wanted to go over it inside and out, top to bottom, but that was just something they didn't have time for now. Peerless was in fine condition, maybe not perfect, but it was much better than most ships in the black. She'd live. "Matheson, we'll be airborne any minute." Roger announced as he entered. That was a subtle hint to get the core turning instead of climbing inside to see what makes her tick. "You settled in alright so far?" he added after his instruction. Maybe it was too soon to ask and expect any real answer, but there it was. The mechanic only had a minute or two of the captain's time but it was an opening to bitch and complain or to generally inquire as to their general mission which was surely a mystery to the new hire.

[Deleted]

After Dez arrived he threw everything in his bunk and then immediately spent the next hour inside the core. The Peerless was in good shape and would get them where they needed to go, but he still wanted to work on it. There was plenty he could do to either make it work better, or make it work without some small piece breaking mid flight and taking him hours to fix it. He had torn several parts out and fixed them already, always making sure they were ready for take off long before he moved to the next one. Dez wasn't sure how long until they took off, but he wanted to be sure they were ready before he took the core completely apart.

Of course just as he was getting ready to start on another, the captain walked in and told him they were going to be taking off any minute. "We're all set here cap'n. At least for now, I'd like some time to take it all apart and fix her up though ASAP. I won't delay us now though." Standing straight, Dez closed everything up and set everything right, now all they needed was for the pilot to actually take off. "We got a job waiting for us sir?" He asked out of sheer curiosity, otherwise he would have asked if they could take a few more hours so he could get the Peerless fully up to his standards. As it stood there was very little he could do until they landed. Which could be days or weeks, depending on where they were headed.

Dez pulled his fedora on, nodding at Davis. "Aye, gotta say she's a nice boat captain. Haven't served on one this size in a few years, the ship I was on last was half this size. Barely enough room for two people in the core." He started cleaning his hands with a rag that had previously been stuck in the back of his gunbelt, which was still strapped to his hip. Old habits and all that.

[Roger Davis]

The mechanic was already hard at work, squeezing every minute he could of maintenance out of her before the inevitable lift-off. That was dedication... or obsessive compulsion. Knowing the type of perfection Desmond was apparently known for it was probably a bit of both, genius always existing alongside a bit of insanity. The captain's only concern was that the new hire would play well with the other mechanics, Marco and such.

"You'll get the time as soon as we're able. Don't much know when that will be though." Roger replied to the smith's report. Roger knew the need for a well maintained machine. He was no ship mechanic but he was familiar with small equipment and of course his weapons. You take care of your tools and they'll take care of you. It was all the more important for the ship. If your tractor dies on you it's bad, but if your ship dies on you then you too might die stranded out in the black. Maybe not this next port, but hopefully the one after would provide them plenty of time to catch their breath, turn Peerless off, and allow thorough maintenance.

"Something like that." Roger replied to the question that followed. The Peerless's overarching mission wasn't exactly something broadcast to every Kyle, Jon, and Luther that passed by. Neither was their present course of action, what was basically a raid of an enemy "base." Desmond didn't need to know and frankly he hadn't earned that level of trust yet. "Headed to the Core. Should take about four and a half days."

Des then made a comment about the ship after he'd fully extricated himself from the core and was apparently "ready for lift off" as they say. "Same." Roger replied. "Been a passenger but never served on anything as big, myself... unless you count two months on the Dauntless." After a second he explained briefly, "A cruiser back in '10."

[Deleted]

Dez nodded at the captain's response, he wouldn't push the matter. He would take his time and let the captain form his own opinions about him, no sense in trying to force the point. If Davis felt the need to fill him in and include him in the Job, then he would do just that. If not, well at least he'd have some time to himself on the ship to get it up and running properly. Even if it was only a little bit of time. "Appreciate it captain, it doesn't look like there's too much left here. Maybe a days work for the core. I'll take a look at everything while we're flying and see what needs to be done. I'll keep us flyin' though, you got no worries on that." Dez offered the man a smile, and after making sure his hands were clean again, extended his hand to shake.

"Yeah, I served on the Interceptor during the war myself, well for the first year anyway." Dez stated, the Interceptor had been several times the size of the Peerless, but that was true of most any cruiser. At least this ship would be easy for the few members of engineering that would be handling it. "I've already put the rest of engineering to work though, checking all engines and systems. They should be checking in with me in about ten minutes."

Dez did the math in his head, "Core, four and a half days, that's roughly ninety-six hours of time where I can safely work on the core." There was a few hours after take off, and a few hours before take off, where it was far safer not to touch the core. While they were in flight he couldn't take it apart the way he wanted to, but he could perform basic maintenance on it and not worry. "Well, I got it all planned out captain, let me know if you need any requests for weapons and I'll squeeze them in as well."

[Roger Davis]

Roger shook the man's hand when it was offered. The "Interceptor" didn't ring any bells from the war, but that wasn't saying much. Roger was an infantry grunt, not a ship captain or something like that. Besides, Matheson's file had him as Alliance from Osiris. He was a "recovering purplebelly" but talk of the war was probably better left as taboo.

"Good. Keep up the work and let me know if anything comes up." Roger replied. Peerless was a fairly new ship and the Syndy boys wouldn't have let it get in too bad of a state. Still is was good for Desmond to fully familiarize himself it and the Syndy engineers they had aboard too. As Davis turned back for the exit, he added, "No requests right now, but I'll let you know."

Check-in with Desmond finished, Davis turned left out of the Core back to the port elevator he'd come up on and took it up to Deck 2. From there it was only a short walk into the medical bay. "Merrick." he called as he reached the door. "Heard Keller gave you a bit of a hard time on your way in." She'd just been doing her job, not anything wrong, but it was still a bit unfortunate that Roger had not been there to instruct the gunhand to stop pointing the gun at their new medic. "How are you finding the place?"

[Deleted]

Ros was engrossed in her surroundings when the sound of footsteps came their merry way towards the infirmary. Basically, she had a handful of cupboards open just to see what was being stored where. Ros had only just started, and really didn't plan to take too long with it considering they were taking off. Leaving Beaumonde behind was both a weight on her shoulders and a vast relief to not have to see it for a while. So she was pretty mixed about the whole thing. But, she'd made her choice. Here she was...

Davis's voice rang out, and Ros peered back at her new Captain. A look on her face suggesting ah, there you are, and where were you earlier when I was held hostage? - she packed a lot into a look. Of course, the little scenario with Keller hadn't even been as bad as assumed. Nothing that really needed apologising over. Keller did her job, after all. And Ros didn't get shot.

"It was the most pleasant hostage situation I've ever been in. Didn't even aim directly at me for the most part and there were no screaming demands." It truly was a step up from the clinic.

In between talking, she'd knelt down to peer into one of the lower cabinets. She dusted off her hands as she pulled herself back up, turning to actually face him proper and lean against the counter.

"It's... a new experience. You saw where I was working - I think having clean walls and good lighting will be something to get used to. I think I'll manage." She explained dryly, giving him a knowing glance. He'd seen that clinic, after all.

"Once we're all out in the Black, I'll start screening through the crew. Make sure I know them medically. Here's to hoping we don't have to see this room used too often." Blue eyes trailed her surroundings for emphasis, landing on the operating bed before glancing back Roger's way.

[Roger Davis]

Roger smiled at the medic's sarcastic wit. "A real teddy bear, that one." Roger commented as Ros emerged from taking inventory. It seemed that like Desmond, Ros was wasting no time in familiarizing herself with the place.

Her next comment about the stock and conditions of the infirmary showed a subtle appreciation for the Peerless. "Moving up in the world, Merrick. Although I'm afraid you probably won't be seeing as many patients as you're used to." Again, that probably wasn't a bad thing. Her last setup had been more or less a back alley emergency room. Now she was more in a specialized practice as a family doctor... for a family that often got in shootouts.

"Oh, I've seen enough for one life time." Roger said "knocking on wood" as he rapped to door frame twice. "You let me know when you want me to stop by. Not much changed since the war though." Other than being eight and a half years older. Ros knew about his major issues. She was familiar with his leg injury and the nice metal plate that helped hold it all together nowadays. He didn't have the little prosthetic back in the POW camp, but she also knew he was missing a finger. And then there was the sleepwalking. He'd first been diagnosed with it shortly into the war. Roger couldn't remember if that was something that came up in discussion before... probably not seeing as how at the time she was a fellow prisoner making sure he didn't die, not some new doctor he had to tell all his medical history to.

[Sorry for the short/rushed post, but I ran out of time to RP.]

[Deleted]

"It'll make for a nice change." Less patients with less problems. Hopefully no one on the crew from here on out was going to be holding her at gunpoint, and nobody better be trying to raid the stores without clearing it with her first. Though, she was putting faith in the fact Davis knew how to run a ship. He'd commanded troops. Save the lack of poor trench conditions and falling mortar fire all around, plus the occasional bombing run... how much different could that be, right?

Somehow, she found it nice to be in the company of someone she knew and didn't have awful memories of - just with. She didn't have many old friends, so she guessed Davis had to count as one.

"Once I get my bearings around here I should be ready to get started. I'll let you know when your turn is up." She did ponder on what exactly she remembered of Roger's injuries and the last time she had seen to his health. Probably the only person on the crew she knew about so well medically as well as somewhat personally. Only scratched the surface as prisoners, but she had been pretty focused on keeping him comfortable as well as alive. Alliance hadn't made it any easier.

Ros had gone back to moving around the room, busying herself just to keep busy. It helped her focus and deal with the fact she'd just jumped on a ship at the drop of a hat. Bit of a big change when you've spent the majority of your life in one place. Too young at the time to really recall what it had been like on the Caliburn, and far too long ago now.

She paused in her inventory, turning back to the Captain, "Oh, and... Davis? Uh.. I guess that's Captain. Thanks. For the offer. And the chance." Despite the odd way in which it had all come about, with the ever present notion anyone could get shot around here.

[Roger Davis]

Roger nodded his head as Ros responded and then seemed to go back to her work around the infirmary. As Roger turned to leave for the bridge, she stopped and called him for one last word. The captain turned back. "Anytime." he replied. "It's good have a familiar face aboard. Thanks for accepting." That was the sign of a good deal, when both parties thought they were getting more than they were giving. Certainly Roger would want to help a friend with a job... with trust. But Merrick was no slouch and he needed a skilled medic. He also desperately wanted someone who was "his" and not Onas's. Hopefully he'd be getting a few more someones and he'd be converting some of the borderline Syndy crew members to shift loyalty more strongly to their captain, but Merrick would be the starting point.

With a final nod and a hint of a smile on his face, Davis turned and headed back to the hallway. The captain strode through the galley past Charlie and Trux then Lewis as he left Mai's new quarters. A few words were exchange, and a pat for Trux, but little more occurred as Roger proceeded forward to the bridge.

The hatch slid open and the captain stepped forward into the Peerless's large control center. Vitale and Mitch were both at stations in the rear ops center. Nate and Ollie were up front in the pilot seats. As he entered, however, all eyes turned toward Davis. "Cleared?" "Cleared" came the response as Roger stepped forward toward the captain's chair. "Atkin, take us out. Kuznits, plot a course for White Sun." Roger ordered. No sooner had the words come out of his mouth than hands hit consoles. "Pull up any notices or advisories." Roger said back to the two men in the ops center. "We're headed to Santo."

By then the engines had roared to life and the large ship began to slowly lift off and drift away from the spaceport below at increasing speed. No land locks, no pursuit, no cortex bulletin about them. Soon the VTOL transitioned to regular jet flight, a moment later the engines began to feather shortly before the Peerless hit Mach and began to rocket up to the upper atmosphere away from Beaumonde and toward the Core.

[End of Thread.]