A new beginning

[Kalli Ann Bernett]

The Docks,Persephone; May 4th, 2521

Kalli sighed as she finally finished the repairs she had started that morning it had been nearly ten grueling hours of hard work getting that piece-o-junk engine working again. She paused for a moment to relax and noticed the dirty clock on the wall. "Oh, only ten minutes." She said hastily to herself as she picked up her tools that were scattered on the work bench and the floor. She was careful to make sure she had grabbed all of hers and leave behind the shop owned tools.

"All right boss, She called out as she wiped the grease from her hands and face. "It's been great working for you good luck, I'm off to see the verse."

She took hold of her bag of tools and pulled it off the work bench. It nearly slammed in to the ground from the weight, her knees nearly buckling under the weight and she scrambled toward the door.

"Sure Kalli, We'll see you tomorrow." He replied jovially back to her.

She stepped outside in to the pouring rain and made quick tracks through the muddy street toward the docks. She had done this same thing every day come rain or shine for three years now. Today was to be no different. Kalli would leave work in a rush only to spend the next six hours standing at the docks with her bag of tools waiting for any ship to makes it's call to port so she could gain a spot among the crew, and every time she was turned down. This had not darkened her spirits though she knew it was only a matter of time.

Besides today was different, today was the day she would find a ship. She just knew today was to be the day, just like everyday before had been the day it was to happen. She had spent three long years waiting for her chance and she wasn't going to give up after that.

When she arrived at the docks she was soaked but smiling. There was a ship there waiting for her now all she had to do was wait for someone to come in or out. She kept thinking of what to say. "Hi, I'm Kalli..." Kalli Mumbled to herself. "No... Do ya' need a Mechanic.. that won't work either." She looked frustrated as she continued practicing what to say.

She let one hand slide free of the bag nearly causing her to tip over to her side and wiped her face clean of the rain. Kalli leaned against the wall of a near by building a sighed as she continued to wait for the crew to show up.

[benbarrow]

Ah, the pouring warm summer rain. How Ben was not enjoying it at all. It had been raining for a couple of days and Ben hadn't been in the best of moods lately.

Apart from Ceren and George, he had no crew. Ceren was the first mate, and George was the ship's doctor. Neither one of them knew their way around engines, and the Orlando's needed fixing. As did the hull, since it got damaged when Ben landed it. He hadn't found a pilot nor a mechanic yet, and he decided it would be best not to leave Persephone without a mechanic. Flying the ship was something he could do himself, but if the engine would fail in space, they were pretty much humped.

After yet another futile attempt to find crew, Ben got back to the Orlando in a terrible mood. He threw off his browncoat and laid it down on a nearby crate. He needed a smoke. Badly.

He took the pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one up. The mixture of nicotine, tar and tobacco flowing through his lungs did him some good, but not enough to get him out of this bad mood he was in.

He sat down on a crate, watching raindrops fall down from the Orlando's nose, wondering when he could get off Persephone and back to flying again.

[Kalli Ann Bernett]

Kalli saw the man walk up and take a fast seat on the crate not far from the Orlando. The man look mighty upset as he pulled out a cigarette and light it up. She was sure he had to be part of the crew of the ship if not the captain himself, No one looks that upset without a good reason an his mood matched the ships condition.

Kalli shook the excess water from her now drenched hair and wiped the rain from her face. Then quickly straightened her now soaked outfit. With both hands she grabbed her bag holding low in front of her and slunk over to the man.

She was nervous, no matter how many time she had done this in the past and no matter how many times she will have to do it again she would always be nervous, it was her future after all. She could feel the butterflies in her stomach. The feeling was moving its way up her throat as she got closer. She gulped it back down as she stopped in front of him. A smile crossed her face, a friendly appearance always makes a good first impression.

"Hi Names Kalli Ann Bernett. You can call me Kalli, or Kalli Ann, or just Ann if you want. What I mean is I'm a mechanic who needs a ship to work on and you look to be a captain with a ship who needs a mechanic." She blurted out "What I'm trying to say is you can call me what every you want if you take me on to your ship."

She slumped forward and set the bag down with a sigh of relief and quickly opened it up as she started to speak again. "Ya, see I even got my own tools, how many mechanics you know with their own tools. None I betcha, and I'm the best d*mn mechanic this towns got just ask anyone at least anyone who knows me." She started to pacing as she became more and more frustrated with what she was saying, with how she though things were going.

She took a deep breath and looked the man in the eyes. She knew as well as he did she was rambling on. She also could tell he needed her help. His ship was beat up and there wasn't a mechanic insight, so either he had no mechanic or a lazy good for nothing one. "You jus' need ta give me a chance, I promise ya wont regret it. Just cause I'm small don't mean nothing ya know. Her voice began to rise as she spoke. "So whacha think Captian ya got room for me?" She ended with a smile and hoped for the the best as she heaved her bag up off the ground and looked at the ship then back to the man.

[benbarrow]

Ben got approached by a young girl who looked like she'd never been on a ship before. This felt really familiar too him. Just another little girl who wanted to play pirate and would turn tail as soon as she got some dough in her hands, or who would run for the hills as soon as she knew the Orlando crew did more than just fly cargo around the 'Verse. She wasn't the first one, and considering this bad luck Ben had when it came to crew, she probably wouldn't be the last.

Ben exhaled the smoke from his lungs, but right before he wanted to say something to the girl, she started a ramble that would last for at least another minute.

She first rambled on about that he could call her whatever he wanted if he would just take her on. Ben thought that would be kind of amusing, but then again, he wasn't the kind of man to disrespect people, unless they had it coming.

Then she went on about that she had her own tools, and pretended it was something special that a mechanic had his/her own tools, while every mechanic Ben's ever had had his/her own tools. And of course, just like everyone else, she was the best damn mechanic in town.

Then, for the first time since she started rambling, she took a deep breath, to ask him the obvious: whether or not he had room for her, and of course, just like with everyone else, he wouldn't regret it.

Ben took another heave from his cigarette and looked the girl down for a minute. He figured the least he could let her do is fix his engine. He'd keep an eye on her and if she was any good he'd take her on.

"Okay." Ben said. "I'm gonna call you Doris. I'll need to see those tools, and then you're gonna have to stand there while I go and ask around town if you're any good."

Ben was obviously joking, but whether or not the girl knew that wasn't clear. He decided not to yank her chain anymore and give her a shot.

"Or, I could just call you Kalli and let you take a look at the engine." Ben said after a bit of awkward silence. "In this crew, the cardinal rule is that actions speak louder than words."

[Kalli Ann Bernett]

Doris she though? what kind of name is that and he really wants to go around town and ask. That could take forever. She stood there silently while he paused. She just about set her bag back down as he started to talk again.

The second time he talked he offered up a chance on the ship and Kalli figured out what he had said before was a joke. She was relieve she wasn't to keen on the idea of being called Doris, though she had become accustomed to standing in the rain so that part didn't bother her to much.

By the time he was done talking she just about jumped up and down with excitement but she thought better of it. He didn't seem like the time that would appreciate it.

"I'm ready to get started whenever you want then Captain." she exclaimed with excitement oozing from her voice. She realized the only thing she knew about him or thought she did was that he was the captain of the ship. She hadn't gotten a name and didn't know a thing about the ship or crew either."So, um.. I haven't got ya name yet even?"

She looked the man over to get a better idea of what kind of man he was. She noticed the browncoat, a clear sign of his past, next to him on the crate and just his sheer size compared to her. He seemed simple and rugged. He had to be the captain for sure, he just had that sort of look. She wonder what the rest of the crew was like.

[benbarrow]

How the girl was acting felt really familiar to Ben. Overexcited and ready to begin. Just like the others. He wondered how this one would do after a few weeks, when she learned what the crew was all about.

"Name's Ben." Ben answered. "Inside you'll find the first mate Ceren Aatos and the doctor George West. And I need you to start on the engine immediately, we'll worry about getting you a bunk later."

Ben walked over to an intercom console, he needed to let the crew know they had taken on another crewmember.

"Attention crew, this is the captain." Ben spoke through it. "I just hire a mechanic, so please don't shoot her. That means you Ceren."

Ben let go of the button and turned toward the girl again. He took another heave of his cigarette before giving the girl a warm smile.

"Well, you better hop to it." Ben said. "I assume you know your way around Fireflies?"

[Kalli Ann Bernett]

Please don't shoot her? what kind of a statement was that. The crew must be really jumpy to just shoot people with out even knowing them she though. Maybe he was just playing around. A smile swept back over Kalli's face as the Captain turned back toward her. Her deep green eyes peered in to his as he spoke.

"Sure thing Captain I'll get right down there are have this beauty going in a jiff." She replied back to him. She didn't know to much about the lay out of a firefly class ship. She had only been on them a few times to make repairs for people in the past. What she did know about them was the engineering needs of a ship.

"So Captain is this running the standard mark three power housing dual Blue Sun 6V4-178-B31 Trace Compression Blocks
36 RCS thrusters to push the standard radion accelerator core? Or have you had any upgrades to it?" She questioned him as she started to walk in to the ship and down the hall hopefully headed toward the engine room. If she could remember how to find it she would be set she had now worries about getting it all back in tip top shape. She hadn't waited for a response from the Captain as she walked down the hall she just figured he would follow her down the hall to the engine room.

[benbarrow]

Ben took a final heave of his cigarette and threw it out the cargobay door in a puddle. Even though the rain banged against the hull of the Orlando, he could still hear the hiss of the burning cigarette as it gave up its last bit of warmth to the cold water.

Then, Ben followed Kalli down to the engine room to make sure Ceren wouldn't pop out and scare the living hell out of the kid. He couldn't have the only mechanic he was able to hire for weeks run for the hills, now could he?

And then she started speaking again. Words Ben could not comprehend, he wondered whether or not it was on purpose she started boring him with tech. He let her finish before answering the young mechanic.

"Okay." Ben responded. "Second rule on this ship: do not bore the captain with tech. In other words: go in there and figure it out."

[Kalli Ann Bernett]

She smiled at Ben when he responded to her question. She knew he wasn't sure what powered his ship but that wasn't a big surprise it wasn't a captains job to worry about that kind of thing. That's why any good ship had a mechanic, and finally she had her chance to fill that role. "You got it Captain, I'll have her working in no time."

Kalli turned back to the engine room and walked in. It was a mess in then, and she had her work cut out for her. She set he bag of tools down and walked through the room. he hand slid from one part to the next just to feel he new best friend. Every so often she could feel a dent where another mechanic had tapped a part to knock the rust loose. This engine has done more then a little travel in the verse she thought. "How we doin' ol' fella" She whispered to the engine. She always talked to them it had helped her build a friendship with the engine. That was always the first step, they had to feel each other out before they could work together.

"Sure is a Blue Sun..." She stated to tell the captain but remember rule number two really quick. She finished saying in a hushed voice "Trace Compression Blocks, and there is the beautiful radion accelerator core." it was like a dream but this time it was oh so real. As her hand guided along she notices several rewiring jobs and a few burnt parts. This had to be part of the problem, but there were bound to be several more things on the to do list.

Now she just had to narrow down what was the top priority. If she could get enough life back in to it the minor details could be worked out on the flight. She went over to her tool back and started to set them out on a ledge. After a brief moment she had the major tools she would need for the job. First step would be a system check.

[benbarrow]

Ben had absolutely no idea what Kalli was talking about but she sounded like she did, so that was all that mattered.

It didn't look like the girl was packing a gun though, and Ben preferred it if all of his crewmembers were armed, just in case.

"Great, I'll leave you to it." Ben responded. "Dinner's at six, but stop 15 minutes earlier and come find me, I'll give you a gun too, because it doesn't look like you're packing."

Ben headed out of the engine room, but stopped in the doorway.

"Oh, and Kalli?" Ben said. "Welcome aboard."

[Kalli Ann Bernett]

Kalli closed her eyes as her hands continued to sweep across the engine. She could feel the grim that had built up over the years. Her hands drifted over the spherical power housing transfer case. It was blackened from several overloaded demands. She opened her eyes back up and leaned in close to the engine "Here's where we'll start Orlando, this'll make ya happy." She said as if her and the Orlando were talking directly to each other.

Then the Captain began to speak again she pulled back and torched her body around to face him. A gun? She was uncomfortable enough seeing the captain have one on him. What would a mechanic need a gun for anyway?


"Captain? I don't know about that idea.. I mean I have never even held one befo... She paused as she heard him speak again. This time the worry of the gun faded. He had welcomed her to she the ship. She was finally part of a crew. A peaceful look took hold of her young face.

"Thank you Captain, I'll see you at about 6." She told him. All she could think of was getting the engine fixed up and out in to the verse now. She wasn't going to worry about the gun till she had to.