Homecoming pt. 1 [Orlando crew/Lindsi]

[benbarrow]

[OOC: There will be NPC's in this story (Jared, Megan and Ben's father Marcus, so feel free to use them anyway you see fit. Just don't kill them off or something like that.]

Ben walked in the cargobay from the common room, and the first thing he noticed was sparks coming from a wire on the portside of the ship.

"Well that's not good." Ben thought, and walked over to the nearest intercom.

"Kalli!" Ben called through the intercom. "Why are there sparks coming out of my ship?"

He walked over the where the sparks were coming out, and he could smell the burned copper that came from the wires.

He was planning to go out and get a job moving cargo. It was a simple job, unlike the others he'd usually pull, but it would be enough after burning down the museum on Osiris, and with Lindsi still in the medbay. She hadn't woken up yet, but George had assured him she was going to pull through, and that had given Ben some peace of mind.

Ben crossed his arms, and waited for his mechanic to come along, until he noticed a young man standing in the cargobay. He didn't recognize him, and considering he didn't have any luggage on him, he figured he wasn't there to ask for a ride.

"Yes, can I help you?" Ben asked.

"You probably can, although I doubt you'd be willing to." The young man replied.

Ben walked a few paces closer, and stood within a few feet of the young man.

"Oh I love helping people." Ben said. "Especially if there's some kinda payment involved."

"Yeah, I figured you wouldn't do anything out of the kindness of your heart." The young man said. "Don't think you ever did in your entire life."

Ben got seriously annoyed with the kid. 'His entire life?' What the hell did he know?

"Kid, you keep talking like that and you're gonna find yourself flying outta my ship and heading for a faceplant." Ben responded. "Who are you to talk to me like that?"

"I should've guessed you wouldn't be smart enough to figure it out." The kid answered. "Just point and shoot, that's all you do right?"

That was the drop that overflowed the bucket. It was too early in the morning for this, and with Lindsi in the medbay, the last thing he needed was some kid who knew and talked too much for his own good.

"Right, that's it." Ben said, and grabbed the kid by his collar. He lifted him up so high that the kid's feet were dangling of the cargobay floor.

"Now are you gonna tell me who you are and what you want, or do I have to beat it outta ya?" Ben asked.

"My name is Jared Barrow!" The kid responded. "And much to my shame, I'm your half-brother!"

After Jared identified himself, Ben still held him by his collar and looked at him. There were some things that were familiar about him, but the kid looked more like his mother. And Jared's mother was someone who Ben despised.

Ben let go off Jared, who fell to the ground. He quickly picked himself up and stood before Ben once more.

"Always knew I'd run into you sooner or later if I'd keep coming to New Dunsmuir." Ben said.

"Trust me, if it had been up to me, it'd be later. A whole lot later." Jared responded. "Unfortunately, time is something neither I nor the people of New Shiloh have."

"New Shiloh?" Ben asked. "What do you care about them? You're living like a king here in New Dunsmuir."

"Shows what you know." Jared answered. "Dad moved the family back to the family ranch almost 20 years ago. He had to resign after you and your criminal friends got yourselves sentenced."

"Bet your mom loved that." Ben responded in a joking manner.

"You shut up about my mother!" Jared yelled. "You don't know anything about her! You left!"

"If it hadn't been for your mother, I never would've!" Ben said.

"You left because of your dog!" Jared said. "But instead of staying on Haven and behaving like a normal person, you had to go stir things up on Londinium, and act like a hero during the war, making all of our lives miserable!"

"Enough!" Ben said. "Now I don't know what you want from me, but if you came here just to shout at me, I suggest you leave before I forget you're my brother!"

"Half-brother." Jared responded. "And I'm here because dad asked me to come get you. New Shiloh is in trouble, and unfortunately dad thinks you can help."

"What kinda trouble?" Ben asked.

"You'd have to come and find out from dad himself." Jared responded. "That's, if you care enough about your roots, or if you ever cared about the family, which I doubt."

Jared turned around and walked a few paces toward the cargobay door.

"You know where to come." Jared said. "Although I'm not expecting you to be there."

Having said that, Jared walked out and into the crowd on the docks. Ben himself was left with nothing but questions, and memories from when he still lived on the ranch back home.

He hadn't been home in 22 years, and going back would be difficult for him. Seeing his father again after more than two decades, being back among the people who knew him as a kid. He wasn't sure whether or not to go, but he just couldn't leave the people of New Shiloh if they were in some kind of trouble.

He let out an annoyed grunt and walked over to the intercom again.

"Attention crew, meeting in the cargobay. Now."

[Kalli Ann Bernett]

Kalli heard the Captain call for her over the intercom about some sparks on the ship. A power short of some sort. She was still having trouble getting the power systems to run perfect, it was either running to low to run the Firefly Drive or overloading when she was rerouting power. She didn't respond to the Captain instead she just made her way to the cargo bay where he had called her from.

She took her time making it up to Ben. Just beyond the cargo bay doors was her old home a place she didn't care much to see for all the memories it would bring back.

When she arrived at the cargo bay she paused in the doorway as she saw a young man saying something about not expecting Ben for something or another. Then Ben gave out a grunt and called for the whole crew. Kalli could see the sparking wire and she walked to the control panel in the cargo bay. "Captain, was that one those things I ain't supos' ta ask you about or is it alright fer me ta ask what jus' happen?" She questioned Ben as she opened up the control panel and disconnected a wire. It cut the power headed down that wall and the sparks stopped.

"who was that anyway Cap, he look like he could be a cousin of yers or somethin? She continued to inquire as she woled over the where the sparks were coming from.

Kalli grabbed the burnt out copper wire and yanked on it a but. it began to pull out from wall dragging a small black box with it. She looked the switch box over, it controlled the airlock sealing latches. "there's yer problem Captain, the wires to small a gauge, was about ta burnt out completely then we wouldn't be able ta see the cargo bay hatch right nothing I can't get fixed." Kalli said as she pushed the unit against the wall so no one would trip on it. She figured she would wait till after the crew meeting to go get her tools and extra wire to get the thing fixed.

[neferia]

Darius walked onto the ship. He had to admit he was nervous. The last time he was on a ship it was on his way home. His father's money was able to pay his way out of the alliance. Now he was ready to shoot at them. He had been told about this boat from another man out on the docks, and until now it had seemed like a promising lead. This was no way to start a new life.

"Is there a captain on board here?"

The silence that followed was all but assuring. Darius set down his bags and strolled a little further into the bay of the ship. The smell of the ship filled his lungs. This was what he wanted the freedom of a ship.
"Shiny. There has to be someone on this boat."

He prayed to himself that there was a future on this boat.

[benbarrow]

Kalli came in and was of course surprised by Ben and his bickering with his half-brother Jared. Ben wasn't one to keep secrets or lie to his crew, so he'd rather just tell them what it was all about.

"Something like that yeah." Ben answered Kalli. "That was my half-brother who I haven't seen in 22 years. I'll explain everything once the rest gets here."

Ben was relieved to know that Kalli could fix the problem. Usually sparks didn't mean anything good.

"Well get to fixin' it." Ben said. "Don't want my boat to go boom, especially when we're in it."

Another man then appeared then in the Orlando's cargobay. From the looks of it, he didn't seem like he was there to give Ben another scolding.

"I'm the captain." Ben answered. "We're not taking any passengers right now, we're not leaving the planet just yet. If you want a job, now that I can give you."

[djfeelgood3008]

Jamie was up in the cockpit, where he tended to spend more time than in his own bunk. He was flipping through a very beat-up book about the mechanics and inner-workings of a ship, attempting to broaden his horizons, it would seem. And when he heard Ben's voice over the com, he quickly hopped up out of his chair - Ben sounded annoyed, and Jamie decided it best not to keep him waiting.

He came into the cargo bay just after Darius had gotten there, and he stood there a moment, glancing between Darius, Ben, and Kalli, before tucking his book under his arm and heading in Kalli's direction, seating himself on a nearby box and continuing to asses the situation at hand.

"What's this all about, who's that guy?" he asked Kalli, motioning toward the newcomer with no bags to speak of.

[Ceren Aatos]

The First Mate's quarters were a veritable mess. It was her own manner of spring-cleaning. Which involved the footlocker being propped open and all her various weapons laid out across the room. Wherever there was a surface and such. A roll-out pack was left open across her bunk, a few small firearms in pieces and in the process of being oiled and cleaned. The woman was knelt beside the footlocker when the call came out, her hand pausing as she glanced up in a fashion that a religious person might look up to some almighty voice from above. A frown flitted across her face. Ben didn't sound too pleased, and that meant either they were going to get into a bar-room brawl or something more serious.

Straightening, Ceren kicked the side of the locker, knocking the lid down to slam closed in an absent-minded manner before she lifted up her pistol and gunbelt. Once that was secured with the knife at the small of her back, she'd ascend the ladder, locking the room behind her. Paranoid like that.

Heavy boots carried her through the kitchen and down, her hand plucking a bread roll off the table as she passed to idly pick at it. She'd enter the cargobay eventually with an air of calm, sauntering over towards the gathering easily. When she spied the stranger, her eyes narrowed just a tick, a slight twitch of suspicion before she sidled up beside them. She didn't say much until Ben was finished, more or less there like she usually was. Extra security. Of course, it was depending on who the gui this fella was.

"Problem, Cap'?"

The unspoken glance in her eyes suggested a 'need me to take care of something?' that she wasn't about to say aloud. Whether this man was the cause of Ben's disgruntled mood, or something else. She was here to solve those kinds of problems, after all.

[Sidney Bainbridge]

Sidney had been on the upper deck of the cargo bay trying to organized the boxes and crates of ship supplies when everything started. As Ben's half brother came in and began scolding Ben Sidney readied his weapon just in case. Eventually he realized it was just siblings being siblings and went back to what he was doing.

He kept a quiet as he could so they wouldn't worry about him. It didn't take long from Ben's first call over the com system for Kalli to show up and start fixing the issue she had been called for. She was one of the fastest working mechanics Sidney had seen and continued to impress him, a task that was far from easy.

After Ben's half brother left he called for the whole crew and one by one they filtered in to the bay. Sidney continued working until everyone but the Doc had made it in the bay including an unknown person walking aboard the Orlando. At that point Sidney decided it was time to join the crew, after all Ben was without a doubt not in the mood to be kept waiting. Sidney walked down the stairs to the rest of the crew.

"I have a feelin' were going to be a little busy for a while here aren't we Ben?" he asked Ben knowing they would end up going to New Shiloh to help. He's half brother had him hook line and sinker. The question was what was the trouble and what was his brothers intentions.

Sidney looked the new guy up and down wondering where he came from and what his part in this whole story would be. "So whats the plan Ben?"

[aliceayers]

Lindsi awoke in the doctor's quarters of which she had been confined to since her foolish accident at the museum. She sat up, wincing from the sewed up gash on her head and the burns on her arms. However, the burns on her arms were nothing in comparison to the smoke she could feel in her lungs every time she inhaled. It was agony. She briefly thought about how the sensation must be familiar to a smoker. It made her giggle. A silent giggle.

She bit her bottom lip as she pushed herself off of the gurney that held her previously sleeping body. As her bare feet hit the cold floor, she winced again. The sensation, another unpleasant one. And then as she took a few more steps a another painful sensation hit her. Some sort of i.v. connected to her arm tugged at a vein. She pulled it out, quickly, making her hiss quietly.

She finally crossed the floor to the door, hearing several yelling. Trying to pick Benjamin's voice out of the crowd.

And then, she heard him on the intercom requiring the presence of all of the crew in the cargo bay. She bit her bottom lip again. Cargo bay. Now where in the verse is that? She was highly confused, but began to wonder the halls, hoping there were signs, or someone she could follow.

[neferia]

The Crew of the Orlando seemed to come out of nowhere and filled the cargo bay quickly. And judging by the various glares he was receiving they were all protective of their ship and their captain. He could deal with that. On most ships the crew was family and the ship was home. A person had to protect those things in life. Darius extended his hand to the captain. "My name's Darius Arion and work is exactly what I am looking for. From the looks of it your crew is on worth working with."

Darius reached into his pocket and fingered his wedding ring. He had just gotten used to not wearing it but he still kept it with him. Looking around Darius tried to take in his surroundings and the faces of the crew. His military training had taught him to always be prepared. "Stop acting like a nervous wreak old man." Darius thought. Regaining his composer he smiled saying"So the word on the docks is that you have a pretty good ship. I like that. You need to hear my experience?"

Looking around again trying to remember the faces Darius smiled. "Give 'em the charm old man. Give 'em the charm." Remembering he was in his suit Darius slid his coat from his shoulders and laid it across the top of his bags. "So who's the crew?"

[benbarrow]

As Ben waited for the man to introduce himself, the crew started to pour in. All were now accounted for, except for George.

Of course, the man came in right after Ben had summoned his crew, which would understandably cause them to think it had something to do with him.

"Easy guys." Ben said. "I called you here because like Sidney guessed, we're gonna be on Beaumonde for a little while longer. No need to make the man feel unwelcome."

The man introduced himself as being one Darius Arion, looking for work and not a minute too soon it would appear. Ben had a feeling he was going to need an extra hand. His father wouldn't have his half brother who hated him come get him personally to help the people of New Shiloh dust their crops or run the cattle in.

"A good crew is what makes a ship great." Ben answered. "Mine happens to be the best. If you're interested in joining, we've always got room for one more. And we'll discuss your experiences later on but rest assured, you'll get your chance to prove yourself soon enough. For now, have a seat and take a load-off. We'll get you settled in in a moment."

Ben then turned toward his crew again, but also within hearing range so Darius could hear what was going on as well.

"Alright guys." Ben said. "Here's the score: I just got a visit from my half brother who I've never known. He came on behalf of my father who I also haven't seen in 22 years. As some of you know this is my homeplanet, and now the people of the town I grew up in are asking for our help. I don't know what exactly is going on but my gut tells me they're not gonna ask us to help farm their land."

Ben then paused for a moment, and let it sink in with his crew for a moment.

"So, any questions?" Ben asked.

[Kalli Ann Bernett]

As the crew continued to shuffle in Kalli looked around the cargo bay for spare parts. After looking through several boxes she found one with the spare wire for the engine room. She quickly shuffled through it and find the proper gauge and pulled it from the box.

As she was sorting through the box Jamie came and sat down near where she was working. He inquired about what this was all about and Kalli responded "Seems the Cap has some family issue here we may be helpin out with. Not sure who this is though he walked in asking 'bout work." She smiled at Jamie then continued to work.

She walked over to the Captain and removed a knife from his belt, then walked to the shorted wire. She clipped the out burnt out wire from the unit and proceeded to splice and attach the the replacement wire carefully tucking the wire and unit back in the wall where it belongs before reattaching it to its bracket.

Afterward she went back over to the panel and powered the system back up and giving it a test run. the main cargo hatched slammed back shut as it should and the hiss of the locks engaged. Everything was working as it should and just in time the captain had turned to the crew and begun to talk. Kalli walked over and joined them waiting for the captain to explain everything.

It made since that the young man who was there just a little before was his half brother they had some similar features but not enough o be full blooded brothers. "You know I am always in for whatever your plannin' Captain." She told him. She wasn't sure what they would be doing but she would find out eventually. She waited for the rest of the crew to respond but she was sure they would all feel the same as her."Oh and she's workin as good as new again. wasn't anything to hard ta fix."

[Ceren Aatos]

Once the newcomer was explained to be no one linked with any kind of trouble, Ceren eased off on the suspicious glances. Instead she'd give Darius a friendly nod and an expression that suggested 'no hard feelin's, was jus' bein' cautious'. Yeah, she could pack a lot into a look. The First Mate remained at a casual angle, leaning on one leg as she listened to the Captain's little briefing on the situation. So it was family business? It wasn't like anyone was going to flat-out say no to him, and Ceren much preferred to get into some kind of ruck to help make it look like she actually did anything to earn her wage around here. She didn't really do much in terms of 'First Mate', unless anything happened to Ben. And even then, she bet he'd be giving orders on his sick bed.

When asked if anyone had any questions, Ceren lifted her hand up a little in indication she had something to query.

"Want I should bring all my guns, jus' the favourites or extras for anyone else?"

Apparently, he could count her in.

[Sidney Bainbridge]

Sidney found himself a create to rest against as Darius and Ben spoke. Kalli was continuing to work on the ship. Seemed she never did stop. It did take a lot to keep them running right and there was always something going wrong with them. He remembered back when he was a kid he did plenty of the little things himself.

He watch as everyone started putting in their two cents in on what was going on and what they were about to get in to. He walked over to Darius and reached out a hand "Names Sidney." He stated just about the time Ceren spoke up about bringing her weapons.

Sidney stood up and walked over to Jamie and leaned against the boxes he was. He unbuckled his belt and slid of his secondary side arm. Setting it and it holster down next to Jamie on the boxes he spoke quietly and gruffly. "This'll keep ya safe when the time comes. I'll make sure you know how to use it before that."

He remember Jamie had asked about it before and it was looking like the time for him to be ready was going to be here soon. Sidney then turned to face Ben. A smirk flowed over his lips and began to talk. "You can count me in Ben, hope ya got somethin' good fer us."

[djfeelgood3008]

Jamie sat quietly and watched for the moment, taking turns looking between Darius and the rest of the crew. As soon as the Captain made mention that Darius was fine, Jamie gave the newcomer a nod and a smile. He nodded to Kalli as well when she spoke to him, but she seemed to be busy at the moment, so he figured it best not to interrupt. So, as mentioned, for the moment he just sat quietly.

After a bit, he had a thought that made him chuckle to himself. Other than when Ben had actually given him the job as pilot, this was the first time he'd been in the room with Bulletproof himself. Odd, considering he'd been on the ship for a while now. But, no matter, everyone felt like family nonetheless. Even Sidney, who seemed to be even more grizzly than the rest of 'em. Jamie and he had a mutual respect, or at least Jamie hoped they did. And it would seem to be so, when Sid set the gun down beside him.

Jamie had never touched a gun in his life, and truth be told, even having one right near him like that made him a bit nervous. "You sure I'm gonna need this, Mr. Bainbridge? I don't know if it's really gonna be necessary .." Oh, Jamie wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he was intimidated by the gun. But, now was no time to start lookin' weak in front of all these vets. So, he picked it up, studied it for a moment, and, realizing that he had no idea how to put the holster on, decided it best that he'd worry about that later, instead of looking like an idiot in front of everyone else.

[aliceayers]

Lindsi headed down a hallway that looked like it could possibly lead to the back of the ship, and the cargo bay. Her naked feet ached from the metal grate, each step furthering the awful feeling. She coughed loudly, pulling some of that awful ash in her chest up into her throat. Perfect. She passed an old sign that said Bay on it. She could only assume she had reached the right room, and the voices she heard coming from the area seemed to further her certainty. She stepped through, and found what she figured was the crew.

Several men, and a few women. Typical. She tried to identify any of them other than Benjamin. She looked at each face as they spoke to each other. Not a one stood out to her, except for one of the gents. A client of hers. Mr. Sidney Bainbridge. She looked nervously to Benjamin, hoping Sidney hadn't told him of her recent profession and lifestyle. She knew he wouldn't approve.

She leaned lazily against the door frame, trying to divert some of the weight off her feet. A loud cough arose from her lungs again, causing her slight pain in an obvious way.