To Santo [Crew, Jack Briggs]

[Ari Deschain]

Ari Deschain sat in the pilot's seat, feet up on the dash as she lounged back. She was wearing oil-stained grey pants tucked into her black work boots and a white tank top. Her scarred and tattooed arms were cocked on the armrests. There was a light bruise and a small healing cut along one cheekbone. Dangling from one hand was the knife from her thigh sheath, and she twirled it with a deft laziness. Her eyepatch, the one with the haphazardly sewn heart, was on and her good eye was focused on the black through the windshield. The stars, the looming planet of Santo. She sighed and ran a hand through her shock of bleached hair, adjusting the strap of her patch carefully.

They'd picked up Jack Briggs on Persephone, a place they really did not avoid as much as they should. Chalk it up to a lack of fear of Minerva, or the fact that Grimm had more pride than the engineer. They wouldn't be sent running by the threats of that sorry excuse of a woman. Briggs, though. Deschain didn't know how to feel about him. He was a spineless weasel of a man, that was for sure, but one perhaps deserving of her pity. A fact he'd probably resent, but someone as downtrodden as he didn't have much choice in the way others looked down upon him.

When they'd picked him up, he'd genuinely seemed remorseful of what had happened with the bitch Minerva and also grateful for their help. He hadn't spoken much, and had taken his single bag to the room Grimm had given him. The captain and Briggs, as well as Jove if she felt like it, were going to meet in the bridge for a talk about the job. Ari was there first because she was the closest thing the Lenore had for a pilot at the moment. They were well-rid of Rade, but Ari missed the hum of her engine room. The bridge was too quiet, the vastness of the 'Verse in front of her too much to grip hold of.

A footstep behind Ari alerted her to the presence of someone, and she very slightly turned her head to glance back. "Mr. Jack Briggs." Ari had met Jack several times in Persephone; anyone who frequented the bars around the docks knew the man. It was strange to see him without his cocky, self-assured attitude. Almost as odd as seeing him without his hat. She lifted her knife, running the forefinger of her other hand along its blade before sheathing it. Her boots remained on the dash. "So...you lost your girlfriend, yeah?" Her eyebrow arched questioningly. Her unconcerned gaze returned to the black.

[Jack "Trigger" Briggs]

A couple of days after he'd cut communication with Terrance Grimm, Jack had packed a small bag and notified Cypher of his intentions. His right hand man was not pleased that Jack was going this alone. "This is dangerous as hell, Trigger. I think you need to know that I don't want you to go." Jack seemed unconcerned, tearing clothing from a chest at the foot of his bed and studying each item before tossing it aside. "I'ave ta go, Cyph. You know that. An' you also know that you can't go wit' me." He finally tugged a large robe free and pulled it on. It was long, dusting the floor, and shapeless. "You 'ave ta take care o' the bus'ness while I'm gone, or there won't be a bus'ness fo' me ta come back to, eh? You know the second Minerva 'ears about me skippin' town, she'll be out fo' our men's blood." He lifted the hood over his head, effectively hiding Jack Briggs from the world. "Bus'ness as usual. Don' let anyone know I'm off-planet." Pointing a finger at his friend, he pulled an imaginary trigger and winked with a half-hearted grin from shadows of his hood. "I'll be back befo' you know it."

As he left, Cypher called to his back, "You look ridiculous, Jack!" Jack flipped him the bird as he closed the door, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

Jack may have been a bit inept for someone in his position, but he was not an idiot. He took every back road imaginable and walked with a limp, coughing heavily around crowds so that they avoided him. When he reached the docks, he lifted his eyes to the ships and adjusted his bag. Sian's bag was tucked inside of it. Being back on the Lenore was a nerve-wracking thought. Grimm had not been pleased to hear from him, but had finally agreed to take the job. Briggs was sure Jove and the rest of the crew would be just as cuddly.

After a short hello and the promise of a talk in the bridge, Jack was sent to his room and the Lenore was on its way to Santo. It would take a few days, and Clayton was already a couple of days ahead of them. Jack had to use every spare minute and every connection he had to try and find Sian's location. Otherwise, this was going to be extremely difficult, if not impossible.

Jack unpacked as slowly as possible, staving off the talk with the crew for as long as he could. He tucked Sian's bag under his bed for safekeeping. When finally he had run out of excuses, he made his way to the bridge.

He was wearing the same clothes he had been in when Sian had contacted him last night, and they were a bit wrinkled. His hair was more unkempt than usual, his shirt unbuttoned to bare some of his chest, only a vest and no tie over it.

When he stepped onto the bridge, he saw there was but one other person in the room. The tiny spitfire of a mechanic, Ari something-or-other. He'd last seen her throwing another young woman out of this very ship and spitting on her. Certainly not the type of person Jack wanted to make angry, though she seemed to have a short enough fuse as it was. As she spoke to him, he couldn't help but look at her patch and wonder what was beneath it. "Sian isn't me girlfriend," he said with a sigh. He was suddenly exhausted, the skin around his eyes a bruised purple with lack of sleep. He collapsed into a seated position on the floor, glancing up at her. The mechanic's face was lit by the control panel and he could see the injury on her cheek. "What 'appened to yo' face, luv?" The scars on her body told him this was not an uncommon occurrence, but it was still polite to ask.

[Terrance Grimm]

"Same thing always happens. She let someone have a hit to make 'em feel better about the ass beatin' they got handed."[/b]

The captain was notorious for his little quips while he listened on the outside of a room. When called out on it once, he had said that he'd been willing to wait 15 minutes for a good intro line into a conversation. It was hard to tell if he was joking or not. He ran his finger into his ear and shook it a few times, that constant buzz he was hearing apparently acting up as he looked over Jack. His eyes looked to the disheveled clothes, and his nose wrinkled a bit at the smell.

"Haven't been sleeping?...Or bathing?"

Grimm shook his head with a bit of a sigh, looking towards Briggs and sizing him up. Just as he'd suspected from the day he'd been shot. Briggs really was kind of a clown, but at least his heart was in the right place. In a world full of criminals, Briggs was the guy who got pushed around. Terrance had a mind to change all of that with this job.

"Okay, someone turn off that racket so we can get to business. You got a lot to answer for when it comes to Minerva and you, but that'll come over we find your beau and kick ten shades of out of the gorram monster that has her. And there better be a gorram monster, Briggs, or it'll be you with the ten shades of ...comin'...out of y- look, the point is that this better not be a set up. But judging by the way you look and that ripe smell comin' off ya, I don't think you're lyin'. Or if you are...man, you'll go to some lengths."

He chuckled and looked to Ari, then back to Jack. Her unconcerned looks were mirrored by the way he was prodding at Jack, but the truth was that the captain had a penchant for helping folks. She knew it better than anyone. He was not content to let things lie, he was always ready to fight for a cause of some kind. And this one was right up his alley.

"So, let's start with where the Hell this guy is on Santo, and what we can be expectin'. You wanted to say it in person, so let's get that part outta the way right now. We got an army waiting, a few guys with guns, or just him? How well armed and trained are they? And...have you ever even shot a man before?...or a gun?"

[Jove Gadria]

So a mechanic, a criminal and a ship's captain all walk onto a bridge... Oh wait, you've heard this one. It ends with a businesswoman waltzing from the shuttle bay, her head twisting up the way to the bridge with a frown. The Captain appeared to be standing there, just out of sight and quietly waiting for something. Putting it down to the man being a few sandwiches short of a picnic, Jove shrugged it off. With their current passenger - someone Jove didn't have much of a problem with as she did Colt. But Colt always ran the roost in Persephone, and that had always forced Jove to keep her dealings on the down-low, or to find another planet. There were nicer planets anyway! The clop of her ankle-boots paused momentarily, something nagging at the back of her mind, before it was shaken off in favour of heading for the bridge. In the past she'd found Jack to be quite pleasant. Always a gentleman. Something close to a charmer in his own little way. Still, it didn't earn him her undying trust. Mostly because of his ties with Minerva and that little.. problem they encountered. Namely the armed assault on the ship.

"Personally, I fink the bigger ques'shun 'ere is 'ow the gui do you expect the four of us to 'andle this...?" Jove was nothing if not a realist. If there was an obvious flaw in any plan, it was their 'assault team' comprising of two business-type folks. One, they were unsure as to any gun experience, and the other was pretty much a slow, one-trick pony and then probably gunned down quickly after that.

Not that she was calling for a mutiny, here. Jove was by no means against helping save this poor lass. It was just the means. How would they go about it with their diminished numbers? Sure, Jove was certain both the bruised mechanic and the shell-shocked Captain could handle more than their fair share of the fighting. Wouldn't Jove and Jack bumbling about in the back only serve to slow the operation down?

"I mean...we obviously can't go in all guns blazin', can we?" A look was spared towards Jack as if to verify this claim, and shut up so he could answer all these questions getting thrown his way. Grimm's little interrogation was probably enough.

Realising she may be stepping above her station - she was never sure what that was or where she stood these days - Jove glanced towards the Captain and held up a hand in a sheepish, school-kid manner.

"I've... shot a gun before."[/color] The words were spoken with a small, almost nervous grin, but the whole thing might've been a bit in mocking of the question he'd infact aimed at Briggs. Jove always was one to add a little silliness to the moment. Let's see how two business-folk handle a full-blown storm and rescue mission, shall we? It was bound to end in Jove getting shot as per usual. She hoped it didn't, but that always tended to happen... Please don' get shot.. please don' get shot.. The little mantra had already started in her mind.

[Ari Deschain]

At Jack's protestations that the Companion was not his girlfriend, Ari just grinned and shook her head. Her thoughts cast back to the captain of the Atlas, Ryan Hannigan, and his love for Ursula, a Companion. "I s'pose not...one never really gets ta keep a Companion for more'n a few hours at a time, yeah?" The mechanic had always held a dislike for Companions, especially after the altercation in which she had almost struck Ursula. However, that did not mean she thought one should be allowed to be kidnapped and roughed up.

When asked what had happened to her face, Ari's fingers rose to gently touch the healing injury at her cheek. The mechanic liked her drink as much as the next person, and her pride and rough tongue often got her into trouble. A satisfied grin creased her lips and she was about to respond when Grimm's rough voice saved her the trouble. A short snicker escaped her and she shrugged, throwing up her hands in a "what can you do" sort of gesture. "He had it comin'." Was all she offered as an addition to his words.

Ari gallantly ignored Grimm's mention of the noises only he could hear, but her lips did thin. The mystery surrounding her captain's confused mind was starting to wear on her, it seemed. She was not used to holding her tongue, and was awfully nosy normally. As he threatened Briggs, she snorted in amusement and finally dropped her feet from the dash, turning to face the room. It was obvious to her that Grimm was wanting to help in any way possible and she sent a quick grin his way behind Jack's back.

He started drilling Jack with questions and the mechanic lounged back in the chair once more, pulling the knife and twirling it again. Her eyes drifted out to gaze at the black again until Jove's footsteps alerted her to the other woman's presence. She glanced up and grinned at Jove. "Hello lovely." The first question she offered was met with a shrug from the mechanic. "Grimm and I been through worse. I'm not expectin' a lot of people at a grab like this, but we can always hire on a couple...seein' as how Mr. Briggs here is financin' this trip." She arched an eyebrow at the criminal on the floor and smirked.

[Jack "Trigger" Briggs]

The criminal's features twisted in anger as Ari spoke of Companions in general, but he knew better than to come up with a retort. Jack looked up, wincing slightly as Grimm came in the room. Normally he would have laughed at their words, but he had lost his good humor with the loss of the red hair and soft eyes. He only nodded, shrugging. "Well, I 'ope he looks worse than you, miss." When Grimm commented on his sleeping and bathing habits, Jack frowned deeply. "I jus' found out she was taken a couple o' nights ago. I went to 'er place, found it burnin'. Ran aroun' fo' a couple o' days, tryin' ta find some leads. Then I went to th' docks. I'll thank ya to shower 'ere when I 'ave a minute."

His eyebrows rose at the odd way the captain spoke, but he followed Ari's lead in not commenting on it. "There is a monster, Grimm. 'is name is Clayton Diers." His eyes dropped and he sighed, working on re-rolling one of his sleeves that was beginning to slither back down his arm. Diers was a partner of his, back before prison. In fact, until Diers had gone off the deep end and started killing more people than could ever sit right with Jack, they had been very close friends.

With each of Grimm's questions, Jack began to look more and more nervous. He stood, beginning to pace as he wrung his hands. Truth was, he had absolutely no idea how to answer any of them. "Thing is, Cap..." he ran a hand through his hair. "Thing is...I don' have a line on the location yet. I don' know 'ow many people he 'as guardin' 'er." Agitated, he picked a thread from one of his red fingerless gloves. "'Course I can fire a gun." He didn't say how well, nor answer the first question as to whether he'd shot anyone.

Jack nodded at Jove as she came in. They had been on good terms before, but he wasn't so sure where they stood anymore. Obviously the crew was still smarting from what had happened with Minerva. The business woman brought up some valid points. He glanced at the mechanic when she said they could hire more men. It was true, but it was not as if the man was made of money. He was losing funds fast, with Minerva's chokehold growing tighter. "Whatever is needed," he said quietly.

[Terrance Grimm]

Grimm smirked as he glanced over to what Ari had said. They had seen more scraps together than most people would care to admit, and they'd seen each other through each one. He felt confident that there'd be more than enough experience amongst the people gathered to do this job, so long as they knew what they were up against.

"Don't you worry, Ms. Gadria, I think the four of us should be plenty unless Jack here knows that they've got somethin' more than we can handle."[/b]

When Jack said the man's name, the captain repeated it out loud, almost whimsically. It was hard to follow the captain's logic most of the time.

"Clayton Diers..."[/b]

That was when he was hit with the truth regarding everything. That they had no leads. They had no way of finding them yet. And that Jack had lied to them about supplying the information he was now admitting he had no idea about. Grimm frowned, then lifted a fist. He hesitated a moment, then lifted it higher, then hesitated and finally lowered it, shaking his head at Jack with a disappointed look.

"I'd hit ya, but whatever it is stinkin', I don't want it on my fists."[/b]

It was obvious Grimm was pissed, but at least he wasn't letting it get in the way of his humor. He unclenched his fists and waved as if towards the direction of their destination.

"So, tell me, smart guy who has fired a gun before... How do you expect us to get a line on where she is? I mean, Jove's good at getting information, and I ain't above twistin' some arms so long as it gets her home safe, but we ain't exactly detectives. I wanna hear your plan for all this."[/b]

[Jove Gadria]

The look on Jove's face was still sceptical, and her stance adjusted to such with a fold of arms across her chest. It was in response to Grimm's confidence in the four of them that she didn't appear to share. Jove usually relied on 'muscle'.

"Very glass 'alf full, ain't ya? Er, Cap'in."

Most of the conversation she had chosen to stay quiet for, absorbing anything Jack told them - which was a pile of not-very-much - and waiting for Grimm to come to some kind of conclusion or hair-brained plan about how to save the poor Companion. It probably wasn't the first time some lonely, crazy man had kidnapped himself one of those beauties of servitude to keep. Possessive clients and the like. A smirk had been given towards Ari, and a dip of her head in greeting, noticing that the mechanic had been up to her usual tricks. Jove pursed her lips in thought, fidgeting where she stood.

Clayton Diers. The name was mulled over in the back of her mind, rolling towards the front as she picked through names, faces and any word of mouth that maybe she might've heard the name somewhere. Anywhere. But a name was not a lead - not in this 'Verse. You needed more than that to get anywhere. And they had no idea of a timeframe - if the man would keep moving so nobody could catch up with him. Was he linked to the Companion? Did she know him? How well did Jack even know her? All these questions and plenty more swirled around in Jove's head, but she didn't grill him like Grimm did. She was quiet, and patient. And listening. Best way to find anything out about anyone was to listen. Mostly, listen in. Jove had gathered pieces of delicate material that way before. Amusing, to say the least, how people could sit and blabber on about their personal business.

A small wince was given and Jove tilted her body further away when the Captain raised his fist a little towards Jack, then a little higher. Yeah, maybe he did deserve a little thump for the lack of anything he brought to the table other than a name, but Jove wasn't about to condone it. Wouldn't help the matter at hand. She just hoped for Jack's sake that he did have a plan - no matter how fong luh it may be.

Not like this was a screws-all-fully-tightened crowd, anyway.

[Ari Deschain]

Jack was obviously angry at the jab about Companions. Good. Ari had found a sore spot. She would poke and prod at it during the trip, just because she could and because he, in her mind, deserved it. She smirked when he said he hoped the other guy looked worse than her, and glanced back out at the Black. "They always do," she said. Then, in surprising helpfulness, "I'll show you where the showers are." The mechanic wasn't all mean.

Clayton's name did not really ring a bell with Ari, but that was pretty standard. She'd met more low-lives and criminals than she'd ever like to admit. The next information, however, was troubling. Jack had no information at all. Ridiculous. How the hell were they supposed to find the girl? "Of all the ruttin' useless piles of..." she trailed off as Grimm raised his fist, as if to hit Jack. It wouldn't have surprised her if he had; what was surprising was that he didn't. She snorted and turned back to the view.

She and Jove remained quiet at this point, which was probably for the better. There were all sorts of things buzzing through her head and all sorts of insults she wanted to fling at the man, but she let Grimm do the talking as she put her feet back up.

At that moment, the Cortex lit up. At first thinking she'd hit the dial to turn it on, Ari quickly dropped her boots to the floor where they belonged. However, when she reached out to touch the screen, a man appeared. She'd seen him in Persephone before, usually hanging around Jack. Dark and handsome, clean-cut and a lot more well-dressed than scruffy Briggs ever was. "...Yeah?" she asked, too surprised to come up with a good greeting.

[Jack "Trigger" Briggs]

Jack nodded in thanks to Ari's offer, then glanced back to Grimm. No one in the ship seemed to recognize Clayton's name. Well, Diers was pretty well at keeping his violent business pretty subtle when he wanted to. Suddenly, Jack realized Grimm was raising his fist. Leaning back with a flinch, as if that would ward off the attack, he hissed a sigh of relief when the captain lowered his fist. "Look, I'm sorry I lied t'you, but I'm gonna get the info'mation, okay?" He collapsed into the co-pilot's seat with a sigh, resting his head in his hands.

"To answer yo' question," he began, his voice muffled by his palms, "I got connections. I don' have many left, but it is what it is. I'll find out more abou' Clayton's dealins on Santo, an' more about this Adam guy...he was a senator, left Sian a lot o' coin in 'is will. People aren't happy about it. Her kidnappin' might've somethin' to do with that." He absentmindedly scratched his head. "I 'ave to b'lieve we'll find 'er..."

Ari said something beside him, and Jack glanced over to see Cypher's face on the monitor. He leaped up and went to stand next to Ari, who hastily moved to let him speak. "Cyph, what is it?" The man frowned, "Trigg, Sian contacted your cortex from a mobile device. She was trying to reach you. They're already on-planet at Santo...Clayton must've been going full-burn. She saw a sign, "Bethesda". That was all I could get out of her before Clayton...cut the connection." Jack sank slowly into Ari's vacated seat. "Is...she okay?" Cypher sighed, "She's looking pretty beat-up, Jack, but I think you already knew that."

Jack's head tilted down and his fists clenched for just a moment, then he looked back up at the screen. "Bethesda? Wha' is that?" Cypher shrugged, lips thinning. "Wish I could tell you. I've been looking into it; found nothing yet." Jack turned to Jove, Grimm, and Ari. "Bethesda?" he asked, hopefully.