The Two Cent Tour }{ [Kyle Phelan]

[Phoebe Saku]

((This thread is timed a bit ahead of the Scars of Reality thread to after Pheobe and Cadan are recruited. In this topic Grant is still out and about, Cadan is getting his belongings together, and Kyle is on the ship with Phoebe.))


Well here she was, on a ship again. Phoebe felt uneasy, but she summed that up to just nerves. It was curious to her that she'd agreed to become the mechanic of this one. Where as with the other captains she'd talked to over the past few days, she couldn't bring herself to say yes. The man ahead of her looked rough, handsome though. He'd even offered to help with her things once she mentioned having to run to a local inn to check out and grab her belongings. While they walked through the streets she noticed he kept his head down and at times made odd movements like he was avoiding something in front of him.

He was polite enough but he seemed a bit mistrusting, which was another curiosity for Phoebe. Why hire crew if you won't trust them.
Kyle had mentioned that he'd already hired a pilot earlier in the day, name was Cadan, he was off gathering his belongings. She'd meet him later once he got to the ship. Also that his partner, named Grant, was off getting food and fuel.

He didn't inquire what was in all the bags she had, which was surprising, since she had six in total. She kept her journal close though, Phoebe didn't like to put it into a bag, she was afraid it'd get damaged. It had become a precious possession over time, a place to keep her thoughts, her nightmares...not something she needed to think about right now.

They were standing just inside the ship, the Falchion it was called, a Drakken class transport; modified, she could tell. Phoebe hadn't been in one but she knew their standard look. She dropped the bags she carried near the entrance ramp, save her journal that was still in her hands, "You can just drop them here, I can come grab them later. I think I'll have the grand tour first, if that's alright." She smiled, tilting her head just a tad to the side.

[Kyle Phelan]

Stopping in front of the Falchion, Kyle gestured with both arms despite the weight of the bags he was carrying, holding them out wide: "Well, here she is." The rogue's hazel eyes took in the sight, looking over the boat's hull with a smidgen of pride. The Falchion had started out as the Excelsior, a small courier vessel. But over the years she had been modified and adapted for a variety of tasks, ranging from smuggling and running blockades to aerial dog-fighting. Kyle had acquired the Drakken class beaut from Saints, an enigmatic business tycoon with his fingers in the pie of the criminal underworld. Of course, Kyle had connections to the criminal underworld too, only he hadn't stuck his fingers in the pie by choice - rather, it was more like he had stepped in it.

Entering his passcode into the manual loading ramp release (a code that changed daily), Phelan waved his potential hire inside and let her gaze about a bit. Noticing the mechanic had laid her belongings down just inside the cargo-bay doors, Kyle set the bags he was carrying for her down next to them, making it a point to keep an eye on them all, lest some brigand walk by and make off with something. Or maybe he was just paranoid. "You can just drop them here, I can come grab them later. I think I'll have the grand tour first, if that's alright." Kyle, who was leaning against the bay controls, simply shrugged and punched the big red button behind him, sealing the cargo bay doors behind them. He had honestly been expecting more small talk, but he wasn't about to complain, the less questions he had to dodge the better. "Ok, let's get started then," he replied.

Since miss Saku was there as the Falchion's potential future mechanic, Kyle decided to show her the engine room first. Admittedly, it was a little messy, but the boat's hardware was in fine condition. But the Drakken class was a fast ship, and fast ships needed to be cleaned and maintained (or "groomed" as Phelan liked to say) regularly in order to keep running smoothly, whereas a more robust vessel could go for the better part of a year (depending on the model) without needing an oil change, tune-up, or even a good scrub. Phelan was decent at mechanical maintenance, but he took no pleasure in it, and if a serious problem ever cropped up, he would most likely be in over his head.

"And here we are," Kyle said, patting one of the EV-K90 turbines affectionately. He swept some of the tools he had left out to the side of the room with his foot as the very pretty young mechanic looked about. Starting to feel a bit self-conscious as the silence lingered, Kyle posed the obvious question: "So... whatcha think eh?"

[Phoebe Saku]

Phoebe was glad to hear that Kyle was going to give her the tour, though seem overly excited. She hadn't dealt with a captain who'd been very close to her own age before; she was feeling kind of awkward. The young mechanic followed the handsome captain as he led her through a bit of the ship; she let her eyes wander about, taking it all in. She held her journal close, with both hands while she admired the ship.

The pair reached the engine room; to her it was just another engine room. They were supposed to be a little un-kempt, otherwise the mechanic wasn't doing their job. There was nearly always something to clean or needed to be done to keep a bird moving smooth. Phoebe was lost in the mechanics of the room; she didn't even notice the silence. There wasn't silence to her, the Falchion was speaking to her. It needed some cleaning, a good scrubbing.

She bent over looking under one of the turbines, her tank crawled up just an inch or two up her back, if Kyle was perceptive he may notice the second part of her scar. Feeling the skin bare Phoebe corrected her stature immediately, fixing her shirt, while noting to herself some parts that would need replacing soon. Phoebe was looking over another turbine when Kyle finally spoke; her cheeks flushed as she realized she was being rude.

"Sorry about that,' Phoebe smiled a sweet smile apologetically, 'I think you've got quite a good bird on your hands mister Phelan. Though there's some plugs and coils look like they're going to be givin' out on you soon." She moved to point at some part of the turbine she was still standing near. "She's already burnt some fuses out here and the injector looks pretty bad, well that's just at first glance, might be more once I get down and dirty. Been having some problems with her lately haven't ya?"

[Kyle Phelan]

Kyle watched as the young woman eyed the room, bending over to take a better look at one of the Falchion's turbines. Despite his better instincts, Kyle stole a glance, but found what looked to be a scar peeking out from under the tail of her shirt. Frowning, Kyle's hazel gaze next fell on the object clutched in Saku's hands. It looked to be a book of some sort, small and well worn. He hadn't noticed any crosses, prayer-beads or anything else of the sort on her person, so it probably wasn't a Bible... Last thing I need, someone wavin' about, blessin' this 'n that. Probly tell me I'm goin' straight to hell 'n such. Like I never heard that before...

With the way she was clutching it though it had to be personal. Trade secrets? A journal? Don't stare, idiot... Just then the red-haired mechanic stood, fixed her shirt, and examined the second main turbine for a moment before answering him. "Sorry about that," she smiled. "I think you've got quite a good bird on your hands mister Phelan. Though there's some plugs and coils look like they're going to be givin' out on you soon," she continued, pointing. "She's already burnt some fuses out here and the injector looks pretty bad, well that's just at first glance, might be more once I get down and dirty. Been having some problems with her lately haven't ya?"

Kyle nodded: "She's got a habit o' burnin' fuses. I just replaced those last month... some electrical hiccup." The young Captain shifted his stance, clasping his hands behind his back. "- 's beyond me," he shrugged, walking up to peer over at the injector. "So that's the "injector" eh? Hmm. Yeah, she's been sluggish on take-off, tends to shake some too when I'm glidin' her in nice 'n slow for the landing."

[Phoebe Saku]

((I forgot she has a scar about 6inches long down her shoulder too, though she's not as self conscious about that one XD sorry - also bare with me as I'm not too great the the mechanic wordings))

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Phoebe listened to Kyle's words about the ship, making mental notes. She smiled when he came closer to take a look at the injector she was pointing at. In her own experience captain's who knew about the mechanics of their ship was pretty much half and half. Some just plain refused to learn, letting their mechanic worry about things. Which was sometimes extra stress on them, since trying to explain to your captain that you need a new rotator coupling or the ship isn't going to turn left anymore, makes it difficult if they think you're speaking another language at them. She wasn't sure yet which side of the spectrum Kyle would be in.

"Mhmmm, sure is..one of them at least. This model has four, that one looks to be the only one in bad shape though. Got to be a reason in there, would be a bit of a chore to tear it down and find the root of the problem." Phoebe glanced at the second one on this turbine to double-check it's injector. She'd need a day at least to find and correct the issue with it, of course that time-frame depended on what was wrong. "So that's why you're gettin' a sluggish take-off..the shaking though.." The words trailed off as she moved back a few steps, a finger pressed on the corner of her mouth and her head tilted to the side in thought. The mechanic just stared for a minute, not at anything in particular though.

The light bulb clicked on, a mischievous smile crossed Phoebe's lips. Without a word she put her journal down and grabbed a driver from the floor then worked her way beneath part of the engine on her back. The mechanic did her thing, opening up the panel, speaking as she fixed some wiring; "Somehow the wiring for the routing alternator got all screwy...the flow is all wrong." Her voice was slightly muffled by the large machinery, but she spoke a bit louder to make sure the captain could hear. Some more noise from below followed before Phoebe pushed herself out from beneath the engine, a wide and proud smile on her lips. Fixing things made her happy. "Should be smooth sailing now." A few grease and/or dirt spots had appeared on her cheeks as well. She held up her hand, asking silently for assistance to her feet.

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Outfit

[Kyle Phelan]

Kyle took in the information Miss Saku provided him to the best of his ability, scratching the scruff on his chin thoughtfully as the mechanic squeezed herself underneath the secondary EV-K90 turbine. He nearly blanched when she told him about the wiring for the routing alternator. That had been his doing. And this was exactly why he needed a mechanic, because you couldn't believe everything you read on the Cortex.

"Should be smooth sailing now," Saku remarked, scrambling out from under the engine with a smile running ear-to-ear. Taking the mechanic's outstretched hand, Kyle helped her to her feet and returned a smile: "Well, looks like I made the right choice in hirin' you Miss Saku, I am gai si de* impressed!"

The scruffy young Captain returned to leaning against the frame of the engine-room's doorway, waiting as his new hire collected her things. When she was done, Phelan stepped out into the passageway and gestured with a turn of his head: "So then, now that you've single-handedly fixed my girl's problems, let's find you some quarters to your likin' an' get that luggage o' yours put away, eh?"


________________

* gai si de: damned

[Phoebe Saku]

Phoebe was happy to hear Kyle's words, it felt good to be doing mechanic duties again. "Thank you, and I'm glad ya found me to hire." She still didn't know exactly how he'd found her or what he'd known or heard about her for that matter. If it was anything bad he didn't seem to care about it enough to make any mention. She was glad to be getting back on a ship though; at least partially. Part of her was still scared, might always be too.

Rubbing some of the grease away from her hands and onto her jeans, she noted Kyle's motioning to leave the engine room. Phoebe smiled at his compliment about her work, "Well don't get too excited just yet Captain, I still gotta take apart the turbine to find the problem with the injector." The mechanic bent down to pick the worn leather journal back from the ground. "But don't go worryin' whatever it is I can fix it alright, just might take time." The reassurance was there in her voice, she could fix it, she just had to find it first. Could be alot of things wrong with the injector and some weren't a quick fix.

The mechanic followed the captain out of the engine room to go find some quarters. It was official she was on a new crew, she was both happy and sad about that. None of the sad part showed though. "I'm not picky don't worry, most of my time is usually spent in the engine room anyways." As it should be.

Her eyes wandered around the ship as they walked through it. Wouldn't take long for Pheebs to pick a room, as she'd said, she wasn't picky. The one closest to the engine room was perfect, despite it being one of the smaller rooms.

[Phoebe Saku]

[June 21th, 2522]

So Phoebe had found out after taking apart the turbine that the problem was worse than she anticipated. After a couple of days and a few new parts the Falchion was all fixed up and ready for flight. She'd only taken a few hours a night to sleep, when there was a problem the young mechanic was very focused; and the Falchion had a large problem.

It was early in the morning, not many people were out and about at the docks yet. Pheebs had stepped outside to get some fresh air for a few minutes. She had an odd feeling while outside so she was quick to find her way back onto the ship. Kyle was probably still asleep, but she wasn't sure. She would go find out though, and tell him the good news if he was awake.

Her pace was almost a skip, a wide and proud smile on her lips. Standing in front of the Captain's door she tapped on it a couple times, not too loud. "Kyle..you awake in there?" She'd stand there patiently a few moments to see if she got a response. Otherwise Phoebe would just head back to the engine room and clean up a bit until he was up and about.

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Outfit

[Kyle Phelan]

Kyle Phelan awoke with a start. The rogue turned over and brought the dagger hidden beneath his pillow to bear in one smooth motion, eyes rapidly sweeping the room. Finally satisfied with the lack of apparent danger, Kyle laid back down and dropped the dagger next to him with a sigh. He spent several minutes lowering his heart-rate via controlled breathing, almost drifting off again as the sudden surge of adrenaline wore off.

Grumbling, the young Captain forced himself up and shuffled across the room to the shower. Luke-warm water gently roused his senses, and while he scrubbed away Kyle mused over the last several days. As it turned out, the Falchion had been in worse shape than first thought, causing the ever-vigilant young mechanic he had just hired -Phoebe Saku- to spend countless hours forgoing sleep to make a quick fix of it. It was more than Kyle had asked, and it made him realize just how lucky he had been to find her when he had.

After he was done bathing, Phelan toweled himself off briefly before proceeding to the next stages of his daily routine: limbering up, followed by a quick protein bar for breakfast, followed by fifteen minutes of silent meditation, and finally getting geared up and dressed for the day. Kyle was half-way through his meditation when his concentration started to fray and he gave up, deciding instead to at least get partly dressed and do some extra acrobatics training.

Panting, the scruffy young Captain was in the middle of hanging upside down from the metal bars crisscrossing the ceiling of his room when a tap at the door caught his attention. Still breathing heavily, Kyle moved closer to the door, and still hanging from his knees, pushed the controls to open the door. "Yes? ...What is it?" he panted, scratching at the trail of hair on his chest absentmindedly.

[Phoebe Saku]

Phoebe was actually surprised that the Captain was indeed awake. When the door opened however she jumped with a gasp, the man was hanging from the ceiling! 'What in the world...' She thought as she stared for a moment at him curiously; her head slowly moving to the side until it stopped at her shoulder and would go no further. The mechanic wasn't at all sure what to think about the situation, but words finally found her.

"Good morning Cap!" She happily said as her head went back to the normal upright that it should be."Just wanted to let ya know as soon as I could that she's all done! I didn't know if you would be awake but obviously ya are! So...what exactly are ya doing hanging from the ceiling like that anyhow..you don't sleep like that do you?" There was a mixture of confused and curious in her face, but she still smiled.

A few moments later Phoebe heard a faint sound coming from the ship, the cargo bay to be specific. At least that's what it sounded like. Could be a knocking from someone, but it was soft, she almost missed it. It was constant too, the timing of it was too perfect to be a person really. What else could it be though? "You hear that?" She asked Kyle as she looked down the hall that would lead to the cargo hold after a few turns.