Making an Escape? (Tari)

[Sidney Bainbridge]

Trinity, New Cannan; Feburary 5th 2523


The trinity was nearing completion on its repairs and soon they would be off to Hera to. Layla and Cadan were long gone at this point having left the ship right after James died. The crew was broken but had begun to recover. Kalli had finally come out of her room and after a few spats of tears she seemed to be doing alright. Art hadn't had to much trouble keeping himself busy helping the repair crews get the ship togehter, even Kalli had joined in that over the last few days. Sakura, well she was tough as nails as well and had been sort of a thorn in Sid's side about his wound. It wasn't anything major but she did her job even through his protests.

Tari, she was a dofferent case, every day had lead her more and more distant. From the moment he talked to her in the infirmay to the short talk in the hall he knew she wasn't going to be around long. Today he had noticed she was pretty much packed up and a few comments she had made told Sid tonight was the night. She was gonig to take her leave without saying a word to the crew. Ten again the crew was the problem she was under the impression they they wouldn't accept who she was, that she was a theif. She might be right some of them might hold it against her but she had proven herself a valued part of the crew in Sid's eyes.

It was late at night about two in the morning, Side had been up and down from his bunk several time through out the night checking to see if she had left. He had tried to talk to her again about it that day but it only seemed to upset her even more. After several times through the ship Sid decided he would hold up for the night at the cargo bay hatch so she would have to go through him to get out. He was going to get his last chance to change her mind before she went. At least then he would feel like he had done what he could.

He hear the sound of soft footsteps coming in to the cargo bay from up on the catwalk. He was sitting down in front of the door, instead of getting up he just waited there for her to approch. She would have to face him this time.

[Tari Gasha]

It was time for Tari to leave, she knew that. She'd had a little over a week to heal, while she still had a ways to go, it would work for now. At least she was on the road to recovery. Sid had seemed like the only one who noticed the change in Tari, which was good and bad. Good because the less who knew she was going to leave the better, bad because of all the crew she felt like Sidney was the one who would actually fight her on it. It was made obvious the day outside the galley when Tari had come across Kalli and Meilin.

Through-out the day Tari had packed one of her suitcases, the only one she could take. Only being able to use one arm and all. She stood outside her room for a few minutes just looking around, she would miss this place. With a sigh Tari picked up the large piece of luggage and began to walk toward the cargo-bay, slowly. As she walked her eyes wandered, taking in the surroundings, placing each thing in her memory.

Tari stopped at the top of the catwalk, seeing Sidney waiting at the door. For her. He must have realized. She continued down the stairs, stopping in front of Sid. "I'm not one for goodbye parties Sid, sorry." She tried to pretend she didn't care, but as with all her other attempts as of late it was a failure.

[Sidney Bainbridge]

The lumbering gruff old man stood up as Tari got up near him. There was a part of him that wanted to just tell her, no your not leaving, but that wouldn't help at all though it was the way he felt. Not only because he didn't want to see her leave but also because he had to keep the cracks that had formed in the crew from fracturing and tearing the crew apart. This ship and her crew was James' legacy and he now was in charge of keeping that legacy in one piece.

He looked at tari for a moment as she spoke, he said nothing as he looked at her until she looked like she was going to try to go around him and leave. "Give me a minute and bare in mind I ain't normally one for talkin." He said trying to persuade her to give him one last minute of his time. He waited for her to give him some sign she was going to allow him to talk before he continued.

"I know you think you have to leave, that it is somehow best fer us all. Well it ain't" Yeah what a start, he was going to put her back on the defensive and she would be out the door in no time. "What I mean is your part of this crew weather you like it or not. We are a family and had that been you in there instead of Kalli nothing would have been different." He paused a minute again trying to figure out the right words. His voice shifted from its normal harsh tone to something a bit softer. He began to sound a bit different, almost as if there was a bit of emotion to the old man other then anger and rage. "I was willing to risk my life to bring her out you know... Kalli... shes family to me, something I ain't never had before."

That was something he never really wanted, family, he had always looked at family as a weakness before but this crew, they were different then before, they were family. "I'd give my life for family, and you ain't no different. You walk out that door now though and there is no coming back. People don't turn their backs on family, and I ain't going to turn my back on you unless you chose to do it first." She hadn't been with the crew to long but she had proven she was willing to take a stand for them like family and this was his effort to do the same for her.

[Tari Gasha]

As she walked and got closer to Sidney he stood, pausing for only a moment when she was right in front of him. Tari was about to continue and just go around him but he asked for a minute. Sighing she stood right where she was and waited, letting her hold go of the suitcase.

Tari didn't react much at first to Sid's words, as he said himself he wasn't one for talking. He was the captain of the Trinity now though, he'd have to work on that. Practice makes perfect, that's how she became the thief and con-artist she is.

His words began to sink into Tari, it was sort of disbelief at first, that they would have come after her the way they all had for Kalli. As Sid continued though it became clear that it was the truth, at least from his own view and opinions.

She had never had a family either, Tari was a product of foster care - a poorly designed system. On Persephone of all worlds at that. Turning away from Sid as he finished talking to her, just in time for a tear to streak down her cheek. "I know all about not having family Sid..and being here has been the closest I've ever gotten. It won't be the same though, it was fine while I was the little rich girl from Osiris, but I can't play that role anymore." She couldn't hold back the tears anymore, as the words came it became more and more obvious that she was crying. "I'm just a thief and a con-artist to everyone now, how can I be family."

Taking a deep breath, she used her hand to wipe her cheeks and turned back to face Sid. She gave him a smile, sadness clear in her features. Tears still came, "I had a good run here though, stayed longer than I have anywhere else."

[Roger Davis]

2 O'clock and Roger was up and wandering the halls of Trinity, something he had done several times before not that he or anyone else would remember. Wandering into the cargo bay, the gunhand stumbled upon Tari and Sidney mid conversation. He didn't react to their presence initially even though they were speaking; he simply headed toward the nearby stairwell. There was a somewhat glazed look on his face and his movements were a bit irregular as he walked, impressive for a man who was still asleep.

Having closed the gap, Roger soon became clearly aware that he was not alone. Even in his current state he reacted quickly, drawing steel from leather, and aimed at the pair, instinct and training taking over before he could recognize them. As tense as the situation may have been for the others, Roger's expression hardly changed. After only a few short seconds he lowered his weapon.

"Wha' are y'all doin'?" Roger said, his words loud but somewhat mumbled. He looked around a bit and then gestured with his gun to the bag now resting on the floor. "We leavin' for somewhere?"

[Sidney Bainbridge]

Sidney wasn't totally sure how to react to Tari's comments. "We all have our past Tari, we all have our secrets. I get it yours is out in the open and that is hard." He wasn't to sure where he was going with this in fact he had no direction to go with it.

He walked over closer to her placing his hand on her arm. Not grabbing hold of her in anyway. He had tried that before, tried to force her in to listening and that hadn't worked. "I have my secrets as well ya know." He sighed at himself as he tried to figure out what to say.

"you can fight it all you want Tari but you are home here, and with out you here it won't feel that way anymore. I mean we need you and I was hoping you would need us." He sighed again a bit more deeply then last time. He was becoming frustrated with himself. Before he could go on any further Roger stumbled down the stairs and toward them.

Sidney just stood there a little shocked that anyone else was still up. "No ones going no where Roger. Everyone here is staying here." He began to explain to him. "Tari was just realizing how much she means to us, isn't that right Tari." He looked over at Tari again.

Sidney wasn't going to let Roger's presence stop him from convincing her. Sidney had very few people he had become close to and though he still only knew Tari on the surface he found that he liked having her around, he wanted to get to know her and be able to trust her fully like those few others. "There's only a few people who know me well Tari, I'd like to have the chance for you to become one of them."

He reached in to his pocket and pulled the necklace he had kept of Amaya's it was easily his most valued possession. He grabbed her hand and put it in to it and folded her fingers over it. It was stupid and probibly meaningless to her but it was the world to him. He didn't show the thing to anyone or even mention it to anyone so how could she know. All he could do was explain how this was the only thing in the world he owned that he cared about. "Keep that thing, don't ever lose it. Just know without it I am not whole."

Since he and Amaya had parted ways back on Haven five years ago he had carried that with him. "If you stay here I don't have to part ways with it. If you decide to leave, well I still want you to keep it so you don't foget us here." He sighed again and stepped out of the way so she could leave if she wanted to.

[Tari Gasha]

Tari tried to hear what Sid was saying, it was clear he hadn't thought this through. She looked down at his hand that he placed on hers, then looking back up at him.

He was right, she did feel like she needed them. Needed to stay, to be here.

Before anything else Roger appeared, it startled her. All the times she'd been up through-out the night she had never seen him. Looking back to Sidney when he put her on the spot, her eyes narrowed into a glare. Tari pulled away from his touch, taking a step back, not replying to what was said.

Her features went back to a mixture of neutral and sadness when he finally continued. When Sidney grabbed her hand, she didn't fight him, didn't want to. The words sunk in, touched her mind and her heart. Tari's tears began to show themselves again, starting to stream down her cheeks. Looking down into her hand at the trinket, a necklace. She couldn't help but wonder what exactly it meant to Sid.

Coming to a realization, admitting to herself that no she wasn't going to leave. Perhaps she had made it obvious to Sid just so that he might stop her, keep her from leaving the one place she'd ever felt home. Through her tears she forced her words, "You know Sid, even when you're trying to be nice, it really doesn't work to well.."

Tari hugged him, not letting him pull away or argue. "You're the Captain, you gotta get better at the whole talking to people thing you know." Yeah the thief wasn't leaving, who was she kidding.

[Roger Davis]

"Good. Hate to lose anyone else." Roger replied to Sidney's explanation. A somewhat crooked smile came across his glazed face as he said it, looking between the two. The memory from the other day was still floating around in his head somewhere so he made the connection if delayed a second or two.

Without saying anything else or even waiting for another response, Roger turned and continued on his way as if there hadn't been an interruption. In about a minute he had left the cargo bay and disappeared into the rest of the ship.

[Sidney Bainbridge]

She was right he had a way with screwing up words and making things come out wrong. It was sort of a specialty of his. "Another reason why we need you her to keep my from saying the wrong thing." Then came the part Sidney had no idea how to deal with.

Tari was hugging him. His arms were bent at the elbow sticking straight out on both sides of her. He was frozen in place for a little while. "I'm glad you changed your mind. I dodn't really want to have to force you to say." He said half joking half serious. Finally one of his hands gently patted her back then both wrapped around her. He wasn't good at this hugging thing either, well anything emotional really.

"what do we do from here?" It was a serious question, though she may have though he was talking about over all he ment the hug. What happens from this point, how long was he supposed to do this for? eventually her grip loosened and he got one of his arms free. He looked down at her and wiped the tears from under her eyes. He had seen that kind of thing in a holoreel before. Seemed like the right thing to do.

[Tari Gasha]

Tari laughed at him, her words were a little muffled but understandable, "I have to be your translator is that it? Turn the not nice things into nice things so we don't get shot sorta thing?" That indeed might be an issue, all joking aside.

She could tell that the embrace was a little awkward for Sid, but it didn't make her let go any quicker. Not that he couldn't have easily moved away from her, Tari only had use of one arm still. Probably for quite awhile really.

With his question she smiled and loosened her hold on him, yup not a normal situation for the captain at all. Though he shocked her some when he wiped the tears from her face and it showed. Tari chalked the action up to his state of being uncomfortable.

"Now you take this pretty necklace back and maybe help a girl take her suitcase back to her room." Tari held out the jewelry in her hands, allowing him to take it back.

[Sidney Bainbridge]

Sidney laughed at Taris comment about being his translator, but it wa sort of true it would be good to have someone who could help do the talking. Someone who had a way with words and a way with convencing people to give them what they wanted. "So that means you will do it right. We could use someone to keep us from getting shot at so often." He said half joking and half serious.

She finally let him go, a good thing to he was really uncomfortable in that situation. Not that he was unhappy with her doing that, just he didn't have a clue how to act. Then she offered the necklace back to him and asked for a hand with the suitcase. He reached over to her out stretched hand with the necklace in it. "I ain't totally convince you plan to stay for good yet. I'll have you hold on to that thing a little longer till I am." He rolled it back in to her hand and then reached for the suit case. "Plus I think it will look a bit better on you then me anyway."

It was still an odd jesture to offer it up but it was something he valued and he though it good to have smeone he valued wear it. He wasn't going to take no for an answer on this one. SIdney picked up the suitcase and began to walk toward the stairs with it. It was time she get settled back in and ready to accept she was part of this family.

[Tari Gasha]

Tari let out a non-serious sigh at Sidney's reply about the translator comment, "If I must, someone has to make sure we don't get shot anymore. I for one would definitely like to avoid that again." Though it would probably be awhile before she was actually in any situation that had the potential for gunfire. At least she hoped. Tari would be healing for awhile from her gun shot wound.

She grinned as he told her to keep the necklace, Sid was apparently not giving her a choice on the matter. He went and grabbed her suitcase instead. "Oh I don't know Sid, turquoise would look quite good on you." Tari teased him as she wiped the rest of her face and followed him back to the stairs.

[Sidney Bainbridge]

Sidney walked up the stairs on to the catwalk slowly. He limped just a little from his knee. He had been keeping busy the last few days, a lot of walking, lifting, and all round physical work brought the old war injury out. He tried his best not to let it show, he thought of it as a weakness and prefered to not show any weakness. More so now that people were looking to him to take charge with James gone.

Sidney gave out a full laugh at Tari's comment about the necklace. It was unusual to hear Sidney really laugh more then something under his breath. "Sure it would, just like battle scars on you." He found the idea ironic, him with the fancy jewlery one would expect on her, and her with the battle scars like him that cover him from head to toe. The old man had seen more then enough battle and the question now is what direction would he take the ship.

He had always been one to find a fight, even when it took some real effort. He had had people under his command before, lots of them really nearly 900 people served under him through out his time in the war. He had lost nearly 800 of them in battle. Serenity Valley along sow 250 men turn in to only twenty seven by the end of the battle. He was willing to sacrific when needed back then, but these people they weren't soldiers. They just didn't fit in to the Alliances grand plans thats all. Sure some had served and some supported the Independents but he couldn't treat them like he had back then. They were here to live a free life not fight for his cause. "Tari, I need you to do me a favor."

They had made their way close to the quarters now. They would be able to drop her things off and then call it a night. "I have fought my war, and some times I still feel like I am in it. I need someone to make sure I don't treat this crew like it is my personal army." He ran his hand from just under his ear to his chin. He could feel the scar he had that ran all the way to his mid chest. A knife wound he had managed to get after the war in one of the many encouters he had trying to keep the war going in his mind.

[Tari Gasha]

Tari was glad to hear Sidney laugh, an actual honest to goodness laugh. "Well see, that's why it works. Since I got one now and all." She was talking about her shoulder of course, there was no avoiding a scar from it.

"Think we should let Roger know he sleepwalks? All this time I've been here, you might not have noticed, but I don't really sleep much. I've never seen him doing that before tonight." He may have known about her late nights in the cargo bay, if he did nothing had ever been said.

They were right near her room now, when Sid mentioned a favor. She looked at him curiously waiting for him to ask. When he finished she smiled softly at him, "I can handle that Sidney.' the softness faded a little into more of a mischievous look, 'That mean I can throw something at you or anything fun to knock you into your senses?" Tari was only mostly teasing of course.

The Trinity was home, despite any possible drama that may arise from the other crew. Thanks to Sid she knew she belonged.