Scenic Route }{ [Mac, Seamus, Crew]

[Trace Kennet]

[Persephone Docks, January 19th 2523. 1100 hours]

Trace sat in the cockpit as the ship entered atmo. This was his least favorite part of flying. The noise, and the vibration, it made him think about how all that was between him and death was the ships hull. He shook his head to clear it, and focused on the landing. The captain stood behind him, which always had a way of making Trace nervous. The man knew something about flying that was obvious, but he never spoke when Trace was doing his job. Most would be glad of the silence, but to have him standing there, watching, was nerve racking to say the least. The sensor beeped, saying the ship was completely atmospheric, and Trace let out a sigh. The rest was cake.

As he headed towards the docks, he couldn't help but wonder what they were doing on persephone. The captain spoke about a job on Sihnon, and there were the fugitives, God knew where they were by now though. All he knew was that the captain had just decided to go to persephone. He wondered what it could be, and why he hadn't explained anything about it. The com beeped, as they were contacted by port control. Trace went though the ritual of confirming registration and ship information. And they were given clearance to land.

Without turning he spoke to the captain. "We have clearance captain." He said, gesturing in the direction of the docks that were now coming into view. "C-7."

[Lars Engström]

Lars nodded at Traces words. "Alright, thanks." He said, grabbing the comm. He was keeping this whole thing rather vague, until now that was. He hadn't wanted anyone to be able to argue about the passenger he was picking up, and he had decided not to explain who it was until now. "Alright ladies and gentlemen," He said, into the intercom, "As you know we are now about to land at the docks on Persephone. We are picking up a passenger here, an alliance Marshall." He paused, knowing that Jordan would be paying close attention now. "Now, I only plan to spend a few hours here, so if you need anything, get it fast. My plan is to out of here by 1500 at the latest. Any complaints can be filed with me at a later date." He replaced the com and headed off the bridge, making for his office.

He entered, and left the door open behind him. Grabbing his coat, he reached for his sword, but then decided against it, replacing it on the hook that it hung from. Heading out of the office, he went to the cargo bay, arriving just as he felt the ship touch down. He opened the door, and walked out into the air. Looking around, he squinted for a moment as his eyes adjusted, then he strode off towards the nearby bar. He figured it to be as good a place as any to start his search. He glanced back at his ship, and wondered whether his decision to tell everyone about the Marshall was a good one or not.

[hamilton]

‘Hopefully today will be different,‘ Mack thought to himself as the last few drops of the establishment’s cheapest whiskey slid out of the glass and he moved it from his mouth to place it onto the table. Today he wore simple clothes that blended him in with the other travelers that were passing the time until their flights with a drink and a conversation.

Mack was more interested in just watching as ship names appeared and disappeared on the bar’s Arrivals & Departures board, but a disheveled looking stranger was offering a round of drinks or two in exchange for narrating his grievances to Mack and a few other bystanders. And although he was more focused on the timetable, he wouldn’t pass on a free drink, and the Federal Marshal did have a little sympathy to the man, whose life went straight into the gutter after he lost a duel, and in turn, lost self-esteem and the respect of his peers, and gained a deep case of depression.

The man was again angrily listing the reasons to never trust a Companion, when the name Björn's Star and it’s dock appeared on the board. Mack stood up slowly, his side still giving him some pain, and excused himself with a few kind words about the man’s plight. Carefully he pulled his luggage out from under the table, and then wheeled the crate towards the door. Once outside he took a moment to stand by the entrance to the bar he had just left and try to remember where dock C-7 was.

[Jordan Maxwell]

With the cargo bay doors open Jordan stretched and surveyed their surroundings. As she took in the first breaths of fresh air she slid a pair of head phones off her ears, the music still playing. Everything seemed normal planet side, and she was already ready to be back in the air. They never stayed planet side long, just the way she enjoyed it. She went land crazy if they stayed in port to long.

She took this time to check on the doors, and everything outside the ship, she wanted to make sure everything was ship shape before they took off again. After all the last thing they needed was important bits falling off their ship when they left, or arrived at their next location.

Her hands slid into her pockets as she looked over the ship, every now and then touching it in places, checking for changes in the hull, or the stability of items. Jordan knew that they were picking up someone or several people?, She often made it her job to meet everyone, a friendly face and all. The mercs always seemed to make people uneasy, guns and all.

Jordan turned and walked back to the cargo bay ramp and sat looking over the lands. She never wanted to get use to seeing planets, after all, being on a planet meant you were a sitting duck, but both the Alliance and the Reavers.

[Lars Engström]

Lars weaved his way through the people who were moving back and forth around him. A small boy ran into him, and Lars instinctively grabbed the boy before he could run off. "Give it back." He said, holding out his other hand, and the boy handed the small amount of money he had managed to grab. "Now get out of here." Said Lars, letting go of the boy, and giving him a look. He had lost enough money to boys like that.

He was making his way towards the door when something caught his eye, he looked away and almost walked into the man who had just come out of the Bar. Looking over, he saw a muscular man, and decided that apologies would be tactful. "I'm sorry sir," He said, offering a hand in an apologetic shake, "I didn't mean to run into you," He smiled, "The name is Engstrom, Lars Engstrom."

[hamilton]

When the distracted man emerged from the steam of people and started walking straight towards him, Mack had to get up against the wall behind to swiftly move out of the man's way, which caused his side to act up again. For a moment he had to hold his abdomen and grit his teeth while he listened to the man apologize.

"No problem, everything's shiny," Mack replied as he lifted his hand from his injury and gave Engstrom a firm handshake, "Lars Engstrom? The captain of Björn's Star? I'm the Marshal that sent you a wave a few days ago. Mack Hamilton."

Mack wasn't sure what to think about a ship captain who goes to a bar the moment his ship lands. Maybe it meant he keeps his drinking planetside. Though, he didn’t know this Lars well enough to pass judgment so soon, and he shouldn’t think too harshly on someone who was able to pick him up with such short notice. Unless that and the drinking were related.

[Seamus Callahan]

Seamus was at a loss. He had no goddamn clue what he was doing, but he knew he needed to do it, and fast. Last night when he had tried to return to his tiny apartment he saw an federal marshal questioning one of his neighbors, he hoofed it out of there before the man caught sight of him. Getting caught up in all of this? Feng had promised him that it was easy, risk free money, but now Feng was in jail and Seamus was on the run.

He thought to himself, a sardonic smile lighting his face, that he'd never survive in prison because he was just too pretty. The jokes were fine and dandy, but they were not helping him out.

Luckily he had a few basic items on his person and had not truly needed to return to his appartment to make a run for it. His guitar was zipped in it's case and slung over his shoulder, his (mostly empty) wallet was tucked in his backpocket, his warm coat was pulled close around him. The hood obscuring his face as he weaved through the crowd. Feng told him if the go se hit the fan, if they got busted, to hop a ship off Persephone and lay low offworld a couple months. What Feng failed to mention was how in the hell he was supposed to afford a trip offworld when he couldn't exactly access his bank account without being apprehended.

He didn't know what he was going to do, but he made his way to the docks automatically. Pulled by the idea that somehow, just somehow he would hop a ship and that would be it. His "Get out of jail free card" was waiting for him in the docks. Seamus turned his eyes skyward as another ship pulled in, and he loitered around a market stall on the street, pretending to be interested in the junk it tried to sell.

Before long, the ship's cargo ramp dropped down, and out strode a tall, blonde man. The captain, Seamus presumed. His young age seemingly doing nothing to dampen the air of authority that hung around him. The man descended the ramp and disappeared into the busy street and was rapidly followed by a younger woman who walked a perimeter around the ship. In a mad impulse - Seamus made a dash for the ship just as she turned the corner.

He flattened himself against the wall, wishing he could sink into it. Heart hammering against his sternum. Luckily for him, the girl had headphones in and there was very little chance she had heard his footsteps on the ramp. There was still the rest of the crew to worry about, though he was well hidden at the moment.

'What the hell am I doing' Seamus thought to himself. Doing his best to slide into a space behind a crate that was far too small for him and to stay as quiet as possible.

[Lars Engström]

Lars wasn't expecting the man he had run into to be the man he was looking for, nor had he expected to find him so soon. "Well, I hadn't thought I would find you so soon." He said, smiling, "I expected to have to bribe a few drunks for information." He pointed back towards the docks, "Follow me, unless you need to get something else?"

Looking the man over, he wasn't sure what to think. There was a smell of alcohol on him, but that might just be from the bar its self. He looked like the kind of man who had been hung out to dry, sent to work where no one had to deal with him. Jordan's words about the alliance came back to him, and he pushed them away. He didn't need to know what the specifics were, if the Marshall wanted to talk later, that was fine. "We are staying for a few hours, just to get some time to resupply. But i can take you to the ship, and get everything squared away for you." He waited patiently for a response.

[Jeff Weston]

Jeff Weston eased out of his quarters lugging a now bagged combat suit which was in need of repairs from the last eventful trip in the black. Money to spend and repairs to see to and very little time to get all the things needed done. Yet he would try his best to make all the stops.

Down the halls and into the cargo hold Jeff found the doors open and fresh air blowing through them. It was a wonderful thing fresh air, even if the air is coming from Persephone. This place was the last place he wanted to return too, since being here for nearly four years. But beggers can't be choosers about the ways of the verse. Shuffling through the hold he had to stop prior to the main door. Flipping back his dusters left side, he quickly rechecked that his MP-90 was loaded and ready, followed by a even quicker pocket check of all of the other weapons he had on him from his Sonic weapon to his heavy stunners and finally a blade he took off a reaver from just a few days ago.

Stand straight and rolloing his neck and letting a few bones pop, he sighed and took up his bang and walked out of the ship and down the ramp. He was headed for the centeral parts of town to the darker portions and under ground black markets. His special amo must have been ready by now if his calulations were correct and if the seller was still on the square.

Moving through the crowds he heard a squeel of delight come from a young asian woman as she ran into the waiting arms of a man who looked more worn and werry than any person he had ever seen. The guy had a wild look in his eyes that matched the wilder hair he was sportin'. Jeff wondered if some like that would ever happen to him. Shrugging it off he turned down an alley and hopped a tram that was quickly headding for the lower down town.

[Lance Howe]

Lance would be a bit of an oddity today. He stood at the edge of the ship's ramp after most of the others had already left. He had an empty bag in his left hand and his revolver holstered on his right. He wasn't stupid. Persephone, especially the docks, had a reputation as an unfriendly place especially for someone like Lance. The Bjorn Star had been his first trip off world and now this was the first planet he'd ever been to other than his home.

The air was a little overpowering. He'd experienced a wide range of smells back home and even his short time aboard ship but the air here, forgetting the pollution and grime of the docks, was off. It was no St. Albans. Add to that the temperature change from a man used to near freezing or subzero temperatures now to walk out into a temperate climate, hot air even... it was certainly a shock. Add to that the more urbanized and densely populated nature of it all and Lance was a fish out of water.

Slowly he walked down the ramp and stepped off onto solid ground. 'That's one small step for Lance.' He thought to himself. It wasn't such a big deal, just... odd. He'd get used to it quick but the novelty of it all was still there. He was tough enough to deal with trouble no matter what planet he was on. It was time to set out to try and find a reputable medical supplier.

[hamilton]

Mack answered the young captain’s question with a light kick to the metal luggage crate that held his possessions, ”Naw, I got everything here, a Marshal has got to travel light” As Lars replied, Mack grabbed his luggage and started to walk into the direction that Engstrom had arrived from.

But then he quickly stopped and turned to the captain to again respond, ”If you have things that need to get done, I can wait to move my things onto the ship.” Actually Mack couldn’t wait, he had been on Persephone far too long for his liking. Usually Mack wasn’t a fan of space traveling, too many bad things had happened to him out in the black, but he was almost craving to get up there now, if it meant even a slight chance that he could take a vacation and see his daughter. Even getting new orders would at least mean a change of scenery. But Mack simply explained his patience with, ”I don’t want to be a burden to you or your crew anymore then I already am.”

Suddenly there was a great commotion inside the bar and the Federal Marshal’s body instinctively tensed up and he grabbed a hold of his cotton jacket, ready to pull out his iron from the shoulder rig once a threat was identified. He lowered it and relaxed just as fast, as the sweaty and unkempt man from earlier was tossed outside. “I bet you are all companion lovers!” he shouted as he drunkenly shook his right fist towards the establishment before turning to Mack and latching onto him “You know what I mean! Can’t trust them!” His hot 100 proof breath clouded around Mack as he whispered nonsensical Chinese to his recent drinking buddy, "bian da ta men de bei jiu gou le." Then sliding off and disappearing into the crowd.

For a moment Mack just stared at where the man had wandered off, but then he addressed Captain Lars, ”On second thought, I’d like to get my stuff stowed away now.”

[Lars Engström]

"Don't worry about being a burden. The crew needed some time to themselves anyway." Lars' attention was drawn by the man who stumbled out of the bar. He made a move to stop him from getting at the marshall, but before anything happened, it was over. The drunk whispered some nonsense at him, and then left. "By all means, let's get everything squared away." He strode off in the direction of the ship. "To be honest, I was surprised to get your message." He said, glancing back at the man as they walked. "We were headed to Sihnon, but got in a slight tangle with a reaver derelict." He shook his head, "Nasty business." He didn't really want to think about that affair.

As they drew closer to the ship, his eyes fell upon the figure who was sitting on the ramp. Jordan seemed to be peacefully lost in her own world, which was odd considering how violently she reacted to most anything Alliance. Lars wasn't sure why she would explode on him for being pro alliance, and have no reaction to the presence of a Marshall. is question, however, was answered for him as he saw the headphones in her ears. His stomach twisted a little, at the sudden realization that she probably hadn't heard his announcement. He thought about trying to find an excuse to distract her from Hamilton, but before he could they were on the ramp, and there she was. Lars offered a friendly wave, and then made for the cargo bay, hoping nothing violent or explosive was about to happen.

[Jordan Maxwell]

Jordan popped up when she saw the Captain, and his guest. She didn't make a movement but allowed them to approach her. She slid her headphones off and let them hang around her neck. She loved music, and had plans, when the funds were there, to buy a real raido for her engine room.

"Howdy! I'm Jordan." She extended her hand to the newcommer. "I'm the mechanic, and the cook. Would you like anyhing special tonight for dinner?" She was her old cheery self, perhaps it was sleeping with Dru that made her relax, or the fact she was able to put in a request order and her food supplies were being delivered shortly. she had plans of fresh veggies, and fruit. Her mouth almost watered at the thought of real oranges.

[hamilton]

”I hope everything went alright, no one was wounded or anything. I’ve seen what even a wounded reaver can do.” Reavers and Mack had a history together, one he didn’t want to think about, so as they walked through the docks, Mack changed the subject by mentioning the ship they were nearing, ”Is that your ship there? That’s a hornet class, yes? But the Captain seemed distracted by the young woman sitting there on the ship.

She introduced herself once Mack and Engstrom stepped onto the ship’s ramp, and Mack needed to switch his crate’s handle into his left hand so that he could shake her hand with his right and introduce himself, ”Mack Hamilton

Mack had to think about the dinner offer for a few moments, in general his diet was marginally better then a few protein servings. ” Oooh, I wouldn’t want you to go all out on my account, but I do like a little garlic, if it would be possible.”

[Jordan Maxwell]

“I’ll have to see what I can do. I love cookin’ Mr. Hamilton. It’s one of the few ways I can actually make myself useful to the Cap’n” She beamed a smile at him and wrapped her arms around his right arm and started to lead him into the ship itself. “Well, welcome to the Björn's Star. Most of the crew ran off to get some supplies before our next stop. If you would like, I would love to show you around. After we get you squared away of course.”

Jordan loved new people. They had stories, they had experiences, and most of all they gave her someone else to talk to. Jeff wasn’t much of a talker, Dru tried her best, but she was Dru. Things had become odd with Trace since he kissed her. Then there was Lance, well she wasn’t sure what to make of him. No, this man offered another chance for a short time to meet someone new and have someone to share meals with. As sad as it was, it was something she looked forward to, taking on passangers.